Ch 684 - Surprise Attack

The powder instantly covered the mouth and nose of the two guards, and they fell silently to the ground.

The doctor hurried into the ward and closed the door.

Maryann's heart sank. "Who are you?" she asked calmly. "Who sent you?"

"Don't worry, Maryann," the woman said. "I won't kill you. You're just going to be a pawn in my game, that's all."

Her eyes twinkled coldly. "There was no bad blood between us until recently," she said. "But we've been left with no choice but to act. Your lover killed my brother."

"Alex killed your brother?" Maryann asked.

"That's right," the woman said. "My name is Beth Ramsden. I'm Gabriel's sister."

Of course, Maryann knew about the conflict between Gabriel and Alex, and she had also heard the news of Gabriel's death.

Beth smiled. "Gabriel was my younger brother," she explained. "I raised him myself. It's only right for me to avenge his death."

"If you want to kill Alex, then why didn't you do it just now?" Maryann asked. "Why avoid him and come looking for me? Are all the Ramsdens afraid of his strength?" She scowled. "You know that you can't beat Alex, but it's crazy to think that you can use me to get to him."

Beth approached Maryann and said, "You know I won't kill you. You're my weapon, and I'm going to use you to kill Alex. You were the direct cause of my brother's death, and I'm not going to let you go. Riley tells me that you and Alex are close to each other, and that makes you valuable."

She took a syringe out of her pocket and said, "Don't resist me, or this will end badly for you."

She was just about to inject the syringe into Maryann's neck when chaos erupted in the ward.

A sword lashed out from under the bed and narrowly missed Beth's abdomen.

She screamed, caught off guard, and quickly retreated.

She hadn't known that there was anyone else in the room, as she had thought that she had succeeded in leading Alex away. But she didn't know that Alex had been waiting for her, so she had been careless.

As she retreated, Beth tried to grab Maryann and pull her along with her. She knew that without Maryann as a hostage, she would be too exposed.

But she failed. As she caught Maryann's hand, the sword struck again, and this time, it pierced her chest.

Beth's face contorted in pain, and she was forced to drop Beth and retreat to the door of the ward.

However, as she reached the door, Celeste appeared with her sword held high, and there was nowhere for Beth to go.

Celeste was just too quick for her. Beth hadn't expected any of this, and she couldn't dodge her. She was shocked and confused. It wasn't just Alex and Maryann she had to deal with; there seemed to be enemies on all sides.

There was no time to think about anything else. She raised her sword to meet Celeste's and drove it toward her opponent with all the strength she had left. Life and death were separated by instants, and she couldn't lose focus for a second.

The swords clashed loudly, and the two fighters came face to face. For a moment, there was stillness, before Celeste readjusted and managed to strike a blow to Beth's right arm, causing her to drop her sword and scream. Then, with her left hand, Beth managed to throw out a handful of the black powder that had taken care of the guards moments ago.

Celeste sidestepped the powder, and Beth took the opportunity to turn and run. Clutching her injured right arm to her chest, she pulled open the door of the ward and headed out into the corridor.

But before she could take another step, she was thrown back into the room with force. She collapsed against the wall and looked up to see Alex standing over her.

Beth was trapped, but she was still fighting. With a sweep of her long legs, she tried to knock Alex to the ground.

"Alex, be careful!" Maryann cried.

Alex merely grabbed Beth's ankle and gave it a violent twist. Then he leaned forward and quickly incapacitated her. Her arm had stopped bleeding, but she could no longer move a muscle.

Alex picked up a cup of water from next to Maryann's bed and looked at Beth with a calm smile. "Miss Ramsden, I presume? You're lucky to be alive. Were you really planning to take revenge all by yourself?"

"How did you know I was going to attack Maryann?" Beth asked through clenched teeth. "I was going to use her as a bargaining chip, but it wasn't really planned. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea."

She couldn't understand it. Everything had happened so quickly. All she knew was that she had been stabbed, beaten, and subdued.

"I certainly didn't know you were going to try to take Maryann," Alex said, shrugging. "But many of the people around me have been kidnapped, so I called Celeste, just in case. And then you showed up soon after."

He turned to look at Celeste. "Are you feeling better?" he asked with concern in his eyes.

"Absolutely," Celeste said, smiling at him. "The Pacific orchids worked wonders."

Celeste had recovered very quickly and was just as nimble and brave as before.

"But when did she hide under the bed?" Beth asked. "Has she been there all day?"

If it hadn't been for the young woman in front of her, Beth felt that she wouldn't have fallen into Alex's hands so easily. At least she would have been able to escape after a fierce fight.

She hadn't had the chance to use all her strength or all her abilities. She hadn't even shown them half of what she could do.

"It was the smell," Alex said. "You betrayed yourself with the smell of cherry blossoms. My sense of smell is unique, and I've come to recognize that particular fragrance whenever the members of the Ghosts are around."

He had first noticed it when he had been attacked by Kendall, back when she had been one of the Ghosts' assassins, so when he had sensed it again at the hospital, he had known that something was wrong.