Chapter 1380:


    Not even the time he faced a charging brown bear had crushed his chest with this level of pressure.


    This was the terror of recognizing a truly formidable adversary.


    Cohen’s fingertip mped down tighter on the trigger as instinct outweighed reason.


    In the next heartbeat, illuminated by the glow of countless phone lights, Maia whipped her right leg upward in a fierce arc, and the sharp snap of her toes striking the side of the gun barrel vibrated through the air with startling force.


    The rifle jerked sideways and sent pellets punching into the ceiling.


    Boom!


    A burst of light sprang through the hall as the chandelier exploded and scattered ss in a sharp and glittering fall.


    Shards and wine flew across the room as steel balls tore through the champagne tower and crashed onto the piano in a jarring sh.


    People reacted at once. Some scrambled beneath the tables while others held their wounded arms with trembling hands.


    Chris felt his chest tighten until it almost hurt. He had trusted Maxwell to stop the sniper, yet someone had still slipped close enough to threaten Maia.


    At the same moment, on the rooftop, Maxwell scowled and spoke in a low, frustrated tone. “Damn it. This angle ispletely blocked.”


    He had stayed alert for a second shooter, and he never imagined an attack meant for Maia woulde this directly.


    “Maia, you need to stay safe, or I will always carry the me for letting Chris down,” Maxwell muttered as he hurried to im a better position.


    Cohen stepped away and worked with practiced ease as he loaded another round. He steadied himself to fire once more. This time, he believed the shot wouldnd exactly where he wanted it.


    “He’s going to shoot again,” Pattie shouted in fear.


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    Brielle could barely hold herself steady while Mnie cried openly, herst bit of hope feeling close to breaking. Ethan tried to move forward at once, yet Marisa stopped him by gripping his shoulder firmly.


    At that exact second, Jarrod unleashed a roar that split through the chaos. “Stop! She’s Maia Morgan!”


    His voice rolled through the hall like a violent crack of thunder.


    The crowd fell silent all at once.


    Cohen pulled his hand back in shock. He lifted his gaze and stared hard at Maia. “You are Maia Morgan?”


    Nothing made sense to him. Jarrod’s intended target turned out to be Maia, the daughter of the Morgan family, the same girl who had once shown him quiet kindness when his world had fallen apart.


    A sudden chance appeared before her. Maia sprang forward and used Cohen’s stunned pause to close the gap. She caught hold of the gun barrel with her left hand while her right hand locked the trigger mechanism.


    That move left him with no way to fire.


    The distance between them shrank until each breath felt sharp and audible.


    Cohen looked into a face that tugged at an old memory. His throat tightened as he pictured a small girl bathed in warm afternoon sunlight, smiling at him through an open window long ago. The girl tilted her head and said to him, “Mr. Archer, eat some more. If it’s still not enough, I will bring you another helping.”


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