?Chapter 1631:


    But just as he bent down—Vincent struck. A brutal kick mmed into Brendan’s side, sending him crashing backward.


    Chaos erupted. Brendan’s men raised their guns at Vincent; Vincent’s men did the same to Brendan’s. A heartbeatter, gunfire filled the air. The deafening sts were everywhere.


    Ashlyn had never been in the middle of a shootout before. Her entire body trembled in terror.


    Jaxen lunged. With quick reflexes, he shoved her to the floor, dragging her behind the sofa.


    Ashlyn clutched her ears, her breath ragged. She didn’t dare move.


    Jaxen shot her a nce. “Stay here.”


    If she exposed herself now, she’d be a liability. A bargaining chip. And they hade here to save her—not to let her be a hostage again. Ashlyn forced herself to remain still. She curled up behind the sofa, pretending that if she stayed small enough, she could block out the chaos—the bullets slicing through the air, the screams, the scent of gunpowder.


    Meanwhile, Vincent made his move. The moment he kicked Brendan, he swiftly hooked his foot toward the fallen remote. But the device skidded out of reach, sliding under the coffee table. Now, neither he nor Brendan could get to it.


    But Ashlyn could. From her hiding spot, her eyes locked onto the remote. It was close. Just a few feet away.


    Her heart pounded. Bullets were still flying. One wrong move, and she’d be caught in the crossfire. She swallowed hard. This was dangerous.


    But even so, Ashlyn made her decision. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. She couldn’t risk running out into the open, so instead, she pushed. With all her strength, she shoved the sofa forward, using it as a shield to block the iing bullets.


    Her back was now fully exposed to Vincent and his men, but she trusted them. She knew they wouldn’t identally harm her.


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    Her strategy worked. The bullets struck the sofa instead of her. Relief flooded through her.


    But just as she reached for the remote, she slowly looked up and locked eyes with Brendan.


    Brendan roared, his voice filled with rage, “You little bitch, get away from that remote!”


    Ashlyn’s heart pounded, but she had no choice. Fear gripped her, but if she didn’t reach that remote, they were all dead.


    Seeing Ashlyn ignore him and continue crawling toward the coffee table, Brendan shouted frantically, “Kill her! Now!”


    Those bombs were hisst resort. If he couldn’t take down Vincent tonight, everything would spiral out of control. He couldn’t let that happen—not now, not ever!


    The moment Brendan gave the order, his men stopped firing at Vincent’s men and turned all their focus on Ashlyn. She wasn’t getting out of here alive.


    Ashlyn used the sofa as cover while bullets pounded into it, shredding the fabric and stuffing. The once-luxurious piece was now a shredded, bullet-riddled mess, a clear sign of the relentless gunfire.


    Ashlyn’s breath came in short gasps. The fear was suffocating, but Vincent’s men weren’t about to let her die. The moment Brendan’s men turned their attack on Ashlyn, Vincent’s men retaliated,unching a fierce assault on Brendan.


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