Remy widened his eyes in shock. He was already drenched in sweat.


    He yelled, "Jasper, watch out!"


    As much as he wanted to dash toward Jasper to help him, he was too far away. He wouldn''t be able to reach him in time.


    Seeing the glistening de in Uri''s hand aimed straight at his chest, Jasper''s heart pounded. Though only a few seconds passed, he struggled with the dilemma.


    He had a gun in his hand, and three bullets remained. Given that Uri was within close range, those three bullets would be more than enough to take him down for good.


    But if he did that, he would bemitting murder. Did he truly want someone''s blood on his hands? Was killing Uri the only way to resolve everything?


    In that split second, Alyssa''s vibrant smile shed across his mind. Her smile was so brilliant that it made his heart race. It was like a ray of sunshine illuminating his icy life, sending warmth from the depths of his heart to every part of his body.


    He didn''t want his hands stained with blood. He still hoped that one day he could stand before Alyssa as an upright and innocent man, just as he had in the past.


    Suddenly, realization struck.


    Jasper''s eyes widened. Just as Uri was three steps away, he lowered his gun and fired three consecutive shots.


    Three bolts holding the wire-mesh floor together snapped under the impact.


    The moment Uri stepped forward, the floor beneath him gave way. His twisted expression turned pale instantly as he lurched forward.


    "No-"


    In the next second, the floor copsed beneath him. Just a step away from Jasper, Uri felt as though he had fallen into a terrifying abyss, plunging from over 300 feet above the ground.


    At the same time, Axel, who was below, leaped into the air and caught the remote controller in his hands. As quickly as he could, he pressed the button.


    The metal chains screeched to a sudden halt.


    Less than ten feet from the ground, Julien hung frozen in midair. Beads of sweat trickled down his pale face and along his clenched jaw before dripping onto the ground.


    "Fuck... We did it."


    All the tension drained from Axel''s muscles as he slumped to his knees,pletely exhausted.


    As a top secret agent, he had been assigned many extremely dangerous missions over the years, both domestically and overseas. He hade close to death countless times, yet still managed to turn things around and save himself each time.


    Nevertheless, even with all those dangersbined, he had never been as terrified as he had been just moments ago.


    But before anyone could celebrate their narrow escape from death, a heavy thud echoed through the space.


    Uri had hit the ground hard. His body sprawled across the floor, his limbs twisted grotesquely. His eyes were wide open, his chest heaving in ragged pulses as fresh blood spilled continuously from his mouth.


    "Why... me..."


    Why did it have to be him? Why wasn''t Jonah or Julien the one who died instead?


    However, nothing but a surge of blood came from his throat, drowning every word he wanted to say.


    The air went still.


    Uri died with unsolved resentment. His pathetic, sinful, and absurd life had finallye to an end.


    Jasper let out a long breath and slowly lifted his eyes, meeting Remy''s gaze.


    Remy looked into Jasper''s bloodshot eyes, the corners of his lips lifting as he raised


    a hand, wanting to give him an air high-five.


    Jasper took a breath andplied, raising his calloused hand in response.


    "Jonah..."


    Julien knelt before Jonah in tears. He cupped Jonah''s bloodied face with trembling hands. "Why did you do that? How could you be so foolish?"


    "I wasn''t being foolish. This has been... the wisest decision I have ever made."


    Jonah ced his hand over Julien''s. Though the muscles around his left eye drooped, the smile on his face reached eye, which gleamed with tenderness. "An eye exchange for my dear Foxy''s life... It was absolutely worth it."


    "Oh, silly... You''re so silly..."


    With tears streaming down his face, Julien leaned forward and hugged Jonah tightly,


    as if he wanted them to be one.


    "Foxy is back... I''m sorry... I won''t run away again."


    Cyrus soon arrived with his subordinates. They removed Uri''s body and cleared the wreckage from the fight.


    Although there were traces of a struggle, all surveince cameras within the factory had their signals disrupted earlier by Axel and the others.


    Moreover, Uri''s body showed only broken bones and internal hemorrhaging from falling from a great height. There were no other fatal wounds.


    As such, his death was recorded as an idental fall caused by a misstep from above.


    Jonah was rushed to the hospital''s emergency room for treatment.


    Julien couldn''t care less about his own injuries. He joined the other Taylor family members waiting outside the emergency room.


    He was on pins and needles, his throat dry and bitter.


    "Jul!"


    Alyssa, still in recovery and wearing an oversized hospital gown, ran toward Julien.


    Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him and burst into tears.


    "You''re finally back... Wee back, Jul... Wee back..."


    "I''m sorry, Lyse..." Julien was overwhelmed with regret, his voice breaking between sobs. "It was my faulty. My recklessness hurt, Jonah... I''m the reason he''s no longer whole... It''s all my fault..."


    Alyssa gently patted his back as he cried.


    In a firm yet gentle voice, she said, "Jul, if you truly feel sorry for Jonah, please...


    please never let go of him again."


    So what if she had guilt-tripped him? So be it.


    She only wanted to help Jonah hold on to his happiness. She wanted him and Julien


    to stay together forever.


    Time passed in a blur until the operating room light finally switched off.


    The doors opened, and a doctor emerged from within, looking grim.


    "Doctor! My partner... His eye..."


    Julien was the first to rush over. Yet the moment he spoke, fear seized him, leaving him unable to finish his question.


    The doctor looked down and hesitated for a moment before saying carefully, "Our hospital manufactures prosthetic eyes—"


    "Prosthetic eye? What are you trying to say?"


    Supported by Jasper, Alyssa hurried over, panting. "Jonah needs a prosthetic eye?


    What does that mean? Can''t his eye be restored?"


    Jasper felt a twitch in his eye. Even his heart seemed to stop for a moment.


    "I''m sorry, Ms. Alyssa."


    The doctor sighed heavily and


    replied softly, "Mr. Jonah''s injury was too severe. His eyeball and its nerves were badly damaged, so it''s,


    impossible to restore his eye to normal."