The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!-Chapter 728: Late (?)
For sure, it was adrenaline that pushed Henrik to keep running despite his pitiful state. Fog puffed from his chapped lips as he ran and stumbled, gunfire echoing behind him.
Just moments ago, while trying to escape, Henrik had stumbled upon two men searching for him. The instant they recognized him, Henrik didn’t wait for them to raise their rifles. He turned and fled, narrowly avoiding shots as he ducked behind trees and kept running without looking back.
"I shouldn’t have — ahh!"
Henrik tripped over a large rock jutting out from the path and tumbled down the side, rolling violently down the short slope.
The air was knocked out of his lungs the moment he hit the ground.
"Ahh..." he wheezed, his breathing catching as he twisted onto his side. Curling against the dirt, he clawed at the soil and forced himself through the pain. His thoughts raced, urging him to move.
Panting, he pushed himself onto all fours. Every part of his body screamed in pain, and he couldn’t tell which injury hurt the most. All he knew was that he had to keep moving and leave the island. How, he didn’t know. But he had to go, he needed to.
With that thought, he forced himself upright.
Once more, Henrik dragged himself forward, crawling and staggering uphill. Whether it was his eyes adjusting to the darkness or pure survival instinct, he kept going. Seconds stretched into minutes, and minutes of running became a living hell.
But he didn’t stop... even as his vision wavered and blurred.
He kept going even when he felt his wounds tear open again, blood seeping through the thick bandages. The color drained from his face, his steps faltering. Still, he slapped himself, desperate to stay awake.
"You’re close," he muttered, spotting the end of the path and assuming it marked the forest’s edge. "Don’t give in. Don’t die like this."
Despite his muddled mind and the blood loss threatening to claim him, he clung to reasons to keep moving.
He thought of the only woman he had sworn to protect, only to fail. Of her dying breath, and his promise to protect her son no matter what. He thought of the woman he had called his wife, and her growing ambition and greed. Of the people who supported her, all because they wanted to strip him of his position as head of the Bellemonte family.
He remembered the battles he fought to keep the Bellemonte family afloat as their military strength steadily dwindled. They hadn’t always been this weak. They might not have matched the Order’s training, but they were never this helpless. And yet, over time, his power had eroded—not just from incompetence, but from plans failing, resources vanishing, and resolutions never coming through.
And somehow, with every step and every reason behind it, he couldn’t help but wonder if the Bellemonte’s pitiful military state was just another conspiracy he just didn’t see through until now?
"Why am I thinking about this now?" he muttered, barely dragging himself along, gripping trees on either side of the narrow path for support.
Why, in this moment, did it suddenly feel like their military decline wasn’t accidental? Like something had been bleeding them dry all along—slowly, deliberately—like a balloon pierced by a tiny needle?
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Never mind that," he whispered as he pushed past the last line of trees. "This is not the time for this. I ... I just need to get out of here."
Breaking through the treeline, Henrik collapsed with a grunt. Just as he expected, the path led to the island’s edge.
"Hah... hah..." He panted, his head throbbing and vision spinning. He shook his head and slapped his cheek to keep himself conscious. "Just... keep... going..." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
With immense effort, he forced himself onto his knees and then to his feet. He clutched his side, feeling warm liquid soak through the bandages.
Then, as he took another step and looked ahead, his entire body froze.
"Huh?"
Standing just a few steps away was a massive figure, like a giant. Henrik blinked, and despite his blurred vision, he recognized the build.
"You..." His voice faltered as faint voices echoed from the forest behind him. He narrowed his eyes, forcing focus. "...you’re Atlas’s bodyguard. The big guy."
The man often seen standing behind Atlas—always close, always silent.
Baby.
"Hah. Finally," Henrik breathed out.
For a brief moment, relief washed over Henrik. He even smiled faintly. Maybe the children had told their father about him. Maybe Atlas had sent someone to help.
"Perfect timing," Henrik sighed, taking a cautious step forward. "There are guys trying to kill me over there, and—"
He stopped mid-sentence as he sensed something was wrong.
Henrik’s gaze snapped to the man just as he saw him draw something out. Even in his condition, Henrik recognized danger and the unmistakable presence of a weapon.
"God," he breathed. "Not you."
A second later, the massive figure raised a rifle and aimed it directly at him.
Henrik clenched his teeth, mentally screaming at his feet to move. But he couldn’t until...
BANG!
*****
On the same island, Hugo crouched at the entrance of the cave. One arm rested on his knee while the other held a flashlight, its beam sweeping the interior. He stared at the place the twins said they had left Henrik, but all that remained was a burnt-out fire pit and blood-soaked bandages.
"Damn it," he muttered, clicking his tongue. "We’re late."
He straightened just as Izu approached, having accompanied him to the site.
"Sir," Izu reported, lowering his voice. "Our men found several bodies on the island. All were shot cleanly. We’re still identifying them, but one has already been confirmed as an Order member by a rescue unit."
Hugo’s expression hardened. "Henrik couldn’t have done that. Expand the search. Whoever killed them already had him."
Izu bowed his head. "Yes, sir."
Without wasting another second, Izu moved to carry out the order, while Hugo headed toward the bodies left on this island that didn’t have the chance to explain themselves of why they were on the island in the first place.
