After the Secret Wedding Rise of My Queen novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222 They've Been Discovered
Before the sneeze escaped, a large hand suddenly reached over and covered Isabel's mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock, and she froze, straining her ears to listen intently.

"Don't move—" Xander raised a hand, and all the bodyguards instantly halted, holding their positions.

Silence.

The room was so quiet that the ticking of the antique clock on the wall was deafening. Tick, tick, tick!

Isabel held her breath, not daring to make a single sound.

Richie, too, remained still, as his hand firmly covered her mouth.

A full minute passed. Xander stood up, his sharp eyes scanning the living room before focusing on the sofa.

"Is there something under the sofa?" Leo couldn't help but ask.

Xander kept staring at the base of the sofa. At his signal, Leo called two men over.

"Move the sofa."

Isabel nervously pressed a hand to her chest as if trying to calm her racing heart. Richie, although tense, was much calmer than Isabel. He knew that even if they moved the sofa, it wouldn't matter.

Creak! The sofa was moved aside and it revealed nothing.

Isabel breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself that the hidden compartment design was ingenious. Only pressing the button on the sofa would activate it; simply moving the furniture wouldn't trigger the mechanism.

"Boss, what was it just now?" Leo asked curiously.

"Nothing, maybe I misheard something," Xander replied, withdrawing his gaze from the floor.

"So, what now? We've searched every corner of the entire villa and found no one. They might have escaped through the window earlier," Leo speculated.

"Let's go. Keep men stationed here," Xander ordered before striding out with his long legs.

"Yes. You guys, stay here and keep watch," Leo instructed before following Xander out.

The living room was plunged into darkness once more after the lights were turned off and the door shut.

Slowly, the sofa moved back to its original position. Isabel and Richie emerged one after the other from beneath it.

"Who exactly are you?" Richie stared directly at Isabel, his eyes sharp with suspicion.

"This isn't the place to talk. Let's get out of here first," Isabel said firmly.

Richie considered her words. She had a point—if Xander came back unexpectedly, they'd be caught red-handed.

He moved to the window and nimbly climbed out. Isabel followed but hesitated, pressing a hand to her abdomen. She had to be careful.

Richie watched her with confusion. She had fought fiercely earlier, yet now she climbed like an old man in his seventies.

Before Richie could say anything, Isabel suddenly slipped from the window. Instinctively, he reached out and caught her, holding her securely.

Isabel's heart pounded in terror.

That was close—too close.

"Uh, my leg went numb," she mumbled awkwardly.

Richie set her down as his gaze fell on the emerald guardian angel pendant peeking out from her collar.

"Where did you get this?" he asked sharply.

Isabel glanced down at the pendant, then stared at Richie's face for a few moments.

"I can tell you, but you have to show me your face first."

She had a hunch that he was the person she knew as both had "Rich" in their names.

Richie's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. "Fine, but only if I can see yours too."

"No way," Isabel refused outright. "You want to know where I got this thing, and I want to see your face. That's called fair trade. If you make another demand, it won't be fair—unless I get to add another condition."

"What condition?" Richie asked calmly. He was curious to hear what she wanted, to gauge whether she was an ally or an enemy.

"Tell me who you are," Isabel demanded as her sharp inquisitive gaze locked onto the man whose face was hidden.

"Or let me guess ... Are you Richard?"