Return of the Crowned Heiress novel Chapter 677

True to Stephan's usual direct and forceful methods, his original plan was to level the entire mountain with repeated bombings. That way, no matter how many threats Johanna or the masterminds behind her posed, they'd all be buried under the rubble.

And that was exactly what he had started to do—mobilizing his men and firepower to bombard the mountain over and over.

If Felicia and Imogen hadn't taken the risk of coming to this place, Stephan wouldn't have stopped.

But now that they were here, Stephan had no choice but to halt the operation.

Felicia instinctively shrank back, trying to nudge Imogen to the front as a shield. Imogen caught her movement and glanced at her before stepping forward and addressing Stephan directly, "What are you glaring at?"

Stephan was speechless.

Felicia suppressed a laugh, thinking to herself that Imogen's fierceness was truly unmatched.

Stephan, caught off guard, looked a little helpless and innocent. "Imogen, who am I glaring at?"

"Don't you think I can't tell!" Imogen, fully committed to protecting Felicia, took a stance that was utterly unreasonable and overprotective. "You'd better treat your wife well, you hear me? If you're mean to her, I'll give you a spanking myself!"

Stephan glanced at Felicia again and saw her hiding behind Imogen, avoiding his gaze. She looked exactly like someone who had been wronged.

Stephan sighed, expressing a mix of amusement and exasperation. He ultimately gave in. "Alright, alright. I got it."

It was hard to argue with such misplaced accusations.

Scarlet, standing nearby, quietly observed the scene and came to one conclusion in her mind, "Poor Mr. Russell."

Imogen, shifting back to a serious tone, furrowed her brows and asked, "Have you found any sign of them? Could they have been killed in the explosions?"

"What is it?" Stephan asked.

"Felicia's been—" Imogen began, but before she could finish, a sharp gust of wind swept past them, and an icy presence suddenly enveloped the group.

Felicia spun around, just in time to see a figure lunging toward Imogen.

The gleam of a blade flashed, cold and blinding, making it hard to focus.

The attack happened so fast that no one had the time to react. Imogen stood frozen, unable to move.

Stephan, however, was the quickest to act. He lunged forward, grabbing Imogen and yanking her out of harm's way. The force of his pull sent her sprawling, and she was caught just in time by Scarlet.

At the same moment, Stephan didn't dodge or retreat. Instead, he charged straight toward the attacker, meeting the blade head-on with a fierce counter-attack.