Return of the Crowned Heiress novel Chapter 680

Imogen was teetering on the brink of life and death, her breath faint and fleeting. She didn't even have the strength to open her mouth to take the medicine.

Felicia clenched her jaw and, without hesitation, dislocated Imogen's lower jaw with a swift motion. She force-fed her the pills, ensuring they dissolved and were swallowed before carefully resetting Imogen's jaw.

At that moment, no one dared to question Felicia's actions. Every effort was focused on saving Imogen's life.

Despite this, Felicia could still feel a scorching, icy gaze fixed on her. Stephan's piercing glare felt like arrows aimed directly at her.

He should… hate her to his very core right now, right?

The thought left a bitter taste in Felicia's mouth, but her hands never stopped moving. After administering the life-saving medicine, she grabbed another bottle from her pocket and poured the powdered medicine onto Imogen's wound without holding back.

The blade that had pierced Imogen's chest remained lodged near her heart, but the powerful hemostatic properties of the powder stopped the gushing blood almost immediately.

The helicopter nearby was prepped and ready to take off at any moment.

Two of Stephan's men hurried over with a makeshift stretcher. Stephan carefully placed Imogen onto it, ensuring she was secure.

As they prepared to move her to the helicopter, Stephan straightened up and turned to one of his men. "Where's the gun?"

The weight of his words hung in the air like a death knell.

The moment the words left his mouth, the men understood what was coming. One of them immediately presented a pistol to Stephan with both hands.

Stephan flipped off the safety and placed his finger on the trigger. His target? Maurice, who was pinned to the ground by two other men.

Felicia's heart clenched. Without thinking, she surged forward and grabbed Stephan's arm just as he was about to pull the trigger. The sudden interference caused the shot to veer off course, the bullet ricocheting against a nearby rock with a deafening crack.

His gaze darted between Felicia's slightly reddened eyes and Maurice, who was still pinned to the ground. Despite the blood dripping from his mouth and the pressure holding him down, Maurice was laughing, his expression twisted and deranged.

Something inside Stephan snapped. He let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "So, this is how it is… I see it now."

Time was slipping away.

Imogen needed to be flown to the hospital immediately for emergency surgery to remove the blade and stabilize her condition. There was no room for further delay.

Stephan slowly pried Felicia's hand off his arm, one finger at a time. When he turned to leave, his parting words were laced with venom and spoken through gritted teeth, "Next time, I will kill him."

This time, he refrained from pulling the trigger because Felicia had shielded Maurice. But he wouldn't hold back the next time.

This time, Stephan let it go not because of mercy but because he didn't know how far Felicia might go to stop him if he didn't. He didn't want her to get hurt.