Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 334: Detrimental First Love

Chapter 334: Detrimental First Love

Talia tried to keep her eyes open but she couldn’t and her heart was beating erratically. Her eyes lost focus and her surroundings blurred and gradually darkened.

"Die, monster!" Talia heard Sophia’s menacing voice. It seemed like she was out of her mind.

Am I going to die in the hands of a psychotic woman who had lost her mind?

Talia’s knees trembled as she couldn’t gather her strength anymore and she slumped on the floor. Her eyes closed amidst her protests to keep them open, one of her ears were ringing and her head hurt like it was getting hammered.

What a pathetic way to go! If only I could take a shot! Why can’t I protect myself from this madwoman? Why am I so pathetic?

"You’re making it easy for me to..."

Talia felt her consciousness slipping.

"IRIS!!!"

The desperate cry of that man of her heart made her heart beat steady. She took in a deep breath and felt her blood flow in her body releasing energy. Her eyes opened by itself, and she saw Arthur running towards her. She still couldn’t get up, but her consciousness returned hearing that call.

Call of the man who loved her most.

Sophia, who was pointing the gun at her, paused and turned to look at Arthur. "Arthur-"

"Don’t say my name!" Arthur grabbed Sophia by her neck and bashed her head on the only wall that was still standing. Talia still on the floor heard a crunch as if Sophia’s skull has cracked. As she saw the limp woman falling on the floor, she found that she was getting picked up from the floor.

"Iris... Iris... It’s okay... Look at me, Iris..." Arthur talked to her and Talia wanted to smile, but her entire body had frozen up and she couldn’t move a muscle.

"Viv-"she tried to speak, but her speech slurred. She knew Arthur won’t care about Vivian and Marcella, and so she wanted to remind him to get them to safety.

She felt Arthur leaving the blast area carrying her and pulled his shirt using all the strength she got.

"What is it, Iris?" Arthur quickened his steps to get to the car to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.

Talia looked above his shoulders at his back to signal him about Vivian and Marcella, but what she saw, made her scared more. The entire place was floored with blood and burn marks everywhere, except for one side of the wall.

Mr. Ed couldn’t have survived?

What made her blood curl was not the gory scene in front of her, but it was her. Sophia was squirming on the floor, trying to get up, with the gun in her hand. She tried to point the gun in their direction, at Arthur.

Oh no!

Before she could alert Arthur, Talia felt a dark figure running past them and he got to Sophia and even with the distance, Talia heard a crisp snap and a painful scream from Sophia.

"You b*tch aren’t dead yet?" the man grumbled, followed by another snapping noise and a piercing scream. "Birdie..." the man then turned from Sophia and ran to Marcella. Sophia plopped on the floor like a lifeless ragdoll.

Is that Archibald Wallace?

Among the others running around, Talia saw a familiar blonde and knew it was Cyril and he was running towards Vivian.

Ah... they will be safe.

Talia felt her back resting on a cushion and she felt giddy once more.

"Iris!"

She felt a slight pain in her cheek and opened her eyes. She was sitting in the car and Arthur was holding her cheeks shouting her name. Seeing Arthur’s face with reddened eyes, she couldn’t bear it.

Don’t worry Fred. I feel dizzy because my eardrum ruptured.

She wanted to say, but her eyes darkened and she slipped into unconsciousness once more.

-----

"Wake up, Iris... wake up..." sitting beside Talia in the hospital bed, Arthur poked her cheek. "You’ll be the end of me, Iris... What should I do?"

After sending her off from the Northern Star he found Jordan’s behaviour to be a little odd. After interrogating him, he said that he revealed the location of Talia’s meeting with his sisters to Sophia since she wanted to apologise and to get details about her brother who went ’missing’.

Arthur didn’t find that right and he immediately came to the meeting spot. There were already barricades set and vehicles were turned away, but he got in using his status. His heart sank seeing the whole place was in flames. All the securities were hurt and first responders were already working on giving them aid and fire trucks were just arriving.

He wanted to get in, but he was stopped by a bunch of men who shouted it was dangerous.

Dangerous, my a**!!! Iris is there!

He thought he heard her screaming his name and not minding anything else, he ran inside. They had already put out the fire and still the entire place was filled with dust, smoke, the scent of blood, and the scent of sulphur.

He searched around and finally found her and that woman who he left to live out of his guilt was pointing a gun at the woman who is his life.

How dare she! I should have killed her the moment she stopped being useful to me!

"Iris..." he poked her cheek once more. His heart stopped when he saw her faint. He thought she died and almost killed himself. But the doctors are saying there is nothing serious with her after taking her full-body scans. Only her right eardrum is hurt slightly and there are some superficial scratches on her arms and legs. Other than that there is nothing wrong with her.

The doctors said you’d wake up soon. Why aren’t you waking up?

He heard a commotion outside and walked out. His eyes widened seeing Roderick by the door.

"Step aside!" Arthur grumbled and Roderick, who had extended his hand to open the knob of the door, pulled back his hand.

"How is she? Has she woken up?" Roderick tried to peek in, but Arthur closed the door behind him.

"You’re so petty, Artie," Roderick scoffed and stood leaning on the wall.

"Get lost!" Arthur wasn’t impressed. He felt stupid for bringing Iris to the same hospital as his father.

"Didn’t know the nerdy McAllister is this feisty too," Roderick said as he looked to the commotion in the hallways at the door of the next room. Arthur silently watched.

Jordan was getting slapped by Marcella for putting the life of their sister and friend in danger.

"First love?" Marcella slapped Jordan once more. "You forgot what she did to you- not once but twice because she is your ’first love’? And so you thought you could gamble with your sisters’ life when she smiled at you once more? Isn’t Talia your friend too? So one ’first love’ who hurt you is worth more than the lives of two of your sisters and your friend combined? You thought we were expendables?"

"No Marzia... Don’t say that, please... I was wrong. I really thought she was going to apologise..." Jordan said and Marcella turned her back to him.

Marcella had tears dripping from her eyes and Archibald hugged her from the back. "Calm down, birdie... You’re safe now. Vivian will definitely get better and Talia’s injuries aren’t serious..."

The hospital staffs were telling them not to shout in the hallways, but it seemed like no one was willing to listen to them. Jordan’s parents were sitting in the chairs with their head bowed not willing to interfere. Or maybe they were in the side of their daughter and so they were silent.

Arthur’s eyes met with Jordan’s and Arthur let out a sigh. Of the three, Vivian’s wound was the worse that needed eight stitches and she had a concussion and some internal bleeding too. By the expressions of everyone he could infer Vivian still hasn’t woken up yet too. Marcella had fainted out of shock and immediately recovered. She didn’t have many scratches or wounds either since Vivian covered for her.

What a fool that Jordan is!

Arthur saw the Chief surgeon walking toward them and greeted him. "She hasn’t woken up yet. You said she’d wake up in an hour and it has been seventy minutes. Is there-"

"Mr. Sinclair, Her Royal Highness is very healthy. Perhaps she is tired and just sleeping. Let’s wait for another half an hour." He answered politely.

"That Knight – Sir Robert... How is his surgery going?" Arthur asked. He was terribly hurt but was still alive and they brought him here. They said he had perforated intestines and liver and said he needed immediate surgery. He knew his Iris loved that bodyguard of hers dearly and hoped nothing bad happens to him.

Or else, she won’t forgive herself!

Just when she was over Cyrus’ death, this happened just ’because Jordan wanted to get in the pants of that crazy woman!

"It isn’t finished yet but it is going well so far. I’ll keep you informed," the chief surgeon was optimistic and Arthur felt hopeful.

"Thank you," Arthur thanked the surgeon and walked to Archibald. "Where is Cyril? Has the media been controlled? I don’t want distasteful articles about this attack written."

They might blame it on Iris!

"I’ll handle the media. Cyril is by Vivian’s side." Archibald’s eyes showed a rare sympathy.

Arthur nodded and got inside Talia’s room slamming the door and Roderick followed him in.

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