Surprise Marriage to a Billionaire
Chapter 259: Smoke

Chapter 259: Smoke

Sanya felt her world collapsing as she struggled desperately against the men holding her. She was hysterical, thrashing with all her strength, but it was no use... she was utterly helpless. As they kept mentioning Rain’s name, her mind pieced it together: her abduction was connected to Rain.

"Whoever paid you, I can offer ten times more!" she shouted, trying to mask the fear in her voice with defiance. "My fiance is William Lancaster, and he’ll make sure every one of you pays for this! You’re all as good as dead for daring to mess with the Lancasters!"

The men only laughed, ripping at her clothes, leaving bruises and scratches from her attempts to fight back. She felt the sting of her skin against the cold, hard floor and the walls as she was pushed around, her body aching with every hit.

"You’re brave, I’ll give you that," one of the men sneered, before driving a hard blow into her stomach. Sanya gasped in pain, her vision blurring as she tried to keep herself together.

"Hold her in place!" the man ordered, and Sanya shivered as the chill air touched her exposed skin, leaving her barely covered.

"It’s because of your connection to Rain Lancaster that you’re here," another man said, his voice dripping with disdain. "She’s untouchable, but you? You’re just a pathetic pawn hiding behind her. You’ll suffer because of her."

Sanya forced out a dark chuckle, her voice hoarse. "Dina! I know you’re behind this!" she yelled, her anger breaking through the fear. "Show yourself, you coward! Only a pathetic fool like you would orchestrate something like this!"

Her words echoed, and despite her vulnerability, she didn’t let up. She knew Dina was likely listening, relishing her suffering from the shadows. And if she was going to get out of this, she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her defeated.

"Are you sure you won’t take my offer? Name your price, and I’ll make a call. You’ll have whatever you want," Sanya grunted, forcing a wry smile. "You’ll lose more if you stick with whoever hired you."

But her defiance quickly turned to horror as one of the men gripped her thigh. Sanya’s heart pounded, the sickening realization washing over her. They were planning to assault her. The thought made her stomach churn, and she felt panic rising.

"No! Stop!" she screamed, struggling against their hold. At that exact moment, the door swung open with a loud crash.

Dina froze from where she had been watching smugly, her eyes widening in shock as William Lancaster and his men stormed into the room. "This can’t be!" she hissed, rage flickering in her gaze.

One of the men beside her turned to her urgently. "We have to leave now, madam. There’s another exit. We need to go, quickly."

Dina clenched her fists, her knuckles whitening as she seethed. They had been so close, and now this? Sanya, that "worthless woman," had somehow been rescued in the final moments.

"Kill her!" Dina barked to her men, her voice laced with fury. "No matter what, finish her off!" With a final glance at Sanya, she spun around and hurried toward the exit, only to come face-to-face with Rain and several more of Alexander’s men blocking her path.

"You... how long did you think you could run, Dina?" Rain spat, fury tightening her voice as she took a step forward.

Dina’s eyes widened, her surprise quickly morphing into rage. "Kill that bitch too!" she barked at her men, her voice sharp with panic. In an instant, her guards lunged toward Rain, Alexander, and the Lancasters’ men, weapons raised.

Rain barely had a second to react as one of Dina’s men charged at her, but Alexander intercepted, moving swiftly to block the attack.

Rain ducked and dodged, her mind sharp despite the panic pulsing through her. She kept her eyes on Dina, who was inching back, attempting to slip away in the confusion. Rain’s jaw clenched, and without hesitation, she broke through the scuffle, her focus locked on stopping Dina’s escape.

Dina had to pay for this crime and she wouldn’t let her go away with it and let things slide!

****

From a safe distance, Michael’s man observed the chaos unfolding inside the old ship and reported through his earpiece, "Sir, what should we do? Dina’s plan’s fallen apart. They’re all inside the ship now."

Michael frowned, irritation flickering across his face. He calmly lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply before exhaling a plume of smoke into the cold night air. He hummed thoughtfully, a cruel smirk forming on his lips. "Set the ship ablaze," he ordered, "but make sure both Rain and Dina are taken out safely. I want them alive."

Inside the ship, Rain was still locked in a fierce struggle, fighting off Dina’s men with Alexander and his team beside her.

Just then, Rain caught a faint whiff of smoke. Her instincts kicked in. "Do you smell that?" she whispered to Alexander, eyes widening.

He looked up, frowning. "Smoke. Someone’s trying to burn us out."

Panic flickered in Rain’s eyes. "We need to get Sanya out of here, now!" she said urgently. She darted a glance toward the door, trying to gauge how they’d escape if the fire spread.

Meanwhile, outside, Michael’s team carefully set small fires around the perimeter of the ship, ensuring the smoke would drive everyone inside toward them. As the flames started to creep up the sides of the old vessel, the team split up, with two of them moving toward the lower deck entrance where Rain and Dina were.

Inside, the heat was intensifying, and William yelled, "We have to move! There’s no time to waste!" He grabbed Sanya, supporting her as they headed toward the exit.

Dina, seeing the fire spreading and her men being overwhelmed, tried to slip away, but Rain spotted her. Rain chased after her. "You’re not getting away, Dina!"

Suddenly she felt a rough hand grab her from behind, something pressing over her mouth and nose. A sharp, chemical smell filled her senses, and she fought to hold her breath, but the drug was overpowering. Her body weakened, her muscles going limp, and her eyelids grew unbearably heavy.

"No..." she thought, trying desperately to stay alert. Her vision dimmed, the world around her slipping away as she felt herself lifted, slung over someone’s shoulder like a sack of grain.

In her final moments of consciousness, she heard a distant, panicked shout, filled with fear and desperation. "Rain!"