The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes
Chapter 62- Help—!

Chapter 62: Chapter 62- Help—!

"Speak of the devil!" Peggy’s voice rang out nearby. When Janet turned, it seemed the newcomers had already spotted them. Manfred and August approached, flanked by their usual two shadows. Janet’s mind flashed back to the kiss in the company parking lot, and when she looked at Manfred, her eyes darkened with unease.

"Janet, didn’t expect to see you here—what a coincidence!" August sat down beside her, while Manfred took the seat opposite. Being sandwiched between the two men made Janet’s breath come in cautious, shallow bursts.

"Peggy, darling, you don’t mind sitting with Manfred, do you?" Manfred’s ease and lack of formality surprised Janet. She knew he was close with Peggy, but what was she—just the third wheel?

She hadn’t forgotten Charles’s warning: keep your distance from both August and Manfred.

Clearly, there was some secret between those two she wasn’t privy to. But she stood firmly on Charles’s side; she wouldn’t let him misunderstand anything else.

"Of course not! The more the merrier!" Peggy shot a glance at the athletic Manfred, then at August beside Janet. Her gaze lingered with admiration. She had never seen a man so pure and clean-looking—dressed all in white, with what looked like wings on his back. The radiant aura made it hard for her to look away.

"Girl, don’t get any ideas—I’ve got a girlfriend already," Manfred said coldly, catching Peggy’s admiring look. His warning was calm but unmistakable.

Janet saw it clearly—there was a possessiveness between lovers in his tone. But was Manfred trying to ward Peggy off, or hiding something else?

As far as Janet knew, August hated women—how could he possibly have a sweetheart?

"Hey, she hasn’t even said anything yet, why are you butting in?" Peggy’s face flushed, embarrassed at being called out. She grabbed the spoon before her and lightly tapped Manfred’s head. August just smiled faintly, neither denying Manfred’s words nor responding to Peggy’s teasing.

"You went abroad with Charles. Uncle was furious. Aren’t you going back to live at home now?" August turned to Janet, who remained silent. He didn’t know about her divorce from Philip, nor that it was his revealing Janet’s pregnancy to Derrick that caused her miscarriage. A trace of guilt still lingered in his heart.

"Yeah," Janet replied softly, unsure what else to say.

"So... you’re already with him?" August’s eyes flickered with panic. Faced with Janet’s cold demeanor, he was afraid to hear the words he had long refused to admit.

Janet’s tacit confirmation was the last straw for August. She had become Charles’s woman—doomed to be his enemy.

Peggy listened absentmindedly to their conversation. August was actually Charles’s cousin, which made Janet and August related by marriage—adding another layer of meaning to Peggy’s feelings toward August.

"He doesn’t like getting close to women. Don’t get too close to him," Janet whispered to Peggy inside the restroom. Not to mention the suggestive relationship between August and Manfred, but August’s reserved nature was beyond what Peggy, who wore her emotions on her sleeve, could handle. Janet knew the sadness he carried made him unable to accept any woman.

In a way, that quiet temperament was somewhat similar to Charles’s.

"Janet, are you kidding? Doesn’t like women—does that mean he likes men?" Peggy laughed it off. Manfred had once said the same thing, and Janet hadn’t taken it seriously then. But now, with so many similarities and oddities between them, she couldn’t help but wonder.

"I didn’t even know Manfred had such a close brother. Look—they’re wearing the same earrings!" Peggy had noticed the matching earrings on both men, but hadn’t thought much beyond that.

"Peggy, you don’t understand him. I don’t even understand him. You two aren’t compatible," Janet said firmly. She knew August was the son of Charles’s late uncle, Norman. After studying in America, he returned and joined Black Rock Co. But Janet saw no warmth or kinship in them—only a palpable hostility.

"I like a challenge. Don’t worry, Janet, August is my next target!" Peggy’s confident grin left Janet with no reason to argue further.

From another perspective, Peggy’s outgoing optimism probably matched August’s bright and healthy demeanor when Janet first met him.

"You go ahead. I’m leaving first," Janet said as they walked out of the restroom together. Her eyes scanned toward the exit, her mind repeating Charles’s warning—she wanted no trouble from either man.

Just as Janet stepped outside, she spotted the black sports car parked nearby. With a helpless sigh, she started walking forward—when suddenly, two black shadows lunged at her from the side, clamping hands over her mouth. Janet struggled in terror as a dark shadow enveloped her head. Who were these people? What did they want?

The driver sitting in the car saw Janet being abducted by these men and immediately jumped out, rushing forward to fight the tall, dark figures.

"Help—!" Janet desperately tried to break free from the men’s grasp. This was a public place—how dare they act so recklessly?

But her strength was utterly useless. As Janet’s body was dragged toward the sports car parked at the far end, she widened her eyes in resignation, just as a tall figure behind her broke her free from the grasp of the men in black.

"Run!" Manfred struck one of the men in the abdomen with a side kick, then followed with a punch to another. He grabbed Janet’s hand and ran with all his might. The relentless pursuit behind them made Janet too frightened to look back—she only knew a powerful force was pulling her forward. In that moment, her hostility toward Manfred lessened a little.

"Shit!" Manfred cursed under his breath, sprinting to the roadside to stop a passing motorcycle. He lifted Janet onto it and jumped on behind her just as the men sped up in a high-performance Ferrari chasing after them.

"Hold on tight!" Manfred’s tousled hair whipped wildly in the wind. He shot Janet a reassuring glance before the motorcycle roared like a runaway blade, tearing straight ahead.

Janet had never been on such a thrilling and dangerous ride. The wind howling past her ears stung her face painfully, and her body felt like it was about to come apart. Fearfully, she clung tightly to Manfred’s waist.