Chapter 296: Elena Ward Saw the Situation with Perfect Clarity

Elena Ward saw the situation with perfect clarity. Kyle Blackwell had to return to the Blackwell family unharmed—so that if anything happened to him later, it wouldn’t be traced back to them.

"Julian Kingsley, I need your help with this," Elena said, locking eyes with him. "It's serious, and the methods might not be... entirely ethical. But Kyle Blackwell is someone I have to deal with."

Julian Kingsley frowned. If Elena was calling it "unethical," this was no small matter.

Adrian Stone spoke up, his voice heavy with displeasure. "I'm better suited for this than Julian Kingsley." It stung—his fiancée turning to someone else for help.

Elena gently squeezed Adrian’s hand. "You're not the right person for this." She turned back to Julian Kingsley. "Only you can handle it." This was her test for him—if he helped, they’d be bound together.

Julian Kingsley studied her with deep, assessing eyes. She was being brutally direct, testing his limits. Was she really asking him to gamble the entire Kingsley family?

"The Kingsley family promised to support you," he said carefully, "but only if it doesn’t cross moral lines." Their principles were what kept them standing.

"Don’t worry. It won’t." Elena’s tone was ironclad. A man like Kyle Blackwell deserved death a thousand times over. How many lives had he ruined in her past life? How many innocent girls had suffered?

"Oh? Explain." Julian Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

Elena leaned in and whispered a few words. His expression darkened instantly.

"And you don’t call that crossing a line?" he hissed. "Kyle Blackwell is still a human being, no matter how vile! You’re a doctor—how does this align with your oath?"

Elena smirked coldly. "I’m not the villain here. But Kyle Blackwell has to die."

"At worst, he’s violent—not deserving of death!" Julian Kingsley struggled to contain his anger. She was far more ruthless than he’d imagined.

"Violent?" Elena’s voice was eerily calm. "If you hadn’t arrived in time, what do you think would’ve happened to my family? Julian Kingsley, are you really that clueless?"

Her words struck like daggers. Julian Kingsley fell silent. If it had been his family, he’d have already ensured the perpetrator’s demise.

"You might not know this," Elena continued, "but yesterday, Kyle Blackwell assaulted a ten-year-old girl. Ask his men—do you think she’s still alive?"

A storm brewed in Julian Kingsley’s eyes. The Blackwell family meant nothing to him. If Kyle Blackwell was truly that monstrous...

"Take him away!" Julian Kingsley barked. Those who knew him recognized the fury in his voice.

Elena and Adrian got into the car. Her sister fretted over them before they left.

The convoy moved slowly through the snow. Adrian gripped the steering wheel, his expression dark.

The silence inside the car was suffocating.

Finally, Elena spoke. "It’s not that I don’t trust you. Julian Kingsley really is the better choice here. You’re a soldier—I can’t let this stain your honor."

"I’m not angry at you." Adrian slammed a fist against the wheel. "I’m angry at myself. I swore to protect you, but I’m always powerless when it matters. This helplessness—"