All Chapters of The Strong-Willed Sean O'Connor: Chapter 191
- Chapter 200
272 chapters
CHAPTER 191
Sean hadn’t refused them because of who they were. He already had a herb he could use; what mattered now was figuring out how to make it work.His eyes shifted between the blonde man and Stefan, but his thoughts were elsewhere. ‘I can’t waste time entertaining them. What matters now is finding a method to use the Azure Veil Herb… to help my sister.’The two men lingered at his sides, waiting for him to change his mind. Their smiles, their offers, their very presence pressed on him like a weight.Sean’s gaze sharpened slightly, though his face remained calm. He didn’t have time to waste on them. If fate put them in his path again, he could always consider their offers later.With a steady breath, he turned away.“I will not be able to go with either of you for dinner,” he said.The silence that followed was short but heavy. Both men stared at him, realizing he truly meant it.Then, slowly, the blonde man lifted his hand. He unclasped the mask covering the lower half of his face and set
CHAPTER 192
Sean stepped into Liana’s room quietly, the faint scent of herbs and medicine lingering in the air. In his hand, he held a soft teddy bear, its brown fur plush and its bow neatly tied.Sitting on the bed with a book in her hand and a tube running into her arm, she looked as though she had been deep in reading. Liana’s head lifted the moment she saw him. Her pale face brightened instantly, her lips curving into a smile that made Sean’s chest loosen just a little.“Sean!” she called out, beaming. “You came again!!”He nodded in response and held out the teddy bear as if asking her to notice it. Her eyes immediately caught on the toy.“Brother… is that for me?”Sean nodded. “Yes. I got it for you.”‘I couldn’t get the other things I wanted… but at least this, I could.’Liana reached out with eager hands, carefully taking the teddy bear from him. She hugged it to her chest, her eyes glimmering with joy.“I love it. Thank you, brother.”Sean nodded again, a faint smile touching his lips as
CHAPTER 193
Needing an extra hand, Sean had no reason to refuse Dr. Havel. Time was precious, and more people meant faster results. With a small nod, he agreed, and the two of them began setting up the tools and preparing the herb for testing.The room filled with the faint rustle of paper, the clink of glass, and the measured sound of breathing as they worked. Sean’s hands moved with steady precision, separating stalks and grinding leaves, while Havel scribbled notes and prepared solutions.In the middle of their work, Sean glanced up. His voice was calm, though worry flickered in his eyes.“How is Liana’s condition?”Dr. Havel didn’t pause, but his expression grew more serious. “I checked her again and again. She’s still the same, no worse, no better. We’ve ensured that she receives only purified water. There’ve been no further complications.” He hesitated, his brow furrowing. “And… I did notice something else. The allergic reactions she used to show? They’ve lessened compared to before.”Sean
CHAPTER 194
“Is it just me, or has Nate gone quiet?” Lillian’s voice filled the room.The chandelier above the dining hall cast a warm glow over the long table, where silverware gleamed against white linen and crystal glasses shimmered with wine. The scent of roasted meats and seasoned vegetables drifted through the air.At the head of the table sat Rosalind Springfield, her posture straight and polished. She looked at Lillian as soon as the words left her lips, a slight frown forming on her face.Lillian sat opposite her, with Julian beside her, wearing the same concerned expression. Eleanor, on the other hand, was seated between two women, giggling at something one of them had said.They weren’t alone at the table. A few guests had joined them as well.Three middle-aged women sat together further down, their dresses refined and their jewelry flashing under the chandelier’s light. They ate delicately, but their eyes stayed fixed on their plates as though the food was the only tolerable part of th
CHAPTER 195
Seeing them mock Sean’s cooking made Rosalind’s blood stir. That was one thing she knew he excelled at, and she didn’t appreciate them sneering at it, especially when they had eaten his food countless times and demanded he cook for them. If he had truly been as bad as they claimed, they wouldn’t have gone back for seconds, let alone asked for more.Her gaze landed first on Clara, dripping in overdone jewelry that glittered too brightly, shiny distractions meant to cover debts she never admitted but everyone sensed.Then Marissa, with her practiced smile that always cracked when her temper flared. A woman desperate to seem above everyone, yet forever begging for scraps of approval.And finally, Helena, lips painted a garish red, envy oozing into every syllable whenever she spoke Rosalind’s name.Rosalind’s jaw tightened for a heartbeat, but she smoothed her features into a mask of calm elegance. When she spoke, her voice was soft yet carried like steel across the table.“I divorced Sean
CHAPTER 196
Rosalind’s gaze flicked briefly to the man, then swept over the table where several curious eyes lingered. Her brow furrowed—not in anger, but in careful thought. She wanted to keep the peace, yet she couldn’t ignore the audacity of the request.“I’m afraid I don’t have any open positions at the moment,” she said evenly, her voice smooth, polite, but firm. “I haven’t planned to employ anyone outside my chosen team.”Her words were silk over steel, soft enough not to provoke, sharp enough to leave no doubt. The man’s sly grin faltered, though he masked it quickly with a chuckle.She had no idea what his qualifications were, nor was it her role to handle hiring. That responsibility fell to Chloe, who had a knack for finding the right people.Marissa was the first to bristle, her tone sharp. “I still can’t believe you’d turn your back on family like this, Rosalind. It’s shameful! How can you refuse someone in need, someone of your own blood?”Helena chimed in, irritation threading her vo
CHAPTER 197
Julian’s legs shook violently. The cold metal pressed to his temple was a chilling reminder that this was no joke. A faint, high-pitched whimper escaped him. He was on the verge of breaking, his fear so palpable it seemed to fill the room.All he could think about was the gun against his head. If he had known, he never would have volunteered to check the noise. He would have let someone else go. Now he was a hostage to strangers whose motives he couldn’t fathom. He hadn’t wronged anyone, so why him?Rosalind’s hands gripped the edge of her chair. She leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of Silas and Selene standing like statues of judgment, the armed men rigid behind them. The entire family seemed frozen, their earlier bickering instantly silenced in the face of this terrifying intrusion.She studied the intruders, searching her memory for a flicker of recognition, but nothing came. All she saw were armed strangers trespassing in their home.Silas’s dark eyes
CHAPTER 198
Hearing that, Rosalind’s eyes widened. She had never done anything like what they claimed. Her company had not been covering up anything illegal; she had built it from scratch and overseen everything herself.She had never seen anything out of the ordinary, nor had she ever taken anything unlawful under her wing. The more she thought about it, the clearer it became: this was a setup. Someone wanted to take her down, and she had no idea who could be behind it.Eleanor’s face went pale, her hands gripping the edge of the table. “No… no, there must be some mistake! She has always done the right thing!”“That’s right!” Lillian cried, pulling herself together. “Those people are the ones doing something illegal. Can’t you see? One of them is holding a gun to my brother’s head, and that woman almost killed me with a knife!”Selene’s lips curved into a faint, cruel smile as she tilted her head toward Lillian.“Oh, calm down, little chicken,” she mocked. “I didn’t throw that knife to kill you.
CHAPTER 199
Her heart skipped a beat as she finally recognized him—bandages still wrapped tightly around his head and arm, his body slumped in the wheelchair, yet alive. The impact knocked him slightly sideways, and someone hurried to steady him.Rosalind couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had been insisting that Nate was fine, that he was simply busy, and that was why he hadn’t contacted them. But now, faced with him in such a condition, her denial was shattered.And not only was he injured, but he had also arrived at the very moment when the men stormed their home. Now, he was being dragged along with them.Her heart sank. ‘He came at the worst possible time,’ she thought, panic clawing at her chest. ‘If only he had waited… if only he hadn’t arrived now…’Lillian didn’t hesitate. She sprang forward, grabbing Nate’s arm despite his injuries.“Nate! What happened to you? Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt like this?” Her voice trembled with a mix of fear and frustration.Julian was right
CHAPTER 200
Rosalind was right.They were all doomed.The officers weren’t real, and they hadn’t been taken to a prison. It was more like they had all been kidnapped and placed there until whoever was in charge decided what to do with them.After dragging them out of the van, the men had forced them into a large building, the very one they were trapped in now. The group had been split up: males in one room by the hall, females in another.The doors had been slammed shut and locked, leaving them trapped. Though the room was spacious and had windows, they were so high up that escape was unthinkable.With Rosalind were Victoria, Eleanor, Lillian, and the three middle-aged women—Clara, Marissa, and Helene. Emma, the teenage girl, was there too, along with the last woman from the table, Teddy.Their hands were uncuffed now, but that hardly mattered; the room still felt like a cage. Two giant beds stood in the middle, a single light flickered overhead, and there was nothing else.Rosalind sank onto the