The Marshal Unleashed at Midnight

Chapter 003

"Adrian, pull over. I'll just grab a cab home."

Inside the car, Natalie stayed quiet for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. "That was just impulse back there, wasn't it? I understand, being humiliated on your big day would be hard for anyone to swallow..."

"You don't understand."

Adrian's brow furrowed. "Natalie, I wasn't just saying things to save face. I meant every word. I really do want to be with you."

Hearing that, Natalie didn't answer right away.

She knew his character well enough. He wasn't a man who threw promises around carelessly, least of all about matters of the heart.

"Are you... sure you've really thought this through?"

She lowered her head, turning the question over in her mind before asking, "No matter how you look at it, the Ashford family is about to make a name for itself in Goldhaven. With Marshal Vance's invitation in hand, Camille's status is only going to climb higher from here. If you break things off with her now, doesn't that mean..."

"A woman like that isn't worth keeping around."

Disdain flickered across Adrian's face. "It's just an invitation. Nothing worth losing sleep over. The Ashford family thinks far too highly of themselves. Since that's how they want to play it, I'll give them exactly what they're asking for. Let them have their moment in the spotlight at the gala."

Natalie shook her head, writing it off as Adrian venting in the heat of the moment. She turned to look out the window, watching the city blur past in streaks of light, and spoke in a quiet, distant voice. "Adrian, there's no future for us. I'm already engaged. Next month I'm marrying Julian Roarke of the Roarke family."

"Julian?"

At the mention of that name, Adrian's expression darkened. "Don't tell me you're doing this willingly. Everyone in Goldhaven knows exactly what kind of reputation that man has. Drinking, gambling, women, every vice there is, he's got them all. He's ruined dozens of women already. Marrying him would be walking straight into hell."

Natalie bit her lip and said nothing. Of course she knew her fiance was garbage. But caught between the Roarke family's power and the pressure from her own household, she'd never had a choice to begin with.

"Don't be afraid. I already told you, I'll take care of everything."

As if reading the worry on her face, Adrian smiled faintly. "From the moment I took your hand, from the moment you agreed to walk away with me, I made up my mind. I'm going to protect you. No matter what it takes."

Natalie stared at his profile, and for a moment her thoughts scattered.

This was the second time today his words had made her heart race.

She had only meant to play along and help him save face. But after two sincere confessions in a row, her composure slipped despite herself.

Still, talk was cheap. The Roarke family had money, influence, connections that ran through the whole city. What could an ordinary man like Adrian do against a house like that?

She couldn't just stand by and watch him throw himself at a brick wall.

"Just take me home."

She lowered her eyes, helpless. She had no idea what to do next.

Back at the Sinclair family's home, the place was buzzing with noise and energy.

With the marriage to Julian drawing near, relatives and friends had gathered, bringing gifts and settling in for a feast to celebrate the match ahead of time.

"Ha, now that we're tying the knot with the Roarke family, our family finally has some real backing here in Goldhaven!"

"That's right, that's right! That family is one of the Four Great Houses. Even a stray hair from them is worth more than our whole household. Natalie marrying in means a lifetime of comfort, no question."

"Gordon, with a son-in-law like Mr. Roarke in the picture, we're all counting on you to look out for the rest of us from here on. Come on, I'm raising a glass to you!"

The praise rolled on, one toast after another, until Gordon Sinclair and Lorraine Sinclair were practically glowing, grinning so wide they could barely close their mouths.

Their daughter was marrying into money and status. There wasn't a prouder couple in the room.

"Oh, come now, everyone's too kind."

Gordon rose to his feet, wine cup in hand, chuckling. "My future son-in-law really is as solid as they come. Our department is in the middle of picking a new department head. My seniority wasn't quite enough on its own, but Julian gave me his word he'd pull the right strings."

"And there's more. From what I hear, the Roarke family has already called in favors and secured an invitation to the Marshal's Return Gala. Once Natalie marries in, we can ride on the Roarke family's coattails. Who knows, maybe we'll climb into the ranks of the great houses ourselves."

The room went still for a beat, everyone stunned by the news, before the excitement broke loose all over again, showering him with compliments.

The Roarke family. Truly nothing to be trifled with.

Just then, Uncle Walter went pale, snatching up his phone and bolting upright from his chair.

"Gordon, you need to see this! What on earth is going on with Natalie..."

He thrust the phone in front of Gordon's face before he could even finish the thought.

"What happened?"

Still riding high on the earlier toasts, Gordon frowned and leaned in to look, his smile freezing on his face the instant the words registered. "Groom proposes to the bridesmaid... Adrian proposes to Natalie?! That bastard!"

Rage surged through him so fast he never finished the article. Blood pounded in his skull and his vision blurred to black. He gasped, one hand clawing at his chest, and before anyone could reach him his knees buckled. He collapsed back into his chair, out cold.

"Gordon! Gordon, what's wrong?!"

The suddenness of it drained every drop of color from Lorraine's face. She threw herself over her husband, screaming in panic, "Someone call an ambulance, now!"

Nearly home, Natalie and Adrian were chatting easily when her phone rang.

"It's my mom."

She glanced at the caller ID, told Adrian who it was, and tapped to answer. "Hey, Mom, what's..."

"You ungrateful little wretch, do you have any idea what you've done?" Lorraine's voice tore through the speaker. "Are you trying to kill your own parents?"

"Carrying on with the groom at someone else's wedding, have you no shame? Get to Harborcrest Medical Center right now. Your father's having a heart attack because of you. They're working on him in the ER as we speak!"

The line went dead. Natalie stood frozen, the phone still at her ear, all color gone from her face.

She never imagined things would spiral this far, this fast.

"Natalie, what's wrong?"

Adrian caught the shift in her expression.

"Please, take me to Harborcrest Medical Center, now!"

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she grabbed his arm. "Something's happened to my father!"

Adrian didn't waste time asking questions. He wrenched the wheel around and gunned the engine, speeding toward the hospital.

They reached the entrance of Harborcrest Medical Center in what felt like no time at all.

"Go ahead. I'll park the car."

Adrian helped her out and waved her forward.

Too frantic to answer, Natalie sprinted into the building.

Adrian watched her disappear through the doors before pulling out his phone and dialing a number. "Tiger, I'm at Harborcrest Medical Center. Send someone with the Nine Needles of Umbra."

"Marshal, are you planning to use the needles to save someone?"

Tiger's voice cracked with excitement. Adrian's combat strength alone was the stuff of legend, but beyond that he carried medical skill on an entirely different plane, a technique he had developed himself called the Nine Needles of Umbra. Wherever the needle touched, illness fled. People called him a healer reborn.

"Who could possibly be important enough to bring the Needle Master back into action after five years?" Tiger couldn't help asking.

"That's not something you need to worry about," Adrian said evenly. "While you're at it, get things arranged. Three days from now, at the gala, I want to see Camille's entire family stripped down to the rank of servants."

"Understood!"

He hung up quickly, parked the car, and walked into the hospital.

But by the time he traced his way to the ER and stepped through the corridor, his brow had already drawn tight.

A crowd stood gathered in the lobby ahead, heads bowed, not a single person saying a word.

In the middle of that circle, Natalie and Lorraine knelt on the floor. Standing before them, arms crossed over her chest with an air of absolute superiority, was Camille.