Chapter 214

Vivian's brows furrowed deeply as she seized a fleeing woman's arm. "What's happening?"

"A madman—he's taken a little girl hostage in the main hall! He's wearing explosives!" The woman trembled violently.

"A child?" Vivian's stomach twisted. "Was she about five years old? Wearing a yellow sundress?"

The woman blinked rapidly before nodding. "Yes! You need to evacuate—that bomb could kill everyone here!"

The crowd surged toward the emergency exits like panicked cattle.

Vivian turned toward the escalators, but Ethan blocked her path. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To save Isabella!" Vivian's voice cracked. "That lunatic has her! If I don't—"

Ethan pointed to the glowing exit signs. "Get out. Now." His jaw tightened. "I'll handle this."

Then he was gone—plunging into the chaos with shoulders squared. Vivian watched his retreating figure, stunned. She'd spent years hating this man, yet here he was, charging toward certain danger.

The first floor had become a ghost town, save for the SWAT team's armored shadows.

At the center stood a disheveled man pressing a hunting knife to Isabella's throat. "No negotiations!" he screamed at the hostage negotiator. "Today, we all die!"

The crude explosives strapped to his waist made every officer flinch. One wrong move would reduce the entire mall to rubble.

"Sir, let's talk this through," the negotiator pleaded. "We can help resolve whatever—"

"Help?" The man's laugh turned into a sob. "Where was your help when they bulldozed my home? My wife and daughter were still inside!" His grip tightened on the knife. "Now your precious children will know how mine felt!"

Isabella whimpered, tears streaking her cheeks. "P-please, mister..."

The man's wild gaze softened momentarily. "You look just like her...my little girl." Then his expression hardened. "But you've never known hunger. Never slept in the cold. Your rich parents gave you everything!"

Ethan's voice cut through the tension like ice. "This isn't about justice. You want money? Name your price."

"Money?" The bomber's face purpled with rage. "What use is money when my family's bones are buried under this damned shopping center? Today, the privileged learn what suffering means!"

"You could kill us all," Vivian said softly, stepping from the shadows.

Ethan's head snapped toward her. "I told you to leave." His whisper carried lethal warning.

Ignoring him, Vivian locked eyes with the hostage-taker. "But have you considered what happens after?" Her voice remained steady despite the gun barrels suddenly trained on her. "Your daughter's memory—will it be as a victim? Or the daughter of a monster?"