Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 281

Payne, following the orders of Kieran, initiated a search on the deserted islands nearby.

“From the position of the cruise ship, there are two closest uninhabited Islands. One is in front of the

ship and the other one is behind,” Payne reported.

“You and Julien take a team to the island behind the ship, the rest of us will check out the one in front,”

Kieran instructed, aiming to consolidate resources as quickly as possible.

Kleran led the airborne team directly to the island in front, while Payne suggested over the radio, “The

probability of them being on the island behind the ship is higher since that’s the direction the cruise was

coming from.”

“Check the cruise’s route logs,” Julien advised Payne.

Payne slapped his forehead, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Julien had a bad feeling, he suspected that the cruise might have made a round trip.

And indeed, Julien’s intuition was spot on.

Over an hour ago, Kleist, concerned for his young master’s safety, decided to use a diversion tactic. He

first dropped off Julie and his young master on this uninhabited island, then drove the cruise ship back

to mislead the enemies.

So, Julie and Kleist’s young master were on the island in front.

Kieran, leading the airborne team, headed directly for the island)

Julie was crouched next to a large tree, a gun in her hand, vigilantly observing her surroundings. In

front of her was a small beach, her location was very conspicuous.

While still on the helicopter, Kieran spotted the small figure huddled by the tree through his binoculars.

He rushed down from the helicopter and ran towards Julie.

Julie, however, reflexively raised her gun at Kieran. Only when she looked up did she recognize the

familiar figure.

“Kerry?” her eyes slightly reddened, a hint of joy in her gaze.

She was still wearing a snow-white nightgown, the hem of which was completely stained with mud,

looking dirty.

Seeing him walking towards her, she looked down at the gun she was pointing at Kieran, quickly

dropped it, and ran towards him.

Kieran hurriedly ran forward and embraced the muddy woman in his arms.

14

“I thought you wouldn’t find me…” All the courage she had mustered drained away in the sight of this

man. She buried herself in his embrace, tightly holding onto his waist, smearing her tears and runny

nose all over his crisp white shirt.

Her voice was choked with emotion, “I thought…I thought I was going to die here…”

When the gun was pointed at her by that man, she truly believed she would die on this island, die

under his gun. In that moment, many images flashed through Julie’s mind, as if she was reviewing her

entire life in a span of a few seconds.

In that moment, she hugged her head, feeling despair

The gunshot rang beside her ear, even though it was a silenced gun, the noise was still quite loud up

close. The expected pain didn’t come. She quickly turned around and saw a cobra lying behind her, its

head and body separated by the bullet, but its tail was still wriggling.

“Ah!” she screamed, crawling towards him, completely forgetting that he was the one who almost

strangled her to death just a moment ago.

Compared to the cobra, the man behind her seemed more reliable. She’d rather be shot in the head by

a person than be bitten by a snake.

Where’s your phone? Give me your phone, I need to call someone!” Julie was so scared she nearly

lost her mind. She didn’t care that the man still had a gun in his hand, her only thought was to call

Kieran.

So, she directly reached into his pockets, looking for his phone! Her will to survive was

unprecedentedly strong at this moment. She thought of Ivan, and of the man who was surely looking

for her right now, she had to survive!

She couldn’t die on this deserted island, whether by gunshot or snakebite!

The woman,

“Do

who had the courage to poke at his wound, was surprisingly still alive. What’s more surprising was her

audacity to touch him!

you want to die?” his cold voice echoed in the ominous forest.

Tears in her eyes, Julie retorted, “I don’t want to die, I have a son and a husband, I have people I love,

people who love me. Why should I die? Because I don’t want to die, Lneed to call my husband to

rescue me! I came out for a vacation, why should I be threatened by your gun, I…”

As she spoke, Julie felt tears welling up in her eyes, and she could no longer hold them back.

“If you cry and it annoys me, I might really kill you.” His words were as natural as saying lines in a play.

From his tone, it didn’t sound like a threat, but Julie still felt a chill.

She sniffed, holding back her tears.

She wasn’t a crybaby, but being left on a deserted island with uncertain fate, thinking of her husband

and child, she couldn’t help but get emotional.

She pulled her hand back and sat quietly, not moving anymore.

oicela

“Are you done throwing a tantrum? Unexpectedly, the man didn’t remain silent like before, instead, he

took the initiative to speak, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm.

Julie looked at him in surprize, not saying a word.

Surprisingly, he did something that took her aback. He handed her the only gun he had.

His actions were so sudden that Julie didn’t dare to reach out for the gun, fearing it was a trap.

But he just looked at her calmly, and said, “Kill me, and you can escape.”

Julie glanced at the gun in her arms, then looked up at the man…

He was calmly waiting for what was about to happen, quietly observing her, even seemed to be

expecting her to pick up the gun.

When she was sure from his gaze that he wouldn’t fight back, Julie’s fingers stealthily touched the cold

black gun. He turned his head away, not looking at her.

In that instant, Julie suddenly picked up the gun and pointed it at the man’s head. The gun was loaded

when it was in his hands. If she pulled the trigger…

“Give me your phone!” she demanded, her voice trembling slightly as she pointed the gun at his head.

ded who inhera

Holding a gun and watching others do it were two vastly different experiences. It wasn’t until she held

the gun in her own hand that she understood why she held a unique admiration for

Julien…

The man leaned against a big oak tree, unmoving. His voice was calm as he said, “Shoot. Without my

death, you won’t get the phone.”

Her hands trembling, she pressed the muzzle of the gun to the man’s forehead. The cold steel touching

his skin, she repeated more loudly, “Your phone, give me your phone!”

Suddenly, the man grabbed her index finger, ready to pull the trigger himself.

Even if she had the courage to be a murderer, she didn’t have the heart. She released the gun in fright,

and it fell back into the man’s hands.

The moment she raised her hands to cover her face, the man turned the gun on her and pulled the

trigger.

A hollow ‘bang’ echoed.

Julie’s eyes flung open…

One of the man’s hands was pointing the gun straight at her forehead; the other was holding the gun’s

empty magazine. He had removed it when he threw her the phone, so even though she had pulled the

trigger, it was just a blank shot.

From the very beginning, he had been testing her, testing if she was a murderer.

Julie took a deep breath, oddly calmed by this revelation.

“If you don’t let me go, you’ll regret it,” she said, a sudden surge of courage fueling her words.

At this, the man should’ve scoffed. But instead, he smirked and asked, “Why would I regret it?”

“If you don’t let me go, even in death, I won’t leave you alone!”

This childish threat made the man chuckle. It was somehow endearing, coming from a woman like her.

They stood off, each sizing the other up.

When Kleist arrived on his speedboat, he found them in this standoff. He hadn’t expected the woman to

still be standing toe-to-toe with the young master. It was surprising.

Besides Kleist on the boat, there was a man carrying a medical kit and another in a black suit, holding

a crisp tuxedo.

Julie quickly stood up.

Kleist, ever the obedient servant, approached the young master and nodded in greeting.

The young master tossed his gun on the ground, pulled a phone from his pocket and threw it next to it.

He glanced at Kleist, who immediately helped him onto the speedboat.

Julie realized they were leaving her behind on the desolate island.

She took a couple of steps forward, but Kleist’s look stopped her in her tracks. It was dangerous, and

she heard him say to the young master, “Sir, about this woman…”

His gaze felt like it was burying her alive. She retreated, picked up the gun, and pointed it unsteadily at

Kleist, her eyes defiant.

“Let’s go,” the young master commanded.

In the end, Kleist, ever obedient, helped the young master onto the speedboat, leaving Julie alone on

the island. After the speedboat vanished in the distance, Julie immediately picked up the phone to call

Kieran. However, in this godforsaken place, there was no signal.

So, she held onto the gun, praying that no venomous snakes would approach her. Her senses were on

high alert.

It wasn’t until Kieran actually held her in his arms that she couldn’t hold it back anymore, and all her

emotions came pouring out.