The Villain Only Wants to Survive, But Heroine refuses toFollow Script

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 : Good Guys and Bad Guys, Can't Tell the Difference



Edward ordered Jon to gather all their men and be ready at a moment's notice.

 

He dialed Victoria's number again.

 

"What do you want now? If you're trying to get back together with Catherine, that's your business. Stop bothering me!"

 

"I'm not trying to reconcile. This is serious—Catherine is in grave danger, and only Davis can save her. We have to find him."

 

"Her problems have nothing to do with me. I barely know her."

 

"But you know me, don't you? Even if we're not friends, we've known each other for over three years, haven't we?" Edward's tone grew more desperate. "I'm begging you—please help me!"

 

Victoria sighed. "The landlord of his place said Davis already moved out."

 

Edward felt completely stuck. Catherine had vanished, like a kite whose string had snapped, leaving no trace behind.

 

Victoria hesitated. "What kind of danger is she in?"

 

Edward replied, "If we don't find her tonight, the whole story will collapse."

 

"What are you even talking about?"

 

"I'm as good as dead," Edward muttered.

 

"But Davis is just a bodyguard I fired. He shouldn't even know Catherine!"

 

Wait. Edward suddenly remembered—this part of the story hadn't happened yet. He'd triggered the event himself. Even if they found Davis, the guy would probably have no clue what was going on. He might not even know who Catherine was.

 

Sensing Edward's genuine urgency, Victoria offered, "I can look into Joseph's schedule for you."

 

"Great! Hurry, I'll wait!"

 

Victoria worked quickly and discovered that Joseph had booked a suite at the Blue Sky Grand Hotel an hour ago.

 

Edward left her with a curt, "I owe you one," before hanging up.

 

"Wait—what are you going to do?" Victoria asked, but the line had already gone dead.

 

.........

 

Edward stormed into the Blue Sky Grand Hotel with over thirty security guards in tow.

 

No one dared to stop them.

 

Edward led the charge like a mafia boss on a mission, striding at the front as the group marched toward the top floor. The hotel security staff stepped aside, and the receptionist frantically called the police.

 

At the door of the suite, Edward had a staff member knock. When no one answered, the staff tried again, only for Joseph to shout angrily from inside, trying to scare them off.

 

Edward ordered the staff to unlock the door with a keycard. The moment the door opened, Edward burst into the room and landed a punch on Joseph, sending him sprawling to the floor before he could finish a sentence.

 

Edward's gaze landed on the remnants of a candlelit dinner, fine wine, and the romantic setup. His anger boiled over. Pointing at Joseph, he barked, "Drag him out and beat him! Beat him to a pulp!"

 

Joseph, sprawled on the ground, shouted, "Edward, how dare you hit me? I'm—"

 

Jon didn't care who Joseph was. His loyalty to Edward was absolute. In his eyes, Edward was heaven, a god, the only person worth following.

 

Joseph's screams soon echoed through the hall as Jon and the others dragged him away. Most of the guards couldn't even get a chance to throw a punch in the crowded space.

 

One thoughtful guard quietly shut the suite door, blocking out the noise.

 

Edward strode toward the bedroom, calling out, "Catherine! Catherine!"

 

The suite was spacious, but it didn't take long to find her.

 

Catherine was lying on the large bed, her clothes disheveled. Her body twisted and writhed like a snake, exuding an allure that could make anyone's blood run hot.

 

Her long legs pressed tightly together, clutching a blanket as she squirmed. Her sweat-drenched skin glistened, making her even more enticing.

 

Her flushed face and labored breathing hinted at a lingering shred of awareness. When she saw Edward, a faint clarity returned to her eyes.

 

"Dear Edward… help… help me…" she gasped.

 

Edward's heart filled with a mix of anger and pain.

 

He quickly took off his coat, covering her before scooping her into his arms and heading out.

 

Catherine, though dazed, knew she was safe. Recognizing Edward brought her a sense of relief, but her instincts made her emit soft, kitten-like sounds that tugged at Edward's heart.

 

Clinging tightly to his neck, Catherine buried her face against him. The masculine scent of Edward's sweat, combined with her state, sent her senses into overdrive. She clung to him, nuzzling his neck, her lips brushing against his skin as she lost herself in the moment.

 

Edward ignored her behavior, walking steadily toward the door.

 

The guards parted to let him pass.

 

Joseph, still sprawled on the ground, begged, "Edward, we've known each other for years! Please, spare me just this once—"

 

Edward silenced him with a kick to the face, stepping into the elevator without a backward glance.

 

...............

 

Edward brought Catherine back to his private villa but couldn't calm her down no matter what he tried.

 

He had made her drink three bottles of water, washed her face, and wiped her chest, but nothing seemed to work. Catherine, completely dazed and disoriented, kept trying to seduce Edward, begging him in soft tones.

 

When Elizabeth entered the room, Catherine was still clinging to Edward, her hands wandering over him as she whispered into his ear, "Honey, I feel so awful… Won't you help me? Please, you're the best…"

 

Elizabeth's face darkened. "Edward, you've got guts, huh? You even dare to use this kind of method on Catherine?"

 

Edward, drenched in sweat, defended himself. "Think for a second! If I had that kind of intention, why would I call you here?"

 

Elizabeth frowned, her gaze suspicious. "What's going on, then?"

 

"Help her first, and I'll explain later," Edward replied, pinning Catherine down as Elizabeth prepared a sedative.

 

The injection wasn't an instant fix, but it managed to subdue Catherine significantly. Even so, she remained dazed, continuing to cling to Edward with a dreamy gaze.

 

They spent the entire night dealing with the situation.

 

Elizabeth proved herself a skilled doctor, her usual mischievous demeanor replaced with a solemn focus when it came to medicine and treatment. After hours of effort, Catherine finally calmed down, leaving both Elizabeth and Edward utterly exhausted.

 

Then came the knock at the door.

 

The police arrived, and once again, Mary Taylor had Edward taken into custody.

 

.....................

 

Sitting in a cell at the police station, Edward had plenty of time to think.

 

This couldn't go on.

 

He realized he was getting too entangled with these women, the "main characters" in this story.

 

Locking Davis in a dark room for a day hadn't changed a thing. Instead, he'd ended up saving Sophia's mother, recovering over two billion in losses for Victoria, beating up Joseph, rescuing Catherine from a near-disaster, and spending the entire day intertwined with Elizabeth.

 

Oh, and he'd been arrested twice in the span of one day.

 

This wasn't how things were supposed to go! The plot wasn't supposed to unfold like this!

 

If he couldn't handle them, he'd just avoid them altogether.

 

"I'll buy a ticket tomorrow and leave the country. Ukraine, Donbas, Kashmir… Anywhere will do. I'll stay away for three, five years—hell, maybe I'll never come back.

 

"I've got money. Wherever I go, I can live in luxury, enjoy myself, and avoid this mess. Why am I stuck in this snowy city, running circles around these people?

 

"If this keeps up, Davis will kill me someday.

 

"That's it. I'm done. You want to unite the four great families of Snow City? Fine, go ahead. I won't compete with you. It's all yours now."

 

.....................

 

As for who drugged Catherine—Edward or Joseph—it became an unsolved mystery.

 

Joseph adamantly denied it. The crime was too severe; he wouldn't admit it and didn't dare to. Even just facing the White family's wrath would be unbearable. He insisted Catherine had approached him willingly, and then Edward showed up to beat him.

 

Edward, of course, accused Joseph. But without evidence, it was just his word against Joseph's.

 

Catherine's own testimony implicated Joseph, stating that Edward had warned her not to go.

 

Ironically, this only cast more suspicion on Edward.

 

"Right, Edward. What are you, a psychic? A prophet? How did you know there'd be drugs involved before anyone had even eaten?" Mary said.

 

However, Edward's later actions, such as seeking Elizabeth's help to detoxify Catherine, worked in his favor.

 

Victoria also testified that Edward had urgently contacted her, tracked down the hotel, and rushed to save Catherine.

 

The case was a chaotic mess.

 

Mary Taylor didn't buy Edward's good Samaritan act for a second.

 

"Edward, save someone? Ha, give me a break. He probably messed up his original plan and had to switch from villain to hero at the last minute."

 

But Victoria, Catherine, and Elizabeth—three highly capable women—insisted in unison that Edward was innocent.

 

This left Mary fuming.

 

"How on earth did Edward manage to pull this off? Three women from powerful families are going all out to protect him?"

 

These women weren't ordinary people. They excelled in their respective fields, had been raised in privilege, and received top-notch educations. Their intelligence and perspective should have been far above the average person's.

 

So why were they all fooled by Edward?

 

Especially Victoria—she was practically a role model for every young woman in Snow City. The quintessential "golden child" from a wealthy family.

 

Hadn't she always been at odds with Edward, practically allergic to him? What had changed? Now she was even vouching for him, insisting he was wronged.

 

In the end, the scene had been too disturbed, the evidence was lacking, and resolving the case would take ages.

 

The principle of presumption of innocence meant neither Edward nor Joseph could be detained indefinitely.

 

Edward spent the night in the cell. By the time he was released, his hair was messy, his clothes were wrinkled, and he hadn't even washed his face.

 

Outside the station, Victoria, Elizabeth, and Sophia were waiting for him.

 

Sophia immediately approached, and her assistant team handed Edward a fresh coat.

 

"Mr. Edward, are you all right?" Sophia asked with concern.

 

"I'm fine." Edward glanced at Victoria and Elizabeth. "Why are you all here?"

 

Elizabeth grinned. "To testify for you, of course! You have no idea how much work it took to convince people you're a good person. I practically talked my tongue off!"

 

"Thanks," Edward said, turning to Victoria. "Sorry for all the trouble last night."

 

"It's fine," Victoria replied calmly before looking at Mary. "We can leave now, right?"

 

Mary scowled. "Of course. But you, Edward…"

 

"Yes?"

 

Mary held up a travel restriction order. "Until this case is resolved, you are not allowed to leave Snow City. If you need to travel abroad, you'll require special permission. And during this period, you must remain on call at all times."

 

Edward froze.

 

[ [ This is the end! I was just about to leave the city! ] ]

 

[ [ Damn it. Now I'm stuck here, fighting with Davis over women? ] ]

 

Elizabeth burst out laughing.

 

Victoria narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she could hear Edward's thoughts.

 

Mary, meanwhile, misinterpreted the situation entirely.

 

She assumed Edward was the mastermind behind the incident, now planning to flee to evade justice.

 

"Edward, thinking of running? You won't get away. I'll find the evidence and see you behind bars!"

 

Edward nodded.

 

[ [ Good luck, you idiot. ] ]

 

[ [ You ignore the real criminals and spend all your time targeting me. Fine by me—your hatred keeps me safe. ] ]

 

Mary furrowed her brow.

 

[ Why does he think my hostility makes him safe? And who's this Davis he keeps bringing up?

 

It's a lead. I'll note it down. ]

 

Elizabeth grinned. "Come on, hero. You must be starving. My treat!"

 

Edward smiled faintly.

 

Victoria said, "I have something to take care of. I'll head out first."

 

"Victoria." Edward stopped her.

 

"What is it?"

 

"Thank you," he said with a warm smile. "Thank you for believing in me."

 

Victoria looked at him calmly. "You owe me one."

 

"Yes, yes, I owe you. I'll treat you to dinner someday. No, wait, that's not enough. I'll get you a gift instead. What do you want? A car? A luxury watch? A designer coat?"

 

Victoria's expression didn't change. "If you really want to repay me, then get engaged to me."

 

"Sure, I'll— Wait, what?!" Edward exclaimed.


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