After Divorcing my Captain Husband (Chloe and Michael)

Chapter 672 A Woman

He tried to laugh, but the towel stuffed in his mouth muffled any sound, turning his attempts into eerie, guttural whimpers that seemed like a twisted blend of laughter and tears. When he had finished his strange, muffled amusement, Michael signaled for the bodyguard to remove the towel from his mouth.

"Who sent you after Chloe?" Michael asked bluntly, his tone demanding and impatient.

Erik, William's younger brother, tilted his head defiantly. "The heir to the Shawn family can't even track down his own backer? Mr. Shawn, you really are a disappointment!" Before Erik could finish his taunt, a bodyguard slammed a fist into his face.

"Who sent you after Chloe?"

Michael's voice was cold and unyielding.

Erik spat back, saying, "Take a wild guess. Maybe Chloe ticked someone off. Or better yet, maybe you're the one who pissed someone off!"

Michael's brow furrowed in frustration.

James, however, was done with the games.

He stood up, pulled out his gun, and aimed it at Erik's thigh.

Without hesitation, James fired a shot at point-blank range. The bullet shattered Erik's thigh, leaving it a mess of blood and flesh.

Erik screamed, his head thrown back as he gritted his teeth through the excruciating pain.

"Cut the crap. Next time, the bullet's going through the side of your head. Think carefully before you answer!" James said, his voice dripping with menace. Erik hadn't expected James to actually shoot him.

Blood poured from his wound, and if it wasn't treated quickly, he'd lose the leg.

But James didn't give him a moment to think. The gun was already pressed against Erik's temple.

Michael, seated on the sofa, had a gloomy expression. "Answer the question."

Erik took several deep breaths, finally managing to speak through the pain and sweat. "I'll talk... I'll talk..."

James pressed the gun harder, tilting Erik's head sideways.

"Enough chit-chat."

"It's... it's a woman."

Michael glanced at James.

"Name?" Michael pressed.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"I don't know."

James cocked his gun, readying it for another shot. "Last chance."

Fear flashed in Erik's eyes. "I really don't know."

Seeing James' patience wearing thin, Erik continued, "We only communicated over the phone with voice changers. I never knew who she was." "What did she offer you?"

"She promised that if I get rid of Chloe, no one would come after me for my activities abroad, and I could return home."

Erik had been sent abroad by the Clark family, but they didn't support him.

Life overseas was tough for him and his mother, who had fallen ill and needed expensive treatment.

Unable to afford her medical bills

with a regular job, Erik took any work that came his way, legal or note including acting as a hitmanor smuggling.

His days were a constant juggling act between working and evading the law.

Eventually, Erik grew weary of this dangerous life.

His mother's illness was terminal, and he knew time was running out.

His mother was sent by the Clark family, and after years abroad, she simply wanted to return home before she died.

She begged Erik to get her back to their country.

But every time he tried to go to the airport, even before clearing customs, he'd be apprehended.

Erik had no other option. Just when he needed help the most, he encountered someone who claimed she could assist him. Desperate to get his mother back home, he took the job.

All this time, Erik had no clue about Chloe's real identity, nor did he care.

Every action Erik took was directed by his mysterious contact-whether it was the initial push into the pool or the sabotage of the spotlight until this latest run-in with James and Michael's team.

"Given that you can't return home, how did you manage to get to Chloe in the country?"