Love Contract
Chapter 291 Rescuing The Hostages (Part One)

"Let's begin," Corbett arrogantly said, cocking his neck to one side.

"Wait! Wait a minute!" William suddenly stopped him. "I have a few words to say to Mary. Give me a few minutes," he added in a serious tone.

Nodding, Corbett merely stepped aside and uttered, "Oh, I bet you do. I guess this is your farewell, huh? Then, please!"

Throwing away the gun, William walked forward expressionlessly. He traversed through the seawater, not minding the freezing cold, and went straight to Mary.

"William..." she called weakly. Then, Mary pierced him with her teary eyes without blinking. A lump found its way on her throat, rendering her speechless at that moment.

"Mary, you will be fine." With utmost affection, William gazed back at her. His eyes were too deep, and Mary knew he was confounded with so much emotion.

The sea roared, and the high tide splashed their bodies, but William was strong enough to resist the current.

He even cupped up her small face and kissed her lips, tasting her tears. And as their lips locked together, Mary could not suppress her cries anymore.

"Aisha will be here soon," whispered William, with his back facing Corbett. He made it seem like he was bidding his last farewell, but obviously had another intention of wanting to talk to Mary. "They have found Alick and Elissa. They will come here as soon as the children are rescued."

Meanwhile, Mary was too shocked to say anything. But even then, a glimmer of hope rose in her heart upon hearing William's reassuring words. "Really?" she managed to ask in a weak voice.

"Yes.," William answered her, hugging her tightly.

The warm and familiar embrace warmed up Mary's cold body, but before she could make herself comfortable around his skin, William stuffed a sharp blade in her hand.

Feeling the cold steel in her palm, Mary's body suddenly stiffened. She almost doubted that she had touched the wrong thing. "What is this for?" she asked in a trembling voice, evidently nervous to be holding such a fatal weapon in this situation.

"Cut off the rope when no one is watching you. Use the high tide as a cover." William pinched her hand hard and said, "I'm not sure whether I can defeat him or not." When Mary heard him, her mind immediately went blank.

What did he mean by 'not sure'? Would William die? No!

"No..." Mary shook her head in fear and choked with sobs. "Aisha is coming to save us, isn't she? We can just wait!" she argued, trying to knock some sense into William.

"Mary!" Raising his tone, William tried to calm her down. "Aren't you afraid of water? You can't even escape with your hands tied together. You have to replace an opportunity and escape, okay?"

"What about you?" Her chest rose and fell--an indicator that Mary's sobs had only worsen.

"I..." William's face was etched with a gentle expression. It was as if he knew it might be the last time he would see her. "I will protect you," he reassured in a placid voice.

However, instead of calming down, Mary's heart sank deeper. And before she could even say something to stop him, Corbett's impatient voice disturbed them. "Mr. Lan, you can keep your words and talk to her after I send you both on your way to hell. You have used too much time."

Ignoring him, William planted a soft kiss on Mary's forehead and winked at her. Then, he turned around and walked towards Corbett.

"William! William!" Mary called his name over and over again. He was not striding, but with every step he took, Mary felt like she was drowning in darkness. And as she stared at his receding back, Mary's stiff fingers clasped the sharp blade. 'If William were to die today, I'd die with him,' she silently thought.

While she was frozen to her feet in the cold water, the two men engaged in a brawl, making everyone tremble with fear as punches and kicks flew and landed.

Corbett clasped William's shoulders and pulled his whole body forward. The two almost clung to each other in an instant. "You really are something!" Corbett yelled; his veins were popping on his neck. "How can I save them if I am nothing?" Gritting his teeth, William violently brushed Corbett's arms away.

"You just want to save them," Corbett threw a punch at him and grinned before saying, "but you forget that a person is lying on the bed and is on the brink of death because of you!" William stepped backward to maintain his balance. Panting, he responded, "He has nothing to do with me."

At his words, Corbett's pupils suddenly contracted. Slowly, his anger seemed to have taken shape. He launched another attack without saying anything, only this time it was faster and more violent, making it difficult for William to counter it. On the other side, Mary gripped the blade tightly, using it to cut the rope. As soon as she raised her head, she saw Corbett landing a kick directly at William's knee.

"William!" she screamed with fear and worry. And because her attention was diverted from the blade, she didn't notice herself stabbing her own flesh.

"I'm fine," William reassured in a lower voice, wincing in pain as he struggled to straighten up. Then, he immediately turned his hand to catch Corbett's fist.

"I want to teach you a lesson!" With every punch and kick Corbett threw at him, the former seemed to become more furious. It was as if he was not in the right mind anymore. He didn't care about anything or anyone and just wanted to be utterly violent.

At the same time, Mary's arms hurt because of the tightness of the rope, and to prevent herself from sobbing, she gritted her teeth and clasped the blade tighter to free herself faster. Taking advantage of Corbett's inattention, William punched him on the neck before landing a strong kick on his leg, causing him to lose his balance.

However, strong as he was, Corbett grabbed on to William just before he fell. With a click, his earphone dropped, and an imperceptible splash resounded on the vast sea and disappeared. "Damn it!" William cursed, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"Squeak!"

"Hiss!" Meanwhile, Archer grimaced in discomfort outside the abandoned salt factory after hearing a long and sharp piercing sound from his earphone. He immediately pulled it out after feeling the extreme discomfort in his ear.

"What happened? Your voice is too loud! Someone might hear us!" Aisha scolded him with her brows furrowed.

"Sorry, Madam." Archer put on the earphone again.

Aisha glanced at him without saying a word and then turned around before gesturing the others to sneak into the plant.

"William? William, can you hear me?" Archer called him several times, but he didn't hear anything in response.

A group of well-trained bodyguards, led by the international criminal police officer, quietly penetrated the factory with guns ready at hand. Fortunately, the building's security seemed to be dawdling around since their shift started, so it wasn't that difficult to infiltrate the massive area.

"Bang! Bang!"

With just a couple of blaring gunshots, all guards at the gate dropped dead on the ground, completely lifeless.

Frowning, Jazlyn put the silenced gun back to her waist and walked into the salt factory. "Boss, there is no one inside. The gatekeepers are dead."

"Alright. I saw the three kids. You can come out now."

While speaking, Aisha put down the telescope in her hand. It turned out that Dixon had taken the three children out of the factory. They were hung above the sea with their hands tied behind their backs. No wonder Ray's watch couldn't be heard anymore.

"Shall we just rush over?" Lucas asked in a low voice, trying his best not to get noticed from their hiding place.

"No." Barry stopped him. "They have the three children! I won't let you do it without full certainty."

Aisha didn't say a word and just rested her chin on her right hand to better think. Suddenly, she raised her head and uttered, "I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Let's..." They gathered together, circling around her while listening to her plan. And because it was well-thought and they didn't have any other choice, everyone agreed instantly. "Boss, be careful."

"I know." Aisha nodded while gripping her gun and looking at Archer. Seconds later, the two of them walked carefully towards the bay.

Candy GSmgB