Chapter 588
The boarding ramp, fitted with handrails, clanked onto the deck. Sebastian held Caitlin by the arm, helping her up onto the ship.
Zeke stood waiting, reaching out a hand to pull Caitlin the last step up.
“Caitlin, you’ve been through hell.”
He gave her a light hug, heart aching at the sight of her thinner face and weary eyes.
“Thank you… Thank you all for coming to find me.”
Just being able to see her friends again made Caitlin light up. She could imagine how worried they’d been, how much effort they’d put into finding her.
“It’s what we had to do.”
Zeke turned to Sebastian.
“How did the negotiation go?”
“Smooth enough. If it hadn’t, we wouldn’t be standing here.”
Zeke’s expression darkened as he noticed Raze and his men boarding behind them. Once Raze
stepped onto the deck, Zeke stormed over, grabbed him by the collar, and growled,
“You despicable bastard! If you ever lay a hand on Caitlin again, I’ll kill you where you stand!”
“Zeke!”
Sebastian and Caitlin rushed to pull him off.
Raze looked furious, but said nothing. Sheldon stepped forward in his place, speaking calmly.
“We’re sorry. A peace agreement has been signed. The hostage has been returned. Please don’t make things difficult for our leader.”
Zeke was dragged back, still fuming.
Raze straightened his collar with a huff.
“Where’s my mother?”
Zeke stared him down for a moment before signaling to bring her up from below deck.
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The moment Raze saw his mother, all his arrogance drained away. He stepped forward, his voice soft.
“Mom…”
His mother finally laid eyes on him–but her first reaction was to scold.
“You little idiot! Look at what you’ve done! Kidnapping someone’s wife? What the hell is wrong with you? Were you raised by wolves?!”
She grabbed his ear and gave it a good twist, berating him right there in front of everyone. Like all mothers, she hoped her son would be strong–but not like this. And when he screwed up, she didn’t
hold back.
“Alright, alright! Mom, enough! You’re embarrassing me!”
Raze quickly held onto her.
“Let’s go, Mom. I’m taking you off the ship.”
To the world, Raze might be the ruthless boss of Black Wolf Fortress–but to his mother, he was just a scolded son.
As Raze left with his mother, Sheldon paused and turned back to Caitlin.
“Mrs. Vanderbilt, before I forget–thank you. Thank you for saving my wife and child.”
He bowed a full ninety degrees in front of her, his gratitude sincere.
“There’s no need to thank me, Sheldon. I should thank you for helping me.”
Without Sheldon’s efforts to mediate, Caitlin might not have made it out alive.
“I’ll be going now, I hope, from here on out, we can live in peace.”
Sheldon waved goodbye to Sebastian and Caitlin before disembarking.
As soon as they returned to their ship, the warship’s boarding ramp was pulled back up, closing this long chapter between two sides.
Sebastian turned to Caitlin, gazing at her face with aching eyes.
“You’ve suffered,”
“You too.”
Caitlin finally got a good look at him. His handsome face was roughened by unshaven stubble,
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bloodshot eyes, and the weight of exhaustion in his brows.
Seeing him like this made her heart ache.
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He pulled her into a firm embrace, holding her like he would never let go. It was a moment neither of them would forget–quiet, powerful, and so precious.
Zeke, sensing the intimacy, respectfully turned away. He only spoke once the hug had ended.
“Take Caitlin to freshen up. I’ll have the kitchen prepare some food.”
“Thanks.”
Sebastian helped Caitlin back to their cabin. She took a hot shower, changed into clean clothes, and stepped out–only to be immediately scooped into Sebastian’s arms.
He kissed her without warning. It was a deep, urgent kiss that said everything he couldn’t put into
words. He kissed her like he needed her in his bones, like he’d die if he didn’t.
Tears rolled down Caitlin’s cheeks, their salty taste slipping into their kiss.
She couldn’t hold back anymore. She began to cry–deep, gasping sobs muffled in his arms.
“I thought I’d never see you again…”
“I was scared too…”
Sebastian kissed her tears, her nose, her lips again. Only the touch of her made him believe this was
real–that she was really back in his arms.
“But I had to find you. No matter where you were–even if it meant chasing you to the ends of the earth–I would’ve found you. Because without you, I can’t survive.”
“Me neither…”
They held each other tightly, both in tears, hearts pounding, overwhelmed by emotion they could no longer contain.
After a long moment, Sebastian gently said,
“Let’s go eat something. Get your strength back. We’re already on our way home.”
“Okay.”
They walked to the dining area, where the chef had already prepared a meal for Caitlin. Zeke waved
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her over to a seat.
She sat down, finally able to enjoy a hot meal–rice, savory dishes, the smell of home. She ate quickly, not leaving a single grain behind.
Sebastian and Zeke sat across from her, watching as she devoured the food.
When she started to choke from eating too fast, Sebastian immediately handed her water and gently patted her back.
“Slow down, love. It’s okay.”
“The food’s just so good,” Caitlin said with a little smile.
When she finished, Zeke asked,
“You full? I can have the chef make more.”
“No, no, I’m good. I haven’t eaten like this in so long.”
Since the moment she was kidnapped and dragged across the ocean, she hadn’t had a proper meal.
Just having a hot bowl of rice now felt like pure happiness.
“Tell us what happened–after you were taken.”
Zeke leaned in. He wanted to know everything.
Caitlin wiped her mouth, her mind pulling back to that night.
“It was after the award ceremony. I got a fake severed arm covered in blood. My brother chased after
the
guy, Zinnia stayed back, and I went to the back entrance to find Sebastian.
“I saw Sebastian’s car pull up. Vaughn opened the door for me. I got in.
“At first, nothing seemed strange. There were roses in the front and back seats–I thought Sebastian had prepared them. I leaned over to smell them… but something was off.
“By the time I noticed the scent was strange, my strength was already fading. I wanted to call Sebastian, but I couldn’t even lift my phone.”
Sebastian clenched his fists silently.
“That car wasn’t mine. The guy driving wasn’t Vaughn either. Someone impersonated him. They even used a fake license plate on a Rolls–Royce to trick you.”
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“Yes… when I woke up again, Vaughn was gone. A complete stranger was there instead. I was tied on a boat… no idea how long we drifted.”
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Zeke added,
“We didn’t know you’d been taken. That guy drove the car off a cliff. By the time Sebastian and I got there, the whole thing went up in flames. We thought you were still inside. We thought…”
“You thought I was dead,” Caitlin said softly. “I’m sorry. I made you worry.”