The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1558 A Deal

"What happened?" Rachel asked. She glared at Bernard angrily, shaking off his hands and turned her face aside.

Not having heard Bernard's response, Rachel turned around to see what had happened, only to find Bernard on the floor. He was too weak to stand still and losing blood at a rapid rate. "Bernard!" Rachel called out to him, but he was unconscious now.

Having no other choice, Rachel helped him up and laid him down on the sofa. Then she waited there not knowing what to do, not even attending to his wounds.

She decided to wait until he had regained consciousness to tell her everything.

After almost one dreadful hour, Bernard came to his senses.

When he opened his eyes slowly, he was greeted by Rachel's cold and dissatisfied eyes. She didn't say anything, but he could tell how frustrated she was.

"I'm sorry, Rachel. It's my fault that I let you down. I've made a big mistake!" As he was speaking, Bernard struggled to find his footing and sit closer to Rachel, holding her hands to comfort her. Rachel pushed his hands away impatiently and said, "Tell me what happened!"

Even after Bernard had risked his own life for her, she still didn't care about him. She only cared about herself and she wanted to know why he had failed.

She waited a long time for such a great opportunity, but Bernard had wasted it for nothing.

Rachel felt like she was going to explode in anger. She had been so sure of her victory that she could almost taste it. Why did it turn out to be the opposite of what she was expecting? She couldn't bear to ever think about it.

Looking at her angry face, Bernard knew that he had to give her a convincing explanation. If not, she would never forgive him.

"I almost had her, Rachel. I already had Sheryl subdued at that moment, but..." Bernard took a glance at Rachel, who was listening intently. Then he continued, "But someone, also dressed in black, showed up out of nowhere and stopped me. He even tried to kill me."

"Who was that man? Did you find out? You are very strong, aren't you? Was that person strong enough to compete with you?" Rachel stared at Bernard in utter disbelief.

To some extent, she was right to believe that no ordinary man could put up a fight against him. Therefore, it would appear as though Rachel's savior was no ordinary man. "He is...one of the members of the assassin group I belonged to," Bernard said hesitantly.

"What? They..." Rachel mumbled in shock. Although she didn't know what kind of group Bernard was a part of, she was well aware that each member of that group was best among the best. Needless to say, their fighting skills were not inferior to Bernard's, but she couldn't imagine how merciless and cruel they would be.

"Somehow they found out that I was here, so they sent one of their own to kill me. I betrayed my organization, and the punishment for that is death," Bernard sighed in frustration. In fact, he was already expecting for this day to come ever since he betrayed his group, but he didn't know that they would be able to find him so soon.

However, what seemed odd to him was the fact that they decided to show up right before he was going to kill Sheryl.

Rachel couldn't help but tremble as he explained. She reached out to grasp Bernard's arm tightly and her voice shivered as she spoke. "Then...then what...should we do? Will they find this place?" Rachel looked around, without a conscious thought, paranoid from the thought of them being here already.

"Rachel, don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what happens," Bernard assured her calmly. He understood that she was afraid for her life. He held her in his arms to comfort her. After she felt better, he added, "Trust me, I'll handle it."

"Really?" Rachel's eyes grew wide in amazement. She sat still and looked at Bernard with longing eyes, hoping to ascertain whether he was being serious or not.

A confident grin crept over Bernard's face. He nodded slightly and gently caressed her tender body. He felt so fulfilled to be needed by his beloved woman.

He was even willing to die for her, let alone make some small sacrifices. Why would he refuse to do that for her sake?

Bernard felt even more resolute as he thought about it.

Seeing his firm expression, Rachel believed him. She buried her head in his arms and hugged his waist tightly, as if she wanted to hide herself from the fear.

"Bernard, are you going to leave me in the future?" Her muffled voice came out from Bernard's chest.

Bernard was startled by her question. He never expected that Rachel would ask him such a question.

Many of his memories flooded back to him. For a long time in the past, he had been so afraid that Rachel would leave him. He had been afraid of losing her. However, the situation was reversed now. Bernard didn't realize that he held such an important place in Rachel's heart.

Bernard even wanted to cry with joy. He hoped that he could stay with Rachel forever.

For Rachel's happiness, he was willing to sacrifice his own life.

"Rachel, I will never leave you," Bernard swore solemnly. He hugged Rachel back as tight as he could.

Finally, a smile appeared in Rachel's face as if that was all she needed to hear. After an hour, she fell asleep in his arms.

Bernard kissed her on the forehead and put her in bed. Then he walked out of the villa quietly and cautiously.

About an hour later, Bernard arrived at a secret base.

He knew that his former group members were inside.

That man spared his life today. It meant that Tom didn't really want to kill him.

According to the rule of their organization, they would have to build a secret base every time they went to a new place. He was able to locate that place because he was familiar with their common practice. After carefully checking on the map, he ascertained that they would be in this abandoned land.

As soon as Bernard went to the second floor of the building, he saw a tall man standing guard, with his back to him. "Here you are!" said the man. His voice echoed in the empty hall, deep and thunderous. Bernard almost had a heart attack as he didn't realize that the man had sensed his presence there.

"Tom, please spare Rachel. She has nothing to do with my betrayal. I'll do whatever you want me to do as long as you spare her life!" Bernard spoke directly, without wasting any time.

After a while, the man turned around. He looked Bernard up and down, carefully. "I didn't think that you could stoop so low, old friend."

"Tom, it's all my fault! I'm willing to accept the punishment!" Bernard continued pleading.

Tom's lips cracked into a satisfied smile. Then he slumped onto a chair and said, "I'm not going to kill you, of course. Your life isn't worth the trouble for me."

Tom gave him a contemptuous look and continued, "But there is one way for you to save your ass."

Bernard agreed immediately, "Just tell me what it is that you want and I will to do it, Tom."

Who would choose death over life if he had been given a choice?

After all, Bernard wasn't a stupid man.

"Kill this man for me and you'll be free of your obligations," Tom said curtly. Then he threw a pile of documents on the table for Bernard to read through. Bernard leaned forward and picked them up. He opened the file and saw a strange name on the paper.

Ferry Fang?

He had never even heard of this person before. To kill a person he didn't know to save both his and Rachel's lives was a deal he couldn't refuse.