My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 73: Little Uncle, Is It Enough?

"U-Uncle, d-don’t say things like that... She’s my friend. She’ll get the wrong idea..."

Nina Wynn’s face was pale, a mixture of shock and fear.

She rushed to explain to Noelle Landon, "Crystal, don’t get the wrong idea. My uncle likes to joke around. It’s not what you think."

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes narrowed, his gaze turning colder.

"Nina Wynn, are you coming with me on your own, or do I have to carry you?"

As soon as he spoke, the color drained further from Nina Wynn’s face.

’Why would he say something like that here?’

’She had a gut feeling that Caleb Rhodes was genuinely furious this time. He probably wouldn’t let her off easy.’

’But why would he publicize a relationship like theirs?’

’What’s in it for him?’

’He’s supposed to marry into the Lowell Family. Shouldn’t he be hiding the fact that he’s keeping a mistress?’

’Or was he doing this just to destroy her, to turn her into a reviled homewrecker in front of everyone?’

’So, is this the punishment for defying him?’

The more she thought, the paler she became. The hand Caleb Rhodes was holding began to tremble uncontrollably.

Just then, Noelle Landon snapped out of it and looked at Nina Wynn in disbelief. "Nino, you two..."

Nina Wynn forced herself to stay calm and whispered, "Noelle, it’s not what you think. I’ll explain later..."

Before she could finish, Caleb tightened his grip on her hand and started dragging her outside.

He was tall and his strides were long, forcing Nina Wynn to break into a trot to keep up.

Seeing Nina Wynn stumbling, Noelle Landon was having none of it. She rushed forward and grabbed Nina’s other hand. "You’re not going anywhere!"

Caleb Rhodes stopped and turned, his gaze was glacial.

The intense warning in his eyes was overwhelming.

Under his immense, oppressive aura, Noelle Landon’s scalp tingled. Still, she stared boldly at Caleb Rhodes. "So what if you’re from the Rhodes Family? Can’t you see she doesn’t want to? She doesn’t want to go with you!"

Caleb Rhodes narrowed his eyes, a venomous hostility clouding his gaze.

He spoke coldly, "Noelle Landon, is it? Your sponsor is looking for you all over the world. You can hardly protect yourself right now."

Noelle Landon froze, the color draining completely from her face.

"Wh-what are you talking about? I don’t understand..."

She kept her grip on Nina Wynn, refusing to let go. "I don’t care what you say, I’m not letting Nina go with you today. You don’t look like a good person. How dare you claim to be her man? Zyler Rhodes says he likes her too. What, are you two from the Rhodes Family—uncle and nephew—both planning to fight over her? If you like her, then why is she covered in injuries every time she comes to see me?"

She grew furious. "None of you from the Rhodes Family are any good! Is this how you like someone, by abusing them? The way you are, you’re no better than Zyler Rhodes!"

With that, she pulled Nina Wynn closer to her side. "Scumbag, let go!"

Caleb Rhodes’s gaze sharpened as he took out his phone.

He made a call and put it on speaker.

The call connected quickly, and a lazy, deep, magnetic voice came through. "Where’d you run off to? The banquet’s about to start."

Caleb Rhodes said coldly, "Your runaway little assistant is on Stellara Road. Are you coming to get her yourself, or do you want me to grab her for you?"

The man’s tone on the other end changed instantly. "Send me the location! Watch her, don’t let her get away! I’m on my way now!"

Noelle Landon’s expression changed drastically. She subconsciously stumbled back two steps, her hand slipping from Nina Wynn’s.

"You... you really know Nathan Fletcher?"

Caleb Rhodes ignored her, pulling Nina Wynn into his arms and striding outside. Just as they reached the car, he saw Noelle Landon burst out of the restaurant, clutching her purse.

Caleb Rhodes gestured to the car behind them. Two bodyguards in black suits immediately rushed out and pinned Noelle Landon against the car door.

Noelle Landon cursed furiously, kicking and scratching wildly at the two bodyguards. One of her kicks landed squarely in a bodyguard’s groin, causing the man to gasp in pain.

"Dislocate her arm and give her to Nathan Fletcher," Caleb Rhodes said, his face expressionless.

Nina Wynn was horrified. She quickly grabbed Caleb Rhodes’s arm. "Uncle, no! Let her go, she’s my friend!"

Caleb Rhodes’s tone was ruthless. "You don’t need friends. Especially not this kind. You’re forbidden from contacting her ever again."

Just then, Noelle Landon screamed in pain.

"You Rhodes bastard! You and Fletcher the Dog are cut from the same cloth! I curse people like you to never be loved and to have sons born without buttholes!"

"Agh, it hurts! Nino, my arm’s dislocated! Help me!"

"Nino, call 911! Let’s see if these bastards dare to keep this up!"

Seeing her friend’s arm had been dislocated, Nina Wynn broke out in a cold sweat. She wrenched her hand free from Caleb Rhodes and lunged for the bodyguard.

But both bodyguards were over six-foot-three and built like tanks. Her pulling had no effect on them at all.

In a panic, she grabbed one of the bodyguards’ arms and bit down hard.

The bodyguard yelped in pain and reflexively threw his arm back, slinging Nina Wynn violently against the wall.

Her stomach slammed into a protruding piece of decor on the wall.

Caleb Rhodes’s pupils contracted, a sharp pain lancing through his heart. "Stop!"

But in the next second, Nina Wynn actually grabbed a durian the restaurant owner had left on a nearby table and hurled it viciously at the bodyguard.

Improbably, it hit the man square on the forehead.

The man had probably never imagined in his entire life that he would one day be smashed in the head with a durian. The intense pain was unbearable, and he nearly lost his footing.

A wave of pain and fury washed over him, and for a moment he looked like he wanted to tear Nina Wynn to shreds.

But he didn’t dare to act rashly, so he just glared at her murderously.

The look was so fierce it made Nina Wynn take a step back in fear. But after only a two-second hesitation, she lunged forward again to push the man, grabbing Noelle Landon to try and make a run for it.

But then, two more, even larger men in black suits got out of the car and restrained Noelle Landon.

Nina Wynn was so frantic she was on the verge of tears. She instinctively pulled out her phone.

But just as she began to dial 911, she found herself looking toward Caleb Rhodes.

He stood less than ten feet away, his eyes cold and dark, a bottomless black.

The expression on his face was colder than she had ever seen. A single glance made her scalp prickle, and she instinctively took two steps back.

Her lips trembled. She looked at him with the terror of a child caught misbehaving. "U-Uncle..."

Caleb Rhodes’s voice was cold and deep. "Weren’t you going to call the police? Continue."

"N-no..."

She quickly hid the hand holding her phone behind her back.

At that moment, Noelle Landon was being forced into the car. Her desperate struggles attracted the attention of passersby. When someone moved to call the police, a bodyguard spoke up. "We’re so sorry to make a scene. Our young miss has been brainwashed and is determined to go to North Merna. She won’t listen to reason, so we have no choice but to restrain her and take her home."

He then waved at the crowd. "Please disperse. Nothing to see here. Go home and warn your own daughters not to go anywhere near that place. It’s better to be locked up at home than to die over there."

The passersby saw their luxurious cars and expensive clothes and assumed they were witnessing the drama of a wealthy heiress trying to run away. "That’s right, dearie, listen to an old auntie’s advice, you can’t go there!" one said. "That place will eat you alive! The government puts out warnings about it every day, haven’t you seen them?"

"Hurry up and take her home! Don’t you dare let her get away!"

Furious and desperate, Noelle Landon started banging her head against the car door to attract more attention. A bodyguard quickly stepped forward and pressed a nerve on the back of her neck. Noelle’s vision went black, and she passed out.

Seeing this, Nina Wynn rushed forward in a panic and started kicking and hitting the bodyguard.

The bodyguard didn’t dare touch Nina Wynn, so he could only retreat, pleading for help with his eyes to Caleb Rhodes.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes narrowed. He strode forward, grabbed Nina Wynn by the collar, and hauled her toward his car.

Nina Wynn was terrified for Noelle Landon, but she knew there was no escape for her today.

She clung to Caleb Rhodes’s arm, begging anxiously, "Uncle, let her go! Please, let her go!"

Seeing her little face pale with worry, the fury in Caleb Rhodes’s heart intensified.

He watched her frantic state, his voice like ice. "Is she that important to you?"

Nina Wynn nodded frantically, her eyes turning red. "Please, let her go. Have someone reset her arm. It must hurt so much. Please, do it quickly, I’m begging you!"

’This was the first time she’d ever begged him, and it was for some irrelevant, annoying woman!’

’This was the most intense emotion she had ever shown in front of him.’

’Alarm bells rang in his mind once again.’

"Answer me. Is she very important to you?"

Without a second thought, Nina Wynn nodded repeatedly. "Yes, she’s very important to me. Uncle, she’s my friend, my most important friend! I’m begging you, let her go!"

Caleb Rhodes’s expression changed in an instant. He suddenly seized Nina Wynn’s chin, his voice cold and merciless. "What if I wanted to make her disappear? What then?"

’Anyone or anything that held any place in her heart was better off not existing!’

’Her heart and her eyes could only have room for him!’

Nina Wynn never expected Caleb Rhodes to suddenly turn on Noelle Landon.

’She didn’t understand why Caleb Rhodes was targeting Noelle Landon so viciously. Even if Noelle had some issue with his friend, he shouldn’t be the one getting involved.’

’He was doing this for only one reason: to punish her!’

’Using the most important person in her life to punish her!’

’He was even more terrifying and calculating than she had imagined!’

A suffocating helplessness washed over her, making it hard to breathe. All she could do was grip his arm tightly and plead, "Uncle, she was just worried about me! And she’s just an ordinary person, she can’t withstand your punishment. I’m begging you, please let her go!"

But the more she pleaded for this unrelated person, the darker his expression grew.

He looked at the beads of anxious sweat on her forehead. He reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers slowly, deliberately traced a path across her delicate cheek. His touch was light, but his voice was laced with venom. "Nina Wynn, you’re begging me like this... for her?"

Nina Wynn’s only thought was to get Noelle Landon away from Caleb Rhodes. She nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I’m begging you, Uncle. Please let her go. Don’t hurt her. You can punish me however you want, but please, don’t hurt my friend."

’Her only friend!’

Caleb Rhodes said nothing. He lifted her chin, his tone frigid. "But the more you beg me like this, the less I want to let her go. So what should we do now?"

Nina Wynn’s eyes flew open.

’What did he mean?’

’Wasn’t it enough to humiliate her? Did he have to humiliate her friend, too?’

’She was already groveling, begging him. What more could he possibly want?’

She suddenly shoved him away and ran toward the other car.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes grew even colder and darker. "Take her," he ordered ruthlessly.

The car door slammed shut. Before Nina Wynn could reach it, the engine started.

Nina Wynn grabbed the door handle and pounded on the window.

"Open the door! Let her out!"

"Open the door! You maniacs!"

But the car was already moving, slowly pulling away. Nina Wynn refused to let go, running to keep up with it.

The car picked up speed, and Nina Wynn ran faster, but a person can’t outrun a car. After just a few strides, she was already struggling to keep up.

But she wouldn’t let go. She absolutely couldn’t abandon Noelle Landon.

Soon, she was gasping for air, a sharp pain blooming in her chest. Her legs gave out, and she began to fall.

The instant before she hit the ground, the car screeched to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Nina Wynn knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, her hand still locked onto the car door.

Just then, Caleb Rhodes came up from behind and grabbed her by the collar. "Nina Wynn, are you an idiot?"

His voice was a mixture of shock and fury.

’She always did these unexpected things. This time she chased a car. What would it be next time?’

’For that person, she not only dared to defy him, but she was even willing to risk her life!’

Nina Wynn closed her eyes, a coppery, sweet taste rising in her throat. Her body felt weightless, as if she were walking on cotton.

She suddenly turned and threw her arms around Caleb Rhodes.

"Uncle, I was wrong. It’s all my fault. I won’t run away again. Please, let my friend go."

As she spoke, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his chin.

Her voice was hurried. "Uncle, I was wrong..."

Caleb Rhodes froze. He hadn’t expected Nina Wynn to do something so sudden.

’This was the first time she had ever initiated a kiss, and it was at a time and place like this.’

He instinctively glanced down at her, only to see fresh blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

The dark red color was slowly welling up, already dripping onto her collar.

Caleb Rhodes’s heart seized. "Nina!"

He raised his arm, using his sleeve to wipe away the blood, but he couldn’t stop it. More and more blood welled up.

In a panic, he scooped her into his arms and kicked the car door hard. "Open the door!"

The bodyguard scrambled out. Seeing Nina Wynn spitting up blood, he broke out in a cold sweat. "Th-Third Lord Master..."

Caleb Rhodes jumped into the car with Nina Wynn in his arms. He kicked the unconscious Noelle Landon beside him and ordered coldly, "Get her out of here. Give her to Nathan Fletcher."

"Yes, Third Lord Master!"

"Faster! Get to the nearest hospital!"

In the car, Nina Wynn was curled in Caleb Rhodes’s arms. Blood from her mouth dripped onto him, staining his clothes.

Caleb Rhodes cupped her face, trying to wipe the blood away, but it wouldn’t stop.

Nina Wynn grabbed his hand, her voice barely a whisper. "Uncle, my friend... her arm..."

Caleb Rhodes said in a low voice, "She’ll be fine."

"Nina Wynn, you’re too reckless!"

Nina Wynn let out a faint laugh. More blood trickled from her lips as her voice grew fainter. "Isn’t this what you wanted? The more miserable I am, the happier you are..."

She clutched the fabric of his shirt and murmured, "Uncle... is this punishment enough?"