The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 127

The snake, startled, shot off into the distance.

The whole time, Lucie stayed cool, decisive, and completely fearless.

“It’s gone. Let’s get out of here,” she said, voice steady.

Elio was still trying to catch his breath, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and admiration. “Lucie… you’re a total badass. I’m serious. Forget my brother, you’re my new idol now.”

She actually caught a snake with her bare hands? He was floored.

“Quit talking and move it,” Lucie said, already heading out.

“Yeah, yeah. Finally, we can leave this nightmare,” Elio replied, hurrying after her like he never wanted to lose sight of her again.

People always look up to those who are braver than themselves. When someone can do what you can’t, it’s impossible not to admire them. Elio’s feelings for Lucie ran much deeper than her looks. She made everything seem so easy, even things he couldn’t dream of doing.

Back in school, she was the straight-A student while he barely scraped by. When they broke up, she left without a second thought, but he stayed stuck, unable to move on.

A girl like her just radiated strength. He couldn’t help but respect her, fear her a little, and love her all at once.

***

After a while, they retraced their steps along the path.

As they got closer to the lake, Lucie stopped, listening. There were faint footsteps coming from up ahead.

“What’s that noise?” she whispered.

Both of them froze, barely daring to breathe.

Two men came into view, lugging big bags of food and water. They grumbled as they walked.

“This stuff is so damn heavy.”

“What can you do? Just a few more days.”

“It’s just two guys. We’ll be fine. Let’s at least see what they’re doing.”

“Elio, seriously—”

But he was already gone, curiosity getting the better of him.

Lucie sighed, packed up her paints and tools, and slipped after him as quietly as she could. One hand held her pepper spray, the other gripped a stun gun. If those guys were trouble, she wasn’t going to be caught off guard. And there was always the chance they had friends nearby.

Ahead, the two men moved quickly.

“If we pull this off, we’re set for life,” one of them muttered. “No more working like dogs for someone else. I’m moving to an island and living it up.”

“Yeah, but I wonder how the boss is going to split the money…”

Lucie and Elio trailed them for about twenty minutes, weaving through thick forest until the men finally stopped at a wide clearing up ahead.