FLASH MARRIAGE; CHARMED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE CEO
Chapter 371 - 371: It's Over

It had been almost a week since the ugly encounter with Harriet's thugs.

Regina had fully recovered from the torture inflicted on her body.

The whip lashes that had once marred her back like a map of pain, had begun to fade slowly.

But the memory of the pain and humiliation she endured alongside her daughter and sister didn't fade away like the scars. It haunted her dreams and filled her with dread of the unknown.

Currently, all her plans to retaliate and deal with Harriet have been placed on hold, after she learnt about Matt's atrocious attack at the police station and at a stripper club.

She was aware that Matt was on the run and she knew that if the police ever caught him, things could turn ugly for all of them.

Consequently, she began to make secret arrangements with her daughter and sister to flee the country while praying desperately that Matt would never be caught.

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The morning sun filtered gently through the lace curtains, casting a warm golden glow across the dining area.

Seated at the dining table and enjoying a modest breakfast of toast and scrambled eggs, Regina sipped slowly from her steaming cup of coffee.

Her serene face wore the kind of expression that comes from years of learning to cherish the calm between storms.

Just as she reached for another slice of golden toast, a blood-curdling scream tore through the air—sharp, high-pitched, and chilling.

The toast dropped from Regina's hand. Her entire body jerked upright, the chair scraping harshly against the floor as she shot to her feet.

"Pearl!" Regina's heart slammed against her chest as she wondered what might have happened to her sister.

For a split second, she stood frozen, eyes widened and coffee sloshing dangerously in the cup she still held.

Then, without thinking, she set the cup down with a shaky hand and rushed toward the sitting room, her robe fluttering behind her and her bare feet thudding urgently against the marble floor.

Standing before the huge television screen with hands clasped around her head, Pearl shook in disbelief and horror.

The sight of a tattered-looking Matt being shoved into the back of a police van, his face unmistakable beneath the chaos of camera flashes and shouting reporters, drained the blood from her face.

"Pearl!" Regina came from behind, her widened eyes darting between her disoriented sister and the television. "What's wrong!"

Pearl opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Her lips quivered and her vision blurred with tears as she pointed to the television with shaky hands.

"Huh!" Regina placed both hands on her chest as she read the flashing breaking news at the bottom of the screen.

"What!" Regina screamed cupping her mouth.

Silence engulfed the room again for a split second. But this time it was thick and sharp, cutting through the early calm like shattered glass.

"No…" Regina whispered hoarsely, her voice barely audible over the anchor's voice detailing how Matt gave himself up to the police while reading out the charges filed against him.

'Multiple homicides, including the death of three police officers, vandalism of public and private property, conspiracy to kill a serving senator, violating the terms of parole, and a long list of crimes that left no room for doubt.'

"He turned himself in!" Pearl's voice cracked with disbelief. "How could he do that?"

"We are finished!" Regina fell on the floor in reckless abandonment, her whole body trembling like an earthquake about to give way. "We are done for. He's going to rope all of us in."

"No!" Pearl's moist eyes narrowed. "I am not going back to jail." She hurriedly left the sitting room for her bedroom.

Just then, Gwen, who had gone out more than two hours ago for an early morning run, rushed into the house as though she were being chased by an army of witches. She slammed the door shut, panting and holding her chest.

"Madam Gwen, what is the ...."

"Out of my way you old nosy fool." Gwen barked at the housekeeper as she hurried past her, dialling Tyler's number again. But the call was placed on hold.

"Gwen!" Regina called from the sitting room, crying helplessly on the floor.

"Mom!" Gwen paused, mid-flight, and turned in the direction of her mother. She took one glance at the television and let out a deep sigh.

"Mum, there is no time to waste crying over spilt milk. The news is very bad. We have to leave this place now. I have already called Tyler and he's coming to take us out of the city in his chopper." Gwen said forcing Regina up to her feet.

"But we can't leave the city now. Is still on lockdown." Regina wept, her whole body trembling at the thought of going back to jail. "We will be caught for violating our parole terms."

"Would you rather die here when the people who slaughtered Matt's family come looking for us?" Gwen demanded angrily, letting go of her mother's arm.

"Slaughtered!" Regina's reddened eyes widened. "What do you mean slaughtered?"

"Oh...so you haven't heard the latest news?" Gwen quickly unlocked her phone and opened a trending video on Twitter.

The horrific sight of a woman, a teenage boy and a girl, all lying in a pool of their blood, with their bodies brutally maimed, sent a sickening chill down Regina's spine.

"The people in this video are Lillian, Mark and Rosie." Gwen's voice shook with grief and horror as she spoke.

"Oh God!" Regina cupped her mouth to prevent herself from screaming even louder.

"They were slaughtered like animals by those sick people who kidnapped them– the same people Matt did business with," Gwen explained, wiping the tears falling from her eyes with the back of her hand. "If they could do this to Matt's real family, what do you think they will do to me once they realise that I am his illegitimate daughter? Moreover, if Matt confesses to all his crimes against Amelia and Blaze, we are as good as dead. And I am not ready to die or go back to jail."

"You better listen to your daughter and start packing. It's game over." Pearl entered the sitting room, pulling her already packed suitcase.

"Wait for me, Aunt Pearl." Gwen hurried towards her bedroom while shouting over her shoulder. "I've already contacted Tyler and he's on his way to pick us up."

"Hurry," Pearl shouted back at Gwen while scanning around the sitting area for her mobile phone.