The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes
Chapter 147- take me to the hospital

Chapter 147: Chapter 147- take me to the hospital

"What’s going on?" Janet looked up, only to see a bright red Ferrari skidding sideways to block the road ahead. Her eyes lit up instantly—she knew exactly what this was.

When she turned back, she saw that the black sports car that had been tailing them had also been blocked by another vehicle cutting in from the side. Their car was now stuck in the middle—no way forward, no way back.

If the driver wanted to force through, he would have to take a risk. But with the boss’s beloved woman—pregnant, no less—sitting in the backseat, that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. He was tasked with bringing her back safe and sound. And this... this wasn’t part of the plan.

"Madam, please sit tight," came the driver’s voice, calm and low, with a cool authority reminiscent of Charles himself.

Janet’s anxious gaze shot forward again. Her eyes locked with Manfred’s through the windshield—his message was clear, unspoken. She rolled down the window. Time was short, and this traffic standoff wouldn’t last long. She had to move. Now.

As the car slowly began to move again, Janet pulled the door open. It was dangerous—reckless, even—but she was willing to bet it all.

Sure enough, as the sound of her shifting in the backseat caught the driver’s attention, the car screeched to a halt once more. Manfred seized the opportunity, racing his Ferrari to her side. One of Janet’s legs was already out the door when his arm reached for her.

"Manfred!" she cried, breathless, heart pounding. She reached for him without hesitation, placing her life in his hands.

Manfred grabbed her and pulled her tightly into his arms just as the driver lunged forward. Holding Janet close, he dropped into the driver’s seat with her curled against his chest, his hands slipping around her waist to grip the wheel. With a single motion, he slammed on the gas and sped straight toward the man charging at them.

"No—!" Janet screamed as the car swerved, scraping past the man’s side—narrowly avoiding a collision.

Her heart nearly stopped, but when she realized they were in the clear, her breath finally came back.

"You’re safe now. Don’t be afraid," Manfred’s voice was low and steady as the car shot out onto the road like a bullet. In less than five minutes, the blocked road behind them was once again flooded with pursuit—the black cars racing to catch up.

Manfred, with one hand still wrapped protectively around Janet, guided her into the passenger seat and adjusted the belt around her. His eyes flashed cold in the rearview mirror, lips curling into a defiant smirk as he saw the cars trailing behind.

They wove through traffic with breathtaking speed, cutting across tight lanes and slipping through gaps with almost supernatural precision. But Janet wasn’t built for this. Her body rocked with every sudden swerve, and nausea surged through her like a tide. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"Janet, buckle up!" Manfred said sharply, sensing something was wrong.

"Can you slow down a little?" she pleaded weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. One hand clutched her mouth, the other pressed tightly against her stomach as dry heaves wracked her body.

She knew this was insane. She shouldn’t have risked it—not like this, not while pregnant. If something happened to the baby...

"Just hold on. Once I shake them off, you’ll be safe," Manfred said, not realizing she was pregnant. Without that knowledge, he pushed the car harder, cutting through an overpass, then taking a sharp turn through a winding back road.

By the time he glanced in the mirror again, their pursuers were far behind—but he didn’t dare let his guard down. This was Charles they were dealing with.

With one hand still on the wheel, Manfred grabbed his phone and quickly dialed a number. Then, as they drove up a bridge, he slowed and pulled to a stop beside a white sports car parked discreetly on the shoulder.

"Janet, get out. We’re switching cars," he said, already unbuckling.

He rushed to the passenger side. But when he opened the door, he found Janet curled in on herself, shivering, her hands clenched. Her lips were bloodless, her skin frighteningly pale.

"Janet? What’s wrong?" he asked, reaching for her.

Then he saw it—the dark, blooming stain of blood on the seat.

Manfred’s breath caught. His arms moved on instinct, scooping her up gently. She clutched at his shirt sleeve with trembling fingers, her voice faint and cracking.

"Manfred... take me to the hospital. Please... take me to the hospital..."

"Please... nothing can happen to the baby..."

Janet’s voice trembled with desperation, her face drained of color, pain etched into every line of her expression.

Manfred was terrified.

He didn’t even hesitate. Without a second thought, he scooped her into his arms and rushed toward the white car waiting nearby. As he slid into the driver’s seat with her still cradled against his chest, he barked orders to the man who had brought the car, telling him to drive the red Ferrari away—to act as a decoy and lure away the pursuers.

"Janet, hold on—just hold on!" he said, his voice tight with panic.

He didn’t know what was happening. He had seen the blood, had felt her body trembling violently against his, but the cause still hadn’t registered. He blamed himself, cursed himself for the high-speed escape—for forgetting that the woman beside him wasn’t just running, she was carrying new life inside her.

The red Ferrari sped off in the opposite direction, giving them the time they needed. Manfred slowed down now. They were in the outskirts already, remote enough to be safe. He gritted his teeth, every second a dagger against his nerves, and drove her straight to a private hospital nestled in the hills.

"Manfred... please... save the baby..." Janet choked out the words, her voice little more than a breath, soaked in anguish and fear. As the medical team rushed forward, her trembling fingers tightened around his sleeve, reluctant to let go.

It was only then that Manfred froze.

Pregnant?

She was pregnant?

He hadn’t known. And now...

Manfred stood outside the emergency room like a statue, one trembling hand holding a cigarette burned down to the filter. The smoke curled around his fingers, already singeing his skin, but he didn’t feel it.

All he could see was the blood.

All he could hear was her plea: "Save the baby..."

His heart twisted painfully. What the hell had she been thinking? Putting herself through all of that just to escape with him?

Inside the operating room, the woman he cared for was fighting for two lives.

And across the city, someone else was unraveling completely.

"What? She left—with Manfred?"

Charles’s voice dropped to a deadly low as he stared at the three men in front of him. The file in his hand hit the desk with a sharp smack, his face stormy and unreadable, lips pressed into a line so thin it looked like it might vanish.

None of the three dared to meet his eyes. They stood motionless, heads bowed, bracing for the explosion.

Charles slammed his fist down on the glass desk. The sharp crack echoed through the office, and thin red lines bloomed across his knuckles as blood smeared across the polished surface.

But even that pain couldn’t compare to what he felt inside.

His heart—already split at the seams—now bled freely, an unrelenting tide of fury and betrayal.

She left. She left him.

With him—Manfred, of all people.

Just moments ago, he had been on the phone with her, making plans, telling her he’d accompany her to the hospital. He had been there. He had trusted her.

And in the next breath, she was gone.

Janet... What the hell is your heart made of?

His eyes, burning red with suppressed rage, swept over the three men in front of him like a blade. His voice cut through the tension, cold and venomous.

"Get. Out."

They didn’t argue. They didn’t beg. They turned and left in silence, vanishing like shadows under his furious gaze.

And then—

Charles moved.

He rose from his chair like a beast uncaged, his every step brimming with lethal intensity. The office door burst open under the force of his stride, and he stormed out of Black Rock Co. without a word.

His destination was clear.

And this time, he wasn’t going to be too late.