Substitute Bride: Utterly Pampered by Her Billionaire Husband

Chapter 1537: Two Women, Only One Choice

Just now, she was pretending to be calm because she knew the people in front of her were desperate criminals. The more vulnerable she was, the more excited they would become. She had to muster up some strength to intimidate them and simultaneously buy time for Ethan Barnes.

Ethan Barnes came indeed, and he arrived just in time.

From the ground, Carlotta suddenly stood up. Her clothes were disheveled and she looked pale as she gazed at these people, "My Ethan is here. Your death day has come. My Ethan will definitely tear you into pieces, grind your bones to ashes."

Celeste Linden instantly gave Carlotta a glance; she really wanted to rush over and cover Carlotta’s mouth to stop her from speaking.

As expected, the group of people in black were immediately angered. The leader of the men in black gritted his teeth, looked sinisterly at Carlotta, and said, "Princess Hayden, you’re happy too soon. Believe it or not, by the time your king arrives, all that may be left of you is a cold corpse?"

As he spoke, the leader of the men in black took out a gun and pressed it directly against Carlotta’s forehead.

Carlotta was so frightened that her knees weakened, and her lips began to tremble. "You... you better not mess around. My Ethan is already here, and he will avenge me."

At this moment, Celeste Linden quickly spoke, "You still have time to waste on this? Why not think of a plan to escape?"

The leader looked at Carlotta and then at Celeste Linden, and suddenly he thought of a good idea. "You’re right. We should be finding a way to leave. But we’ll split into two groups: one will take Princess Hayden, and the other will take you."

Celeste Linden’s face darkened, pressing her lips into silence.

Carlotta was puzzled, "What do you mean, why should we split up?"

"Princess Hayden, don’t you understand my meaning yet? Now we’re separating the legitimate princess from Ethan Barnes’ lover into two groups. Ethan is only one person. Guess who he will save? I’m very much looking forward to how Ethan will choose between you and his lover," the leader in black said with a sinister smile.

Carlotta looked at Celeste Linden in shock. If they were separated, who would Ethan save? In a life-and-death moment, she couldn’t guess; she didn’t have the confidence or courage.

This leader was really cunning; he was giving Ethan a tough choice.

"Don’t, don’t separate us, you group of bastards."

"Someone, gag Princess Hayden’s mouth."

"Yes, Boss."

Carlotta’s mouth was gagged with a cloth. The leader spoke, "Mina, take Princess Hayden down one path; I’ll take the lover down another. We’ll split up and go."

Mina nodded, dragged Carlotta, and left with a group of subordinates.

The leader of the men in black came to Celeste Linden’s face, "Little beauty, come with me. I’m actually quite looking forward to meeting Ethan Barnes. But who knows if he will rush in to save you?"

Celeste Linden looked at the leader calmly and smiled, "Don’t worry, he’ll definitely come to save me. So you’d better ensure my safety, so you can use me as a bargaining chip and leave yourself a retreat."

"You’re so sure Ethan will save you? That one’s Princess Hayden. How do you know he’ll choose you?" he asked, half-believingly.

Celeste Linden placed her hand on her stomach, "Though she’s Princess Hayden, I carry his child in my belly. It’s his first child. You’re a man too; when choosing between a woman and a child, you’ll choose the child, since for you men, women are plenty, you can switch them like clothes."

The leader laughed heartily, "Little beauty, I find you very interesting. Let’s go, we’ll leave together."

The leader took Celeste Linden and his men, heading down another path.

...

On the other side, Ethan Barnes arrived with his subordinates, but he was one step late. When he reached the site, Celeste Linden and Carlotta had already been taken away, leaving only many footprints.

His trusted aide surveyed the scene and said, "Master, from the looks of it, they should have just left. There are no bloodstains on site; Princess Hayden and Miss Linden shouldn’t be hurt; they’re both fine."

Ethan furrowed his brows slightly as he looked at the paths going east and west, "They’ve been split up."

Then another subordinate reported, "Master, just as you thought, Princess Hayden and Miss Linden were really taken separately; they’ve split into two groups."

The trusted aide immediately said, "Master, we should split into two groups too. I’ll go down one; you personally take the other. But, Master, which path will you choose? Princess Hayden or Miss Linden, who will you save?"

Ethan had only one person, so he could only save one. Who should he choose to save?

Faced with a choice, Ethan’s hands hanging at his sides immediately clenched into fists.

"Master, they did this on purpose, to force you to choose. Why don’t you save Princess Hayden, and I’ll save Miss Linden? But... Miss Linden is carrying your child. Perhaps you should save Miss Linden; I vow to bring Princess Hayden back. What do you think, Master?" the trusted aide suggested.

Ethan knew he had no time to hesitate. Now, he must race against time because even a second of hesitation would put both Celeste Linden and Carlotta in danger.

But how should he choose?

No matter who he chose, it was a blow to both of them.

Ethan’s eyes burned with intense anger; if only he could rip apart those people.

"Master, we can’t wait any longer. Who will you choose to save?" the aide urged.

Ethan closed his eyes forcefully and then opened them, "I’ll save Princess Hayden."

He chose Carlotta.

The trusted aide nodded, "Alright, I will definitely bring Miss Linden back safely."

...

Celeste Linden followed the leader of the men in black, looking up at the endless dark night, as if there was a massive whirlpool ahead, ready to suck her down.

She knew that Ethan would definitely choose to save Carlotta.

For no particular reason, she just knew Ethan would choose Carlotta. It was probably an instinctual mutual understanding.

She was undoubtedly the one abandoned, but it didn’t matter; she could save herself.

She had to save herself because if she was really taken away by the leader, who knows what fate awaited her and the child.

All these years, she had been fighting against fate, surviving, and this time was no exception. She had to rely on herself, had to protect herself and the child.

At this moment, Celeste Linden suddenly stopped, placing a hand on her stomach and moaning in pain.

"Little beauty, why did you stop? Hurry and move," the leader urged.

Celeste Linden furrowed her elegant brows, visibly in pain, "Suddenly my stomach is really hurting. I need to use the bathroom."

"There’s no bathroom here. Are you trying to play some trick? Hurry up, don’t dawdle!"