THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 426: Keep Your Distance, Lauren

She was still lost in wonder when she suddenly felt a change in the air around her. Probably her past experiences and Dolly’s threat still hanging out there, had made her to be extra sensitive to slight changes around her. Her eyes darted up in time to see the thin figure lunge at her.

In a split second she saw the once melancholy eyes take on a ferocious glare and just when those claw-like fingers would have dug into her skin, Lauren deftly stepped aside, causing Peggy to collapse in a heap a few feet from her.

Lauren stood to catch her breath from the rush of adrenaline at the sudden attack.

Seeing that she had missed her target and Lauren was standing unscathed, Peggy made another attempt but this time, not only Lauren but some shoppers who had seen what happened were prepared for her.

But before Lauren or any of the people could stop Peggy, out of nowhere, a shadow flickered past and all they saw was a wind that sent Peggy flying off only to be smashed against the wire mesh fence separating the supermarket from the parking lot.

Lauren’s breath came in quick shallow gasps as she watched Peggy crumple against the wire mesh fence

’What just happened?’

The world around her seemed to freeze for a moment, as if everything had been placed on pause, and all she could do was stare at the heap that lay almost lifeless by the fence.

As she looked on, the murmur of concerned voices from onlookers began to rise, some even dared to step closer while others just backed away in confusion or fear.

Lauren, who was still in shock, scanned the area as she tried to locate the source of the strange gust of wind that had seemingly sent Peggy flying, but the shadow or blur... whatever it was, was nowhere in sight.

This was too strange. Did that person just defend her, but why?

Wait... was it her brother’s people? He’d told her after she told him of Dolly’s schemes that he’ll send some people to watch over her but so far she hadn’t seen any bodyguard following her about. Could that person... No, Killian didn’t have such capable people as friends. Besides, it was too early for him to enlist the services of such a mysterious person.

Maybe it’s a personal vendetta against Peggy which might not be far from the truth seeing how cunning and evil she was.

She might have offended somebody and they were out for her. But the coincidence was too much to ignore. Why did it happen just when Peggy was trying to attack her?

"Did you see that?" a man to her left whispered in awe. "What was that?"

Lauren barely registered his words as her eyes darted across to where Peggy lay in a twisted heap, groaning weakly in pain.

Her thin, ragged form was so unlike the proud woman Lauren once knew and fought against on countless occasions during the competition.

Lauren took a cautious step forward, but something or better still, someone emerged from behind the supermarket and moved straight toward Peggy’s crumpled figure.

He was tall and dressed in all black with a hood that obscured his facial features.

She watched silently as he approached Peggy in long, deliberate strides.

For a split second, Lauren’s instinct screamed at her to back off, but curiosity pinned her in place. Was this the person who had intervened earlier?

Despite the curious gazes from those that were still around, the man didn’t even slow down but walked straight toward Peggy’s motionless form.

"Hey, wait!" Lauren called out. She tried to sound bold but her voice still came out shaky as she asked, "Who are you? What are you doing?"

The figure didn’t answer, didn’t even look in her direction but focused entirely on Peggy.

He crouched down and Lauren saw him reach into his coat pocket and pull out a small vial that glittered faintly in the sunlight.

"Stop!" Lauren shouted, "what are you..."

Before she could take another step, the man’s head snapped up and as his gaze locked onto Lauren’s, she felt an icy chill run down her spine.

His eyes were cold, calculating, and strangely familiar, though she couldn’t place where she had seen them before.

"I wouldn’t get involved if I were you," he said in a low and steady voice having a dangerous edge that made Lauren’s skin crawl.

Lauren froze, her instincts screaming at her to back away, but somehow, she felt he wouldn’t harm... At least not in the way he had done with Peggy.

She could only stand by to watch the way he handled Peggy, as if she were nothing more than a broken tool to be discarded.

The man turned back to Peggy, who groaned once again, this time with a flicker of consciousness. He tilted her head to the side and poured a few drops of the shimmering liquid from the vial into her mouth.

Lauren’s heart thudded in her chest. "What are you giving to her?"

"She’ll be fine," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "For now," he added and without giving Lauren a chance to respond, he straightened up, slipping the vial back into his coat. "This is none of your concern."

"But she just attacked me," Lauren snapped as her voice rose in indignation. Peggy was as much of her concern as his since she attacked her.

What she couldn’t lay her hands on was why Peggy was in this condition. She was still fine and in control of her mind the last time she saw her at the Expo Centre.

Was this man responsible for the way Peggy was now and why would Peggy suddenly turn on her the moment she recognized her earlier? She needed answers and she intended to get it now, if she could. "And who even are you?"

The man’s lips curled into a faint smirk, but he said nothing. Instead, he took a step back though his eyes were still trained on Peggy, who seemed to be slipping into unconsciousness.

"Keep your distance, Lauren," the man finally said with eerie calm. The way he spoke her name sent a cold shiver down Lauren’s spine.

Before she could even process the fact that he knew her name, the man turned and vanished into the shadows just as quickly as he had appeared, leaving behind only the faintest trace of his presence in the air.

Lauren’s heart raced as she looked down at Peggy, lying helplessly on the pavement. A couple of onlookers rushed to her side, one already dialing for emergency services.

But Lauren remained frozen as her mind raced with unanswered questions. Who was that man and how had he known her name?

"Someone should call the ambulance, she’s not doing good," she heard someone say.

"Do you know the lady?" Someone asked Lauren who still had that confused look on her face.

"I don’t think so," Lauren denied. She didn’t want anything that will connect her with whoever that had mysteriously attacked Peggy and that strange man gay had fed her with ’only him knows what.’"

"But she seemed to have something against you. She wanted to harm you just now."

"She’s clearly not in her sane mind as you can see, it could have been anyone of us here." Lauren said and walked away.

She intended to inform her brother so he’ll arrange for someone to find out what was really going on.