The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Chapter 197 Spitting Blood And Ripped Skin

Immediately after, the smooth skin on his broad back was brutally ripped apart by the barbs of the whip.

Vivid hues of red formed across his back, and intense pain surged through.

It was merely the first whip, and Maverick’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

He gritted his teeth, his muscles tensed. Despite that, he maintained an upright posture, stoically enduring the

searing pain in complete silence.

When Maverick was removing his clothes, Logan noticed the bandage in the middle of his back under his shirt and

deliberately avoided hitting his wound.

However, this left his back with lesser parts to take the punishment.

As such, by the time the fifteenth lash struck, Maverick’s entire bandaged upper back was covered in a web of

bloody welts.

The whip cut deep into the flesh, tearing the skin and revealing the raw muscle beneath. It was a horrifying sight to

behold.

Maverick’s breathing grew heavier, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Even his eyelashes were trembling uncontrollably. He tightly pursed his lips, determined not to let out a single sound

of humiliation.

Deep down, he couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

After leaving home for more than a decade, he had almost forgotten his true identity, thinking that he was just a

pampered son of the Wright family who lived a comfortable and privileged life.

Now, his pampered body had weakened considerably that it couldn’t really endure the punishment anymore.

Logan’s hand, which was holding the whip, trembled too.

Maverick’s upper back was already covered in blood, and there wasn’t a single spot left unharmed.

If Logan were to whip again, the lash would land right on the previous wounds. Yet the whip was so strong that if the

same wound got struck twice, it would leave a cut deep into the bones. It would be too torturous.

Logan couldn’t bear the thought and had to shift his focus to Maverick’s waist.

The whip swished through the air once more, and the sound of it slashing through the wind echoed. Five lashes

landed squarely on Maverick’s lower back in rapid succession.

Maverick’s body trembled violently, and his back finally gave in and collapsed. He quickly supported himself with

one hand on the ground, avoiding the embarrassment of falling down.

Just then, the sound of the whip behind him ceased.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his chest and his blood surged. He spit out a mouthful of fresh blood onto the ground.

“Boss!”

Nico was terrified at the scene, his eyes red.

His heart trembled as he watched the twenty lashes land on Maverick’s back. He had to resist the urge to rush

forward and snatch the whip away several times.

“Stop it! Let’s go back. We’re leaving now.”

“Nico! You’re just my subordinate under the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It’s not your place to speak here!”

Maverick took a deep breath and gave him a fierce glare.

“Boss! If you keep getting whipped like this, you will lose your life!” Nico was choked with emotions. He yelled, “The

S404 RNA virus within your body is merely suppressed, not eradicated! Persisting in such a manner and enduring

these injuries will only weaken your immune system, allowing the virus to proliferate rapidly! You’re courting

death!”

It was as though Maverick didn’t hear Nico, he pinched his thigh hard and mustered all his strength to straighten his

back once more, maintaining the most upright posture to take the punishment.

Undoubtedly, it hurt terribly.

However, Maverick couldn’t leave without a word, especially with the threats still looming around Gwendolyn. He

had to help her to get rid of the final trouble before he could walk away without any worries.

Moreover, if he were to leave now, wouldn’t the twenty whips he had endured earlier be in vain?

“Let’s continue.”

Nico’s voice trembled as he called out, “No! You can’t take it anymore!”

Maverick ignored him completely. “Logan, keep going!”

Nico was infuriated. His eyes were bloodshot with anger, and he clenched his fist so hard that they turned pale. Yet,

as an outsider, there was nothing Nico could do, and not to mention that Maverick was as stubborn as a mule.

Logan remained still. From the conversation between the two, he could tell that Maverick seemed to be seriously

injured this time.

He glanced at Maverick’s back once again.

If he were to whip again, the last ten lashes could only be struck on the lower back.

After pondering for a moment, he looked at the two bodyguards inside the room and said, “There’s no need for you

to guard here. Go outside.”

“Yes.”

After the two guards left, Logan took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped off the bloodstains from the whip

before swinging it again.

The sharp sounds of ten consecutive lashes rang out.

All of them landed on the empty ground beside Maverick.

“Mr. Wright, the thirty lashes have been executed. You may get up now.” While wiping the whip clean, Logan

continued, “Three days is the final deadline. You must return by then. Please keep that in mind.”

Maverick stood up forcefully with Nico’s support. “Thank you.”

Logan bowed slightly to him without saying anything.

Suddenly, one of the guards outside rushed in. “Mr. Wright, a car has stopped at the construction site entrance, and

a woman got out. Do you want us to…” He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Woman?

Maverick furrowed his brows. “How did she look like?”

“Extremely beautiful.”

That must be Gwendolyn. Why is she here all of a sudden?

Maverick looked at Logan. “Retreat now. She is someone important to me. Don’t make a move, and don’t let her

notice anything.”

“Understood. Please take care of yourself these three days.”

Gwendolyn entered the abandoned construction site in her high heels and observed her surroundings carefully.

Elven had mentioned that there were numerous hidden sentries nearby, yet she hadn’t noticed anything along her

way.

Had they already retreated?

The construction site was vast. She quickened her pace and searched through every building.

Finally, in a secluded dilapidated house, she spotted that familiar tall figure.

Nico had just finished helping Maverick to fasten the last gold button on his suit collar.

Seeing that Gwendolyn had already entered, Nico realized he didn’t have enough time to assist Maverick with his

tie. He discreetly slipped the tie into his pocket and moved to the side, bowing his head in silence.

Taking a deep breath, Maverick suppressed the intense pain in his back. He looked at Gwendolyn, his gaze gentle.

“Why are you here?”

Gwendolyn didn’t answer his question. The crease between her brows deepened, and she wore a stern expression.

“Why was Nico helping you with your buttons when I came in? What were you doing?”

A faint smirk played at the corners of his pale lips. “It’s just that one button on my collar came undone accidentally.

Nico saw it and helped me fasten it.”

Gwendolyn glanced at Nico. He hung his head low in silence, and she couldn’t read his emotions.

She approached Maverick and questioned him again, “Then why are you here?”

“Nico received a message saying that someone from the Central Intelligence Agency was here, so I came over to

check it out. But they’ve already left by the time I arrived.”

Gwendolyn shifted her gaze back to Nico. “Was what he said true?”

Nico paused for two seconds and replied without a hint of emotions, “Yes.”

Maverick’s fingertips trembled slightly as he gently tugged at Gwendolyn’s sleeve. “Gwendolyn, it’s cold outside. I

want to go back to the villa.”

“Wait a moment.”

Gwendolyn remained unmoved by his playful actions with her eyebrows furrowed.

Although Nico kept his head low to conceal his emotions, she still noticed a hint of redness in his eyes.

Turning her gaze back to Maverick, she noticed his face and lips were pale. It struck her as odd, considering he had

been in good health just a few days ago.

“You were fine this morning. Why do you suddenly look unwell now?”

Maverick remained composed. He used his fist to cover his mouth and coughed softly. “I might’ve caught a cold last

night, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll take a couple of pills when I get back, and I’ll be fine then.”

Just a cold?

Gwendolyn’s tightly furrowed brows didn’t ease up after she listened to his explanation. Moreover, she smelled an

odd scent in the air.

It smelled like a scent of unfamiliar men’s cologne mixed with a strong pungent smell of blood.

“This place has been abandoned for so long, so why is there a scent of blood?”

She walked past Maverick and looked around the room.

Eventually, she spotted a palm-sized pool of deep red on the ground. It was xo.com fast updatenot dried yet

and seemed like fresh bloodstains.

She slowly squatted down and reached her hand toward the pool of blood, but Maverick suddenly grabbed her

wrist.