Until now, Corey was nowhere in sight. Both nations, Sylvania and Arcania, had originally wanted to use this marriage alliance to ease the conflicts and tension between them.Who would've thought Corey would ditch the engagement party?Everyone expected Luther to explode at the scene, yet he calmly addressed Amadeus, his family, and Evelyn, saying, "It appears Sylvania doesn't have the blessing to marry a Vonridge. Since my son has no desire to proceed with the marriage alliance, I won't pressure him."In other words, the engagement was called off. At that moment, the members of the Vonridge royal family turned pale. Still, they maintained their composure, as was befitting of their status.Their engagement party was grand, with people from both nations anticipating the event. With the engagement called off so abruptly, it would inevitably leave a negative impact."What the hell was Corey thinking?" Reed Maxwell stood among the crowd and looked at the stage, frowning. Avery and o
In an underground city beneath an island on the border of Litania, a man reported, "Jasper's team has been completely wiped out, while Octavius has also been rescued, Mr. Simpson."A man with thick eyebrows and a gruesome scar on his left brow sat in the main seat in the hall. He asked in his hoarse voice, "What about him?"Ezra Boyd, a muscular man in a tank top, answered, "He's been apprehended, but we have no idea who took him."Jonah Simpson raised his thick brows. "Useless piece of shit. He took a bunch of troops out only to get caught and lose Octavius!"Ezra asked, "Mr. Simpson, should we tell that person?"Jonah tapped on his armrest rhythmically, and, after a brief moment of silence, said, "Identify the person who took Jasper as soon as possible. As for that person, I have my own plan.""Roger that, Mr. Simpson."…In the dungeon, Jasper's frail voice echoed. "Who are you?"He narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the person's face. The light above him blinded him for
Watching the scene, Connor clucked his tongue and whispered, "Spence is terrifying. Just like that, dude's disfigured." Kent nodded in agreement.Right then, Spencer finally stopped. Connor touched his chin and murmured, "Kent, what do you think Spence will do next?"Before them lay Jasper, utterly defenseless. He was motionless on the ground, his faint breathing evident through the rise and fall of his chest.…Meanwhile, Lucille was jolted awake from a nightmare at the hospital."Mrs. Layton, you're up. Do you feel pain anywhere?" Bethany had been keeping a vigilant watch by her side, hardly daring to blink.As such, she lunged toward the bed as soon as Lucille woke up. Beatrice had the same reaction. "Ms. Lucy, you're finally awake! Thank goodness."Lucille rested briefly after she gained consciousness. She looked at the two ladies beside her and was disappointed to see Spencer missing. Was he mad at her?"Mrs. Layton?""Ms. Lucy?"Bethany and Beatrice were worried whe
Jasper had really been out for Lucille's life with that gunshot. She was supposed to be going through what Elara was experiencing now.Beatrice looked at Lucille and sensed the latter's emotions had taken a turn for the worse. She said, "Elara will be fine, so don't worry, Lucy. She's made it through much worse in the past, hasn't she?"Lucille and the others waited outside the ICU ward and looked at Elara, who was hooked up to several tubes. Lucille didn't know how long she sat there, but Bethany, Beatrice, and the others stayed by her side.When they finally left to return to Lucille's ward, they walked down the corridor to see several bodyguards in black standing outside a particular ward.Jaden said, "I think that's Mr. Heldon's ward. Has something happened?"They walked over to the ward but were stopped by the bodyguards before they could enter. One snapped, "Who goes there? No entry allowed!"Just then, a woman's voice rang out. "Ten, is that you?"Lucille turned to see Mo
"Let's hear it, then. How are you not to blame for this?" Reed asked. His voice was deep and unfathomable; it made fear creep into one's heart.Ruben swallowed a few times before saying, "I mean, I'm still to blame. It's my fault for allowing others the chance to trick us because I didn't verify the information before proceeding."Earlier, he said he wasn't to blame. Now, he was admitting he was at fault. Reed and Marley weren't surprised by this change in attitude. After owning up to his mistake, Ruben told them everything in as much detail as possible."You have a traitor in The Grid?" Marley narrowed his eyes. His tone and gaze made it clear he was doubting Ruben's abilities.This time, Ruben didn't refute him. He couldn't deny that the problem lay with him. He already had Phoenix investigating the matter, though."Where is Jasper now?" Reed asked. He oozed murderous intent.Ruben said, "Ten's husband took him away."He'd also discovered one of Spencer's secrets but decided a
Suddenly, the ward's door was shoved open from the outside. Then, a panicked and anxious voice broke through the awkward silence. "Lucy!"Jonathan had arrived. Beatrice was behind him. "Slow down, Jonathan."As soon as he entered the room, he saw Lucille in her wheelchair and strode over to her, crouching in front of her before she even realized what was happening. She was all he could see. He didn't notice the four other people present—no, it was more like he ignored them."Beatrice told me you were injured, Lucy." His eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her, his expression worried and anxious. Before she could say anything, he saw her bandaged arm and said, "It must hurt, right?"He seemed glum as he looked at her arm. She patted his head with her left hand, which tugged on the wounds on her back. She could still handle it, though. "No, it doesn't. The doctor's already treated me, so don't worry. Don't you have a performance tomorrow? Why aren't you resting at the hot
Lucille stood up but didn't move. She looked up at Spencer with her face crinkled pitifully. She pouted and said, "It hurts, honey. I think I tugged on the wounds on my back; I can't walk now. I need help."Spencer's anger dissipated when he saw her being coquettish with him. All that was left was resignation and helplessness.Because of her injured back, he couldn't carry her. He could only hold her steady as they walked to the bathroom. When they returned, the thick silence that had permeated the ward earlier had dissipated by half.Since Spencer didn't want to ask about what had happened, Lucille figured she would take the initiative to tell him about it. He helped her onto the bed and was about to return to the couch when she grabbed his hand. When he turned to look at her, she asked, "Are you mad at me?"Spencer didn't say anything. She tightened her grip on his hand, afraid that he would pull away and leave. His palm was large and warm.He glanced at her without saying a
"I met Reed, Marley, and the others in the Foggy Forest at Sylvania's borders. The ten of us were the only ones to make it out alive, so we formed our team of ten. I didn't stay for long, though. I only returned to Sylvania when I was 18…" Lucille said.Five years ago, the ten of them had built a reputation for themselves near the borders of Sylvania. It had been the messiest and most chaotic place in the world. Crimes were committed daily—robbery, gunfights, drug selling and smuggling, and many others.However, once the ten of them had gained control of the borders, things had settled down, bringing harmony and peace to the place. Everyone had adhered to the rules they had set.Together, they had come to be known as the Phantom-Masked Ten. Whenever they had made public appearances, they had each worn different masks, so no one had seen what they actually looked like. All everyone knew was that there were seven men and three women in the group, and each was good at something.The p
In the bathroom, Lucille was relaxing as she enjoyed the care she was receiving from Spencer. They had seen each other like this for too long, and they had gotten used to it by now. Of course, it had taken her time to get used to it. Every time she was injured, she would end up receiving this treatment, but… While she might have gotten used to it, it was still a kind of punishment for Spencer."Honey, your shirt is wet. Why don't you take it off?"She noticed that half of his black shirt was wet and sticking closely to his body. The wet shirt perfectly outlined his muscular build.She couldn't help but gulp. This was pretty deadly to her too.He was wearing a black shirt with two buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone. Coupled with his handsome face, he looked simply irresistible. Her heart couldn't help but race. As he carefully wiped her arm, he avoided the injury on her right hand. It was already torture for him to help her bath. However, when he suddenly he
"So, you can't blame Eunie for not telling you, and you can't blame us for keeping you in the dark."In other words, Ian had brought it upon himself, and there was no one else to blame but himself.Ian was rendered speechless. He'd never thought that this was how Eunice saw him—a ruthless person who would get rid of his own child.He mocked himself inwardly. He also felt hurt, as if something were stabbing him.After Lucille was done talking, she saw Ian look visibly upset and didn't say anything. So, she whispered to Spencer, "Do you think I went too far with what I said earlier? Can he take it?"Spencer rubbed her head and said, "Don't worry. He can take it. Besides, what you told him is the truth. If he can't handle it, he isn't worthy to be our buddy."Lucille nodded in agreement after she heard that. What Spencer said made sense. She felt at ease after he comforted her.After a while, Ian finally spoke up again. "So, I shouldn't go and look for her?"Lucille was surprised
"I'm here for you!"Upon hearing that, Lucille was rendered speechless. On second thought, she realized this was fine too.Then, she looked at Spencer and blinked before she said, "Don't leave me. I'm injured right now, so I can't fight him."Ian glowered at her words, feeling at a loss for words. Did he look like someone who would lay a hand on a woman?Spencer looked at her dotingly and responded, "Okay. I won't leave you."Ian was just flabbergasted now."What's the matter, Ian?" With Spencer to back her up, Lucille felt at ease. Even if she hadn't said anything, she knew Spencer wouldn't have left her alone with Ian.Ian suddenly smiled. "It looks like you have quite the luck. The hospital is practically your second home."Lucille was rendered speechless. Then, she smiled and looked at Spencer before she provoked Ian. "My home is wherever my husband is. We're not like some people, for whom having a wife seems to make no difference whatsoever." She'd never lost to anyone b
Ian turned to look at Lucas. It was obvious that he seemed to be wondering why Lucas had asked that. When Lucas saw Ian's expression, he knew that Ian had never thought about it. In other words, he had no recollection of what he had done and said."I'm going back to be with my wife. You guys just carry on." Spencer stood up and smoothed out the creases on his clothes as he spoke indifferently. After all, it had been a while since he'd left the ward.With that, he strode toward the door without waiting for the others to say anything. Connor was eager to see how things would unfold, so he didn't leave.…Meanwhile, after Beatrice left, Spencer returned to the hospital ward. When Lucille saw him coming in, she asked, "Where have you been?"He took off his coat and put it aside. Then, he walked to the bed and sat down. "I went to investigate some stuff."Lucille figured out what it must have been about and asked, "You went to investigate Alexander and my mom?"Spencer, who wa
"Ian, what brings you here?" Connor had no idea about Eunice's situation in Arcania, so he was quite surprised when he saw Ian.Although he was surprised, he wasn't blind. He could see that Ian had a hostile air about him.Looking puzzled, Connor glanced at Lucas, who was seated next to him, for an explanation. After all, he knew Spencer wouldn't tell him.After Ian came in, he didn't even bother to sit and directly asked, "Where is she?"Last night, he'd received Lucas' message—the latter had told him that he knew Eunice's location and wanted him to come to Arcania immediately. That was why Ian had rushed to Arcania without any delay.Lucas hadn't told him the exact location. Instead, he'd just told Ian to come to the hospital. Ian had thought that something had happened to Eunice and that she was hospitalized. So, he'd rushed to the hospital as soon as he'd gotten off the plane. However, after he'd come to his senses, he'd gotten someone to check the hospital's patient list.
Before Beatrice spoke, she looked at the entrance of the hospital ward. After ensuring that no one was coming, she said, "Although we found out that all four of Mr. President's children's last names are Vonridge, they don't seem to be his biological children."Lucille widened her eyes, looking surprised. She cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What did you just say?""They were adopted from the orphanage. Our database has their information, and it's a 100% match," Beatrice replied.Lucille naturally wouldn't doubt that the information in Otearl Alliance's database was incorrect. However, she had never heard anyone mention this before.At the same time, Spencer, who had just left, had gone to investigate something as well.After they'd returned in the afternoon, he'd instructed Kent to conduct an investigation. The news that Kent came back with shocked Spencer to the core.Connor and Lucas were also there. They were in a lounge."Spence, how could Lucille's mom also know Alexander?"
Diana let out a long sigh. Her words were tinged with helplessness and regret. "This is your aunt. She hasn't appeared for more than 20 years. I never expected her to be gone for this long. There has been no news from her. She must hate me very much."Samantha had no idea what had happened. Her aunt's name and everything related to her had always been taboo in the Crawford family."Is it possible that Ms. Deer is my aunt's child?" Samantha asked.If that was the case, it was quite a coincidence.Diana looked at the photo album in her hands. After a brief silence, she said, "I want to meet her. Don't tell anyone about this for now."Samantha nodded. "Okay."…Meanwhile, in Arcania, Alexander also left the venue after Lucille and the others left.After Alexander left, he immediately had someone to investigate Lucille's past. Back then, after Jane had suddenly left, she had covered all her tracks. No matter how Alexander had searched, he hadn't been able to find her. There hadn't
When Diana took a closer look, her hands, which had been leisurely tapping on the armrests, suddenly froze.At first, Samantha didn't notice anything unusual about her reaction."Grandma, the best thing I got out of this trip was getting a photo with my idol." She went on and on. "It's the first time I got to see Ms. Deer's real face, and she's very beautiful. No wonder she always wears a veil. Although she looks aloof, I think the way she talks sounds gentle."By the way, she is married. Her real name is Lucille Johnson, and she's from Whiteloop City in Summeria. There was an unexpected incident during the competition, and it was quite despicable. I didn't expect her family to turn out completely different from how I'd imagined them to be."Samantha pouted as she stared at the photo of her and Lucille. She'd always thought that someone outstanding like Lucille would have a perfect family; she hadn't expected things to turn out like that.After the competition had ended, Samantha
Meanwhile, after Samantha had participated in the perfumery competition, she'd stayed in Whiteloop City for about a week before returning to Crawford Residence in Marvonia.She had been declared the champion of this year's perfumery competition. After she'd returned, she'd chosen to keep a low profile and hadn't celebrated or gone around boasting about it.However, she'd forgotten that Natasha Crawford, her mother, had a strong sense of pride.Since Samantha had been young, she'd had to excel in everything and come in first to meet Natasha's expectations. Only then could Natasha hold her head high and brag about Samantha in front of everyone. At the same time, she could enjoy the flattery from those around her.So, the day after Samantha had returned, Natasha had gathered everyone and thrown a party to celebrate her victory. The room had been filled with people she hadn't known, but they'd all been important figures. That night, after making an appearance, Samantha had left the