Joe never thought Juan would be so heartless.When they found Shelia's body, they figured out the details. Shelia was killed by a bullet rather than fire.It didn't take a genius to figure out that Juan was behind it.Even so, Shelia was still Juan's wife before she died. If her funeral wasn't properly arranged, it would raise suspicions and wouldn't be good for the Nichols family or Juan."Joe, should we listen to Mr. Nichols?" asked one of the guards.Joe thought for a moment. "Let's go back and consult Mrs. Nichols Sr."At the old house of the Nichols family, Melody listened to Joe's report and frowned. "Juan is being foolish. So are you? No matter what, Shelia was his wife. Even if they divorced after her death, the funeral must be grand. Make the arrangements.""Yes, Mrs. Nichols Sr."After Joe left, Melody asked Sophie to bring her a mirror. She looked at her aged, weary reflection and felt a bit down.She was no longer young and beautiful. That explained Bert's disinter
At the Potter Mansion, Debra watched the news coverage of Shelia's funeral on the TV.She glanced at Andrew and said, "Come on. Is this really necessary?"The volume was so loud it seemed like he had cranked it up just for her. She didn't know before that Andrew was so into gossip."Sorry, I just turned it on randomly," Andrew replied, deliberately turning the volume further up.The corner of Debra's lips twitched. "Is there something you want to say?""Strangely, Juan is not at the funeral," he replied, rewinding the footage a few times.Melody and others were present, but Juan was nowhere to be seen.Andrew added, "His wife's dead, and he doesn't even show up. Could the rumors be true? Did he kill her?""What are you talking about?" Debra was puzzled.Andrew turned to her and said, "You haven't heard? Maybe I shouldn't say more."Debra didn't buy his act. "Didn't you say that just for me to hear? Why don't you go ahead and tell me what is going on?"Andrew leaned back and
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I don't think it's necessary," Debra sighed, setting her glass down. "Honestly, whether the Nichols family stays intact or not doesn't matter much to me."She got up and headed toward the door.Andrew called after her, "I thought you weren't interested in the funeral.""I'll just take a look." Debra grabbed a mask and slipped it on.The funeral for Shelia was grand, and she could blend into the crowd easily.Andrew turned to Barton. "Give her my invitation.""Yes, sir." Barton pulled the funeral invitation from his pocket and handed it to Debra.She glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. "Now you can't deny you've planned this."Clearly, Andrew had been waiting for this moment.Without another word, Debra turned and left the house.Barton spoke. "Sir, it seems Mrs. Houston doesn't want to spread the rumors.""We'll help her," Andrew said.He had anticipated Debra's disinterest in such things. She wasn't the type to harm others. She always t
Debra paused. "I just saw Melody wearing a veil. Is she sick?""Well, not exactly," Sophie faltered. "She suddenly decided to have plastic surgery. Her face isn't quite presentable right now.""Plastic surgery?" Debra echoed."Yeah, something about anti-aging, tightening the skin, and removing wrinkles," Sophie recalled from her previous appointment booking.Debra couldn't help but laugh, recalling Melody's awful experience at the Eaton Mansion."Do you know which clinic she went to?" Debra asked."It's a pretty high-end place, costing six figures. I think it's called something like Victoria's." Sophie struggled to remember.She pulled out a business card from her pocket. "Here, this is the company."Debra took the card and glanced at it. The logo on it suggested that Victoria's Beauty was a subsidiary of the Lowe Group.She chuckled to herself, "Typical Drake's fraud business."She then said to Sophie, "Thanks. Can I keep this?""Yeah, but please don't let her see you here.
Melody spoke earnestly, but no one seemed to believe her.Drake asked, "Is that so?""Yes, it is.""Well, that's a shame."Drake's sudden appearance and cryptic words sent Melody's heart racing.Debra observed the scene with equal confusion. It was hard to guess Drake's real intention.Sophie said, "Well, I'll head over to greet the guests now."Debra nodded.Once Sophie walked off, Debra pulled on a mask, adjusted her appearance, and strolled in a direction where Drake would see her.Sure enough, he spotted her in the crowd. "Kale, we've done what we came for. Let's go.""Yes, boss," Kale replied.Without so much as a goodbye to Melody, Drake turned on his heel and walked away.Melody was confused. Drake's visit had no apparent purpose, yet he left almost as quickly as he arrived.Debra blocked his path when Drake stepped out of the hall. "Mr. Lowe."Drake glanced at her, taking in her understated appearance. She wore a black mask and a casual cap. Her hair was left loos
Drake was pissed off, but there was nothing he could do."Let me remind you," he said, "the person behind all this is after you, not me. I can stay out of it and be fine. You and Marion won't be so lucky."Debra countered, "Guess why they took your machines and who called the police on the docks. Do you really think this has nothing to do with you? You were smarter than this."Drake scoffed, "You think I'm clueless? That was just a disguise to mislead you. They are mainly after you. I have plenty of enemies, but none of them can beat me. If there were someone like that, I would've found out by now."Debra rolled her eyes. "Come on! Stop bragging. If you were so capable, you wouldn't be in this mess. You wouldn't have had to smash your machines and bring them here yourself."Drake was about to explode, but Debra continued, "If you're so confident, let's make a bet. Let's see who can find the mastermind first. What do you say?""You're on," Drake agreed.Debra extended a hand. Dra
Debra glanced at the business card in her hand before pulling her limited-edition sports car over to the side of the street.The pink car stood out like a sore thumb on this otherwise understated road.Debra was dressed to the nines, drawing everyone's attention the second she stepped out.The staff of Victoria's Beauty were impressed by her beauty.The manager approached and sized her up. "Miss, are you a new customer? What can we do for you?"Debra removed her sunglasses, revealing a pair of mesmerizing, smoky eyes. The manager was amazed."My friend recommended this place. I heard you've got some excellent beauty programs, so I thought I'd give it a try," Debra said lazily, settling onto the sofa and picking up a brochure.The massive diamond ring on her finger caught everyone's eye. To top it off, her wrist flaunted a luxury watch worth seven figures.The manager gasped in shock.Noticing their stares, Debra raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?""Oh, nothing. It's just
Debra felt the machine start working on her face. After a while, she asked, "This machine is pretty good. I haven't seen anything like it elsewhere.""It's developed by our company and air-freighted here," the manager replied."Which company is that? I might know them.""We're a subsidiary of the Lowe Group. It's all legit, safe, and medically certified.""I have a friend in this business who wants to buy some of these machines. Is that possible?""Well, our machines are provided by the company and aren't for external sale.""That's a shame. My friend is willing to pay a high price for the right machine. I thought this one was good, but oh well...""How many machines does your friend want to buy?""We're opening a chain store, so that will be at least 50 machines per store and around 500 in total. We also want some other instruments, so it will be around a thousand machines."Debra had calculated the cost—over ten million. Such a large order was rare in this industry.The man
"You hurt Debra twice. You think I'll just let that slide?" Marion bellowed, firing a shot.Fermin didn't dodge, and the bullet tore through his left shoulder. Blood splattered instantly."Marion." Debra was taken aback.The air in the room became even more tense."Fermin!" Liza rushed over.Panic spread across her face when she saw Fermin's bleeding shoulder.Fermin endured the pain and forced a smile."Don't blame me anymore, right?""I..." His men moved quickly, as if they had expected this all along. They immediately stepped forward to treat his wound."I still owe you a stab. We can settle that too," he said."No." Liza shielded him with her body. "If you need to stab someone, stab me. I'll pay it back for him."Debra hadn't come for revenge. She glanced at Fermin, who remained nonchalant as his wound was being treated.His mental fortitude was sick."This has nothing to do with you," Fermin said. "Go back.""No. I can't let them hurt you again.""Don't worry. Th
"I'll take that as a compliment," Fermin said, his fingers tapping the wine glass on the table. "Actually, I want to make a deal with you guys.""Oh? What kind of deal?" Debra asked.Fermin set his wine glass down. "I want you to hand over Drake."Debra was taken aback, and he continued, "I've heard that when you were in Orkgate, Drake made things difficult for you. If I'm right, you two must only have animosity between you. Handing him over shouldn't be a problem for you, right?""That was a long time ago," Debra replied, stressing her tone. "Speaking of which, we used to sit together, discussing how to deal with Jeffery. Your pajamas were left behind in the Potter Mansion. Ring a bell?"Fermin's smile faded, and his eyes glinted with coldness.The wound on her shoulder still ached, but Debra kept her composure, trying not to show any fear in front of Fermin.She couldn't figure out what he was thinking. But Andrew had once said, the game between archrivals was like this.Mome
"It came from Fermin." Marion handed her an invitation.The black-and-gold card was simple, with only the time and place written on it.Debra had seen Garland's handwriting before, but she never expected Fermin and Garland, both being in the same body, would have such wildly different styles."He wants to meet us at this estate tonight?" Debra was skeptical. "Do you think it could be a trap?""Don't worry. Even if it is, we've got people ready to handle it," Marion reassured her.Unlike Garland, Fermin had zero credibility with them. They needed to be fully prepared.Debra nodded. "Let's go then. I have a lot to discuss with him."...In the evening, a black Maybach pulled up outside the Bernard Mansion.It was sent by Fermin. The invitation and the pickup clearly showed he had been watching them since they arrived overseas.Debra and Marion got in the car, with a dozen stretched Lincolns tailing them.Then a hundred or so guards could deal with all kinds of difficult situat
The stern expression on Fermin's face scared Liza.He flicked her forehead and said, "The Illuminati has nothing to do with you. Forget whatever you heard and don't mention it ever again.""Are you involved with them or not?" She grabbed his sleeve and whined, "If you don't tell me, I won't be able to sleep. And if I can't sleep, I'll bug you until you spill.""Silly girl," Fermin sighed, leading her into the estate. "The Illuminati is just a stepping stone for me. With its support, we'll be free from worries. The decade-long problem will also..."His voice trailed off, and Liza didn't catch the last part."What are you talking about? Our family is loaded and respected," she said, puzzled. "What problem could we possibly have?"Fermin didn't want to continue with that topic. "Alright, you've asked enough questions today. The hot bath is ready. Go relax and get some sleep. While you're here with me, you can go anywhere you want, but you can't contact Debra and her people.""Fermi
"Wait a little longer. No peeking," Fermin said, covering her eyes as he led Liza forward.Liza frowned. "Are we there yet?""Yes." Fermin moved his hands away.Liza opened her eyes and took in the full view of the manor.She had once wanted to move out and picked out a manor. Sadly, it had been owned by someone else, and Bert wouldn't let her live outside.Now the beautiful landscaping and warm lights were right in front of her. It felt unreal."Did you buy this manor?""Do you like it? This is the one you loved most. I've always remembered.""But that owner refused to sell it."She had secretly asked several times before, but even her identity as an Eaton couldn't get her a deal.Fermin shrugged. "I have my ways. Anything you like, I'll get them for you."Liza faltered, "Did you..."Fermin smiled, "Of course not. I'm a reasonable person."Still, Liza felt uneasy.In the past, if Fermin had bought her a manor like this, she would have thought it was just him being kind t
Debra took off her jacket, revealing the scar on her shoulder.William examined it. "You've healed pretty well.""Marion said the same thing," she replied."You can get surgery this year. The scar removal process is standard. Given how severe the injury was, it's a bit hard for it to be as good as new. Maybe a faint mark will be left.""Alright."As William packed up his medical kit, Debra asked, "Did you come here specifically today?""No, I arrived last night." William paused, quickly correcting himself, "I took a flight and stayed at the hotel.""Okay.""Why do you ask?""You didn't bring a suitcase, so I figured you didn't just get here today.""Perceptive."But then, he felt like Debra had been testing him.Sure enough, everyone from Seamar City seemed to have so many tricks up their sleeves.Debra pressed, "Did you meet Andrew?"William groaned inwardly but acted calm on the surface. "Not really."The room fell silent.Debra's steady gaze made him shift uncomforta
Debra knew that their enemies would come after them sooner or later and that Marion was just trying to comfort her.They needed to grow stronger by then. Or they'd just be at the mercy of others.Marion took Debra's hand in his, his fingers laced with hers."Don't worry. No matter what happens, I will be by your side," he said."I know." She nodded.Suddenly, a coughing sound reached their ears. They turned to see William standing in the doorway.He awkwardly waved at them. "The door wasn't closed, so..."Debra was stunned. "How did you get in?""I'm a regular here, so they let me in. Besides, today's your consultation day. No one would stop me," William replied as he walked in.Debra frowned at the sight of a big medical kit he was carrying. "My injury's almost healed.""You still need a checkup. Also, didn't you mention wanting that scar removal surgery? I need to see how it's healing."Yesterday, Debra had casually mentioned it, and Marion had taken it seriously."I di
Before Debra could respond, Erica's voice came through the phone."Debra, I'm not complaining, but this is getting unbearable. Please hurry back. Drake can't get out of bed. Jordan comes and goes like the wind. Theda is caught up in her own things. Oscar and Chace are gone. It's just the two of us, and we can't hold it together much longer."Debra was swayed. "I...""Three more days," Marion interrupted, "and we'll be right back."Marion took the phone and ended the call.Debra frowned. "The workload is too much. Ben can't handle it alone. Randy and Erica have their own companies to worry about. Three days might be too long.""I've sent someone to help them. We can't leave in the next three days.""Why not?""Fermin escaped."Debra was shocked by the news. The last time she saw Fermin was over a month ago. He had stabbed her and then disappeared."What happened?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"Marion hesitated. "Mr. Eaton Sr. called. They didn't want
It was late at night.Inside the church, soft light filtered through the colored glass, casting a shadow that stretched long and unnerving.Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the vast space. A young man dressed in a black robe and wearing a mask entered."Didn't get the job done, and you're still here to face me?" The bishop's voice was low and ominous.The young man was unfazed. "Debra and Marion are keeping Drake well protected. We had no chance to move. The Potter family guards escorted him the whole way from the airport. We couldn't act."The bishop paused, his fingers tightening around the ring in his hand."The Potter family?" he muttered, "Without Andrew leading them, they're just a bunch of misfits.""It's not so easy to remove Andrew," replied the young man. "Rumor has it that he was crippled in a kidnapping incident, but he's still walking. And another rumor said he was dying, but he's still kicking and alive.""The Four Great Families only have one person like that.