"Does this have something to do with Debra?" Kale was puzzled.Drake turned to leave without answering. He simply ordered, "Clean up the scene. Lock them up and interrogate them. If they won't talk, just deal with them."...Outside the Jovial Hotel, Juan hobbled along, dragging his injured leg. Blood trailed behind him, leaving a winding path to the apartment building across the street.Inside the apartment, William had dozed off while waiting.A sudden noise from the door woke him up. He jumped off the couch and rushed over, only to see Juan collapse at the entrance."My God, how did you lose so much blood again?" he muttered, helping Juan up.Being a doctor wasn't easy. He had been flying all over the world to work at multiple sites. Treating the wealthy was highly remunerative, but it was exhausting."Let me check your wounds.""It's a knife wound."William lifted Juan's pants leg. His thigh was covered in blood, and the leg he used to walk on had a prosthetic. The area a
At the Lowe Mansion, Liza recounted the whole event to Garland."You have no idea how terrifying it was. Those people were after our lives. Several of them are missing. You need to talk to Dad and have him catch them all."Garland, who had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, felt dizzy when Liza rambled on and on in his ear. The worst part was that her story was incoherent. He had no clue what was going on."Promise me," Liza demanded, shaking his arm.Garland had a headache coming on. "Wait. Stop for a moment. Can you at least tell me who these people are?"Liza finally explained, "The leader is Cathryn.""Cathryn? Where is she?""She's dead.""What about the others?""I don't know."Garland slumped back onto the sofa. As Liza tried to persuade him again, he said, "Do you think I'm some kind of miracle worker? If Marion and Drake can't find them, how can I?"Liza had overestimated his abilities. Even if Fermin were still alive, he probably wouldn't know who
"Marion?" Debra rubbed her sleepy eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall.It was already 12:30. The incident last night had drained her energy, causing her to sleep in.She pushed open the bedroom door and walked out. Downstairs, Marion was cooking in the kitchen.The others still seemed to be asleep. Debra spoke up. "Your injury hasn't healed yet, and you're already rushing to make me lunch?"Marion came out holding a pot. "Go rest a little longer. The other dish will be ready soon."Debra came down the stairs and flopped into his arms. Her exhaustion instantly melted away."I'm so tired. Get a drumstick for me," she murmured."Sure," Marion agreed, patting her head.Garland burst out of his room, sniffing the air. "Who's cooking chicken soup? It smells amazing."Then his gaze landed on the embracing couple. Feeling awkward, he looked up at the ceiling and whistled, "Uh, I'm going to check on the soup.""Mr. Houston, let me take care of the kitchen," said Ivan, who had be
"What happened?" Garland emerged from the kitchen with a drumstick in his mouth.Holding her phone, Liza said anxiously, "Dad isn't answering my calls."Garland rolled his eyes. "What's so surprising about that? He never answers my calls.""No," Liza said. "Dad loves me the most. He's never ignored my calls."Debra chimed in, "Could it be that he didn't see the calls?""No way. My dad always has his phone with him. He didn't pick up last night. By now, he should have called me back," Liza explained."Well, why not just call home?" Garland whipped out his phone and called home.The line soon went through."Hello, this is Eaton Mansion.""It's me. Put my dad on the phone.""Mr. Eaton? Is it really you?""Who else would it be? Just get my dad on the phone.""Your father, he...""What's going on? Did anything happen to him?""He is in the hospital.""What? Is he ill? Is it serious?""It's serious. The doctor is pessimistic about his condition.""We're coming home right now
Liza and Garland rushed to the airport.Debra couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Bert's sudden illness. The last time they met, he was in perfect health."Hey, stop poking at your food. It's becoming mushy," Drake grumbled across from her.Debra snapped back to reality, realizing she had poked several holes into her food.Marion picked up dishes for her and countered without looking up. "Just eat your food."Kale rushed in from outside and reported, "Boss, we found an underground passage at the Jovial Hotel. We followed it and found that it led to a church.""A church?""Yes, a big church on Hailstone Road. The priest there holds sermons during the day.""What kind of sermons?""I'm not sure."Debra frowned. "The atmosphere last night was creepy. Those people wore masks, and it felt like a cult. Like some kind of ritual, and we were the sacrifices."She recalled the events and continued, "Cathryn said she spent all her fortune on the setup. I don't think her m
Outside a church, Drake leaned against his car, lighting a cigarette.By the time he finished smoking, Kale had sealed off the church with his team."Anything?" Drake asked.Kale gestured for his men to bring over a few boxes. Inside lay black cloaks and white masks resembling those from European theater."Nothing else?""No."Drake picked up a mask and turned to Debra, who was sitting in the car. "Is this it?"Debra looked at it and nodded. "That's the one.""Pack them up and take them away.""Your one-swoop takedowns are pretty polished.""It's passable.""That wasn't a compliment."Drake had brought her there so early in the morning. She had thought there was some urgent matter, but it was just sealing off the church."If you shut the church down, how will we catch them in the net?""I've taken control of the Jovial Hotel. Do you think they'd still come back?""Makes sense. So, you do use your brain occasionally.""Of course.""Then what's the point of sealing this
Ivan opened the car door for Debra, and she got out.Kale came back after handling things. "Boss, did Debra and Marion just leave like that?""What else? Should I have kept them for lunch? I owe them nothing," Drake said irritably. "Drive! Back home.""Understood." Kale got in the car, fastened his seatbelt, and handed Drake a bank card. "Debra found me this morning and asked me to give you this."Drake took the card and looked at it. "What's this? The accommodation fees?""Seems like it.""She's not that clueless after all."However, when he checked the balance, his smile faded. There was only 7,698.6 dollars left.'Really? It's got both the whole and the decimal. Debra wouldn't let herself lose out even a little,' he grumbled inwardly."Get some people to investigate the Trennery family. Have Grover under watch.""Debra has taken Ivan to Seamar City. He didn't do anything unusual the night before. Is there still a need to act?""My gut tells me something's off with them."
Half an hour later, Debra looked at the financial reports in her hands.She was amazed. "Not only did we not lose, but we made a profit? That's impressive, Randy.""Really?" Erica leaned in for a look. "Must be owed to the strategies you made.""That's not it," Randy argued. "The profits are owed to Andrew. You know, since Debra left, Theda has been attacking us like crazy. There is no way I could handle it. Andrew sorted it all out."Intrigued, Debra asked. "How did he handle it?""Who knows? Maybe charm or trick." Randy shrugged."Come on. You think Andrew's like you?" Erica swatted his neck. "Use your brain sometimes. Of course, Andrew tapped into his business savvy and connections.""Ouch! I was just kidding." Randy pouted.Debra asked again, "Has he been at home these past few days?""Yeah. Where else would he be?" Randy replied. "He rarely leaves the house since he was born. This time, he flew all the way to Orkgate for your wedding. That's really something."He paused
Randy exclaimed, "This is fake. Who did this? I'll tear them apart."Erica chimed in, "This news can't be true. It must be a smokescreen to confuse us."Theda looked at the ring in Robert's hand. "Could Marion's desperate actions today be because of this?"Everyone was taken aback....Jeffrey read the news. "Well done."Juan asked, "Aren't you sad about killing Vickie after training her for so long?""Dying as the daughter of the Frazier family is a blessing for her," Jeffrey replied indifferently. "Debra's body has been burned to ashes, and Vickie is no longer useful. Sacrificing her to create chaos and shake the Four Great Families was a brilliant idea."He paused and added, "Send the body to the Potter Mansion. I want them to understand that with Debra dead, their resistance is meaningless.""Got it," Juan replied, slowly retreating.In the basement, he dismissed everyone and looked at the lifeless woman in the coffin. "Once you're back, don't show up again," he whisper
William fidgeted at the sight of so many big shots in the room. Robert's presence alone sent a shiver down his spine.Earlier, when Marion was carried in on Robert's back, he didn't dare utter a sound.William cleared his throat and rolled his shoulders, trying to muster some courage.Standing on the side with Chace, Oscar spoke up. "Do we need medical equipment? I can have some brought over.""No need. This house has everything," William replied.He stepped forward and worked on loosening Marion's stiff arm. It took quite a while before he finally pried open the tightly clenched hand.Blood had pooled in Marion's palm. William let out a low whistle. "What an iron!"He pulled the bloodstained diamond ring from Marion's grasp and studied it. "That's a huge rock. Must've cost a fortune."Everyone's gaze fell on the ring."Wait... Isn't that Debra's ring?" Erica rushed inside. "Why is it covered in blood? Is she..."Drake snatched the ring from William's hand and inspected it. "
"How could this be?" Theda smiled faintly. "We just want to take our people and avoid any casualties. That's all.""If that's all, I might consider it," Jeffrey replied, looking at Marion. "But someone might not want to leave."Drake stepped forward. "We can settle the score later. Even if we don't take your life now, we will eventually."Marion knew Drake was telling him to leave. His hand, clutching the ring, was already bleeding.Drake and Robert noticed and grabbed Marion's arms."Let's go," Robert said firmly.They had to leave now. Otherwise, mutual destruction was unavoidable.But Marion refused to move.Finally, Drake said, "If you don't leave, we'll all die here. I'm not ready to die yet. Don't drag me down with you."Oscar said, "Mr. Houston, let's go. We can save Mrs. Houston another time. If we keep this up, we'll just be making useless sacrifices."Marion still held his ground.Robert frowned and struck Marion on the back of his neck."You guys talk too much,"
"I'm gonna kill you!" Marion shouted.He raised his gun and fired three shots at Jeffrey.But Jeffrey seemed to have already anticipated Marion's move. With just a quick motion, he pulled Ivan in front of him.The three bullets hit Ivan right in the heart. Ivan slowly looked down at his chest. It was only then that the pain hit him all over his body. He finally realized he was dying.He turned to look at Jeffrey. His lips parted, but no words came out. By the time he collapsed, Jeffrey's men had surrounded Marion.Marion's hand tightened around the bloodstained ring. He had come for a bloodbath. If he couldn't save Debra, he wasn't planning to leave alive.Juan spoke up. "Save your energy. No matter how much you fight, the result won't change. You might as well think about how to make your exit.""He's not leaving," Jeffrey said, turning to Marion. "Your bullets have run out, and I won't give you a chance to reload. Everyone who came here is going to die."At his command, sever
Jeffrey muttered, "A shame. She was promising."Pulling a blanket over Debra's face, he turned to Juan. "The four families will retaliate now that she's dead. Clean this up.""How?""Burn her. Suppress the news of her death. Let no word leak tonight."Without hesitation, Juan strode to the bedside, flicked open a lighter, and set the curtains ablaze. Flames crawled hungrily across the sheets, engulfing the figure beneath the blanket. Only when fire fully consumed the body did Jeffrey nod and exit....At dawn the next day, Melody's funeral procession began.Pallbearers carried the coffin through the mist-shrouded gates. The air seemed to thicken with foreboding.The first gunshot tore through a pallbearer's chest before anyone registered the danger."It's Marion Houston!" someone shouted.Marion emerged from the fog, his forces fanning out behind him. Bullets rained down as the remaining bearers collapsed. The Nichols family guards rushed forward, only to fall under crossfire
Thunder rumbled through the fifth-floor room as Juan staggered inside, his clothes drenched in blood.Jeffrey's gaze remained fixed on the portraits on the wall. "Well? Did she talk?"When no answer came, he turned and froze. Juan's clothes were a crimson mess. A bloodied knife clattered to the floor between them."She's dead," Juan said, his voice glacial."What" Jeffrey's composure shattered.He seized Juan's collar. "I told you to interrogate her, not kill her. Did you get the location of the treasure? Answer me." Juan's eyes were piercing with clarity. He could see through Jeffrey's every thought.All of Jeffrey's earlier talk about reuniting the family had been nothing but a facade. The only thing he cared about was the treasure's location. To achieve his goals, Jeffrey would gladly use his own family as pawns."You killed Melody, didn't you?" Juan's sudden accusation cut through the tension.Jeffrey released him, smoothing his jacket."You already knew that.""You've
Juan had a certain guess in his mind.He had always known about the strained relationship between Melody and Jeffrey, but he never imagined Jeffrey could go to such extremes."You can go.""But Mrs. Nichols Sr...""Leave!"Sophie exited the room, closing the door behind her.Staring at the closed door, Juan was reminded of a similar scene from over a decade ago. Melody had shut the study door just like this."You are not to leave this room until you finish reading these books," she had commanded.Then the scene shifted to when Melody was thrashing him with a whip. "If you don't work hard, you won't amount to anything. And if you don't amount to anything, you won't be able to protect this family."Juan endured the pain and humiliation with bitter resentment. From that moment on, he learned to hide his emotions. He couldn't afford to have likes or dislikes. Besides the Nichols Group, nothing and no one else mattered.Melody had always prided herself on being an educator, boasti
After Juan left the room, Debra let out a long breath. She leaned back against the bed, her mind chaotic.Jeffrey's appearance had given her a lot of valuable information.First, he had been reborn. Second, Seamar City's treasure was linked to rebirth. Third, he was the one responsible for the deaths of all their parents.Before she could think further, a sharp pain shot through her head.Jeffrey believed she knew the location of the treasure, but she didn't know. She wondered if she had forgotten something crucial....At the Potter Mansion, Andrew sat by the window, lost in memories of a time long past.Little Debra ran up to him and threw her arms around his leg."Brother, what are they doing?" "They are protecting this city.""Is this city dangerous? Why does it need protection?""Many people desire what we guard. They will stop at nothing to take it, losing all reason in their greed. Our duty is to ensure these things remain hidden from the world."His thoughts were
"I believe Melody played her part," Debra said evenly, "but without your tacit approval, how could she have harmed Claudia so precisely? How could she have imprisoned Claudia so effortlessly?"She met Jeffrey's gaze unflinchingly. "You know the truth better than anyone. You were the head of the Nichols family. If you wanted, you could have easily saved her."Jeffrey lost control and slapped her. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, but her stare never wavered. Claudia used to look at him in the same way."Lies." Jeffrey staggered back, his voice fraying. "You know nothing.""Don't I?" Debra dabbed her mouth. "Search online, and you'll see. Everyone in Seamar City knows about your story. Claudia gave up her career for marriage. What kind of life did she live? There was no makeup and no dancing, just a hollow shell playing housewife."She smirked and continued, "Will you blame Melody for that too? A man who lets his mother brutalize his wife isn't a man at all. Face the music