Debra struggled to pull out the phone from Juan's pocket and then called 911. Then she faded into unconsciousness.The next day, she groggily opened her eyes to see Joe bustling around. Her voice was hoarse and weak. "Where's Juan?"A flicker of relief crossed Joe's face, and he asked quickly, "Madam, are you asking for water?"Debra shook her head, asking again, "Where's Juan?""Mr. Nichols," Joe hesitated, "he's severely injured and currently in intensive care."Debra struggled to sit up. Joe quickly held her arm. "Madam! The doctor said your injuries are serious too. You mustn't get out of bed!"Debra, devoid of strength, knew Juan had been hurt trying to save her.She couldn't be relieved unless she saw him."Madam..."Joe tried to stop her, but suddenly, noise erupted outside the room."Where's Debra? How is she?"Debra recognized Ralph's voice. Joe went out to check. Sure enough, Ralph and Rosalie had arrived. Rosalie was searching anxiously, looking for Debra."How i
"I know," Debra said. "Even though Rosalie is always mean, she wouldn't do something like this."At least not now.Debra didn't finish her sentence. Ralph nodded and replied, "That's the way she is. I'll check the home surveillance when I get back. We'll find out.""Okay."After Ralph left, Debra got off the bed. Her ankle seemed to be sprained. The pain was sharp as soon as she stood.Joe freaked out. "Madam, why are you getting up?""I want to check on Juan.""Madam..." Joe hesitated.Debra noticed Juan's room was partially open, indicating someone was already inside. She approached and glimpsed a white figure.It was Shelia.Joe blocked Debra's view and said reluctantly, "Madam, you should go back and rest."Debra's eyes dimmed.That explained why Joe had prevented her from visiting Juan."Alright." Debra turned back to the ward.At the end of the day, she had overthought.Juan was in good hands with Shelia. There was no need for her to worry.Her phone rang suddenly
Erica's quick arrival surprised Debra."What happened? How did you get hurt all over?" Erica was visibly concerned."It was just a minor car accident, nothing serious," Debra said, extending her hand. "See, I can still move.""A minor accident?" Erica didn't believe it.From Debra's injuries, she could imagine what had happened last night."I wondered why I didn't hear from you all night. What is Juan? What kind of husband is he?" Debra's eyes dimmed at the mention of Juan."He's in the next room," she replied.Before Debra could stop her, Erica stood up and headed outside the ward. Just as she stepped out, she spotted Shelia coming out of the next room.Not knowing Erica was there, Shelia was speaking with Joe."It's you again," Erica snapped.Shelia frowned, not afraid of Erica anymore. She didn't believe Erica would dare do anything in the hospital.Joe intervened quickly. "Miss Miles, let me take you back.""Thank you, Joe," Shelia replied gratefully.Though Joe disl
The gates of the Frazier family estate burst open, and a group of black-clad bodyguards stormed in.Ralph and Rosalie, who had just arrived home, recoiled in fear."What's going on?" Rosalie trembled, hiding behind Ralph."Where are the security guards? Get them!" Ralph tried to remain composed, but he saw the security team being escorted in by the intruders.His face turned pale with shock."Who are you people? What do you want?" he demanded.Marion walked in through the gates. Ralph nervously swallowed, "Marion?"Marion strolled in casually and took a seat."What are you up to?" Ralph asked, his voice strained. "We have never offended you."Marion nodded, smiling. "Mr. Frazier, you haven't offended me.""Then why invade my home like this?" Ralph's voice rose in frustration."You haven't offended me, but your son has," Marion replied."Stanley? How has he offended you?" Ralph looked bewildered.Marion gestured, and someone brought over a laptop. On it played footage from
Rosalie could only hold Stanley and sob.Marion looked on indifferently.With so many people still there, Ralph turned to Marion and said, "Mr. Huston, I understand your intentions, but this is a family matter. Could you..."Marion stood up. He hadn't intended to trouble Debra's family, only to ensure Ralph found out the truth."Well then, I'll leave it to you to handle," Marion said casually. "But if you can't do it, I wouldn't mind taking matters into my own hands."Ralph's face turned pale as he understood what Marion meant."I understand. I will make things right for Debra," Ralph promised.Marion gestured, and his bodyguards dispersed."Let's go!" "Yes, sir!"They quickly left the villa.Stanley stood up defiantly, pointing at the now-vanished figures. "Who were those people? Why would we believe anything they say, Dad?""Shut up!" Ralph slapped him again, leaving him incredulous.Rosalie quickly stepped in. "Ralph, why are you hitting him after everyone has left?"
"Debra, this is all Stanley's fault. I'll take him to the police station and let the police handle it," Ralph said.Stanley was exasperated. "Dad! How could you send me to the police station?" "You reap what you sow. This is already lenient for you."If Marion handled this privately, Stanley would have been dead."Uncle Ralph, you don't have to do that," Debra said calmly. "He's unreliable because Aunt Rosalie spoils him too much." Ralph nodded. "Exactly! He's lawless now.""Yesterday, Stanley came to talk to me about the distribution of Frazier family property. I merely said a few words, and he wanted to kill me. That's a serious lack of upbringing." "What property distribution?" Ralph was bewildered.Stanley's face flushed red. "Shut up!" "You shut up!" Ralph snapped out of it and kicked him. "You brat, I'm not dead yet, and you're eyeing the family fortune?""I didn't!" Stanley's bravado weakened.He would not admit to it whatsoever.Debra said nonchalantly, "It'
Erica came in after Ralph left. She had just been listening at the door. Though family feuds were deep, she hadn't heard of family members trying to kill each other before."Marion has always been decisive," Erica pondered, "but this time, he seems hesitant. Back then, he wouldn't have bothered with evidence. He'd have thrown them in a black box, and by the next day, his cousin would be half-dead. Handing him over to the police like this seems too easy for him.""A black box?" Debra looked puzzled."I think it's some term in their line of work." Erica shook her head. "Randy didn't elaborate."Debra fell silent.Someone like Marion, always walking on the edge, must have his own methods.Otherwise, how could he inspire fear?"He probably didn't want to put you in a difficult position." Erica said, "After all, Erbo has been treating you well."Then she added with some frustration, "Marion knew you were in trouble, yet he didn't come right away. Doesn't he understand girls' feeling
Randy nudged Erica, signaling her to stop talking.But Debra spoke up, "Yeah, I don't like staying here."In her past life, she had died on the operating table, giving her a deep fear of hospitals."Okay."Marion got up to leave the ward.In no time, the discharge procedures were completed. Randy went downstairs to get the car.After changing her clothes and leaving the ward, she glanced at the room next door, where Juan was. Eventually, she left with Erica.Outside, Debra saw Joe's car, with Shelia's face reflected in the rear window.In the evening, Juan woke up to see a blurry figure bustling around him."Debra?" His voice was low.Shelia paused and turned around with a smile."Juan, you're finally awake." Shelia set down the water and said, "I came right after class to see you. How are you feeling? I'll go call the doctor."Juan was disappointed as he found it was Shelia.With a hoarse voice, he asked, "Where's Debra?"Shelia's smile froze momentarily, but she soon re
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.
Fermin's men aimed their rifles at Bert.Fermin led Liza downstairs and casually said, "Be careful. Don't let anything go off by accident. The old man's too frail for this.""Fermin..." Liza's face went pale.She knew Fermin wouldn't harm their father, but at that moment, her heart still twisted with worry.Outside, a luxury car pulled up. Fermin raised his hand and ordered, "Fall back."His men quickly withdrew from the property.Bert stood there, barely able to keep himself upright. The butler immediately stepped forward to support him. "Sir, stay strong.""That bastard pointed a gun at me." Bert's words were cut off by a sudden surge of something in his throat.The next second, blood gushed from his mouth.The butler was alarmed. "Sir!"Outside, Liza looked back at the house, worried about Bert.He was too old to handle such a shock.Fermin brushed it off. "Don't worry about him. Get in the car."Liza reluctantly sat in the passenger seat.She'd try to talk to Fermin w
Bert's face darkened as a loud noise echoed from outside the basement.A group of masked men had blown open the basement door.Fermin's shackles were quickly removed, and then he vanished from the surveillance footage.On the second floor, Bert had instructed that Liza be kept under guard to stop her from running around.Sitting on the bed, Liza was worried about Fermin when a sudden loud noise came from outside."Who's there?" She turned pale from fear.When she got up to check, she saw Fermin standing at the door.He had changed into a black shirt, and his face was no longer the mess it had been the day before. Even his stubble had been neatly groomed.He opened his arms with a smile, "Come here.""Fermin." Liza rushed into his arms, hugging him. "Did Dad let you out?"Fermin playfully ruffled her hair. "He didn't let you out, but you still managed to sneak down to the basement. Weren't you afraid of his punishment?""I was worried about you," Liza replied, but her express
Late into the night, Debra leaned against the head of the bed, waiting for Marion to come back after washing his hands.But then, the showering sound echoed from the bathroom.After a while, he walked out. His hair was still damp, and the bathrobe hung loosely on him, revealing his toned muscles and perfect V-shaped lines.The dim light from the bedside lamp reminded Debra of the banquet earlier.Her face flushed. She instinctively reached for the light switch to break the mood, but Marion grabbed her wrist.His palm was warm, and under the soft light, there was a glint of desire in his deep eyes."I'm clean," he croaked, having washed off the scent of blood.In fact, before leaving the castle, he had already changed into a new jacket, worried that Debra might catch the disgusting smell of blood."Alright," she said shyly, a bit overwhelmed by his strong desire.Marion smelled faintly fresh. Different from his usual tobacco, this scent was clean and pure."Don't hurt yourself
"See you around," Michael said, smiling at Marion.His action got under Marion's skin. Taking a deep breath, Marion turned off the stove and took the eggs out.Debra glanced at him. "You seem hostile to Michael.""He's not worth my time," Marion replied flatly, peeling the eggs.Then he walked over to her and gently pressed the egg against her injured spot."This will help reduce the swelling. You went too hard on yourself. It's gonna hurt tomorrow.""Michael was just messing around. Don't be fooled by his innocent look. He's got a mischievous side. I think he just wanted to see if you cared about me. He wasn't trying to provoke you."Marion hummed in response, seemingly unbothered by it.He looked down at the bruise and sighed, "He wasn't wrong about one thing.""What is it?""I failed to take good care of you.""That was my doing. It wasn't your fault.""My job is to protect you. I can't let you get hurt even in the slightest." Marion pinched her nose. "I'll carry you to
When Debra and Marion came back, Michael quickly ended the call."You didn't check in with Hannah before leaving?" Debra asked."This trip is for work," Michael replied, closing his laptop. "Hannah was just briefing me on tomorrow's schedule."He noticed her disheveled appearance. "You guys came back so early. Guess the investigation didn't go as smoothly?""Let's just say it was a bit intense. Marion can tell you about the details," Debra said, sitting down on the couch.Marion habitually warmed up some milk for her and grabbed some pre-sliced cake from the fridge.He didn't stick around in the living room but went straight to the kitchen to boil eggs.Michael raised an eyebrow. "Feels like he doesn't quite like me."Marion heard it, his grip tightening around an egg. Then there was a cracking sound.Michael added, "My visit seems untimely. Should I move out?"But he made no move to get up.Debra took a sip of milk. "No way. I can't let you leave, especially since you're th
God knew how panicked Marion was when that guard raised his gun at Debra."I..." Debra murmured, "I couldn't find you.""That's not an excuse." Marion frowned. "Do you not trust me, or are you just used to handling everything yourself? Even if you stood there doing nothing, I could find you in a second. You shouldn't have rushed it like that.""The doors were closing, and I was worried that the guy would get away, so..." she explained."I don't care about the Illuminati. I care about you." Marion cupped her face, his tone serious. "You can't go solo like that again.""What if I do that again?" Debra looked at him.Marion pinched her cheek and muttered, "I'll break your legs so that you can't run off again."Debra slapped his hand away. "It was a special case today. I won't do it again.""Remember what you said. Don't make me worry," Marion relented, pinching her nose."By the way, what's the situation now?""I've handled it.""How?"He fell silent, but she didn't press furt
The man trembled and spilled every bit of information he knew about the Illuminati."Sounds like you're not so useful," Marion said, watching the man shiver in fear. "Everyone here is guilty. To redeem yourselves, your souls will stay in this castle."Before anyone could process his words, gunshots erupted around them. Screams filled the air. In just moments, the castle was thick with the smell of blood."You're out of your mind!" shouted the man, rushing toward the exit.But before he could get close, he was shot dead."Sir, we'll take care of the rest," said a guard."Make sure to clear all the traces," Marion ordered before leaving the castle alone.His eyes reflected the cold light of the moon. The air around him was chilling.Since the day he arrived overseas, everyone was nothing more than a dead man to him....Debra had a dream of her coming-of-age ceremony.Everyone was smiling, and everything was perfect.Suddenly, a gunshot shattered everything. The world went bl
For a moment, the castle fell silent after the gunshot. Then, more shots rang out, each one chipping away at the crowd's composure.A man, trembling, slowly raised his hands and stood up. "I'm a member of the Illuminati."Others scrambled to follow. "Me too."Within moments, nearly 70 to 80 percent of the people in the room were on their feet.The ones who stayed seated were mostly the "merchandise"—people the Illuminati had prepared. They quickly stood as well."Mr. Houston, have mercy," one of them begged. "We were just hired. We don't even know who's in charge."The men and women, who had been laughing and flirting with the wealthy elites, were now shaking in fear.Barely covered, they huddled together, terrified that Marion would kill them.Marion leaned back in his chair, glancing at the crowd. "Words don't count. Prove it."His men raised their rifles, aiming at the heads of the so-called members."I have proof," said one of them, pulling out a badge. "Here. Look. This