Chapter 17Juan stayed at the hospital with Shelia overnight. In the morning, he received a call from Joe. "What entrance exam?""The school office called today, saying that Mrs. Nichols's name was on the examinees' list. They wanted to ask if Mrs. Nichols had informed you."Debra was shopping with Melody last night. Juan wondered when she signed up for the exam."I see."Juan hung up, his expression tense.He didn't know what games Debra was playing again."Was it the school calling? Maybe I should go back to class."Shelia, lying on the hospital bed, woke up at some point."I've informed Joe and the school. You should rest in the hospital today. It's not about you anyway.""What is it about then?"Shelia looked at Juan in confusion.Juan only sponsored her at school."Debra." Juan rubbed his forehead. "I'll go back. Take a rest."Shelia nodded.After Juan left, she murmured, "Debra? What does she have to do with the school?"Debra was strolling around Arcane Academy.
Chapter 18Shelia bit her lip. Driven by vanity, she'd lied about Juan being her boyfriend, fearing ridicule from her roommates if exposed.Torn, she sent a message. [I see. Don't worry. I trust my boyfriend's character.]She got off the bed and said to the nurse outside, "Hello, I'm checking out."Outside Arcane Academy, Debra found herself in Juan's car."Explain yourself," Juan demanded."I want to study finance at Arcane Academy," she confessed."I won't allow it.""Why not?""Because I'm your husband," Juan said coldly. "Do you think I don't know your scheme?""What are you talking about?""You followed Shelia here, intending to harass her!""I'm not that petty.""You copied Shelia's style. It's okay, but this is too much. As I said, you are my wife. No one is going to replace you.""No one? Would you marry me if I wasn't from the Frazier family?"She stared, and he fell silent.They both knew the answer.If a woman with a higher social status and more suitable
Chapter 19"That woman is not simple, with her coquettish appearance, trying to steal your boyfriend. Shameless!" Carrie snorted."I think that woman is quite good-looking," Wendy said. "Shelia, you better watch out for your boyfriend. What if he gets stolen?""No way! Shelia's boyfriend loves her so much. He won't be stolen by that kind of woman," Carrie said."Thank you for your concern, guys. Don't worry. My boyfriend and I will be fine," Shelia smiled."I heard that woman is coming to our school to study finance. I guess she's coming after you," Wendy said."What?" Shelia was taken aback.She found it hard to believe."It's true. I asked some students from the admissions office. She was accompanied by the president and vice-president, obviously from a wealthy family. Probably trying to use connections," Wendy explained."What's her identity then? Our school has never lacked wealthy students," Carrie said."I don't know, but even if someone is wealthy, they haven't been re
Chapter 20Today was the day of Debra's entrance exam. In his office, Juan glanced at the time on his computer and asked, "Has Debra gone to the exam?""Mrs. Nichols left early this morning. By now, she should have already entered the exam room," Joe replied.Juan nodded. "Did you inform the principal?""I did, but...""But what?""The principal said since Mrs. Nichols is taking the graduate entrance exam, there's no need for interference. He believes she won't pass.""Graduate exam?"Juan had thought Debra was taking the college entrance exam.He believed that Debra must be out of her mind."Let her be," Juan said indifferently.Debra could embarrass herself as she liked.Debra arrived at the exam room. She was the youngest one there, catching the examiners' attention.Most of the examinees were finance professionals nearing their thirties, some of whom Debra had seen on TV. It showed the college's reputation in finance education.Shelia lingered in the hallway of the te
Chapter 21Shelia was shocked.'What is Debra doing here?'Soon, the commotion at the door alarmed the exam invigilator. He scolded, "Which department are you from? Don't you know this is an exam room? Stay away from here."The surrounding students scattered, except for Carrie and Shelia. Carrie said, "Sir, we are junior students preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam. We want a copy of this year's paper to study."The invigilator's expression softened when he saw Shelia.After all, Shelia was sponsored by Juan. So, the invigilator handed the exam paper to her.When Shelia saw the questions on the paper, she looked troubled."It's a shame I didn't see Jordan."Carrie lowered her head in disappointment. She glanced at Shelia, who was frowning, and asked, "What's wrong?"Shelia shook her head. "The questions this year are difficult. Even if I attempt them, I can't guarantee good grades."But that also meant Debra wouldn't pass.Shelia felt somewhat relieved. Thankfully,
Chapter 22Jordan's eyes seemed to see through her.Debra's breath hitched.She indeed intentionally wrote the wrong answer to the last question.But she had calculated other questions beforehand to ensure her score exceeded the graduate pass line.After all, in the eyes of others, she had never received any financial education. If she suddenly produced remarkable results, it would surely cause controversy, and Juan would become suspicious.She wondered how Jordan found out."You peeked at my paper?" Debra said sternly. "It's forbidden to peek around in the exam room. It's cheating."Jordan found it amusing. He leaned closer to Debra and lowered his voice. "What I submitted was a blank sheet."Unfazed, Debra looked up and said, "So, you don't know the answer to any of the questions?"Jordan furrowed his brows."If so, how can you say I deliberately answered the final question wrong?" Debra said.Before Jordan could speak, Debra added, "Dude, I admit your approach to chattin
Chapter 23Debra glanced at Juan's phone.Juan rejected the call instead of answering it."If you don't have babies soon, I'll have to use extreme measures," Melody said.Juan remained silent.Melody had made her request clear a long time ago.After Melody left, Debra spoke up. "Did you call the people at the school office?""Yeah," Juan replied curtly."You told them not to give me special treatment, right?" Debra asked."What? Are you asking for my help now? Want me to pull strings to get you into Arcane Academy?"Juan snorted with disdain, "Let me tell you. Even if I get you into Arcane Academy, you won't graduate.""I just hope you won't interfere. If you make the principal remove me from the admission list, don't blame me for turning against you," Debra said sternly.Juan narrowed his eyes.This woman was getting bolder with him.Juan's phone rang again.Juan answered impatiently, "Spit.""Sir, Mrs. Nichols's grades are out."Juan sensed the staff member's hesitan
Chapter 24"How's it going?" Randy asked."She passed," Marion replied."She passed? Really?" Randy paused.He found it hard to believe. "You didn't use your connections, did you?""She got in by herself. It has nothing to do with me.""Oh my!" Randy was astonished. "Debra is quite something. But wait, wasn't her major linguistics? That's not related to this at all.""Debra is a language genius, a woman who got her master's degree at seventeen. She's not stupid."The moment Debra secured that piece of land, he sensed her determination.Things started to get more interesting.The next day, at noon, Debra leaned against the window, reading a finance book. Sophie knocked on the door, reporting, "Madam, the dressmaker and stylist are here. Is this the right time for you?""Is there something?" Debra asked."Don't you attend the family banquet tonight?"Debra frowned.There had been too much going on these days, and she almost forgot about going back to her family tonight.De
"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
The Illuminati lackeys, totaling 30, were all dead now.Their bodies lined up neatly in a row.Marion took off his mask and casually tossed it into the corner. The guests recognized him and froze in place.Everyone there had heard of his infamous name. But they never thought he'd be bold enough to do a massacre.One of his men placed a chair behind him, but Marion didn't sit. Instead, he slowly stepped forward and casually removed the mask of a plump man.He smirked, When he saw the man's face, Marion smiled in a way that was hard to describe. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Pearson.""M-Mr. Houston..." Harvey Pearson sweated nervously.Marion casually asked, "Does your wife know you're here?" "We're just here to have some fun, Mr. Houston. We haven't done anything to offend you. We wouldn't dare."Marion ignored him, turning to rip off more masks."Mr. Glenn, Mr. Stokes, Mr. Salazar..." he muttered, raising his hand.At the signal, his men removed the masks of the remaining guest
The moment the gunshot rang out, Debra felt a gust of wind rush past her ear, followed by a ringing in her ears. It felt like the whole world went silent.In the nick of time, Marion had appeared and twisted the guard's neck. Then the bullet missed its target.Marion was dressed in a suit and a black mask, like many others did. Still, Debra recognized him at a glance."Let's go," he urged.With the alarm set off, all the guards would be gathering on the second floor in less than two minutes.The two of them rushed downstairs and quickly blended in with the chaotic guests.Unfortunately, the exit had been shut, and guards were closing in on them from every direction.Debra, who had inhaled too much of the gas, was already delirious.Her mind was foggy, and her legs felt as though they were floating. She focused on Marion's hand gripping hers, and memories of someone else holding her hand flooded her mind.The memory was blurry, like a dream, and the figure of the young man in t
It was the symbol of the Illuminati.A man's voice echoed through the castle."Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Kingdom Come. Here, you can fulfill your every craving."The atmosphere in the room seemed to get even hotter because of it, but the voice rang a bell to Debra, whose cheeks were starting to burn.Back in Orkgate, the scent released by Drake's men wasn't this strong.The people around her seemed hypnotized. Many had abandoned their dignity and danced wildly in the ballroom.The gamblers were all in deep, their faces flushed with excitement. Meanwhile, the women on sale started using every trick they could to satisfy the buyers.The male pets were even openly draped around the rich women, their hands roaming all over their bodies.Debra felt sick just watching it from the corner. She looked around, trying to find Marion.Without success, she focused on tracing the source of that earlier voice. She looked up at the second floor, but there wasn't a single soul.She was
The bodyguards at the entrance were intimidating.When Debra handed over her invitation, she worried there might be fingerprint scans or facial recognition. That would make things tricky.But the guards barely glanced at it before waving her through. Debra was surprised by how smoothly things went.This castle was one of the top three landmarks overseas, and it had never been open to the public. During the day, it was a tourist attraction. But now, someone managed to host a private banquet right there.Once inside, she was faced with one more hurdle. Rows of scanners stood ahead, all meant to detect any restricted items.Debra was carrying no gun, but Marion had given her a Bluetooth earpiece to stay in contact.To minimize suspicion, they decided to enter separately. She would go in first, and he'd follow shortly after.She hesitated for a moment before taking off the earpiece and tossing it into a shadowed corner.Just as she stepped forward, someone in front of her triggered