In Seamar City, few dared to cross Juan, let alone hack into his phone."Get the tech department on this immediately," he said. "I want to know who's behind this.""Yes, sir," Joe replied, hurriedly taking the phone and scurrying out of the office.Juan's heart pounded like a drum in his chest, a sense of foreboding washing over him.He snatched the car keys from his desk and rushed out. He sped through the city streets, his mind racing faster than the powerful engine of his sports car.Bursting through the front door, he found Melody and Hester having dinner in the grand living room.Debra was nowhere to be seen.Melody looked up and frowned at his disheveled appearance. "Juan, don't you have a meeting at the company today? Why are you back so early?""Where's Debra?" Juan asked.Hester's expression flickered, a mix of unease and guilt flashing across her face. Melody, however, remained nonchalant. "Who knows which man she might be meeting up with? You're supposed to keep her
The breaking news of Debra's kidnapping instantly dominated the trending charts.Erica, lounging at home with the news playing in the background, was jolted upright by the headline that flashed across the screen.She wondered aloud, 'Debra was kidnapped? Who did it?'Her phone rang, and she snatched it up to see Randy's call."Hello? Randy, listen to me..." she started anxiously."Debra was kidnapped?" What answered her was not Randy, but Marion's deep and steady voice."I just saw the news," Erica replied. "I don't know if it's true. When are you coming back?"Debra had been staying with the Nichols family, and Erica wasn't privy to the details of the arrangement with Juan. They had kept their distance to maintain Debra's secret identity as the McKinney Group's president. And now such a thing had happened."Marion? Marion, are you there?" Erica pressed the phone to her ear, but only silence echoed back.She was at a loss, having not faced such a situation before. After a whil
In response to Shelia's barking, the one on the other end of the phone sneered, "The one we've taken is Juan's wife. The ransom we can demand from him is far higher than what you'd pay for a mere hit job. Thanks to the address you provided, we found Juan's home."Shelia paled at his words, and the man added, "But don't you worry, if Juan pays the ransom, we'll clean up this mess for you. If he doesn't, we'll still handle it. Just a matter of time.""You can't do this," Shelia protested. "Once you contact Juan, he'll stop at nothing to find out who you are, and then I'll be exposed."She knew how resourceful Juan was. It wouldn't take him long to figure out who the kidnappers were, and he'd certainly trace it back to her.Even if Debra died, her dream of entering high society would be shattered."That's not our problem," the man snorted. "We're just doing our job and making a little extra on the side.""No, how can you do this?" Shelia shouted frantically, but the line was already
Usually, victims would scream or beg for their lives upon waking, but Debra was different. She showed no sign of fear."Juan's woman is truly extraordinary," the leader sneered, grasping Debra's chin and tilting her face up. "Quite the pretty face too."Debra met his gaze steadily. "Don't bother trying to scare me. You won't do anything until you get your ransom."The three men were clearly seasoned criminals, and they had a code they followed.The leader released Debra's chin and shrugged. "True, but if someone else pays us to kill you after we get Juan's money, we'll do just that. You're a dead woman either way. We might as well enjoy the fun."Debra chuckled, her lack of fear irritating the leader. "What's so funny?" he growled."I'm laughing at how naïve you are," Debra replied coolly. "Do you know who Juan is? And who I am? Can you guarantee you'll safely get the money and escape by boat? You can't. And if you touch me, Juan will hunt you down. You know what he'll do to you
"Sir..." Joe tried to advise again.Juan cut him off. "Nothing is more important than Debra's life. Do you understand?"Joe swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."He swiftly ordered their men to unload bundles of cash from the trunk. Aboard the boat, one of the kidnappers pressed a knife against Debra's neck. They climbed to the highest deck, and one of them shouted, "Bring all the money up here. Don't try anything foolish, or we'll kill her."Joe instructed the bodyguards, saying, "Get all the money up there."The bodyguards sprang into action, carrying bundle after bundle of cash onto the boat. Debra watched coldly.Once the last bundle was on board, Joe used a megaphone to declare, "You've got the money. Let her go."The kidnappers tore open the bundles, their eyes widening at the sight of the crisp bills."Alright, let her go," instructed the leader with a grin.Hidden in a secluded corner of the shore, Shelia watched with a mix of anxiety and anticipation. Suddenly, the boat's eng
In the stillness of the night, Juan returned home and booted open the gate.The commotion roused Melody from her sleep. With Hester's assistance, she made her way to the living room, where she saw a gloomy Juan.She wrinkled her brows and asked, "Is anything wrong?""You come over!" Juan stepped forward and grabbed Hester roughly.His furious look caused her to gasp in fear. "Juan, what are you doing?""Don't call me that!" Juan snapped. "How could you be so malicious? Did you replace that $10 billion?"Hester desperately shook her head. "It has nothing to do with me. Please, you must believe me.""Believe you?" Juan narrowed his eyes. "Debra fell into the sea, and she's still missing. If she's dead, I'll make your family pay."Hester's face turned ashen, and Melody stepped in. "Enough!"Taking a deep breath, she continued, "This has nothing to do with Hester. She didn't have the authority to change the money. It was my decision."Juan staggered back, as if struck by an unsee
"Mrs. Nichols Sr., just now, Juan mentioned Debra falling into the sea. Is she..." Hester muttered.Melody's expression hardened. "Good that she's dead. If she's dead, he'll finally give up."She didn't believe Juan would die for any woman. He couldn't die, and she wouldn't allow it.The rescue team had been scouring the vast ocean for three days and nights, their search area expanding with each passing hour. Yet, there was no sign of Debra.News of Debra's fall reached the Frazier family. Ralph paced anxiously, but Rosalie was elated.If Debra was dead, the agreement they had made would be null and void.The family fortune would go to her and her son.She watched Ralph's frenzy with a cold glint in her eyes. 'Ralph, you were so heartless to us, so don't blame me for being ruthless.'On the third day, Juan was a picture of despair. No one could survive three days in the sea.When Joe entered the office, he asked, "Have they found Debra?"Joe shook his head slowly. "Not yet."
Clarissa's acting was far from convincing. Her eyes were darting nervously.Juan frowned. "Is this her?" he asked, turning to Joe.Joe nodded. "Yes, she colluded with the kidnappers."Juan's gaze shifted back to Clarissa, who trembled in fear."Don't you know who I am?""No, your people brought me here. This is illegal! I'm calling the police. I'm going to report this.""Okay, give her a phone. Let her call the police."Juan's words immediately silenced Clarissa, her earlier bravado vanishing like smoke in the wind."You can tell them how you colluded with the kidnappers to abduct Debra."Clarissa crumpled to the ground, unable to utter a word.A nearby guard spoke up. "Sir, we caught her trying to buy a train ticket to Booton. Her hometown must be there.""No." Clarissa denied it weakly. "My hometown isn't Booton. I was just traveling, not running away."Juan asked sternly, "Why kidnap Debra? Who are you?"He had no recollection of ever seeing Clarissa before, and with hi
"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