"I see." Debra paused, her brow furrowed in thought. "Have someone go to the police station and check if there have been any recent arrests of prostitutes around Shelia's age.""Prostitutes? Ben was puzzled.He couldn't see any connection between the two matters.Debra recalled the grim details from her previous life. When Edgar finally found Jade, the newspapers had been quick to report that she was a prostitute. She had been imprisoned for her actions and suffered greatly, enduring illness and pain in jail for over six months before ultimately succumbing to her fate.Following this clue, they should figure out something."Just follow my instructions," Debra said. "I believe it will lead us to some answers.""Got it." Ben, though still bewildered, agreed to comply.Debra hung up the phone, and Erica asked curiously, "Are you suspecting that the real Jade was imprisoned for prostitution and Shelia took her identity?""It's just a guess," Debra admitted. "Since Clarissa insists
Debra chimed in, "Marion owes you a lot of money?""Yeah. From the first time he met you, he..." Randy replied.Erica swiftly stepped on his foot, silencing him mid-sentence. Randy grunted and corrected himself. "Well, it's nothing. Marion's got plenty of money. It's just that he hasn't finished handling it yet."Erica elbowed him and spluttered, "What do you mean he hasn't finished handling it? Can you speak clearly?"Randy clammed up. Erica sat down next to Debra, her voice softening."That is just man-to-man stuff. Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll give you everything he has to win you over."Debra blushed. "What are you talking about?""Er, it's just a metaphor," Erica chuckled, hugging her. "Anything, you're the best woman in my mind."Debra fell silent, her mind wandering. She never wanted a fortune. After so many betrayals and schemes in her past and present lives, she only hoped to find her destined partner and live a peaceful life together.Without betrayal, conspi
Joe nodded and shouted toward the door, "Bring him in."Edgar's frown deepened as a man was brought in by two bodyguards. The fight in the room immediately ceased.The man was forced to his knees, his hands bound behind his back. His face was bruised and swollen.Juan, his voice as cold as ice, issued a chilling command. "Cut off the hand that did the hitting."The man struggled frantically, his eyes wide with terror. Edgar remained silent, his gaze fixed on the unfolding scene.One of Juan's bodyguards grasped the man's wrist and, with a swift and brutal motion, brought a heavy object crashing down. A scream echoed through the room before he slumped to the floor, unconscious.Edgar's gaze was icy, but he knew better than to intervene. Seamar City was Juan's territory, and picking a fight here would not end in his favor. Moreover, Marion's men had come to warn him earlier that day."This is settled." Juan stood up, his eyes locked onto Edgar. "Mr. Odom, if you want to settle acc
Debra took a moment to overcome her shock. "So, you're playing the rogue."Marion thought for a moment. "Pretty much."Edgar thought he could resolve the matter with money, but that was his wishful thinking.Marion had first extorted money from him and then planned to settle scores later. It was a devious move, one that Debra couldn't help but admire."So, what do you plan to do next?" Debra asked, her curiosity piqued.Marion's eyes twinkled with a hint of a smile. "Want to know?"Debra nodded eagerly. Marion tapped his cheek with a finger and whispered, "Kiss me, and I'll tell you.""Marion," Debra exclaimed, her face turning a shade of crimson.Marion was a real jerk, always teasing her and pushing her buttons. From their first meeting, he had deliberately raised the auction price to grab her attention, causing her to scramble for funds.At that time, she hadn't thought much of it, but now she realized it was all part of Marion's scheme to get to know her."Alright, I'm no
Debra thought for a moment."Yeah, it is.""That's all you have to say?""I was thinking. Mr. Blair doesn't look like he knows Shelia isn't his daughter.""Huh?"Erica took a closer look at the news article, her eyes scanning the details intently. Declan was indeed crying genuinely.Debra turned to Randy, asking, "Do you know who organized this press conference?""Who else could it be except for the Odoms?" Randy replied, clicking his tongue. "You don't know how grand it is. They invited everyone from the high society they could, mostly from Booton and a few big shots from Seamar City who are close to the Blair family."Debra's mind raced, piecing together the implications. "Those big shots coming to Seamar City for Edgar's sake means he is trying to show Marion who's boss."Marion had just met with Edgar the day before, and this move seemed like a blatant show of strength, a power play designed to assert dominance.Randy nodded, his expression thoughtful. "It does seem that
"That money is useful," Marion replied.Erica teased him, "Really? For the bride's price?"Marion shrugged. "Yeah, something like that."Erica was surprised. "No way."Debra, who had been listening to their exchange, blushed deeply. She quickly took a seat on the sofa, clutching a glass of water as if it were a lifeline. "I'm hungry too. Why isn't breakfast ready yet?""It's coming," Randy said. "You three have three mouths to feed but can't spare a hand to help me.""I'll do it," Erica declared, rushing into the kitchen.Randy rolled his eyes dramatically."Oh, please, are you really helping? Just please don't mess things up.""You're bold enough to question my sincerity. I'm gonna wring your ears off.""Come on! I'm not."The kitchen was filled with the clatter of pots and pans, punctuated by the occasional bickering between Randy and Erica.Noticing Debra's stiff posture, Marion pulled away a little, giving her space to breathe.Debra stole a glance at him. He was dress
Debra glanced instinctively towards the kitchen. Marion stood at the stove, wearing a black apron. He looked quite relaxed, the spatula in his hand moving deftly as he fried eggs.Sensing her gaze, Marion looked up. Debra quickly averted her eyes, but it was too late. He had caught her staring."Breakfast's ready," Randy shouted from the kitchen, carrying three plates piled high with food.Marion placed a dish in front of Debra, the eggs cooked to perfection.Randy, setting the plates down, remarked with a playful pout, "Man, when will you ever be this considerate toward me?"Erica chimed in, "Maybe in your next life."As just Debra began to eat, her phone buzzed with an incoming message from Juan.She glanced at Marion to see if he had noticed, and seeing that he was engrossed in his own meal, she opened the message.Juan: [8 PM, Royal Grand Hotel.]Debra hesitated, her fingers hovering over the screen. She thought about the dream she'd had and typed her reply.Debra: [No ne
Erica rolled her eyes. "I think they're birds of a feather. Did you resolve the issue with Cathryn?"Debra shrugged. "Cathryn can't stir up any trouble. Marion wouldn't even bother looking at her."Erica's mood soured further, and she kicked Randy. "It'd better be that way."Randy yelped in pain, "Hey! Why did you kick me for no reason?"Debra's arrival at Nichols Group headquarters caused quite a stir."Isn't Ms. Frazier? What is she doing here?""Isn't it obvious? She was publicly at odds with Mr. Nichols before. Now that the Frazier Group is bankrupt, she's naturally here to seek his help.""I thought she had a lot of pride, but it turns out she's just here to beg Mr. Nichols to reconcile?"...The whispers reached Debra's ears, but she ignored them.The recent news about the Frazier and Nichols families had been quite unpleasant, and her visit to the Nichols Group was bound to spark gossip. But she wasn't focused on that right now.Joe, who had been waiting on the first
Juan unconsciously twisted the ring on his finger."Found it!" Randy shouted.Everyone moved toward where he was pointing. There was an old iron chain. Below the chain was something indiscernible, but it looked creepy."Try your might," Garland said, stepping forward.Together with Randy, he tugged at the iron chain. The chain grew tauter, and the ground in front of them began to shift, revealing a hole about three square meters in size.Liza hid behind Debra, unsure of what was lying ahead. "What is that?"The place seemed untouched for ages and smelled ancient."Isn't it obvious? It's a pit," Erica said. "It's normal to have pits when digging mountains, but the Potter family isn't building a subway down there, so why this pit?"Debra said, "Let's go down and see.""Behind me," Marion said, taking her hand.He pulled out a flashlight and led the group to descend the old stairs. Debra noticed the stairs on both sides and a slide in the middle, with faint wheel tracks still vi
"It's fine. You just need to find the location of Fire."Garland asked, "What is that?""In the human body, the heart symbolizes fire," Debra explained. "This place is surrounded by mountains and water, making it an ideal location."Erica bent down to examine the diagram on the ground. "Is it here?"She pointed to the south, where the mountain range was gone, replaced by a clear, unobstructed mountain path.Evidently, the mountain moved by the Potter family was the Fire position."But that doesn't make sense," Liza muttered, feeling a chill run down her spine. "There's nothing but barren land. Could it really be underground?"The ground was in ruins. It was unlikely anything could be beneath it.Marion thought for a moment. "Let's go down and take a look.""How?" Randy shivered, afraid they'd ask him to go down first.Erica chimed in, "I don't think the Potters would be foolish enough to leave the treasure unguarded. There's no way they'd let us walk right in without resistan
"Sounded like mystical gibberish," Erica echoed.Debra strode to a nearby patch of grass, picked up a stone, and began drawing symbols on the ground.She explained, "Three solid lines represent Heaven, and three broken lines represent Earth."Immediately, two opposing symbols appeared on the ground.She continued to draw. "This solid line is the positive pole, and this broken line is the negative pole." "Is this a trigram?" Randy asked."Thunder rises like a bowl. Mountain inverts are like a cup. The lake is broken above, and the wind is broken below," Debra said as she drew the remaining trigrams.Marion quickly figured it out. "That's our true heiress of the Frazier family."The Frazier family was known for their scholarly wisdom and military strategy. A century ago, they were legendary figures.Debra looked at the trigrams and said, "When I was little, I had to learn everything. I wasn't an expert in ancient texts, but I had a basic understanding of them. The trigrams are
After half an hour of driving into the mountains, everyone was exhausted."Damn!" Randy yelped, his voice jolting everyone awake.The car made a sharp turn and came to a halt. Everyone screamed, and it took a while for them to calm down.Liza grumbled, "Can you even drive? If not, let me take over.""Did the tire blow out?" Erica wondered aloud.She opened the door and got out, followed by Randy and the others.Erica inspected the tires and frowned. "The car can't go any further. There's a huge rock. Quite dangerous."Randy grumbled, "Looks like Andrew doesn't even bother to maintain his property."Erica rolled her eyes. "Well, there is an iron gate. Only the Potter family members are allowed in. According to Andrew, no one has been here for years. Who would bother clearing the road?""True." Randy walked to the side and saw that the road ahead was covered in loose stones, probably fallen from the surrounding mountains."I thought they had leveled the mountains. Clearly, not
The journey into the mountains was unlikely to be peaceful.Marion sensed her unease and took her hand in his. "Don't worry. I'll bring enough people to ensure everyone's safety.""Alright." Debra nodded.Precaution was indeed necessary.That night, she knocked on Andrew's door."Come in," came his calm voice from inside.She pushed the door open and saw Andrew playing chess under the dim glow of a single lamp."Andrew," she started."I know." Andrew lifted his gaze and said, "You're eager to find out who's behind all this."Debra paused. "Is the treasure really hidden in that mountain?""I don't know.""You don't?""That mountain was leveled by my ancestors decades ago. They spent five years on the project, but after that, the land was left untended and eventually became overgrown. Now, it's nothing more than an ordinary mountain trail. I've sent people to search for it before, but they found nothing.""So, you suspected all along that this mountain might be hiding someth
Debra noticed everyone's eyes had settled on her.She asked, "Remember those ledgers?""Yeah. The ledgers only contained numbers alongside regular inventory records," Erica replied.Debra mused, "If those four ledgers truly hide a treasure map, could those numbers represent geographical coordinates?"Erica shook her head. "But there are so many numbers. How could it be..."Marion cut in, "It's possible."Randy tilted his head. "How so?"Marion explained, "31°N and 120°E mark Seamar City's position relative to the equator, but Seamar City has more precise coordinates."Debra said smoothly, "Seamar City spans from 120°52' to 122°12' east longitude and 30°40' to 31°53' north latitude. Don't the numbers 30 and 120 seem familiar?"Erica clapped her hands. "Those numbers appeared repeatedly in the ledgers. They were highlighted in red.""What if they correspond to coordinates centered around Seamar City's downtown?" Debra said."30... 120..." Erica murmured, her finger tracing the
While the others might not know Debra's uniqueness, Andrew certainly did."Sir, shouldn't we thank Mr. Nichols?" Barton said."It's best not to contact him at this time." Andrew shook his head. "The mastermind wants to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. Why not grant his wish and find the treasure?""But if we do that, won't Seamar City fall into chaos?""Seamar City is already in chaos. I'll set off another fire."...Debra and the others returned to the Potter Mansion.Barton greeted them, holding old scrolls covered in dust."Where are you going with all that?" Erica asked wonderingly.Barton glanced at the scrolls in his hand and said, "These are maps of the old city area from decades ago. Mr. Andrew Potter said they need to be aired out to remove the musty smell, so I took them out, planning to air them tomorrow morning.""Maps of the old city area?" Garland curiously remarked. "Can I take a look?""Come on. They're so dirty," Liza chimed in."You don't unders
In the office of Donaldson Corporation, Vickie was fuming.She complained, "Juan never intended to help me. He was just pretending to switch sides. Boss, this mess was all because of him."She pointed at Juan, who frowned with displeasure.Across from her was a man sitting behind the desk. His posture was straight in a sharp suit, but his face was covered with a white mask, making it impossible to read his emotions.He croaked, "Is that so?"Juan sneered, "Such a petty scheme was never going to shake Debra's standing. She has Marion and Andrew by her side. As long as those two are alive, the McKinney Group will remain untouchable, standing strong against us."He turned his gaze toward Vickie and added, "No offense, but she's useless. Aside from bearing a slight resemblance to Debra, she has nothing of value."Vickie glared at Juan, seething with rage. She wanted to lash out but dared not go out of line in front of the masked man."I think you're just hung up on Debra," she snor
On the big screen, a comparison of Vickie's before-and-after photos appeared. The details were thorough with her initial consultation, follow-up appointments, and the final results of her plastic surgery.It also included information about Vickie's so-called adoptive father. This proof was solid.A reporter stood up and asked, "A recent article from New Age has been accused of containing false information. Mrs. Houston, was this article published under your instruction?"Garland tried to get up and clarify, but Debra beat him to it.She replied calmly, "That article was written by a friend of mine. He was too eager to clear my name to verify the content. It was provided by a third party and later proved to be a trap. If anyone wishes to know the details, you may approach me after this press conference. I will provide you a copy and let you see their filthy tricks."Another journalist followed up, "Mrs. Houston, how can you prove that you are the real heiress?""Vickie claimed to