Ralph's expression turned to stone as Debra's words landed like a physical blow."Your greed is one thing," she said. "But now you're dragging the entire Frazier family down with your idiocy. I think my dad was right to cut you off."Ralph slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "Who are you to lecture me?"Before Ralph could take another breath, Marion was on his feet, the prison cell door swinging open. Ralph's anger dissolved like smoke in the wind as Marion placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, forcing him back into his seat.Marion warned coldly, "Behave yourself and ask the questions."Ralph squirmed, his eyes darting around the room. "This is a prison. If you lay a finger on me, that's illegal."Marion's grip tightened, his fingers digging into Ralph's shoulder like a vise. Ralph cried out in pain, his face contorting. "Help! Anyone there?"Marion leaned in, his voice a low growl. "There are no cameras here. Without my orders, no one will come in to save you. B
"Shh. Don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong," said Pedro.The guard swiftly clamped a hand over his mouth.Marion heard the sound and wrapped an arm around Debra's waist. She glanced down at his hand, her eyebrows knitting together."What are you doing?""Nothing. Just make sure you don't fall."Debra brushed his hand away. "Behave yourself."Marion smiled, "Anything you say."On their way back, Debra examined the key in her hand, her fingers tracing the intricate craftsmanship. It was clearly an antique, the lock's shape rare and distinctive."Let's go to the old house. I want to check the ancestral hall.""Ralph mentioned there was nothing valuable there, or perhaps the value lies not in what's hidden but in the secret itself.""Since my father valued the ancestral hall so much when he was alive, there must be something important hidden there. Ralph might not have found it because it's not obvious."Debra recalled her visits to the ancestral hall when she was a
Debra and Marion circled the ancestral hall, but there was nothing of value to be found. The hall was as bare as a picked bone.Marion replaced the tablets he'd been inspecting, his voice echoing in the empty room."Let's not waste our energy here anymore. If there was something valuable here, Ralph would've snatched it up long ago."They had almost turned the place upside down but found nothing.Debra's shoulders slumped. "Could it be that the so-called family secret is just a lie?"If there was truly a treasure in Seamar City, surely someone would have found it by now."The treasure isn't fake. It's just well hidden by our ancestors," Marion said, looking at the tablets. "Let's head back for today. We have the key, so we can come back anytime."Debra bit her lip. "I'm just feeling uneasy."Marion pulled her close, his voice soothing. "Don't worry. I'm here, and I won't let anyone harm you."Debra leaned into his embrace, her eyes falling on the red columns behind him. A spar
Marion glanced up, his eyes landing on a folding chair tucked inside a box. A smirk played on his lips. "What's with the chair?"Debra grinned, pulling out the chair and setting it down beside him. "Just a little preparation. I figured I might get tired waiting."She paused and continued, "Do your best."Marion chuckled, giving her cheek a gentle pinch. "Alright, I won't keep you waiting too long."He turned his attention to the tile beneath the column, giving it a firm tap. It crumbled, revealing the hollow space beneath.He laughed, "Looks like this place really hasn't seen repairs in a century.""Huh?" Debra leaned in, her eyes widening at the sight of the broken tile. "This tile must be worth a pretty penny.""I'll cover the damage," Marion said, already digging into the dirt bricks next to the column.His efforts unearthed a sealed redwood box, its antique appearance hinting at a history spanning a hundred years."This box is exquisite. Must be worth a fortune.""It's pr
"This is the old double-entry bookkeeping system. It looks complicated," said Debra, squinting at the thick ledgers laid out in front of her."You can understand it?" Marion asked, surprised."Sort of," she replied, eyes still fixed on the pages. "I haven't seen this in a long time, so I'll need to refamiliarize myself." Debra examined the books closely. Beside her, Marion couldn't help but watch her serious expression."I didn't realize you were so skilled. You even know how to handle this kind of bookkeeping."Debra smiled but gave him a playful eye roll."Did you forget what I studied? I majored in finance. If I can't read these books, how could I ever manage a company?"Despite her light tone, Debra couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude toward Juan.In her past life, she had loved him deeply and had worked tirelessly to learn everything about finance just to help him. She'd absorbed knowledge quickly back then. If not for the foundation she built in that life, she wou
Debra glanced at Marion, and in that instant, she realized what was going on.She quickly addressed Ben."Got it. I'll call him back later.""Okay."After ending the call, Debra turned toward Marion, raising an eyebrow."Did you mess with my phone?""I didn't touch it."Marion's expression was as innocent as a puppy's, and Debra remembered that her phone had been with her the whole time. Still, her gut told her that Marion was involved."You'd better come clean," she warned with a half-smile.Faced with her ultimatum, Marion sighed and confessed, "Randy and Erica installed a chip in your phone. It automatically blocks all calls and messages from Juan.""And you weren't going to tell me?" she asked, folding her arms."I forgot," Marion said innocently.Debra pressed her fingers to her temples, frustrated but not surprised. This was exactly the kind of thing Randy and Erica would pull.After their last run-in, it seemed they were determined to use any means necessary to stop
By the time Debra arrived at the Nichols family's residence, it was already afternoon.She took out her keys, but just as she was about to open the door, she remembered that the locks had been changed long ago.Right then, Sophie opened the door. When she saw Debra, her face lit up with uncontrollable joy."Madam, you're back. Come on in." Sophie ushered Debra inside, beaming as she spoke. "I heard you were coming back today, so I made a table full of dishes. Mr. Nichols said you would be staying. Is it true?"Debra shook her head lightly. "Not quite. I still have to leave for work."Sophie nodded understandingly. "That makes sense. Work matters."Juan descended from the second floor. His expression, usually cold and distant, finally softened a bit when he saw Debra.Melody emerged from her room and cast a glance at Juan, clearly displeased, but she eventually reined in her temper and said, "Sophie, you really don't know how to follow proper etiquette. How could you not inform m
"Half a million a month. You wouldn't even need to leave the house, and that should be enough.""I don't think so."Debra rested her chin in her hand, gazing at Juan with a tender expression."Juan gives me a million every month and allows me to work.""What?" Melody shot a stern look at Juan. Her tone turned serious as she asked, "Juan, is this true?"Juan knew Debra was saying this on purpose, but he calmly replied, "Debra can do whatever she likes. Grandma, you don't need to worry about it.""How can I not worry? At my age, I expect to see the next generation being born. You're Juan. How could you keep such things from me?" Melody sulked.Debra chimed in, "Don't be upset, grandma. This is a private matter between us as a couple. Juan and I have already signed an agreement. We agreed that after remarrying, we'd be child-free."Juan choked on his soup, while Melody was stunned."Child-free? Juan, how could you agree to such a thing?"Debra contentedly continued her meal wh
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