Caleb grumbled, "You should have told me sooner. I've been putting on this act for so long.""Seeing how much you enjoyed it, I didn't want to spoil your fun," Marion replied with a smirk."You're just like Marion's mother," Caleb said.Debra smiled, her eyes scanning the table laden with exquisite cuisine. Caleb had no appetite for it."Since Marion truly loves you," he said, "I wholeheartedly approve. You two should set a date soon. I'll take care of the wedding arrangements. It'll be one less worry for me."Debra paused, her hand hovering over her knife and fork. Marion interjected, "We appreciate your concern, but we have our plans for the wedding.""What do you mean?" Caleb sulked. "You have someone you love, and you're not marrying her? That's just irresponsible. We're not short on money for a wedding. Why are you being so stingy?"He misunderstood the situation. The butler cleared his throat softly. "Ms. Frazier is still married.""Still married? To that Nichols boy?" Ca
Spoke of the devil, and he called."I need to take this call," Debra said, getting up and moving to the side."Mr. Andrew Potter, what's up?""Come to my office.""What's so urgent that it can't wait?""I've already sent someone to pick you up. They should be there now.""But I'm at Mr. Houston Sr.'s house.""I know."His calm, measured voice was unnerving, as if he knew her every move. Debra's brows furrowed even deeper."Is this necessary?""Bring Marion with you."Before Debra could respond, Andrew hung up.She glanced at Marion and walked back."Mr. Houston Sr., I have some business to take care of with Marion. We need to leave."Marion stood up without hesitation, seemingly ready to leave long before she even mentioned it. Although Caleb looked a little disappointed, he didn't try to keep them. With a sigh, he waved for someone to escort them out.As they stepped through the gate, a sleek luxury car was waiting at the edge of the driveway. Debra immediately recogniz
The night was cloaked in shadows. Ever since word spread that Drake had come to Seamar City, the city's elite had been clamoring for an invitation.Tonight, the Lowe Group was throwing an exclusive party at a private villa.Even though Debra had lived in Seamar City for years, she had never seen this building before. It was as if it had materialized overnight. Suspicion gnawed at her, but she pushed it aside for now. There were more pressing matters to consider.The guests included their business partners as well as Seamar City's most powerful and influential. As Debra arrived, she was struck by the sight of famous actresses and red-carpet royalty milling about the grand entrance.These weren't just any celebrities; they were top-tier stars with millions of followers.Debra stepped out of the car, her face partially obscured by the mask the host had provided. She wore an understated gown. Even so, her presence drew attention.At events like this, masks were merely a formality. Mo
This meant that all the Lowe Group's dealings with these people were conducted in secret. Such secrecy hinted at something shady.Debra was engrossed in her thoughts when a figure suddenly appeared, breaking her concentration.The man was dressed in a white shirt, his demeanor elegant and refined. Although he wore a mask, Debra instantly recognized him as Edgar.Fearing that Edgar might recognize her, Debra quickly hid to the side. Edgar was engaged in friendly conversation with the people around him, clearly not a first-time attendee at such parties. The guests here seemed quite familiar with Edgar, indicating that he had already established connections in Seamar City."Mr. Odom, it seems your recent business ventures haven't been going too well. Do you need our help?" one of the guests asked."Just some minor issues. Once I return to Booton, I'll be able to sort them out. Of course, I'm very interested in collaborating with the Lowe Group," Edgar replied, raising his glass with
Peter Moss, a manager of the Lowe Group, watched the commotion with growing irritation. He rushed over and snapped at Debra, "Bitch, Mr. Odom noticed you. Do you even know how lucky you are? Acting like this, do you not want a future in this business?"Debra recognized him as the one who had been accompanying Edgar earlier. The atmosphere grew tense, and it became clear that the people here had their methods for dealing with disobedient actresses.As two bodyguards moved toward her, the security guard from earlier, who had verified her invitation, rushed forward, shouting, "Stop!"He rushed over to Peter and whispered something to the latter. Peter's face paled instantly."Why are you telling me this now?""I'm sorry, sir."Straightening his suit, Peter forced a smile and turned to Debra, the aggression now replaced with an overly polite tone. "My deepest apologies, Miss. This was all just a misunderstanding. Since you're here representing the Potter Group, please, feel free to e
The man screamed as his arm was twisted painfully behind him, drawing the attention of everyone nearby."What the hell? You can't treat me like this. I'm one of your highest-level members!" he hollered, struggling against the guard's grip. "I'll report this. I'm gonna report all of you!"Debra furrowed her brows, surprised this party would operate under a membership system.Before she could gather her thoughts, Peter rushed over, attempting to diffuse the situation. "My sincerest apologies, sir, but this lady is one of our VIP guests.""VIP my ass!" the man spat. "If she's such a big deal, why didn't you say so earlier? I've set my sights on her, and no one's gonna stop me."The moment he refused to back down, Peter's smile vanished. His voice dropped, cold and unforgiving. "The Lowe Group has its rules, sir. And if you don't follow them, you'll be disrupting Mr. Lowe's event."The drunken man, now emboldened by alcohol, scoffed. "Screw your rules. I've spent a fortune at your pl
Kai scrambled to get to Drake's feet, groveling as he spoke. "Mr. Lowe, I just drank too much. I'd never dare cause trouble in front of you. I'm so sorry."He punctuated his words by slapping himself across the face.Drake seemed entertained, but Peter said, "Sir, this guy has been a regular here. He's one of our VIP members. Maybe we should...""Drag him out," Drake interrupted. "Give him ten beautiful women as compensation."Everyone in the room froze for a moment, clearly surprised by this. Debra frowned, thinking this seemed more like a reward than a punishment. Even Kai looked stunned. He hadn't expected to be handed such a golden opportunity. He thought about all the money he'd poured into the Lowe Group, becoming a top-tier member, and felt like this was his rightful treatment.But just as Kai was about to offer his thanks, Drake's cold voice cut through the air again."That new batch of medicine we received? Give it all to him. He can leave once he's finished every last
But to everyone's surprise, Drake didn't seem offended. Instead, he chuckled softly, his lips curling into a sly smile as he continued to advance toward Debra."Did Andrew not warn you? Once you're here, I'm the king. Everyone answers to me. And that includes you."His casual, predatory tone made the hairs on Debra's neck stand up.Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from across the room, drawing everyone's attention. A maid had accidentally bumped into Edgar, causing the wine bottle she was holding to shatter on the floor.Edgar snapped, "Can you not do your job right?""I'm so sorry, sir," the maid apologized profusely.The distraction gave Debra the perfect opportunity. She quickly put some distance between herself and Drake."Mr. Lowe, you're right. I should learn the rules around here. If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave. Have a good evening."She quickly turned on her heel, heading for the exit before Drake could stop her. "Mr. Lowe, should we bring her back?" Peter asked
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
When they entered the dream, the gems were real.Fermin had woken up faster than them and taken the gems. Then he must have found a way to hide them or hand them off to someone else.In other words, this whole thing was planned. "If that's the case, Mrs. Houston and the others are in danger," Barton said anxiously, realizing someone in their group was a traitor.The Illuminati couldn't have collected so many rare stones for nothing. There had to be a scheme."I need to think this through," Andrew muttered, pressing his forehead.Barton noticed his pale face and immediately stepped forward. "Sir, are you having another episode? William said you shouldn't stress yourself out. I'll get your medicine.""Come back," Andrew said. "I'm not taking any medicine right now.""It won't work, sir. The doctor warned you against thinking too much. That's why you left Seamar City to enjoy peace. Mrs. Houston has Mr. Houston looking out for her. You don't need to worry, sir."Andrew had thoug
Michael chuckled, "You probably won't believe this, but after I finished work, I found this thing right outside my door.""What?" Debra was shocked.Michael explained, "Since that night you asked me to keep an eye out, I reached out to a few international contacts. But I came up empty. Then, the very next day, this thing was sitting outside my door."Debra mused, "So, you think someone knew you were investigating, so they gave you a shortcut?""If that's the case, then the organization must be massive, and the entertainment industry could very well be their way of spreading their influence," Michael said.A lightbulb went off in Debra's head.At those banquets held by the Lowe family, most of the guests were from the entertainment industry. Whether they were once-famous stars or rising ones, these celebrities were typically the targets of wealthy businessmen.If the entertainment industry was being used to spread Illuminati teachings, then it wasn't the stars trapping the rich m
When the bathroom door opened, Debra was soaking in the bathtub.She asked awkwardly, "Uh, where's the towel?"It was her first time staying in that house, and she hadn't expected the towel not to be in the bathroom.Marion was relieved to see her fine. "I'll get it for you."He walked over to grab the towel, then entered the bathroom and draped it over her shoulders.Her cheeks looked rosy, maybe because of the heat in the bathroom.Worried about her injury, he gently lifted her out of the bathtub. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. Their breaths mixed as she was held close to him.His arms were robust, easily lifting her with no effort."Are you tired?""I-I am.""Then lie down and let me serve you."He kissed her forehead, but she tapped his shoulder. "Hey! I just finished my shower."It was getting dark. Marion ordered takeout, all of Debra's favorite dishes.Her body was sore all over. She didn't want to move, and Marion had to feed her.Leaning on t
"Marion, what are you doing?" Debra shot him a warning look.Marion shrank back."Alright. I'll call again when I get there," Michael said."Okay." Debra ended the call and looked up to see Marion's frustrated look."I'm hungry," she said, pecking him on the lips.Marion lost what little control he had left. He tilted her chin up, pressed a hand to the back of her neck, and kissed her deeply.It wasn't until they were both breathless that he finally pulled away."Let's go eat," he said.Debra glared at him, knowing he was doing that on purpose."Well, I'm not that hungry anymore," she said deliberately.Marion looked back and met her limpid eyes. His lips, slightly swollen from his kisses, were soft and inviting like ripe cherries."I am hungry, though." His voice was low, teasing.This time, his kisses were slow, lingering. His lips trailed down to her neck, and their breaths both quickened.Debra's silk nightgown slipped down to her waist, the lace straps of her undergar