Debra stared defiantly at Drake, whose eyes were filled with amusement.She scoffed, "A powerful CEO like you, resorting to something as crude as kidnapping? When word of this leaks out, your carefully polished reputation in Orkgate will crumble."In Orkgate, Drake was feared by all. But behind the impenetrable façade, Debra knew the truth. Drake was nothing more than a twisted man reveling in control and cruelty.Drake's smile widened. "Marion has done worse things than I ever have. Didn't he tell you? I guess he doesn't trust you enough to be honest. Or maybe he's afraid to show you his true colors."He plucked a rose from the table and added, "I wonder if you knew all of Marion's dirty secrets, would you still be so eager to become Mrs. Houston?"They had risen from the same ruthless underworld. Marion was just luckier than him.Kale touched his earpiece, his face tightening. "Boss, Marion's men are here."Debra instinctively shifted, her muscles tensing to rise. But Drake's
But if Marion wasn't coming, Debra didn't know what would happen to her.The thought sent a shiver through her bones. She pounded her fist against the door, frustration fueling her."Open up. I need to speak to Drake.""Save your breath, Ms. Frazier. No one opens that door without his orders.""So, if I die here, that's fine with you?""Even if you die, I can't open the door without his orders."Realizing the futility, she stepped away from the door, her mind racing. Waiting for Drake to release her wasn't an option. She needed a plan.Her gaze swept over the room, pausing on the stacked bottles of wine. An idea began to take shape.Hours crawled by, the silence inside the cellar thickening like a shroud. Outside, Lara shifted nervously. It had been almost ten hours, and not a sound had come from within.Upstairs in the study, Drake was playing chess alone.Kale entered, carrying a tray of dinner. "Marion's men seem to have vanished. We're still looking for their hideouts. So
"Get in!" Kale shoved Debra into Drake's bedroom.The sharp scent of wine clung to her like a second skin. Her hair and clothes were stained, droplets dripping onto the floor.Drake stepped out of the bathroom. His white bathrobe hung loosely, and beads of water rolled off his damp hair.Debra's gaze flickered across his body, noting the scars etched into his skin. They mirrored what she had seen on Marion.Catching her stare, Drake smirked, "Enjoying the view? Want me to take it all off?"Debra snapped her eyes away. "No need. There's nothing worth seeing."Drake snorted, glancing at her bedraggled appearance. "You sure know how to make an entrance, don't you? Wrecked millions of dollars' worth of wine. Is this your way of trying to get me mad enough to kill you?""I value my life. Dying's not on my agenda.""Then what were you thinking, destroying my wine cellar?"His voice grew darker, his irritation palpable beneath the surface."So, tell me. How are you going to compensa
Drake nodded. "You've got a point."Debra continued to say, "So, I want to take down the man who played with my heart. It's only fair, right?""Fair," Drake echoed. "If someone played with my feelings like that, I wouldn't just kill them. I'd make sure they bled first."Debra pressed on. "I'm not here to sacrifice myself for some guy. I've lost everything—my family, my position in the McKinney Group. I can't even go back to Seamar City. I'm asking for a chance to work for you here in Orkgate. I'll make enough money to exact my revenge."Drake chuckled, "So, you want to deal cards at my casino?""That's right." Debra didn't hesitate.Kale frowned, but Drake was interested."Alright, I'll give you a chance.""Really?""Yeah.""Does that mean you won't lock me up anymore?""Of course," Drake said, turning to Kale. "Get her some clean clothes.""Yes, sir." Kale cast a sidelong glance at Debra and left the room.Drake tossed a towel toward her. "Go take a shower."Debra caught
Debra had no choice; there was nothing else in the room to wear. With a reluctant sigh, she slipped into the dress. As she opened the bathroom door, Drake's gaze flickered over.The black dress clung to her body, accentuating her every curve. The intricate lacework caressed her skin, making her hourglass waist impossible to overlook.Drake's eyes roamed over her, and he swallowed.Sensing the intensity of his stare, Debra sulked, "What kind of clothes did you prepare for me?"Drake looked away and replied coolly, "Your work uniform.""Work uniform?" Debra glanced down at the dress. "You expect me to work like this?""Got a problem with that?""Isn't it a bit too revealing?"Though Debra didn't mind wearing mature clothing, this dress was far too provocative.Drake stepped closer, his tone cold and firm. "Your only value to me is your pretty face and that perfect body. You're here to attract clients, nothing more. Tonight is just a trial run. If you think you can't handle it, j
"Why not?""You can't tell? Kale has it out for me. I'm afraid he'll get rid of me when you're not looking.""Kale isn't that kind of man. He follows my orders to the letter.""I don't care. I want you to take me.""You want me to escort you? That's quite the request.""Come on, just take me. With you around, I would have nothing to worry about."Her words were thinly veiled jabs at Kale, who listened quietly outside the room.Drake found her antics mildly entertaining. Against his better judgment, he nodded."Alright, I can do that."Debra's eyes lit up, but he added, "But that's a waste of my time. Who is going to clean up the mess in the cellar?""Seriously? You've got a house full of servants.""They all come with a price."His implication was clear, and Debra had to give in."I'll do it.""You've got until morning. If you finish, I'll take you there. If not...""I'll finish it. I'm doing it right away."But Drake stopped her once again."Now what?""Change into t
Debra surveyed the spilled wine and toppled barrels. Even with ten cleaning staff laboring through the night, it was impossible to clean up.Drake was doing this on purpose to give her a hard time.If she wanted him to escort her to the casino, she needed to rethink her strategy.Seizing a fleeting opportunity before Kale returned, Debra darted to the first floor.A maid spotted her and asked, "Ms. Frazier, why are you out of the cellar? Mr. Lowe ordered that you can't leave until it's cleaned up."Debra forced a nervous smile. "I was scared down there all alone. Have you seen Kale? He was with me, but I looked around, and he just disappeared."The maid paused. "I think I saw him go upstairs a while ago. He'll probably be back soon. If you're scared, I can be down there with you."Debra hesitated. "But Mr. Lowe said no one else is allowed down there except Kale. And I just found out the detergent was running out. Could you grab me a bottle? I'll wait down there.""Sure, I'll ge
The maid halted mid-step, her body going rigid with fear.Kale's cold voice followed her. "I didn't do anything. Why are you running?"The maid trembled. "Yes, Mr. Mclean. You did nothing."Debra seized the moment. "I know you don't like me, but I swear I never meant any harm to Mr. Lowe. Please, just let me go."Understanding dawned in Kale's eyes. Fury simmered beneath the surface as he muttered, "Debra, you..."Before he could finish, Debra closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground.The maid freaked out and dashed upstairs, shouting, "Help! Ms. Frazier has fainted."Kale looked down at Debra, frustration etched across his features.Lara pounded on Drake's bedroom door, urgency in her voice. "Boss, something is wrong.""Come in," Drake said.Lara opened the door, only to find Drake changing his shirt. She quickly bowed her head and reported, "Ms. Frazier passed out in the wine cellar.""What?" Drake was surprised. "Where's Kale?""He was there when it happened. The maid
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