"Yes, boss."The subordinates quickly carried out Drake's order, but before they could get out of the hall, Juan walked in.Looking around the empty place, he remarked, "Looks like I'm late."Drake narrowed his eyes. "You knew Debra was the head of the McKinney Group. Why didn't you tell me?""What?" Juan raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know.""Don't give me that. She was your wife. How could you not know?" Drake snorted.Juan remained composed. "We were only married on paper. I didn't know anything about her affairs."His sincere expression convinced Drake, who took a deep breath and barked at his men. "What are you waiting for? Go smash the party.""Yes, boss.""Hold it." Juan stopped them.Drake frowned. "What do you want to say?""The Potter family is reputable here. If you attack them, you'll never be able to stand your ground in this city again," Juan warned."Are you saying even you can't handle the Potter family?""It's not that I can't handle them, but it's a hassle,
The Potter family was an ancient and respected clan in Seamar City, second to none in terms of reputation and influence. Never in his life had Randy seen anyone disrupting any event hosted by the Potters.Debra said, "Just in case. Drake is unpredictable and violent. There's nothing he won't do.""Alright. I'll get ready. If he dares to show up, I'll make him lose so much face that he'll have to hide in Orkgate for the rest of his life," Randy replied.Just then, Erica emerged from the banquet hall. "Randy, what are you dawdling for? There's still a lot to do inside."Debra's face lit up with a smile. "Erica."Erica froze for a moment before spotting Debra standing by a car. Erica's eyes welled up, and she rushed over to hug Debra tightly. "Oh, sweetheart, I thought I'd never see you again."Randy tugged at her clothes, reminding her, "People are watching. Mind your image."To the public, Erica was always known as an iron businesswoman. But in private, she and Randy were quite t
All eyes turned to the new arrival, and the room fell silent as they recognized Juan.Everyone knew that Debra was once Juan's wife, and their recent divorce made his presence even more unsettling.Juan and Marion were both powerful figures not to be trifled with.Randy was stunned. "What the hell? How did he get in? What were the guards doing?"He moved to intercept Juan, but before he could, Juan's men rushed in.Debra frowned. "Today's event is hosted by the Potter family, not the Nichols family. Are you trying to challenge all of us here by doing this?"Although Juan had been the dominant force in Seamar City for years, the combined strength of the five families was not something he could easily overcome.Juan glanced around at the guests and replied coolly, "You stole Drake's guests. Can't I come and do the same?""Juan, don't get cocky," Randy shouted, pushing past a bodyguard and coming out of the crowd.Erica followed suit, standing beside him."You had your days," Ra
The lollipop dangled from Marion's mouth like a cigar.While the guests were confused, he casually raised his hand, and several guards immediately rushed inside.Juan's bodyguards were good, but they couldn't compare to these people, who were trained according to military standards. Tension rose in an instant.The crowd fidgeted, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire."I'd like to see who dares to walk out of this door today," Marion said calmly.His guards drew their electric batons, and the crowd gulped nervously.Ever since Marion arrived in Seamar City, he had kept a profile so low that people had forgotten how he had made his name known.Even though he was now the head of the Houston Group and had toned down his behavior, he still could do things recklessly.The choice between money and life became clear to everyone present. Those who had been swayed by Juan's words now dared not move again.Their choice became clear, and Juan was not delighted.Marion walked up to h
"You didn't tell me about the engagement part," Debra said to Marion.She had noticed something different earlier when she entered the banquet hall, but she didn't believe Marion was behind it."Not my idea," Marion replied. "When I was pushed downstairs, they only told me to change my clothes. They didn't mention it was an engagement party.""They?" Debra's gaze shifted to Randy and Erica. "It was you guys."Randy smiled awkwardly, and Erica quickly explained, "Well, the last engagement party didn't go as planned. We wanted to make up for it, but who knew..."No one had expected Juan's arrival to cause trouble. It was infuriating.Debra turned back to Marion. "I thought you were planning a surprise for me."It would have been a pleasant surprise if it weren't for the disturbance.Marion pinched her nose and said, "Who said I didn't plan anything? It's just that they took matters into their own hands and almost ruined my plans.""Wait, you had plans and didn't tell us?" Randy
It was easy to get here but hard to get out."Mr. Eaton Sr. has only one daughter. He wants you to take care of her and keep her out of harm's way, or else..." Kale didn't finish his words, but the underlining meaning was clear.Drake rubbed his temples. "I see. If she wants to move in, let her. As long as she doesn't cause any trouble, I'll protect her."Women were just stepping stones for him. Once he had control of the Eaton family, he would have the necessary power to beat Marion."I'll arrange a room for her right away."Drake then recalled the revelation of Debra being the head of the McKinney Group. But even though she was powerful, she would yield to his drugs.He murmured, "Hold out for as long as you can, Debra."The second wave of the drugs' effects was underway. Without the cure, no one could tough it out. He believed it wouldn't take long before she crawled back to him.The party ended. Randy and Erica directed their staff to clean up.Debra watched them bicker an
Debra was startled, worried that it was Marion. She couldn't let him see her like that.She quickly braced herself against the bathroom door, and sure enough, Marion's anxious voice rang out from the other side. "Debra?"She barely managed, "It's just collywobbles. Just go wait outside."Her tone was a bit reproachful, and Marion frowned. "Did you eat something bad tonight?""Yeah, maybe," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "Can you go get me some medicine?"Marion agreed, "Okay, I'll be right back."Debra breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Marion leave. She tottered to the bathtub and splashed cold water on her face, trying to stay conscious. Her hands were shaking so much that the water soaked her clothes.Marion came back and knocked lightly. "I'll leave the medicine on the table. Andrew wants to see me. I'll be back soon.""Go ahead. I'll be fine," Debra managed, hanging on a shard of senses.As Marion's footsteps faded away, she opened the bathroom door, tr
Randy and Erica burst into the room, only to find Debra clamping down on Marion's arm with her teeth.Shocked, Randy rushed forward to separate them.But Marion stopped him. "Don't move.""What? Your arm is bleeding." Randy was confused, but he quickly noticed Debra's unusual pallor.He touched her forehead and found it was burning.Erica stood by, anxious. "What's going on? What happened to Debra?""Say no more," Randy said with a grim expression, grabbing her arm. "We need to get out of here.""What? No, we can't just leave," Erica said anxiously, calling out to Debra.But Debra seemed oblivious and looked painful."Let's leave." Randy pulled Erica back and dragged her out of the room.Andrew was already outside. Erica rushed to him."Debra is sick. Please call a doctor.""I already did. But remember, don't let anyone else know about this.""I understand. I'll go find William," Randy responded with rare seriousness.Erica, sensing the gravity of the situation, muttered,
By rights, if they were to change leadership, they'd have to follow a process.At least, they should introduce the new president. Yet the new president was directly appointed without any of the proper procedures. No one had even bothered to take the shares from Drake.It was all so strange.Marion believed the Lowe Group had hidden assets and those behind the scenes held the largest share of hidden interests. To Debra, many things still didn't add up.As the head of the Lowe Group for years, Drake should have known about this.Drake spoke blandly, "When I was adopted by the Lowe family, I was busy cramming financial knowledge. I'm not like Marion. He's a rich boy from the slums, just there for the experience. I don't know these things. So, I had to work harder than others. In the beginning, there wasn't just me as the heir. I was just transferred from overseas to make up the numbers. The Bernard family wanted to get involved with the Lowe family, so they sent some people over. Mar
A loud crash came from Drake's room.Debra paused for a moment before opening the door.Inside, Drake was still lying on the bed, but his complexion had improved a lot.In black pajamas, he threw a dart at the TV. The screen shattered beyond repair."Looks like someone's in a bad mood," Debra said.Drake glanced at her and remained unhappy."Was faking my critical illness Marion's idea?""Yes.""Have you caught the person behind it?""Not yet.""My company was taken. It was all Marion's fault.""He did it to protect you. The assassination reveals their intention to seize the Lowe Group because they think they can't control you anymore. They wouldn't stop until you were dead. You got lucky and survived, but next time, you might not be so fortunate.""I don't need him to protect me."Debra knew better than to push him. She stepped closer and softened her tone. "I talked with Marion. What he did wasn't exactly appropriate."Drake scoffed, "You and Marion are two peas in a po
Erica took out a small mirror from her pocket and began touching up her makeup.She added, "You wouldn't believe how clingy those people were. Bad for them, their opponent was me.""What exactly happened?" Debra remained confused.Erica patted Randy's shoulder and said, "Show her what we found."Randy placed a crest in front of Debra and said, "Looks familiar?"Debra frowned as she saw the Lowe family's logo on it.Randy explained, "We were ambushed on our way back. The attackers all carried this crest. They're from the Lowe family. The anti-counterfeiting mark proves it's not fake."Debra turned to Marion. "What about you?"Those people wouldn't have just gone after Randy and Erica.Marion pulled out two crests from his pocket, and Randy clicked his tongue. "Ha! Looks like the new president of the Lowe Group can't wait to kill them. It's funny, though, he only sent a bunch of incompetent fools.""I think he's declaring war on us," Erica chimed in. "But his men are weak."De
"Randy, get the hammer from the trunk," Erica said. "Let's beat the crap out of them.""Are you serious?" Randy swallowed hard.He didn't think they needed to go that far. Fighting with hammers could kill these people. Giving them a small punishment would be enough."Erica...""Cut the crap, and do as I say. Or I'll beat you up too."Randy shook his head and complied.The thugs quickly rushed up. Erica swiftly raised her leg, her high heel slashing across one face and leaving a deep gash.The thugs kept charging, thinking they could crush her with their number.Through their moves, Erica sensed their desperation to kill Randy and her.It prompted her to launch even fiercer attacks. Every move she made was aimed at a vital spot.Randy watched in awe, tossing the hammer to her. Once armed, Erica was almost unstoppable.Caleb had trained her at a young age and taught her how to use agility and speed to her advantage. With these skills, she could beat people with greater strengt
Maybe, everyone had gone out of the banquet.Ivan came downstairs.Garland rushed over and asked, "Have you seen everyone?""Who are we talking about?""Jordan, Randy, and Erica.""No." With that simple answer, Ivan headed straight to the kitchen.Garland put his hands on his hips, fuming. "What an attitude. When Debra's around, you act like a puppy. The minute she leaves, you flip faster than anyone else."Ivan ignored him.Garland gritted his teeth. "Sooner or later, I'll catch you slipping and prove you're an undercover spy."Barton came downstairs. Garland eagerly approached him."Barton, where is everyone? Debra and Marion have disappeared too. They didn't leave us behind to attend a banquet, did they?""What banquet?""A welcoming banquet.""A welcoming banquet?""You know, when someone returns from afar, there's supposed to be a big feast.""Oh, there's been too much going on lately to prepare any banquets. But thanks for your effort. The living room looks a bit
Emotionally, Debra didn't want Marion to hide anything from her.But she wasn't stupid. What Andrew had said earlier was practically a hint.Marion tightened his grip on her hand and murmured, "I love you."Those words came out of his mouth less smoothly than usual.He gently brushed Debra's head and added, "Don't overthink it. Just give me some time, okay?"There was an almost pleading tone in his voice. It was something Debra had never heard from him before.He was definitely hiding something, and it was serious.Debra caught those two pieces of information."Did you cheat on me?""Absolutely not.""Am I not your first woman?""You're the only woman I've ever had.""Have you done anything against your principles?""No."Marion's answers were surprisingly quick, almost anxious.Debra smiled in relief, "Then I'm not worried."Marion seemed taken aback.Debra continued, "What I want is a man who loves me completely. He might not have money or power, but he has to love m
Debra looked at Andrew's serious expression and chose to believe him."You're always deceptive. I can't really believe this," she said."Whether you believe it or not is your judgment. Whether I say it or not is my decision," Andrew smiled faintly. "So, will you trust me or not?"Anyone else would be suspicious of Andrew. He was the kind of person who could control the big picture. He was the only one here who couldn't be figured out. But strangely, Debra felt a sense of closeness to him. She always said she didn't trust him, yet deep down, she had faith in him.Every time she worked with him, she was the one who benefited the most."I trust you," Debra said. "No matter what others think, I always believe you."For a moment, Andrew's expression softened, but it was barely noticeable.Soon, he regained his calm and said, "Never trust anyone completely, not even the ones closest to you.""Marion would never lie to me, neither would you," she said."Everyone has their secrets,
Andrew was lying on his bed, looking pale.Barton closed the door as Debra and Marion came up."Mr. Andrew Potter's condition has been fluctuating and never seems to improve. This time, it's especially severe. He might not be able to get out of bed for a while," he said.The doctors were holding a meeting in the adjacent room.Debra glanced over at Ivan, who was cleaning the second floor."Can we see him now?""Mr. Andrew Potter needs rest. Only one of you can go in."Barton's gaze shifted to Marion, who asked, "Who does he want to see?"Barton cleared his throat and looked at Debra. "How about Mrs. Houston going in?"Debra was speechless. These people sure had convoluted ways of doing things, even their speech was like a puzzle to figure out."Alright," she finally said.Barton pushed the door open, and Debra walked in.Outside, Marion leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.Barton said, "Mr. Houston, here is a no-smoking zone.""Will he die because of it?" Marion r
Melody fumed, watching Juan leave.She spat, "Taking the shares and turning your back. Like mother, like son. How disrespectful!"Juan stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "Grandma, in this family, the one with power has the right to speak. Isn't that what you've always taught me? I've taken that lesson to heart. You're part of the family too. You shouldn't forget the rules."Melody was stunned. The Nichols family had always followed strict, conservative rules. Women were expected to obey their husbands and care for the household. In truth, these rules were not made from the beginning.Melody made them for her daughter-in-law to follow.When her husband was still around, he never restrained her. She was just unwilling to let go of those old-fashioned ideas, and those rules were just tools for her to control the next generations.Juan had known this for a long time but had never spoken up out of respect for Melody. But over the years, she had become more and more parano