In the Legacy Hotel, Cathryn scrolled through the nasty comments online with growing irritation.Kale knocked on the door. "Miss Bernard, it's almost time.""Come in," Cathryn answered.Kale stepped inside and saw Cathryn dressed in an off-shoulder evening gown. She looked elegant and regal, embodying the image of a perfect socialite.Despite her refined upbringing, Cathryn had been shielded from the harshness of the outside world due to her fragile health. Facing such a violent onslaught from the internet, she could barely hold herself together."Where's Drake? I want to see him.""Mr. Lowe is still changing and not available right now."Cathryn shoved her phone toward him, the screen lit up with those venomous comments. "He'd better have an explanation for this. Aren't you even trying to do PR work?"Back when Debra was slandered online, Marion immediately had a PR team clean it up. But now, Drake was doing nothing for her.Kale glanced at the phone and said, "Don't worry, M
Kale couldn't fathom why Drake was so sure about that.Just then, a voice from outside the suite announced, "Boss, Mrs. Houston is here.""And Marion?" Drake asked."No sign of him," the guard replied.Drake nodded with satisfaction. "Good. I'll go greet her."The guard was surprised that Drake wanted to welcome Debra in person.Kale turned to the staff and ordered, "Clean up the room."The staff entered and saw more than a dozen suits laid out on the bed. It showed how seriously Drake was taking this engagement party.In the banquet hall, the guests were all business associates of the Bernard family, many of whom were dissatisfied with Marion's leadership.Debra entered and felt countless eyes on her. Their hostility and scrutiny were plain to see.Everyone knew that Marion had come back with his new wife this time.Although they weren't officially married, their relationship was public knowledge. Almost everyone there knew Cathryn's affection for Marion. Many had assumed C
Debra scoffed, "That's a bit rude. She's your fiancée?"Drake shrugged. "Business arrangement. No feelings involved.""Aren't you straightforward?" Debra snorted, her gaze flickering to the group of journalists. "But if you plan to use the Lowe family to outmaneuver Marion, I'd save myself the trouble if I were you.""Doubting my capability?" Drake leaned in. "You played me so many times. I've been kind enough not to hold it against you. But today, you'll bear witness to how I take everything Marion holds dear.""Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't come here to see you win anything.""Oh? Then why are you here?""To watch you make a fool of yourself."...In the center of the banquet hall, the host took the stage and enthusiastically began introducing the evening's main event: Drake's engagement with Cathryn.The reporters sprang into action, publishing the news on various platforms.As the host's voice echoed through the room, Drake handed his champagne glass to Debra. "Watch closely. E
"No. It must have been an oversight by my staff," Drake said, casting a glance at Liza.Then, with deliberate flair, he took Cathryn's hand in his and smiled. "Cathryn and Miss Eaton are such good friends. How could we possibly forget to invite Miss Eaton to our engagement party? Isn't that right, Cathryn?"Cathryn's face went as pale as a sheet as Drake pushed the problem to her.Debra, who had been sipping the champagne that Drake had handed her earlier, nearly choked. 'Wow, passing the blame like that?' "I..." Cathryn struggled to form a response.Drake cut in with feigned surprise, "What? Did you really forget to send Miss Eaton an invitation?"Cathryn paled further. She couldn't invite Liza, who had just broken off her engagement to Drake. Yet here was Drake, throwing the blame squarely on her shoulders.Cathryn found herself in a tight spot.Just then, Garland spoke up. "That aside, you get engaged again right after you break off your engagement with Liza. With your act
In just a few days, Fermin had managed to uncover all of Drake's associates. His tactics were indeed as formidable as the rumors suggested."The Eaton family may not be much, but we hold considerable influence here," Garland declared. "You failed Liza and wronged the Eaton family. You know what? While we may not control other territories, anyone who dares to do business with the Lowe family will face our wrath."Everyone in the crowd was shocked. They had believed that Drake would rise there as a new star, capable of challenging the Houston family. But now, it seemed that this star had been snuffed out before it could even shine.Debra struggled to stifle a laugh. She downed her champagne and placed the empty glass on a nearby table.Raising her voice, she said, "Mr. Eaton has made his point clear. Why is everyone still lingering here? Want to fight alongside Drake?"Drake glared at her. "You're enjoying this a bit too much, aren't you?"But his threat fell on deaf ears. She said
Garland, who had never been in a romantic relationship, cleared his throat.'Not in public. But when is it going to be my turn for a sweet romance like this?' he sighed.Drake grabbed Cathryn's arm and yanked her back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"Cathryn bit her lip, irritated by the public display of affection. She shrugged off Drake's grip and stepped forward once again. But before she could get close, Marion shot her a cold glance."Marion.""Don't come near me."Marion's gaze held no hatred, but it was distant and cold."Miss Bernard," Garland stepped in, "assaulting someone with a weapon is a criminal offense. For the sake of your friendship with Liza, I can plead with Mr. Houston on your behalf. But whether or not he forgives you depends on Ms. Frazier."He turned to Debra, expecting her decision. All eyes fell on her.Liza tensed up, unsure of how Debra would deal with Cathryn.Debra didn't mince words. "Attempted assault with a weapon? No, I won't forgi
Ignoring Drake's cold glare, he turned back to Debra and said, "Honey, the drama's over. I'll go pull the car around.""Sure," Debra replied smoothly.Before leaving, Marion cast a glance at Garland, who immediately felt a shiver down his spine.Marion's presence was just overwhelming.'How could anyone say that we could stand against Marion? I'm the bravest one in the family, but he still gives me chills,' he groaned inwardly."Mr. Eaton, do you remember when I paid you 50 million to work for me?" Debra asked."Yeah," Garland replied casually.Debra was puzzled, and Garland's earpiece buzzed.He quickly corrected himself, "I do remember. At New Age.""Good," Debra said, turning to leave.Garland was confused by her actions."Kale, have someone clean this up. We're leaving," Drake said, his mood sour.Then he paused and turned to Cathryn. "Miss Bernard, since the party is ruined, let's call off our wedding plans.""What did you say?" Cathryn was shocked.She had lost her
Drake rushed out of the hotel, followed closely by Kale."Boss, why are we in such a hurry?""You wouldn't understand."Drake strode toward the parking lot, but Marion's car was gone.He frowned in confusion. By right, Marion couldn't get his car away so quickly."Boss, what are you looking for?""The car.""Huh?""Where's Marion's car?""Driven away? I guess.""Driven away."Drake's mind raced. Given Marion's character, he wouldn't just leave without causing trouble.Something then hit Drake, and he cursed, "Shit!""Boss, what's wrong?" Drake didn't answer, instead quickening his pace toward his Ferrari. There it was, with two wheels missing.He had taken one wheel of Marion's car, and Marion retaliated with more despicable methods.Just then, a Bentley circled the hotel. Debra rolled down the window and laughed, "Mr. Lowe, it looks like your days here are numbered. Go back to Orkgate and be your big shot.""Debra!" Drake growled through gritted teeth.Inside the ca
Garland jumped in fright and almost tumbled down the stairs.His jaw dropped when he saw Juan standing there. "You got caught too?"Barton glanced at them before sensibly stepping away to give them space. His actions further confirmed Garland's guess.He dragged Juan to a quiet corner and bombarded him with questions. "How did you walk into their trap? What do they plan to do with you? What's your situation now? Are they going to lock you up with me? Should we pretend we don't know each other?"Though he'd only been in this house for a few days, he had realized that every single resident was shrewd and cunning.Outmaneuvering them was just mission impossible.Juan said calmly, "No one can know I'm here, especially not Debra. Got it?""Why not? Didn't you come back for her? Why do something good and keep it a secret?" Garland leaned in and whispered, "And about that wife-killing thing... Is it true or false? It's all over the news. I don't want to believe it, but knowing your tem
Late at night, Barton brought Juan to Andrew's study.The mansion was quiet, with no one on guard. Andrew was seated there at ease, and Juan asked, "Aren't you worried about being found out?Erica, Randy, Garland, and Liza were all staying there. And if Debra and Marion came back, his meeting with Andrew would be exposed.Andrew casually replied, "Marion is in the hospital getting treated. They won't be back anytime soon.""What about Garland and Liza?""Isn't Garland your sidekick? You think he'll rat you out?"Andrew always seemed to have everything under control, and it was hard to read his mind.Barton invited Juan to sit down and poured him some tea.Andrew said, "Debra must hate you to the core because of your actions. With all this media attention, you would have to step down. Are you really fine with that?""I've wanted to quit for a long time," Juan replied. "I don't believe you don't want to retire."The burden of the Potter family would crush anyone else within thr
Once they were gone, Debra asked, "Is Juan in the interrogation room?""Yes, he's being questioned right now," Pedro replied. "It's not a good time for visitors."Debra fell silent. She had rushed from the hospital to find out why Juan had acted like that.He wasn't the type to lose control or try to kill someone so recklessly. Something was not right."Then I'll wait here until he's done," she said, sitting down in a nearby chair.Pedro faltered, "Well, the interrogation could take all night, and I heard Mr. Houston is injured. Shouldn't you take care of him? I'll let you know the results first thing tomorrow morning."Debra was indeed worried about Marion's injuries. If the police station weren't so close to the hospital, she wouldn't have taken the time to come here.Now that waiting seemed pointless, she stood up and said, "Alright, please keep me posted. I'll be next door at the hospital.""Of course, I'll send someone to handle that," Pedro replied.Once Debra was gone,
"Watch your mouth. This is Mrs. Nichols Sr.," Joe chided, standing beside Melody.The officers recognized him and fell silent."Where are you keeping Juan? Release him now!" Melody demanded, disregarding her manners.Pedro appeared, smiling nervously. "Mrs. Nichols Sr., what brings you here so late?""Juan was taken by your people. Why do you think I'm here?""Well, this is tricky. He injured Mr. Houston, which should be handled through legal procedures. He is in our interrogation room. If you want to see him, I can arrange that.""Mr. Houston? Since when does he rule Seamar City? Juan would never do anything illegal. It must be a setup."It was known to all that Marion used to be an outlaw. Framing someone was easy for him.Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind her."A setup? Marion is injured by him. Juan tried to attack me. If Marion hadn't saved me, I'd be the one in the hospital," Debra accused.Melody turned to look at her. "It was you. I knew it. Juan did so much for
The knife sank deep into Marion's right abdomen, blood seeping through his clothes."Freeze!" A group of police officers stormed in from behind, quickly surrounding Juan in a tight circle.Juan raised his hands in surrender, but his gaze locked onto Debra, who was nervously tending to Marion.Debra glared at him. "Juan, are you out of your mind?"She had imagined a thousand ways he might come after her, but she never thought he'd resort to such a crude and desperate attempt to kill her.Juan sneered, "Shame I didn't kill you. But at least I've settled the score with Marion for the stab he gave me.""Take him away!" The police hauled Juan off to a waiting squad car.Paramedics rushed up quickly. Marion glanced at Debra, who was worried sick. He reached up to ruffle her hair and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch.""The knife was in your gut. Why did you follow me, you idiot?"Debra smacked him on the shoulder. Marion's strength faltered, and he dropped to one
Debra drove to the outskirts of the city to meet Juan at their agreed spot.He was standing in the middle of a deserted lane surrounded by rundown houses."Why did you call me here? What do you want to talk about?" Debra asked.Juan looked her up and down. "Drake vowed to take you out within three months, but here you are, still standing. You're tougher than I thought."Debra scoffed, "You don't seem too happy about that.""Enough for chitchat. Did you leak those news stories?" Juan demanded.Rumors about him killing Shelia were everywhere, and the police had started investigating. Juan's disappearance only added to the suspicion."You think I did that?" Debra laughed. "Am I that despicable to you? We're done with each other. I wouldn't go out of my way to cause you trouble. If that's why you called me here, you're wasting your time. It wasn't me."She turned to leave, but Juan stopped her. "Wait!"Debra turned back. "What now?""I killed her," he admitted.Debra froze. "Why
Debra shook her head and said, "I'm not sure, but keeping them around doesn't hurt. They have their freedom as long as things are under control."Randy came downstairs. "Chatting alone is not fun. Let's watch some TV."He grabbed the remote and switched on the television.A news report blared from the screen: "The Nichols Group CEO is suspected of killing his wife and is currently missing. The police are investigating, and the case is under further review."Erica and Randy both turned to look at Debra.Randy threw up his hands. "It wasn't intentional. I just selected a random channel.""Chill." Erica smacked him on the arm. "It's just fake news. Someone like Juan wouldn't get his hands dirty to kill someone."Debra frowned and headed upstairs. The door to the study was closed, with Barton standing guard outside."I need to see Andrew.""Mr. Andrew Potter is unwell and not taking visitors.""Who are you kidding?"Debra shoved past him and opened the door.Inside, Andrew was
Drake froze mid-bite of his apple. Pointing to himself, he asked, "Debra wants me to foot the bill? I'm not her husband. She must've made a mistake."Kale explained, "Well, she sent a message saying that the machine only heats up and does nothing else. She's already being kind by not reporting it to the authorities."Across town at the Potter Mansion, Erica examined Debra's face."Doesn't look any different to me. Is this the effect of a five-figure beauty program?""Lowe brand—sold on name alone."The Lowe Group was infamous for its shady dealings in gambling, drugs, and other vices. It would take a miracle for them to develop legitimate beauty products.The company existed to scam gullible customers, pushing overpriced luxury beauty brands with celebrity endorsements and flashy ads while delivering next to no real results.Erica clicked her tongue. "If it were me, I'd smash their store to pieces.""Why didn't you bring me along?" Liza grumbled, descending the stairs.Being c
Debra felt the machine start working on her face. After a while, she asked, "This machine is pretty good. I haven't seen anything like it elsewhere.""It's developed by our company and air-freighted here," the manager replied."Which company is that? I might know them.""We're a subsidiary of the Lowe Group. It's all legit, safe, and medically certified.""I have a friend in this business who wants to buy some of these machines. Is that possible?""Well, our machines are provided by the company and aren't for external sale.""That's a shame. My friend is willing to pay a high price for the right machine. I thought this one was good, but oh well...""How many machines does your friend want to buy?""We're opening a chain store, so that will be at least 50 machines per store and around 500 in total. We also want some other instruments, so it will be around a thousand machines."Debra had calculated the cost—over ten million. Such a large order was rare in this industry.The man