Lena asked, "Why did you give me money?"Lina was taken aback."Don't get me wrong. I didn't mean anything else—" Lena interrupted her before she could end her sentence."I asked, why did you give me money?" Lena's voice was clear and firm, showing maturity beyond her years.Lina took a deep breath. "I wanted to thank you for helping me out in the restroom last time."Lena remained silent but pushed the money back into Lina's hands. "No need to thank me."As Lena turned to leave, Lina wanted to call her back. But Lena stopped and turned around again. A gust of wind lifted the brim of her cap, finally allowing Lina to see her face clearly.Lena was pretty, with a touch of youthful intelligence in her expression, but her eyes carried a sense of world-weariness beyond her years."If you ever encounter trouble again, you can find me to help you," Lena said."But... don't I need to know your name and how to contact you?" Lina asked.Lena chuckled. "After we met last time, didn't y
"Today, I saw him again. This time, I was cornered by debt collectors, and he came to my rescue like a brave warrior. He paid off my debts and gave me some money to live a good life..."Today, I sold a girl. I know I am walking down an irreversible path. It's a treacherous road, but I had no other choice... I remember someone once told me to live a good life, but I'm sorry, I won't be able to do it..."I sent my daughter to the countryside and send her money regularly. I know I'm not a good mother, but I hope my daughter can have the peaceful life I couldn't. That way, I won't let you down..."Nicholas Thompson."Lena took a deep breath and slowly closed the diary.The name Nicholas Thompson appeared several times in her mother's diary.Was he her father? He must be.Lena smiled but restrained it. Over the years, she had learned to hide her emotions, even when she was alone.She had finished most of the beer, and the fish soup was ready. There was some leftover rice in the kitc
Zuko smiled lightly. This was exactly what he wanted to say."That's right, it was Fred who found it," he said softly. "He has some expertise in this area, so investigating the formula was a piece of cake.""But..." Lina blinked. "I thought someone would secretly dispose of the drinks to destroy the evidence after the event that night. I never expected you could find a sample!""It wasn't my brother who found it!" Toph grinned. "Guess who helped us this time, Pammy?"Lina's heart skipped a beat.'Could it be her again? Lena?' she wondered."Someone did want to destroy the evidence." Zuko smiled faintly. "But that's a massive task. Just as that person was trying to get rid of the remaining problematic drinks, Lena caught him."Toph continued. "It's quite a coincidence. That person was trying to dispose of the evidence in the alley behind the bar where Lena works!"The subsequent events did not need to be explained further.Lena was already quite skilled at dealing with men, so
Zuko stared at Lina in astonishment. She had brought him a can of green tea, but it felt like a scalding hot potato that could scorch his hands."What's wrong?" Lina smiled playfully. "You drink beverages from others, but when I give one to you, it's like poison. Are you that afraid?"Zuko quickly put the can down and reached for her hand. "Lina!"Lina turned away, and Zuko embraced her from behind. She struggled a bit but could not break free from his strong grip, so she surrendered and let him hold her. Although she stopped moving, her eyes glanced elsewhere."Lina," Zuko whispered into her ear. His low, husky voice carried a hint of remorse and innocence. "I don't know why she sent these to me.""Are the photos photoshopped?" she asked."Well..." Zuko was taken aback and truthfully admitted, "No."Lina turned to look at him, her cheeks a bit puffed up. "So, you really took her to the beach?""When… you were not around," Zuko explained incoherently, "She came to visit in Cent
Zuko took a step forward but held Lina's hands tightly."Desiree, there are some things I must clarify with you. We had a childhood connection, but we've grown up now." Zuko paused and enunciated each word. "There's a difference between men and women!""You—""Also, I don't have any 'bros' or 'buddies', only one younger brother, Toph. I do have a few close friends, but they're all male."Zuko smiled. "Do you understand what I mean now?"Desiree could not help the twitching of her lips."Zuko, I know you're dating Lina, but you can't not be friends with the opposite sex just because you have a fiancee, right?""Are you trying to say that pure friendships exist between men and women?" Zuko smirked. "But I think that's the most irresponsible thing to do in a relationship!""Zuko…""Of course, normal interactions are completely reasonable, but anything that exceeds the normal range…" There was a pause before Zuko uttered heavily, "Have some self-respect!"Desiree took two steps b
Violet's time of death should have been two days ago, according to the police.She had been staying at a hotel, and two days ago, the housekeeping staff noticed that the "Do Not Disturb" sign was still on her door. This was not unusual, so they did not pay much attention. However, the sign was still there two days later, and the staff became suspicious.The hotel manager had knocked on the door, but there had been no answer. They then used the master key to open the door and discovered a horrifying scene inside."Her body had no external injuries," Fred lowered his voice as he spoke to Zuko and Lina from the police station. "But they found toxins in her blood after the forensic examination...""She was poisoned?" Lina found it puzzling. "Has the composition of the toxin been analyzed?""It's currently under investigation," Fred replied, leaning against the wall with a heavy heart.Although Fred was not on good terms with Violet's family, he was still a Grist. He did not want to s
Janine, who had been tinkering with the flowerpot, suddenly stopped and turned around to observe Zuko through her glasses.The once pampered and adored chubby little boy had grown into a resolute, handsome young man. His sculpted face held a hint of defiance, and his gaze showed forbearance similar to Zephyr's.Janine smiled, feeling proud of her grandson, who had a quarter of the Baker's blood in him."Come here," Janine waved her hand and sat on the sofa with Zuko. "Tell me what you suspect about Desiree."Zuko was surprised. He had not mentioned Desiree since Janine arrived. Besides, Janine had brought more people than just Desiree. There were also other members of the Bakers. How did she know?"Surprised?" Janine smiled. "Remember, I'm your grandmother. No matter when, don't think you can hide anything from this old lady!""Oh…""Still hesitating?"Zuko sat up straight and smiled. "Grandma, I suspect that everything that's happened recently is related to Desiree."Janine r
Zuko asked, "Is this for me to review later?""No need," Janine pointed to the computer. "Just check it here!"Zuko plugged the USB flash drive into the computer with a puzzled expression and opened it.The data inside occupied a large part of the memory. At first, he thought they were ordinary reports, but the more he read, the more he sensed something amiss, especially with certain descriptions.Alarmed, Zuko paused, his finger hovering over the mouse. Then, he turned to Janine in surprise.Janine shook her head and glanced at her watch. "Took you 35 minutes and 20 seconds to react? Pammy would've figured it out in 15 minutes!"Zuko once again felt insignificant in the family.He said seriously, "Grandma, are these records of the Harpers embezzling charitable organizations?"Janine nodded with a solemn expression."When did you start investigating them?""Well..." Janine thought for a moment, not entirely sure.Her business acumen was always strong. When she sensed somethi
"Only Morpheus and Sephy aren't like that. They respect and understand me. Sephy told me once, 'One's appearance doesn't indicate anything. A clean heart is what truly matters!'"Rebecca chuckled dismissively."You're a psychologist, yet you fail to grasp this," Wynn said coldly. "Actually, I pity you. You could have stepped out, yet you insist on dwelling on the trivialities."Morpheus has psychological barriers, a consequence of returning from the battlefield. No one has cured his PTSD except Sephy... It shows that a true psychologist is never just a title."What truly heals everything is love!"-One particular morning a year later, sunlight streamed through sheer cream curtains onto the floor.Persephone was sound asleep when she suddenly felt something pressing down on her... Then, Morpheus' strong arms wrapped around her slender waist. She drowsily opened her eyes to find him sealing her lips with heated kisses.Over the year, his kissing skills had improved, and Persepho
With Morpheus' involvement, the police didn't slack off and quickly found Rebecca.That day, Rebecca was preparing to escape from a small port. The boat she had found was an illegally operating one.As she was about to board, piercing sirens sounded nearby.The boat owner, enraged upon hearing the sirens, grabbed Rebecca by her hair and pushed her into the water.Rebecca screamed for help, but he roared, "I didn't expect you to be sent by the cops!""I'm not..." Rebecca choked on water. "Sir, let's leave now. Your boat is fast. As long as we reach the open sea, no one will catch you!""Dream on!" The boat owner wanted to strangle her. "Do you not understand? These sirens are from the royal guards! Who did you bitch provoke?"Rebecca was dumbfounded. Being a foreigner, she naturally didn't understand the local affairs in the Southeast Aciatic region.The police and royal guards quickly caught up, armed, and surrounded them.Rebecca turned pale and trembled all over, her gaze gr
"You had no choice on the battlefield."Persephone looked at him with her crystal eyes. There was a magical power in them. Even if a devil was tearing him apart, her eyes would always bring him back to light.She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Though you killed your father, you saved the country.""Do you really… think so?"She nodded. "You're not at fault. He was the one who made a mistake. You were just fulfilling your job as a general to protect the country."But I also understand that he's your father who brought you up, after all. You guys must have had happy days before that happened, right?"Morpheus held his head low in silence."You did well as the protector of the country," she said softly. "But as a son, you can secretly pay homage to him."Persephone held his hand. "Reconcile with your father, Morpheus. You'll also reconcile with yourself by doing that, okay?"He was stunned for a long time and felt a lump in his throat.-Morpheus stayed with Persephone in the
"No way!" Christopher smirked, glancing at Morpheus. "To him, you're his only princess! I just got lucky for the princess carry, thanks to you!""Yeah, at least you're self-aware!" Persephone nodded, rubbing her chin."We've known each other for so long! What kind of person do you think I am?" Christopher laughed. "I can be a bit shameless at times, but..."But upon learning that the one she loved was the unbeatable god of war, he willingly stepped back, offering his blessings with a smile."Okay, okay. You two stop crowding around me!" Christopher waved his hand. "Sephy needs more rest, and I'd like to get some more sleep, too! Once we heal, let's go out and have some fun together!""You're still thinking about fun?" Morpheus' deep voice intervened with a wry smile. "With the factory explosion incident, the royal family is furious and will thoroughly investigate it. Many people will probably be coming to talk to you both in the next few days. After all, you two are the most direc
"Let's get out first!""Hey, wait..." Persephone pointed to the other side.In moments of life and death, it wasn't appropriate to laugh, but Morpheus still chuckled. The young Prince Christopher was sprawled on the floor in a very ridiculous pose, and they almost forgot about him!"Don't worry," Morpheus whispered. "I won't let anything happen to him."He had Persephone cling to his back and then carried Christopher.Christopher was a tall fellow, so it took some effort to carry them both to a safe place.Fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars rushed in. Their sirens pierced the sky, startling a flock of birds.The fire was soon extinguished, and Persephone and Christopher received timely treatment. Luckily, their burns weren't too severe, and even more fortunately, their faces were unharmed.When Christopher woke up, he felt bandages wrapped around his head, and his skin had a burning sensation. His heart sank, and he was almost on the verge of tears."Tell me the truth! A
There was fire everywhere. Flames rushed toward Persephone like menacing dragons. Her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, but the searing pain coursing through her body became clearer. She struggled to get up, the agony almost unbearable.Despite several attempts, it was futile...Something was pinning her feet down, and stones kept falling on her. She couldn't even muster a shout.Many images flashed through her mind in that fleeting moment, each frame featuring Morpheus' face…She remembered the times they had spent together in Flinge, how he had initially distanced himself from her, then later had exerted every effort to protect her. She recalled how he would gently ruffle her hair and call her "silly goose"..."Morpheus, I'm afraid I might have to go first..."The fire grew fiercer, explosions resonated continuously, and she could no longer hold on.Christopher, who was nearby, wasn't any better.Amidst the roaring flames, he couldn't see anything clearly, only pulling
"No need, you can go back first." Morpheus glanced at him. "I'll wait here for her a little longer.""Prince Christopher wouldn't do anything to Ms. Hamerton...""Alfred, what are you thinking?" Morpheus couldn't help but chuckle. "I know exactly what Christopher is like, but I just want to wait here for Sephy. Christopher mentioned that she'd specifically designed these fireworks for me. Hah! I'm the useless one. I don't even dare to go inside and take a look.""Sir, don't say that.""If I wait here, will it count as accompanying her in her efforts?"Alfred nodded.Morpheus smiled and sent Alfred back. He continued waiting under the tree.The air in Southeast Aciatic was hot and humid. The shade of the banyan tree offered some relief, but it couldn't completely dispel the oppressive heat.Morpheus took a deep breath, about to move elsewhere, when he glimpsed a suspicious figure swiftly darting through the factory's side gate.The security at the side gate was lax, making it e
Christopher struggled to swallow the bite of the sandwich in his mouth for what seemed like ages. He gazed at Persephone, his mind wandering back…He didn't just know Morpheus. He had been close since childhood to the children of the two prominent military families in Southeast Aciatic.Compared to the Harrises, he preferred visiting the Ortons, especially when he got to spend time with Morpheus. He considered Morpheus a friend, a brother even, having engaged in countless mischief together, much to their parents' dismay.In his memory, Morpheus was someone who smiled a lot, radiating warmth and brightness like the Southeast Aciatic sun when he did.However, from the moment Kaiden betrayed the country, Morpheus never smiled again, gradually growing distant from Christopher as well.It wasn't until that evening at the gates of the palace that Christopher felt like it had been a lifetime."I... I don't know him." Christopher forced a smile. "Where would I have met your boyfriend!"
Morpheus wasn't just an ordinary person!Christopher wholeheartedly accepted his defeat to Morpheus."Then... I'd like to invite you to come over to my place for a while as a friend. That's fine, right?"-A few days later, Persephone finally ran into Christopher, who had been missing in action for days, in the classroom."Hey, you finally showed up!" She dashed over, plopping down in the seat beside him and handing him breakfast. "You haven't eaten, right? Let's eat together!"Usually, Christopher would readily accept, but he waved his hands now. "No, no, no!""What's wrong?" Persephone widened her eyes. "This breakfast isn't poisoned!"Christopher awkwardly smiled. "You have a boyfriend, so maybe... we should keep some distance."Persephone burst into laughter. Then she remarked, "Strange... Morpheus was right!""Uh, what?""My boyfriend!" She chuckled. "He made this breakfast. I asked if he could also make a portion for you, and he said sure, just worried you wouldn't tak