A week went by, and there was still no news regarding Pamela.Toph was young and soon forgot about it, but Zuko remained heavyhearted these days alongside his parents.He was distracted in class for the first time and could not answer his teachers. As a result, a few troublemakers teased him.He wanted to ask his parents where Pammy was, but he swallowed his words when he saw their grimaces.Each time his mother talked to Linda on the phone, she cried. His father was distressed, and Robert came and left hastily all the time. Even Helen was always sighing, and her food did not taste as good anymore.Zuko quietly entered his study. He had his own little study, which was his own private space. He opened the drawer of his writing desk, where a photo of him holding little Pammy was kept deep inside.…It was taken on Pammy's first birthday. The little girl had just learned to stand and walk. She was full of curiosity about the world, but because she could not walk steadily, she could
Sometimes, Zuko would go to the beach alone after school. He would sit by the beach staring at the endless ocean, wondering if Pammy was really sleeping in the sea.He read about The Little Mermaid and imagined a scenario where the king of the ocean found her and transformed her into a mermaid princess.However, his smile quickly faded, and a fleeting moment of sadness crossed his innocent face.He had planned to take Pammy to Southeast Aciatic for her birthday. Why did she end up asleep at the bottom of the sea?Was she cold? Was she scared?Would she still remember a friend like him?He looked down, and a clear tear fell on his cheek. It dispersed in the air as the wind blew.…Many years had passed by. The boy who was at the beach was a man now, but he did not change his habit of staring at the ocean."It's late, sir. Let's go home."Zuko was stunned and raised his head to look at Robert. He glanced at the sunset on the ocean unwillingly before getting up slowly to go with
"Don't be so mean, dad." Zuko was stubborn."Mean?" Zephyr scoffed. "I'm only telling the truth! Zuko, you're the Hamerstons' first son. Are you setting this example for your brother? You want the younger generation to learn this nonsense from you?""Dad!" Zuko took a deep breath, trying to suppress his emotions, and explained properly, "Firstly, I don't know that woman. The annual meeting ended late. I was caught off guard when she threw herself at me!"Secondly, I'm not admitting to any of the scandals in the past!"Zephyr raised his eyebrows. "So, these women were desperate?"Zuko nodded confidently."You—""Dad, I still have a third point." Zuko paused for a moment. A glint of seriousness flashed through his eyes when he looked up again. "E-Even if I really have a girlfriend, it's nothing wrong!""What did you say!?" Zephyr was stunned.Zuko thought he would just say whatever he had been holding back once and for all. "I know you and mom are still holding onto the promise
"Hey! Who is in there? You guys are loud! Open the door!"The cleaning lady's voice came from outside as Violet was about to press Lina's head into the pail of water.The woman was larger in size, and her voice was loud as well. When she noticed students gathered around a commotion, making loud noises as she cleaned the floor, she immediately sensed that someone was being bullied.In this elite university, there were some terrible kids who felt entitled to do as they pleased simply because of their wealthy backgrounds. Bullying was a daily occurrence.Being a person of justice, the woman could not tolerate such behavior. She took her broom and slammed the door in an attempt to intervene and put an end to the bullying.Violet was scared, so she let go. The moment she let go, Lina got up suddenly, held her wrist, and twisted it!The former released a painful shriek.Lina seized the opportunity to run. She could still hear Violet's clique calling her a "little b*tch" as she ran dow
Gia thought Lina was brave. "You did right, Lina. Someone exposed that their drinks are shady. They use harmful chemicals. If they continue selling it, it'll be terrible for the consumers!""But the Grists are powerful. They didn't do anything even after they were exposed. Instead, they're oppressing us." Lina played with her hair stressfully. "I don't care about anything else. I'm just worried that I'll drag my parents and brother down."Gia held her hand softly.The Grists were powerful in the business industry in Jangasas. They were rich and powerful. The beverage company under the Grist Group had been achieving No. 1 in sales for many years. They were slowly taking over the market, and some imported brands were eliminated.As such, the Grist Group was dominant, and they were getting careless with their quality.The recently exposed product, Rose Dew. was found to be falsely advertised. Despite claims of being healthy and beneficial for the skin, it was discovered that the prod
Lina was still stupefied.The man was expressionless as he placed the box in his hands on the concrete floor outside the supermarket."Hey, you…" Only then did she react. "Take them away!"The man froze and tilted his body slightly to look at her."You're the Grist Group's driver, right?" She crossed her arms. "We're not selling your problematic beverage. Take all these boxes away!"The man looked at her quietly, his deep eyes revealing an unfathomable emotion. He said nothing."What? Do you not understand what I'm saying?" Lina frowned. "They're doing false advertising on the beverage's ingredients for profit, and such a scandal has come out, yet they want the merchants to sell their product? Dream on!"Who do we look for when the customers ask for compensation when something happens to them after drinking it?"Take them, take them away! We'll no longer accept the Grist Group's merchandise! Also, we want them to be compensated for the losses we suffer!"The man stood still, l
Lina was dumbstruck, freezing with the lollipop in her mouth for a long time.Dave continued. "I heard he was recently released. They say he's skilled in combat. Regular thugs can't match him, and he's doing a great job managing the truck. All the merchandise he delivered has been in good condition."But he's always ignoring people! Whenever someone tries to talk to him, he ignores them, so eventually, people stop trying. They say he's either a fool or a pervert!"He chuckled and added, "Oh, and his name is quite interesting too. It's Zeke Mason!"She was shocked. "What?"“No, no… Zeke Hamerton!”"Zeke Hamerton…"Lina shrugged and forgot about the name after finishing the lollipop....It was considered peaceful in school for the next few days.Although she would see Violet every day, they would not stir things up.It was not the first time there was school violence. The school would side with the students with prominent backgrounds most of the time. As long as nobody was se
The few people looked at Lina, who was in bed, and gulped unwillingly.However, they only dared to dream about sleeping with her in the presence of the Grists' princess. They were only here for a job, so they would have to obey whoever was paying.Violet smirked in satisfaction before staring at them in disdain.…Zuko was going to take a shower and sleep when the people from the Grists came for him.The thugs Violet had hired had ill intentions and attacked him from his back!As he heard the footsteps approaching from behind, his innate sense of alertness kicked in, prompting him to swiftly turn his head. Yet, at that very moment, he felt a sudden impact on his back, as one of them struck him with a rod!He knelt on the ground, forcing himself not to fall, but they tied him up and shoved him into an old van. It was silent throughout the journey.Unfazed by the situation, his expression remained stoic and cold. The hooligans instinctively cowered under the overwhelming aura ema
"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