Eden ignored Helena and the others, then closed the door behind her.Inside the room, Alain lay in a deep sleep, drenched in sweat. His left arm was in bandages, and he was clearly in bad shape.Sulien, uncertain of what to do, stood up quickly when he saw Eden enter. “Come take a look, Ms. Griffith,” he said.Eden walked over to Alain’s side, checked his pulse, then unbuttoned his collar. Her eyebrows furrowed instantly.Without delay, she pulled her hand back, scribbled the names of a few ingredients, and handed the prescription to Sulien. “Get the medicine ready,” she instructed.Sulien immediately passed it to Caelus and returned to the room after it had been prepared.Looking at Alain with concern, Sulien asked, “What kind of aphrodisiac is this? How is it so strong?”“A special kind. It’s not sold on the market,” Eden replied, her voice cold. Sulien shuddered instinctively.Eden lowered her eyes and gazed at Alain, feeling a strange emotion stir within her.Despite the d
Eden massaged her forehead and calmly asked, “Where’s Quin?”“Ms. Vivian took her back to her room,” Caelus replied.Eden nodded and stood up immediately. “Take Alain back.”With Eden here, Caelus felt like it was Alain himself giving the order. He quickly hoisted Alain onto his back and followed Eden out of the room.Outside, Vivian saw Caelus carrying Alain and hurried to block him. “Where are you taking him? This isn’t over yet.”Caelus, who had always disliked the Johnson family—especially after they trapped Alain—replied darkly, “The Johnson household knows exactly what happened today. Once Mr. Alain wakes up, he’ll settle the score with you. If you try to stop me, I won’t bother with this facade of respect any longer.”“I see!” Vivian shouted angrily. “Looks like your family is determined to be our enemies. Fine, let’s see if you can walk out of the gates today.”She didn’t hesitate. “Men! Block all exits. Kill anyone who tries to leave.”Aside from Geoffrey and Sinead, e
Seeing Eden ignore her, Vivian’s face flushed with anger. She was about to explode when Helena stepped in, signaling her to stay calm.Though Vivian looked down on Eden, she knew Eden wasn’t just any ordinary country girl. She needed to figure out what Eden was planning and come up with ways to counter her.Eden gave them all a lazy glance, then turned to Geoffrey and Sinead. “There’s no need for you to handle something as minor as this,” she said.After a brief pause, she added, “As for the rest of the Ward family… if they want to leave, let them.”“Eden, leave this to me and Geoffrey. Go take care of Alain, alright?” Sinead said, gently patting Eden’s shoulder to console her.Sinead knew Eden wasn’t like other women—she was powerful and had her own connections. But today’s situation might be beyond Eden’s ability to handle. It could be more than what the Ward family could manage.The Johnson family was no ordinary family; they had been around for centuries. Be it in terms of fi
Eden shot her a cold glare. "You don’t get to make decisions for the Johnson family. I won’t negotiate with you.""Why you..." Helena's face twisted in rage, ready to launch into a tirade when someone cut her off."Enough!"It was the Johnson family patriarch, Bane Johnson, who spoke. Ever since Geoffrey decided to let Eden handle this, Bane had been observing her closely.There was nothing particularly remarkable about her, aside from her striking beauty and the air of authority she carried despite her young age. Even while facing the Johnson family, she remained calm, demanding compensation without so much as a change in expression. He could tell it wasn’t just for show.Bane glanced at Eden. "I’m the patriarch of the Johnson family. Am I worthy enough to negotiate with you?"Eden looked up. "I suppose."Her tone made it seem like it was beneath her.Both Vivian and Helena felt a tightness in their chests. The Johnson family was already showing her respect by letting their pa
Ten minutes passed swiftly, but no one in the Johnson family made a move.Eden stood up, looking at them with indifference. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The person picked up almost immediately, but before the person on the other end could speak, Eden said, "For every Johnson family asset you destroy within ten minutes, I’ll halve the amount you owe for the treatment. I’ll also treat you personally."The voice on the other end, filled with excitement, responded quickly. "I’ll do as you say right away."After hanging up, he immediately gave orders to his men. "Quick, put all our resources to work on the Johnson family. Forget profit—destroy one of their assets now."His subordinate hesitated. "Sir, we don’t have much money left. The Wheelers’ funds are mostly controlled by...""Focus on the easiest Johnson business to ruin," Terry cut him off, nearly shouting. "I want results in the next ten minutes. Leave the rest to me."Terry had been desperate to treat August,
Geoffrey stood protectively in front of Eden and said, "Caelus has been with Alain for many years and is a reliable man. I’ll buy you some time. Tell him to get you out of here."Eden glanced at Geoffrey and Sinead shielding her, feeling a pang of sadness.They were someone else’s parents, yet they treated her like their own daughter. Even with their lives at risk, they weren’t thinking of saving themselves. They didn’t even try to help their own son escape first. Instead, they chose to protect her.Aside from Sofia and Jerred, she never expected to feel such warmth from anyone else in this life.But now, she could feel it wrapping around her.Just as she was about to speak, a voice called from behind, "Ed."It was Alain. He had just woken up, still weak.Eden helped him to his feet and checked his pulse. The drugs in his system were slowly being neutralized.“Dad, Mom, take Ed and go. Leave this to me,” Alain said, forcing himself up, his gaze icy as he looked at the Johnsons
As Eden charged toward the young man, Alain also gathered all his strength and rushed in.He felt an overwhelming danger, something he had never experienced before.As he made his move, he saw Eden make a hand sign he couldn’t understand and point it at the young man. It appeared as if she was just pointing at him, but the attack was incredibly powerful.When Eden’s attack and the young man’s clash, trees around them were knocked down, and Eden was pushed back by the force.Despite Alain using all his strength to catch her, he was pushed back about 30 feet.Stabilizing himself, Alain quickly asked, “Are you alright?”“Ugh…” Eden coughed up blood but fought to stay upright.Shocked, Alain held Eden in his arms. “How can I help you?”Eden lay weakly in Alain’s arms and looked at the young man approaching them. She whispered, “I need to recuperate…”Taking a deep breath, she added, “I’ll use my needle to help you regain some stamina. Buy me one minute. He’s much stronger than me
“No,” Alain said firmly. “With me here, you don’t have to do anything that will spill blood. Come home with me now.”His face darkened. He wasn’t willing to continue the conversation. He picked Eden up, preparing to leave.Horace and the others arrived just in time. Seeing the situation, he muttered under his breath, “Darn it!”He approached Alain and said, “I’ve gathered everyone from Rielton. Are we handling this officially or privately?”Horace was furious. Given that the Johnsons had drugged Alain and injured Eden, he didn’t want to deal with this through official channels.But he had to defer to Alain.“No survivors.”Alain’s voice was cold and menacing, like a demon from hell.Initially, Horace planned to leave one survivor for the family. But given how seriously the Johnsons had injured Eden, he saw no reason to hold back.“Understood.”Horace was about to start the cleanup with fervor when he was interrupted.“Stop!” A woman’s voice rang out before Horace could fire