The next morning, Grayson gave Belle an ointment for burns.Belle was confused. "What's this?"Grayson's expression was stern. "Your wounds …"They were so severe that he wanted to know how she got them. He didn't like her, but he couldn't just leave her be. After thinking about it calmly overnight, he still asked Sam to get him some ointment for burns. He also wanted to ask Belle what exactly happened.But Belle didn't appreciate it. She snarled, "I said it has nothing to do with you! Don't talk to me about last night, or I'll beat you up!"Grayson was immediately upset."I never thought of harassing you last night. I don't like you, so even if you stand naked in front of me, I won't spare you another glance. If you don't believe me, try it.""You—""You're delusional."With that, Grayson turned to leave. He had just arrived at the door when he stopped and turned around.He added, "I got you the ointment because of Grandpa. Don't even think that I care about you!"Belle w
Belle sensed someone looking at her from the second floor. She raised her head to check, but she didn't see Grayson. She couldn't be bothered and turned to look at the man standing before her. Alder looked down at her and smirked. He said mockingly, "A kid like you dares to fight me? Why don't you go home and suck on Momma's teat?" As Alder laughed, the foreigners in the audience followed suit and insulted Belle. "Alder, kill that bitch!" "Is that their strongest fighter? What a weakling!" Alder then said, "You're pretty. I like you. If you agree to have sex with me after you lose, I'll go easy on you and let you live!" Belle furrowed her brows. She was angry. She turned to look at the referee and said, "Can we begin?" The voice that came out of her mouth was masculine since she used a voice changer. Alder looked at Belle with a lustful gaze. He tilted his neck provocatively, and it made a chilling cracking sound. He then stomped his foot, which made the stage tremb
Grayson was at a loss for words. Was he mistaken? He made another call to get a copy of the video of Belle beating people up. He watched it several times. Now, he was more sure than ever that Mr. Bunny was Belle. Plus, he had asked Henry to look into Mr. Bunny before, and Henry couldn't find any information on him. Henry was a top hacker. It was rare for him to come up empty. But he came up empty for both Belle and Mr. Bunny. It was too much of a coincidence! The most logical answer would be that they were the same person! What an amazing wife he had! When she beat up some goons a few days ago, he thought she was extraordinary. But those goons were nowhere near Alder's level. An actual professional fighter didn't last two minutes against her. There was also the fact that her information was protected by top hackers! Grayson felt a sudden burst of interest in Belle. He immediately gave Henry a call. "Look into Belle for me. I don't care how you do it. I want to know
Belle got a call from June early in the morning. "Belle, have you been enjoying yourself recently? Did you think Grayson would ignore me because I did something cruel to you? Well, you're sorely mistaken. "You'll see! I'll make up with him today. No matter how hard you try, he will always care about me!" Belle was still half-asleep. "Who is this?" she asked in an unfriendly tone. June was taken aback and said, "You ... you actually forgot about me? You're lying. You must've felt good about yourself for getting Grayson mad at me. Let me tell you, you will never win!" Belle woke up a little bit more and recognized June's voice. She was annoyed. How did that bitch get her number? If June hadn't made this abrupt call, Belle would have forgotten all about her. She didn't want to waste her energy on June. Yawning, she hung up and went back to sleep. June was outraged. "Damn it. I'll get you off that high horse once Grayson forgives me."She was sure that Belle didn't forge
After the visit to Lionel's grave, Ingrid suggested they go for lunch together. Grayson didn't object. "It'll be my treat," he said. He brought them to a very fancy restaurant. He also ordered all the food that they liked out of politeness. June was overjoyed. She ignored Ingrid's repeated warnings and secretly took a photo of Grayson. Then, she sent it to Belle. Belle was sleeping when she received the message. It woke her up, and she glanced at her phone.The message was from an unknown number. It was a picture along with some text. "I met up with Grayson today. We're even having lunch together. See! He'll always forgive me no matter what I do to you!" Belle was unbothered. She threw her phone aside and went back to sleep. June saw that Belle didn't reply to her message. She thought that Belle was crushed, which made her happy. She went to the washroom and called her. She wanted to hear Belle cry! The constant ringing of her phone annoyed Belle. So, she picked up a
Belle's eyes widened in surprise. She didn't know what was going on. Grayson suddenly jumped on her without saying a word. She was shocked and instinctively dodged to the side. But he moved faster than her and grabbed her arm. He pulled her back on the bed and held her down tightly. He then started kissing her. Belle could not believe what was happening. "Hey! You—" Grayson bit her on the ear. Belle's eyes were about to pop out in shock. It felt like her whole body was electrified. Her face quickly became flushed. Belle was in a daze. And Grayson took the chance to take things up a notch. He grabbed her arms and put them above her head. Then he leaned in to try to kiss Belle on the lips. Belle returned to her senses and started to fight back. She fought back hard. She was also a trained fighter, so Grayson was unable to reach her lips. He became restless and bit on Belle's chin in a fit of rage. Belle's hands were held down, so she raised her leg to kick Grayson's
Grayson lay on the cold, wet bathroom floor. The toilet was just next to him. He was surprised and tried to sit up. He gasped in pain. He didn't know what was hurting, but his whole body was in pain. Grayson stood up, holding his waist. He looked at the mirror, and his eyes widened. There were scratch marks on his neck. It was apparent someone had done that to him! He didn't have the marks when he came home last night. It could only mean that Belle was responsible. And she left him in the bathroom after that? What a bitch! Grayson was furious. He wanted to settle the score with her, but when he tried the door, it wouldn't open. He tried again, to no avail. Belle had locked the door! His anger grew, and he yelled, "Belle! Open the door!"There was no response. He then began banging on the door. The noise woke Belle up. She opened her eyes drowsily. She noticed that the noise came from the bathroom. She frowned and got up while rubbing her eyes. She opened the bathro
Through this incident, Grayson could tell that Belle really didn't have feelings for him. If she had the slightest affection for him, she would have taken the chance to sleep with him last night! But she didn't …Grayson was bewildered. How could she not like someone as outstanding as him? There must be something wrong with her! Grayson wasn't being arrogant. He just knew himself well. He came from a good family, was handsome, excelled academically, and was capable. He fit the mould of the ideal man that girls often dreamed about. Countless girls liked him! If Belle didn't like him, what kind of man did she like? Grayson fumbled toward the bathroom for a shower. He then changed and headed downstairs for breakfast. June arrived hobbling. Grayson frowned when he saw her. He wasn't dumb. He knew she had something to do with him being drugged last night. June noticed the scratch marks on Grayson's neck. She immediately asked, "Grayson, what happened to you? Why are you hur
Belle playfully reached for Sixteen again. "Come here!"Sixteen barked back, seemingly firm in his stance. "I'll cry if you don't come here, okay?" Belle then held her face in her hands and pretended to cry.Sixteen immediately calmed down as it nudged Belle's hands with its paws, trying to comfort her. Belle broke character, revealing a grin. "Are you still mad at me?"Sixteen, appeased, finally got into her arms and launched into enthusiastic licks.Grayson watched the exchange with a hint of envy. "Hey, Sixteen!"Sixteen whimpered and offered Grayson a sheepish look.Belle scolded, "Why are you scolding Sixteen? You're a bad guy!"She then petted Sixteen on its head and stood up. "Let's go! We'll get something tasty to eat! Just ignore him, okay?"Grayson was left speechless. He felt defeated by the pet dog as he watched Belle and Sixteen skip and hop into the house.Meredith had already finished preparing dinner when they arrived. She put on a gentle smile as she watched Belle
After returning to the house, Ava asked, "Why did Xenia go crazy? Wasn't she fine not long ago?"Lena wiped her hands and handed the towel back to Ava. "Someone drugged her and induced hallucinations of her worst fears. She's been on the edge ever since. After all, she did commit all sorts of misdeeds." "Someone?""Belle Walters."Ava was shocked. "Why would Belle drug Xenia?"Ava and Lena had been moving from place to place, seeking a safe hideout ever since they picked up Xenia. They had only found a relatively safe place today, so Ava finally had the chance to inquire about the details.Lena shot her a look of disgust and proceeded to ignore her question.Ava dared not press further and changed the topic. "Now that Xenia's lost her mind, can we still get her to talk?"Lena continued to ignore her and went to scribble down a prescription. She had spent the entire day with Xenia in the basement but hadn't managed to extract any useful information from her. Ava sheepishly c
Meanwhile, Ginger, too, was grappling with confusion. She'd also offered Hunter money, only to be stunned into silence by the astronomical sum in his bank statement. Compared to him, she was practically penniless. The largest amount she'd ever held was a few million Gabriel had won in the lottery—a drop in the bucket compared to Hunter's wealth."Why do you think Mr. Sanders was so wealthy?" Ginger queried, seeking Gabriel's insight.Gabriel was similarly grappling with confusion and remained quiet. However, he was preoccupied with a different mystery. His mind was consumed by the deaths of Penny and Terry. He had taken time to visit the corpses and noted the peculiarity surrounding their deaths. Their autopsies revealed unusual injuries that baffled forensics.Both victims, young adults in their prime, looked as if they'd been scared to death.Aware of Hunter's ties to the Nightwalkers, Gabriel wasn't surprised by the inheritance. Compared to the wealth amassed during the Sanders f
Belle pondered aloud, "While Hunter isn't as averse to exploring tombs as Benjamin, they share a similar disposition. Otherwise, with his expertise, he could easily be making a fortune.""The Sanders ancestors might not have been saints," Grayson conceded, "but perhaps Hunter's grandfather started a positive trend. Like Benjamin, he likely tried to shield Hunter from their legacy. A truly evil man couldn't have raised such a kind son."As Benjamin grew, he remained kind-hearted despite his timidity. And now, Hunter has grown into an upright, kind, and courageous young man. His talent for exploration makes him the pride of his lineage."Belle nodded and sighed. "Money is crucial for a comfortable life today. With what Hunter has, financial worries shouldn't trouble him. He'll be well provided for."Grayson pulled her into his arms and responded, "Don't fret. While Hunter may still be in school, he's mature for his age. He can take care of himself just fine."Belle leaned onto his s
Hunter crouched by the bed, methodically clearing away the books until a single floor tile lay exposed. Prying it open revealed a dark hole just big enough for one person. Grabbing a flashlight, he squeezed through the narrow opening and emerged into a moderately sized room of perhaps about 130 square feet. Wooden boxes, weathered with age and adorned with simple designs, filled the space.Hunter made a beeline for a particular box, brushing off the dust before prying it open. The wooden box was filled to the brim with notebooks. Hunter sat down on the floor, picked up one of the books, and started reading it.This hidden chamber and its contents were discovered by a young Hunter, seemingly guided by destiny. Hunter's father, Benjamin, had buried them, driven by a desire to safeguard their knowledge from Hunter's curious gaze. Fear had gripped Benjamin after learning about the Sanders family's history, the expertise that had seemingly drawn them toward a dangerous path. He
Nora let out a long sigh. "It's fine. Just keep it with you! I don't really need the money right away or anything. Besides, an old woman like me won't be spending much in town even if I tried."Hunter stopped Nora as she was about to leave and took a wad of money from his bag. "I have 20,000 dollars right here. It's far from the actual price, but you can keep it for now. I'll pay you the rest when I can."Nora was stunned. "Where did you get so much money?""It's the money I gathered from donations for the funeral, mostly from Ms. Belle and Mr. Grayson.""Oh, that makes sense. Here I was, wondering how you managed to get such a huge amount from donations. I can tell your friends are really kind-hearted people. You should treat them just as well as they treat you, okay? Study hard and make a name for yourself, and then you'll be able to properly repay their kindness.""Yeah, I know. Anyway, the gold nugget weighs slightly over 17 ounces. So, its worth is about 37,500 dollars. I'll pay y
As the final step of the funeral, the townsfolk gathered for a meal after Benjamin's burial. After Benjamin was buried, Belle and Ginger approached Hunter, inquiring about his plans for the future. Belle expressed her desire for Hunter to stay with her and Grayson, mentioning that their house had plenty of spare rooms. The only drawback would be that it was quite the distance from his school, but they could always arrange a driver for him.Ginger also invited Hunter to stay with her and Gabriel as their house had just finished with renovations. They also had a spare room for Hunter if he were to join their house.Hunter was genuinely touched by their offers, but he still declined them both. "I'd like to stay in my school's hostel for now. I'll think about what to do next when I graduate."Belle and Ginger recognized that they couldn't sway Hunter's decision, so they ceased their attempts to pressure him into making a choice."If you run out of space for your belongings, you ca
Hunter detailed, "I recall every person who came to offer prayers for my father... However, it was during my trip to the restroom that the dogs began barking. Upon my return, I spotted some unfamiliar footprints. Without seeing anyone there, I dismissed it. But upon hearing about Penny and Terry's deaths this morning, I began to connect the dots..."Both Gabriel and Grayson were left speechless.Gabriel exchanged a glance with Grayson before turning back to Hunter. "So, you're suggesting that the stranger who came to town also visited your house to pray for your father before departing to exact revenge on Penny and Terry for Mr. Sanders' death?""Yes.""Why didn't he meet you then?""I don't know.""Any other suspects you have in mind?"Hunter shook his head. "My father and I don't have friends other than you guys. It's just the two of us for as long as I can remember.""Could it be someone else from the Sanders family?" asked Gabriel."I don't think so. I'm an only child, and
Belle, Ginger, and the rest of the group arrived at 8:00 am. They noticed the crowd alongside police cars at the entrance to the town. The two of them then squeezed through the crowd to make it to the house as soon as they could. "What happened, Hunter?"The policemen were stunned by their sudden arrival. "Who are you?""We're Hunter's friends. You can tell us about what happened."Hunter's eyes gleamed with hope as he greeted them. "Ms. Belle and Ms. Ginger!"Grayson's car stopped in front of the town alongside a truck filled with equipment for the funeral.Without Belle and Grayson's friendship, Hunter would have had to manage all the funeral arrangements alone, and he wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet Ginger.Sam remained outside to stand guard while Grayson and Gabriel entered the Sanders family's old home.The townsfolk and the police were shocked when they saw them.They didn't recognize Grayson or Gabriel, but they could tell at a glance that they were really special peo