Anger disrupted Grayson's breathing."I've waited for you in the office the entire day! And I did nothing while I was waiting!"Grayson felt that Belle had treated him unfairly.Belle, however, didn't feel that she did. Instead of soothing him, she simply retorted, "That has nothing to do with me! It's not that I've even asked you to wait for my arrival. "How many times do I have to tell you that I've already gone to the office and was sent away by your employees?"You never coordinated with your receptionists and made arrangements in advance. So stop blaming me when you're the one at fault!""You—""Say whatever you like. It's not my problem that you got angry about this. I did nothing wrong at all." Belle then headed upstairs after interrupting Grayson.At the last moment, she added, "I've no idea how someone like you became a CEO of all things. "I expected a CEO to possess qualities quite the opposite of narrow-mindedness and quick temper, unlike what I've witnessed in yo
The next day, Belle was abruptly awakened by a loud ringing.Irritated, she pulled the blanket over her head, attempting to ignore it and go back to sleep, but the noise persisted.She reluctantly poked her head out from under the covers, stretching her arm to reach the alarm, which was just out of her grasp.She gave up and simply pulled the blanket over her head and continued to sleep.But the relentless alarm showed no signs of stopping. Frustrated, she wriggled and turned on the sofa, trying to find a comfortable position while the alarm continued to disrupt her sleep.Unable to endure it any longer, Belle angrily sat up on the sofa with her disheveled hair.To her surprise, she saw a certain someone when she opened her eyes.Grayson had been awake for quite some time. He had finished his morning jog, taken a shower, and changed into fresh clothes.He was standing near the stairs as he stared at her.He was heading downstairs after showering, but he paused his steps after
Grayson steadied himself and closed his eyes to regain composure. It took him a while before he felt stable again. He realized that the toll of his insomnia was finally catching up to his body.He went downstairs and summoned Sam from the living room. "Has Dr. Lena contacted you yet?"Sam grew apprehensive and shook his head."No, sir. Is your body holding up well? Why don't I reach out to her and inquire about her situation? Perhaps we can request for a temporary relief for now."Sam was deeply concerned that the sleepless nights had begun to impact Grayson's health significantly.Grayson thought for a moment before saying, "It's better if I call her myself."He pulled out his phone to search for Lena in his contacts and placed that call.Lena was still asleep and immediately woke up when her phone started ringing. She became even more alert upon realizing the call was from Grayson.She sat up on her bed and took a moment to calm down before she picked up the call. "Hello?""
Grayson put away his phone and sighed.He had hoped to see Lena for his treatment. He felt relieved after confirming that she would arrive within the next few days.He saw Lena as a good doctor who would treat his insomnia and nothing more.Sam remained at the side and finally spoke up after Grayson finished his call. "Mr. Page, what did Dr. Cahill say? Are you allowed to take some medication for temporary relief?"Grayson replied, "There's no need. She will be arriving at Maltford in a few days.""Has she not stated the exact date and time?" Sam asked impatiently."You can't be too hasty when asking for help." Grayson leaned against the sofa and massaged his temples. Ten minutes later, Belle came downstairs wearing her shirt and pencil skirt for work.Grayson's eyes narrowed in excitement the moment he saw her.Belle had a well-proportioned figure that wasn't very noticeable in her usual loose and casual clothes. However, in her current slim-fitting attire, she stood out pro
Half an hour later, Belle arrived at the company.The security guard no longer halted her thanks to her documents and instead enthusiastically showed her to the receptionist to register for facial recognition.She thanked the security guard and headed to the receptionist with her documents.Henrietta and Ginger were both present. They were shocked when they saw Belle once more.Henrietta was especially jealous upon learning that Belle was indeed a new employee working as a secretary.She cursed Belle for being able to join the department that was the closest to Grayson, as being in the department itself would drastically improve her chances of interaction with him.She was also upset that Belle had affected her ranking as a beauty within the company. Ginger, however, was friendly toward Belle as she found Belle relatable because they were both from the countryside.Ginger took the initiative. "Hello there, I'm Ginger Strand. Welcome to Page Corporation."Belle responded polit
"How could some random 20-year-old woman with no background whatsoever suddenly get hired as a secretary? This is just suspicious … She must be in cahoots with some higher-ups!"Ginger could tell Henrietta was gossipping about Belle. She frowned and questioned Henrietta on the spot."Whom among the top brass are you gossipping about now? The only person managing the Secretarial Department is Mr. Page himself. Are you perhaps slandering him?"Henrietta realized her mistake and quickly defended herself."Watch your mouth! I was not slandering anyone! I was just explaining the fact that there was no way that Mr. Page would have personally recruited some country bumpkin like her!"Ginger replied, "I don't know if Mr. Page and Ms. Walters are acquainted. But I sure as hell know that she is closer to him than you will ever get to be.""At least Mr. Page recognizes his secretaries. You may spend the rest of your life as his receptionist, and he would never even know about your existence
Sam had Belle briefly introduce herself before appointing a senior to show her to her desk.The male colleagues within the Secretarial Department were all charmed by Belle's beauty. They had truly never seen a beauty of this degree. And for someone her age, to boot.Everyone, however, kept their distance, as they surmised that Belle must have relations within the Page Corporation to be able to join the company as a 20-year-old woman.At the same time, Lena had arrived at the summit of the mountain behind the Sylvester Residence.A small courtyard had been constructed at the summit of the mountain, serving as Dorothy's preferred retreat during her periods of solitude.Lena narrowed her eyes and scanned the courtyard to find no traces of human activity.She was wary of triggering any traps as she walked toward a house within the courtyard. She pretended to be a passerby and asked for help."Hello? Anyone in there?"No one responded.Lena shouted once more. "Anyone in there? I ju
Lena put away her phone and scanned the courtyard one last time before heading down the mountain. Meanwhile, Dorothy had already known about Lena going up the mountain to look for her.She had installed surveillance cameras in the corners of the house. The moment Lena entered the house, she had been watching her from the computer screen. Lena's face was unfamiliar, but her gaze terrified Dorothy. Dorothy locked eyes with Lena across the computer screen, and memories came flooding in.Dorothy concluded that the woman on the computer screen should be Belle's cousin.She was especially certain that Lena had gone up the mountain to take her life and then pry into the whereabouts of Belle.The very thing she had feared for decades had happened. The Cahill mother-daughter duo were coming for her.Ethel was standing beside Dorothy and took notice of her agitation."Mrs. Jenkins Senior, please relax."Dorothy closed her eyes. Her shaking body finally calmed down after pushing Lena o
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