Ginger was confused. "Is that a dog?"She listened closely. It seemed to be coming from inside the car. She widened her eyes and stared at Gabriel. "Is there a dog in the car?"Gabriel chuckled and wound down the window.A large, strong-looking German shepherd leaned out of the window and started barking excitedly at the sight of Ginger as if it wanted a hug.Ginger looked at the dog in wonder. "Where did it come from?""It's my present to you." Ginger looked at Gabriel and looked back at the dog. "Oh, so this is the present?"She thought Gabriel's gift to her was the car and the lottery money. "The car and the money aren't presents. This is the real present," Gabriel said with a smile.He had handpicked that dog from thousands of others at the breeder's. It was smart, brave, and obedient. It was an excellent partner and guard.Ginger had always loved German shepherds. Every time she saw a police dog on television, she was reminded of her love for the breed, but she never
Gabriel ruffled the dog's head. "You're in charge of taking care of her once I leave, okay? She always falls asleep while scrolling on her phone and never remembers to turn her bedside lamp off before sleeping. "She either wakes up from her phone notifications going off or her light being too bright, so you need to take her phone away after she sleeps and turn the light off, okay?" he said."She likes eating icy desserts, but she gets sick easily. It's not healthy to eat too much of it, so if you see her eating it, you should bark at her to remind her to eat it less often. Also, she's stunning and has a nice figure, which means that weird guys will stare at her a lot. "You need to protect her whenever she goes on one of her walks. If anyone does anything to her, you need to attack them. Don't let her get hurt."The dog rubbed its head against Gabriel's legs as if telling him, "I know."Gabriel turned to look at Ginger again. He just looked at her quietly until the pitch-black sk
Grayson sounded as casual as ever. "Belle said you were leaving, so I came over to take a look. Are you going back to the Flemings?""That's personal."Gabriel had basically just told him that it was none of Grayson's business and not to ask about it.Grayson tapped off the ashes on his cigar. "Need my help?"Hearing that, Gabriel frowned. He seemed to be surprised that Grayson even offered, and after a quick glance at him, he said, "No."Grayson continued smoking and didn't reply.The car was quiet for a moment when Gabriel suddenly said, "Give me one."Grayson narrowed his eyes and looked at Gabriel. "Belle always talks about how unhealthy smoking is. If you get addicted, she'll blame me.""You talk too much."Grayson glanced at him and ignored him again, going back to smoking his cigar.Gabriel's frown deepened. "You can just give me a cigar. I won't tell Ginger or Belle. They don't have to know."Grayson finally looked at him again when Gabriel's tone softened considerab
Grayson was surprised by what Gabriel was actually concerned about. He pursed his lips and replied, "I don't know, and I don't care about your past. But if you really care about Ginger, then live an honest life and stop being someone's hired knife."Frowning, Gabriel remained silent as he understood what Grayson was trying to say.Although he was an honored member of the Flemings, it was simply just a glorified title that sounded better than being a hitman.He was only accepted and regarded as one of the Flemings because he held value for the family.If he were to no longer be of use to the Flemings, he would be disposed of.Gabriel had always hated everything he had done for the Flemings. He especially hated how his family upheld their sinister and disgusting standards when it came to performing his work.He was never afraid of death, but he was afraid of any harm coming toward Ginger herself.He realized that his disobedience would result in Ginger possibly facing a fate worse
"Relax, I won't cause any trouble for you. I won't tell anyone what you've said about Robert today."Grayson understood that Gabriel may get into danger if someone knew that he had leaked such confidential information.Although Gabriel was a member of the Flemings, he was basically just a pawn in the big picture.His intrinsic value was not beyond exchanging for more power and money for the Flemings.Gabriel simply looked unconcerned with everything. "Do whatever you want."He felt that his life was already beyond rotten.He couldn't care less about anything other than Ginger.Grayson replied, "If you're leaving because of a new mission to kill Robert, I hope that you'll reconsider it. Robert isn't just any simple target you can deal with. Plenty of people have tried to kill him only to end up in an early grave themselves."Belle told me that she doesn't wish for you to be enemies with Robert. And even Ginger thinks that Robert is a good person. What do you think is going to ha
Grayson frowned as he thought about Belle. He looked away from the window and called out to Jake."Let's go."Jake restarted the car and turned the steering wheel to blend into the traffic.He did not ask Grayson about their destination, as he already knew that Grayson simply wanted to be by Belle's side.Grayson lit up a cigarette to keep his thoughts company.Jake took a look at him through the rearview mirror and tried to console him."We'll keep Ms. Walters safe even if her identity is exposed. Please don't worry so much."He could tell that Grayson seemed upset and annoyed after hearing Gabriel say that Belle's identity would be eventually exposed.Grayson replied, "I won't let anything happen to her."Jake was slightly taken aback and decided to change the topic. "What do you think about Robert?"Grayson met his question with his own. "What do you think?"Jake replied, "Gabriel's words should have some truth to them, considering he's a member of the Flemings. Besides,
Gabriel frowned in disbelief over the obvious.He angrily replied, "Just say what you want to say."Grayson was not offended by his disrespectful behavior as he simply saw Gabriel as an impressionable young man.He calmly explained, "Tell the mysterious families that you've finally found the survivor of the Aspen family."Gabriel was shocked. "Are you going to give Belle away?""Of course not. I'm talking about Lena."He was still confused. "What do you mean?""Exactly what I said.""I tell them about Lena, then what?""And then the mysterious families will shift their attention away from Robert, which will help him with the attack on Mandoria. Lena will be hounded by the mysterious families, which will render her unable to cause any problems for any of us for some time. And as for you …"Your family will surely have a shift of directives and have you start tracking down Lena instead. And since Lena is hiding herself in Maltford, you'll get to stay here for longer and stay by
Meanwhile, Gabriel had been found by the underlings of the Flemings.They had been delayed when Grayson threw them off in order to meet with Gabriel earlier.The underlings seemed upset as they had assumed it was Gabriel who threw them off track."Mr. Gabriel, you were ordered to leave Maltford today, whether you want to or not. If you refuse, you know what's going to happen to Ms. Strand."Gabriel gritted his teeth in anger as he kicked one of the underlings and sent him flying.He then ran over to pin the man down and continued to beat him up until his face was unrecognizable. Once he was done, he stood back up and massaged his neck as he looked back at the underlings."Know your manners. If I ever hear any of you trying to threaten me with Ginger, I'll kill you myself."The men instantly cowered in fear with their heads lowered."Of course, Mr. Gabriel."Gabriel pulled out his phone to give the Flemings' patriarch, Wilbur Flemings, a call.Wilbur had assumed that Gabriel w
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