Ethan’s expression turned solemn as he sat in the main seat. He stared into Elliot's eerie and complex eyes, thinking he had underestimated Elliot. After all, the latter did not fall into a trap and even countered every move.Meanwhile, Edward lost his temper. He stood up and stormed to Janine, grabbing her collar and throwing her to the ground. His eyes were bloodshot as he cursed, "Damn, you, you filthy whore. I’ll kill you!"Janine cried in pain, unable to utter a word in defense.Jordan kicked Janine, causing the conference room to descend into chaos.Elliot roared, "Stop!"Edward had lost all reason due to anger, ignoring Elliot's words. Elliot then looked toward Ethan. Ethan seemed angry as well. He simply watched, showing no intention to stop the violence against Janine.Finally, Jeffrey intervened by banging his cane on the ground, "Stop! Stop it right now!"The noisy conference room gradually quieted down while the barely conscious Janine. Blood was trickling from her n
Elliot said, "You should get some rest first. I'll go to the office and then pick you up from Xena’s place in the afternoon.""Okay, I'm sleepy. Call me when you’re home." Sophia snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes as she got comfortable.Elliot's heart softened. He bent down and kissed her forehead before tightening his grip on her arm. When they arrived at the villa, Sophia had already fallen asleep. Elliot did not want to wake her up. Instead, he carried her upstairs before going to the office.When he entered, Hamish came over. Elliot laughed when he saw the bruises. "What happened to you? Weren't you supposed to see Xena?"Hamish was speechless. He plopped down on the chair and sighed helplessly. "Don't even start.""What happened? Didn't you get in?" Elliot asked.Hamish glared at him. "No, I didn't get in. Would I look like this if I did?""What do you mean? Did Xena do that to you?"Hamish nodded. "Well, it wasn't her. It was her men."He hid nothing and recount
Elliot could have finished his work in the morning if it weren’t for Hamish. Elliot no longer had time for lunch and could only manage to free up time in the afternoon. He went to the villa to fetch Sophia and then went straight to The Pavilion.He had to visit since she was the renowned fashion designer, Emily, and Sophia’s friend. As they arrived and exited the car, Elliot looked at the villa before him. It was exquisite, luxurious, and stable. It exuded a pure European style with a hint of dominance. It did not look like the home of a fashion designer at all.He was curious about who this person could be. The one who could send men to his wife, design so many beautiful clothes, and be loved so much by Sophia?Sophia looked at the open gate. She had texted Xena on the way here, so naturally, opening the door was to welcome her. It was Elliot who frowned, "Does she know we're coming?""Of course. Don’t you see the gate is open?" Sophia entered the yard while calling out, "Xena!
Elliot smiled and nodded indulgently. "Hmm, makes sense. Can you tell me what your master taught?”“Kickboxing! Didn't you hear her praising me?" Sophia declared.Elliot smiled wryly. "It seems your master is quite formidable.""Of course! It's a pity I've only learned half of what my master knows. Otherwise, defeating you would be a piece of cake." Elliot chuckled. "Then why don't you take your lessons seriously?" Xena added, "It's not that she doesn't take her lessons seriously. She just learns a variety of things. Because of that, her training time is less than ours. Although her skills may not be advanced, she knows the most techniques."Sophia grinned. "Thanks for the compliment.""I wasn’t praising you. Why would I praise someone who does things half-assedly?""Then why are you insulting me?""How’d I insult you?""You said I do things half-assedly."Xena laughed. "It depends on how you interpret it.”Elliot ruffled Sophia’s hair. "All right, we are guests. Let's ha
Elliot said, "He disagreed, but when they found and brought Mary back, she seemed to have suffered some abuse. She was in a bad mental state. The Carsons felt sorry for her. They took Mary to several psychologists. It took almost two years for her to get better.“Xena and Hamish accompanied her to undergo psychological treatment. Mary fell in love with Hamish during that time. She relied on him a lot. Although Hamish didn't love her, he dared not hurt her because of her condition. He feared she would relapse if he rejected her."Sophia was not light-hearted, saying, "Since he is so afraid of everything, why not marry Mary and spoil her? Why worry about others?"Elliot remained silent while Sophia waited for his response. She could not control her temper as she looked at him and said, “I'm not mad at you. I'm just annoyed at the situation."Elliot patted her head. "I know. I talked to him today, too. Hamish is just indecisive regarding people’s feelings and emotions. He has been fin
Hamish pounced onto the office desk. "Bro, I was wrong! I will apologize to Sophia. I won't say you prioritize romance over friendship anymore. Just tell me!"Elliot disdainfully replied, "If Sophia knew you were so two-faced, she wouldn't help you.""I'm just troubled. Don't argue with me. What did you two say? Did you speak up for me to Xena?""No, Xena is sensitive to you now. I was afraid it would backfire, so I said nothing. But I told Sophia it would be much easier if she helped you, but—"Elliot looked at him. "I think it's unlikely she'll help you based on your performance. Kicking you out is more probable.""Why kick me out? We're good friends, after all.""But you have so many problems. You dragged me into trouble yesterday. Sophia scolded me several times.""I'm trying to change, aren’t I? Ask Sophia to help me. I'll do whatever she says as long as she helps me."Elliot smiled and told him everything that happened yesterday, including triggering Xena’s traps. Hamish
Black Den was about to recruit new members, and Andrew asked Sophia to set the test questions. She spent the last few days designing a set of assessment plans. She then sent the questions to Andrew in the evening.Soon after, Andrew started a video call. “Do you think anyone can pass this level?”Sophia was puzzled. “Why wouldn’t they be able to pass? We can all handle it, can’t we?”“That’s us, but what about the new recruits? If they all can, then they can all enter the management level.”“Isn’t that a good thing?”“What’s good about passing Xena’s mechanisms without losing anything? What kind of problems are these? How many can pass the levels you’ve set?”“You said just five. Isn’t that enough? How do we filter them if it’s not challenging?”“Is this filtering? It’s an absolute selection! Are you planning to leave none for me?”Sophia muttered, “You’re difficult to please.”Andrew growled, “What did you say?”“Nothing. How about you let Xena make the final round of questi
Sophia looked confused and aggrieved, saying, "I'm afraid I won't be able to control my heart. I'm afraid of only loving my biological mother one day. How sad would my mother and grandmother be? Would they think they wasted their love on me?"Xena smiled and pulled Sophia into her arms. "With you being so partial, what are you afraid of? You're already worrying about this before even meeting them. The ones you favor are always the ones who treat you best, don’t you think?"Sophia nodded vigorously. "Mhm."Xena continued, "If your heart is out of your control one day, just go with the flow. The people who occupy your heart must be the ones who love you. Those who love you only want you to be happy.“They won't mind who holds a larger part of your heart. If you can’t favor someone, it's because they haven't done enough. Why should you feel guilty?"Sophia furrowed her brows, looking bewildered. "So, are you saying I can acknowledge all of them?""That’s up to you. Don't torture you
“Ah, no!” Sophia instinctively reached out to catch it, but the phone narrowly missed her fingers. So, she just watched as he tossed the telephone into the bushes.Sophia was infuriated. "Brother, you haven't sung for me yet?"Kyle looked at her. "Time's up.""Time's up for what? You big liar."As she spoke, she balled her fists and attacked him.Although she was no match for Kyle in martial arts, he couldn't fight her in such a confined space. So, Kyle found himself somewhat helpless in this narrow space.He grabbed both her hands with his big hands and pinned her legs with his, leaving Sophia unable to move her limbs.Frustrated, she aimed her head at Kyle and lunged forward. Kyle instinctively dodged. Sophia's little head directly hit his chest.Thud.It felt like a forty-pound hammer hitting his chest, causing Kyle to start coughing on the spot. He was truly at a loss. She was too much to handle, using every trick in the book.With one hand rubbing his sore chest and the
At that moment, it seemed like the world came to a standstill. The man and the woman at the door were so scared they hardly dared to breathe. How dare this woman. How could she slap Kyle?They sneakily glanced at Kyle's reddened face, wishing they could disappear. They were afraid they'd face his wrath, too.Kyle also couldn't believe what he was seeing. This little drunkard in front of him wasn't speaking gently or acting cute, and instead of calling him brother, she slapped him. He was furious. At that moment, he had already thought of where to bury this woman.However, Sophia didn't seem to realize the seriousness of hitting someone. She suddenly jerked her wrist and broke free from the man's grasp. Whether it was because she used too much force or because she was drunk and couldn't control her strength, she stumbled and fell on her rear.This fall was solid, and she couldn't help but cry in pain, "Ow!"Tears streamed down her face.Kyle was bewildered for a moment. The anger
Sophia felt helpless. This man's schemes ran too deep. He didn't reveal anything useful. The two drank one glass after another from seven in the evening until ten at night. Sophia's head was spinning.She had been trying to limit herself, taking small sips each time. Unfortunately, her tolerance for alcohol was quite poor. Her gaze was unfocused, and the man opposite her seemed to blur into duplicates. She knew deep down that she was drunk. It was frustrating. When would her tolerance improve?"Are you deliberately trying to get me drunk to see me embarrass myself?" Kyle lounged carelessly. "I didn't know your alcohol tolerance was so poor."Sophia snorted softly in her heart. Ignorance was truly unbelievable. She even suspected that this man had seen her drunk before. Otherwise, why insist on drinking with her? She needed to control herself now; otherwise, her stingy husband at home would be infuriated.So she just slumped onto the table, motionless.Kyle chuckled. "Are you dru
Kyle compromised, "Alright, I won't touch you."Sophia sternly commanded, "Get off."Kyle slowly got up from her.Sophia's piece of porcelain against his neck remained unmoved, her little face tense.Kyle sat up and waved to remove the hand threatening his neck, "Alright, if I bleed, you lose your life. Do you think I'm afraid of such a broken thing like you?"He knocked away the piece of porcelain in Sophia's hand, but she didn't pick it up. Instead, she said softly, "I know you're not afraid. As the top boss of the Netherworld Palace, what kind of woman can't you have? But it's not worth it to ruin the mood just to sleep with a woman, don't you think?"Kyle looked at her and smiled. Far from diminishing with Sophia's various rudeness, the interest in his eyes only intensified.He stretched out his long arm and grabbed Sophia's nape, pulling her closer. The two were close enough to hear each other breathe.There was a determined smile in his eyes. "I like smart girls."Sophia
Kylie smirked. "So, how else do you want me to repay you?"But Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that his smile seemed somewhat sinister.Kyle wasn't the kind of person to easily agree. Could it be true that she had saved him?After contemplating, she said, "For example, a substantial monetary reward, a direct increase in shares and equity, or at the very least, treating me to a meal would suffice.“But instead, you kidnapped me, restricted my movements, and now you're telling me it's repayment? Did I perhaps drown your son in a well in a past life, prompting you to repay me in such a unique way?"He was left bewildered by Sophia's rapid-fire words. What was this woman talking about?After a good while, he finally grasped the gist of her words. "Alright, let's go. I'll treat you to a meal."Sophia looked at him, surprised that he was so easy to persuade. She took advantage of the situation and added, "Then first, give back the phone to your lifesaving benefactor."Kyle replied,
Elliot searched the inside and out of the car. He indeed found a box of acupuncture needles tucked away in a corner. His wife always had a habit of carrying a box of acupuncture needles with her, not for self-defense, but for saving others.However, this box had yet to be opened, proving that the skills of the person they were dealing with surpassed hers. Otherwise, she wouldn't have missed the chance to use the needles.It seemed that this car was indeed the right one.He looked at the dirt road ahead, with tracks from two vehicles. One was a regular sedan, and the other looked like an off-road vehicle.But no more surveillance cameras were ahead, so they wondered if the cars had turned back or continued forward.He relayed the situation to Avery once again. Avery began to investigate, checking every detail of the vehicle information provided by Elliot. At this point, the police, Samuel, and his team arrived one after the other.Since there were no surveillance cameras in this a
Avalon said, "It perfectly matched the Meng family's expertise. They've been collaborating for several years, and my family even gave up some minor collaborations because they trusted in them.“But this time, under their instigation, my family paid an advance payment of 1.8 billion for goods, but the goods weren't delivered according to the contract date. They kept stalling, and when my family went to check, they found the company deserted.“After my elder brother had someone investigate, he found out the company was leased, and the company's CEO was nowhere to be found.“After reporting to the police, they kept investigating, but there was no result. That person disappeared. Helpless, my parents, elder brother, and second brother all went to find Patel.”“But Patel, apart from the initial matchmaking, wasn't involved in the subsequent cooperation. So, my brother and others didn't dare to do anything to him. But after struggling for a few months, the bank started demanding loan rep
"Mary," Paisley called out each word, but then her throat seemed to constrict, and she couldn't say anything more. Tears welled up in her eyes.Lucas also felt anguished. "We're sorry, Mary, but we haven't wronged you."Mary sneered, "If you haven't, how did I end up in this situation today? You both are incompetent parents. What's the point of arguing? You only have two daughters. Can't you treat us equally?"Paisley was truly enraged by her words. "How have I not treated you equally? Mary was just being clever. Perhaps I inadvertently praised her, but I never said you were bad, did I? Just because of this, you want to abandon Mary?“Are you even human? After you went missing, I couldn't eat or sleep peacefully. Every night was spent in tears. I knew you suffered a lot, and surviving wasn't easy, so when I found out it was Mary who made you disappear, I resented her deeply.“I did everything to make it up to you, even at the cost of hurting Mary. I sided with you unreasonably. Is
Xena viciously grabbed her by the collar, preparing to take her back for further interrogation. However, many policemen suddenly burst in through the door.The secretary followed closely behind, explaining, "Officers, hurry and arrest Xena. She forced her way in."Xena frowned. Assessing her situation, she forced Mary to sit in the boss's chair, a dagger held against her sister's neck. The room was marked with signs of struggle, with blood spattered across the floor.In this situation, she could hardly argue her innocence. But she instinctively explained, "She locked up my parents and wouldn't tell me where they were. I just wanted to question her."The police officers' expressions hardened, their tone brooking no refusal. "Take her away!"Two officers stepped forward and seized her. Xena complied, offering no resistance or excuses, obediently following the police.Another officer glanced at Mary. "Are you alright?"Mary seemed shaken, clutching her neck. After calming herself,