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
Hamish said, “I never stopped waiting for you, Xena. I’ve never slept with Mary.”Xena chuckled. "Didn't you see the breakup letter I left before I left? Was I not clear enough? Hamish, you can be with whoever you want. I haven't liked you for a long time."Hamish sighed helplessly. "I know you blame me for hesitating. You know how Mary was back then. I always wanted to find a way to break it to her without upsetting her. Elliot scolded me today.“I’ll stop being hesitant. Just give me a chance. I’ll break off the engagement with Mary and explain it to your parents. I love you!"Xena sneered and kicked him out, saying, "Love? That word is cheap and annoying. Can't you understand what I’m saying?"Hamish could have avoided her kick, but he allowed it instead.Xena snarled, "If you're afraid of hurting her, just take good care of her. I don’t care about who you love or who you want to hurt. Don't come to me like I asked you to!" With that, she walked into the house, and the gate
Elliot took Sophia’s hand and said, "Let's redo our marriage certificate tomorrow.""Why do we need to redo it?" After some thought, Elliot said, "I want to take wedding pictures with you. We didn't take any last time. Don't you regret it?"Sophia squinted and forced a smile. "A marriage certificate we weren't present for wouldn't count anyway."Elliot was surprised. It turned out she knew everything. He sounded anxious, asking, “You guessed it, huh?”Sophia remained calm. "Guessed what?""The Morgans.""What about them?"Elliot gave up resisting, "You found out you're Christine, right?""Hmph!" She turned over in annoyance, not wanting to talk to him.Elliot was disappointed. He knew she would eventually figure it out since the Morgans were so enthusiastic. He hugged her, saying, "Soph, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I knew you were grieving when Grandma Dorothy passed away.“I didn't want them to come and recognize you. I feared it’d startle you or burden you psycholo
Hamish felt frustrated initially but knew Elliot had a point. After all, Hamish could not expect anything from others if he had not done anything. he received a call from Savannah as he dragged himself back home.He already moved out and did not expect anything important, so his parents would not ask him to come back. However, it was also an opportunity to inform them about the divorce. Soon, he drove to the Carson family's house.When he entered, he heard Vanessa’s surprised and delighted voice, "Mary, you made it to the Black Den’s finals, too?"Hamish subconsciously stopped. No wonder they wanted him to come back. It turned out Mary was here.Mary responded softly, "Yeah, I did. Are you participating, too?"Vanessa nodded with a smile. "Yeah! The finals are in a week, and I'm feeling a little nervous. Still, I feel much better with you around. We'll go together then."Mary replied, "Okay."The Carsons were involved in politics. After Egbert retired, he became the principal of
"Why would you visit another woman when you’re engaged?" Savannah's expression turned solemn. "She didn't return to her home and even hired bodyguards?"Before Hamish could speak, Paisley said, "I'll tell you the truth. If Xena hadn't returned, I wouldn't have hurried to settle the two children down. We learned of her return online and waited for three days for her to come home, but she didn't.“I'm genuinely afraid of Xena's personality. She might cause trouble again. I still remember the incident from three years ago. I just want to hurry and get Hamish and Mary married to avoid more trouble."Mary sat close to Paisley. "Mom, don't overthink it. Xena isn't like that. She won't interfere with our relationship since she has withdrawn. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed away. Isn't that her way of facilitating things?""You always speak up for her. Would you have attempted suicide if she didn’t force you? I went through so much to find you. What would I do if something happened to
Hamish licked his bloodied lip. "Today's situation happened because of you guys. If you hadn't intervened, we would have clarified it long ago. It wouldn't have been so humiliating!"Savannah wanted to slap him again, but Egbert stopped her. Savannah scolded, “Why do you insist on Xena if the two sisters look alike? The other one is gentle, considerate, and devoted to you.“What about Xena? She's dishonest, malicious, and always hurts you. What do you like about her?" Hamish did not like what he heard. "Mom! She's not as bad as you say. When did she ever hurt me? It's always been the other way around. My indecision made her leave.""If she never hurts you, how’d you get injured?" Savannah pointed at his injured face, furious. "I'm your mother. I’d never harm you. Xena is unruly!"At that moment, Vanessa shouted while holding her phone, "Mom, isn't this Xena?!"Hamish grew alarmed and reached for the phone. "Vanessa, mind your own business.”Vanessa retracted her phone and said
“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,