Hamish paused before continuing, "Elliot should remember. My parents were sacrificed in a political marriage. They had not met each other before getting married, so they had no feelings for each other.“My father had a girlfriend before getting married. However, her family was poor, and my grandparents disagreed. So, they arranged for my father to marry my mother. After a drunken episode, my father got back together with his ex-girlfriend.“My mother found out, but our family situation was delicate. If this matter had escalated, it would have ruined my father's career. So, my father apologized, claiming he was drunk and confused.“He also promised to cut ties with his ex. Eventually, my grandparents calmed his ex down and sent her away. My mother chose to endure it silently. Seventeen years later, that woman appeared at our house with a boy.“She claimed she was terminally ill and wanted my father to care for her son before she died. Of course, my mother disagreed. After all, she h
Jocelyn was puzzled, "Didn't they already get married? Why’d they need to reregister?"Donald said, "We all know how they got their marriage certificate before. I guess Elliot is guarding against us. He’s afraid we'll recognize her, and he backed out of the engagement with her.“If we have the marriage certificate, we can use it against him. We took the initiative to get a new one with Christine, so now there's nothing we can criticize him for."David said, "Let them get married. We were planning to let Christine be with Elliot anyway."Donald and Chase exchanged a glance, and both rolled their eyes.They had handed over their clever, adorable, and beautiful little sister to Elliot. Initially, they were still considering recognizing her and giving him a hard time under the pretext that the photo was fake.‘It’s delusional of him to back out of the engagement and still want to marry my sister. Still, they got a new marriage certificate, so now everything’s legitimate.’Donald sai
Sophia's attack caught Paisley off guard, causing the latter to tumble onto the sofa clumsily. She struggled to get up and then glared at Sophia. Although the young lady looked hostile, Paisley asked suspiciously, “Who are you to question me about how I treat my daughter."Sophia said aggressively, "Do you even consider her your daughter? Those aren’t the kind of words a mother should say to her daughter. How dare you call her shameless and accuse her of being unethical."Xena spoke up, "Sophia, don't interfere."Sophia glanced at her and saw the handprint on her swollen face. "I know she's your mother, so I won’t hurt her. I just want to talk."She turned back to Paisley and continued, "I’ll call you Aunt Paisley out of respect for Xena. I heard what you said just now. You said you want to make it up to Mary and claimed you’re unbiased.“It's not your fault if you don't like her. That's Xena's problem. You should never be biased if you’re a mother. Don’t sacrifice Xena to make am
Paisley was treated so rudely for the first time. She was so angry that she pointed at her, "How dare you talk to me like this?"Sophia said, "What's wrong? Isn't it a fact? You are the mother of both, not just someone who favors one over the other. Aren't you afraid that when the truth comes out, you'll have no face to beg for Xena’s forgiveness?"Paisley looked at her, inexplicably subdued by her momentum. The firm thoughts she had before now became uncertain, especially when she saw the hurt look in Xena's eyes.She slowed down her tone, "What did I say? I just don't want her to be involved with Hamish.""What else do you want to say? You come here without caring about how she's doing outside, not caring why she doesn't go home, but instead scolding her. What's this about having no shame? What's this about being improper?“What's this about seducing Hamish? What kind of talk is this? Don't say Xena might not even be interested in Hamish, even if she snatches him away, so what?”
Xena sighed. "How do you know so much?"Sophia said, "His mother told him after he called off the engagement last night. He came to find me the next day.""What did he want with you?""He asked for my help in pursuing you," Sophia smiled at her, "Do you still like him?"Xena scoffed, "Do you think I'm that forgetful?"Sophia also sat down, relaxing against the back of the sofa, teasingly looking at her, "It's hard to say. Don't speak too soon."Xena glared at her, sternly asking, "What are you trying to say?"Sophia chuckled, "Before I got together with Elliot, I said I wouldn't be with him even if all the men in the world were dead. But fate works in mysterious ways. We were engaged since childhood, arranged by our grandparents.“He was the older brother I had been searching for, and then we ended up together by accident, persuaded by our grandparents. So, how do you explain that? Sometimes, you just must go with the flow when fate comes knocking. There’s no need to reject it
Black Den Headquarters was in the center of Phoenix. It was a towering skyscraper that symbolized grandeur and magnificence.Sophia and Xena went there early in the morning. They were two of the five mysterious founders of Black Den. They went straight to the 40th-floor conference room after entering the building via a dedicated elevator.When they entered, they saw Liam and Elijah engaged in a heated debate. Everyone here had code names. Andrew's code name was Black Dragon, Xena's code name was Shadow, Sophia's code name was Visage, Liam's code name was Exia, and Elijah's code name was Banshee.Liam was tall and sturdy with dark skin, while Elijah was tall but slightly shorter, with a fair face and scholarly demeanor. The two had nothing better to bet on besides the number of people who could make it past two rounds.Liam said, "The levels Visage designed are a bit difficult. I dare say that no more than thirty people will pass."Elijah said, "Nonsense! These are talents chosen f
Andrew issued his command to the final venue. Fifty people fought alone and had their phones confiscated. They were not allowed to meet or communicate with those who had yet to clear the stage. They also did not know the scores of those who had passed.Therefore, there was no difference between going in first or last. Everyone hoped to go in earlier because every extra minute spent outside was an extra minute of agony. However, the contestants had already determined their order by drawing lots.Mary and Vanessa were number one and eighteen, while Onyx was number forty-eight. When Vanessa heard a mechanical voice announce the start of the finals, she began to panic. Her limbs felt weak, and her breathing became unsteady.‘I-I can’t do it! I’m not ready! I don’t even know what stage I’ll face.’Mary comforted her, "It's okay, just relax and treat it as an experience. We've already stood out among five thousand people. It's okay whether we pass or not. Just keep a calm mind."Vanessa
Sophia and the others did not have time to discuss the tests as they continued to focus on the big screen. The second level was a willpower test. If the challenger persisted for ten minutes, they would pass.Elijah's apprentice, Carter, wore a black hooded cloak and held a hypnotic crystal ball before the challengers. He then demanded them to perform actions based on his instructions. He would hypnotize most after completing the actions.Sophia wanted Elijah to go up himself, but Liam rejected the idea, fearing Elijah would be too harsh.Mary stood before Carter, who asked her to lie down on a makeshift bed. Mary had monitoring devices on her wrists and ankles. If the monitoring device detected her being hypnotized, she would fail to proceed.He approached and placed the crystal ball before her eyes. She said lowly, "Mary, stare at this crystal ball. Imagine yourself in a vast blue sky with the scent of flowers brushing past your nose.“You hear birds chirping above your head and
“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,