Xena instinctively struck at the person. To her surprise, the assailant grabbed her harm and disabled her. Then, she heard a familiar voice, “Xena, it’s me!”She stopped her next move and looked at the man before her. He smiled at her affectionately, waiting for her to compliment him. Xena was upset and amused, asking, “Did you set this up?”Hamish raised his brows and said proudly, “She served herself on a silver platter. I’d be a fool to let this chance slip by me.”Xena scoffed. She had left her men downstairs because she wanted to avoid alerting Mary. However, Xena could dismiss them now. She sat on the bed and texted Raymond, “Everything’s under control. Dismissed.”Since Hamish did not get the compliment sought, he pouted like a kid and went to ask for it, “How’d I do? I took care of both our parents in one swoop. That’ll save us plenty of trouble.”Xena giggled and pulled his necktie before pecking his lips. “There’s your reward.”Hamish was ecstatic. He held Xena and was
Xena peered at it. Indeed, it was a simple ring, but it came with a deceptively straightforward mechanism. There was a button disguised as a diamond. A simple press would make it shoot a tiny piece of pill out of it. Obviously, there was no trace of a pill in it now.She was a little downhearted. “This is not strong evidence if there isn’t any pill in it. The Mary I know wouldn’t be wearing this ring at all times. So, how do you plan on proving that it belongs to her?”Hamish was stunned by what she said.“There’s probably some fingerprints or something. I’ll get it checked. Moreover, I’m sure there’s a security camera in the private room.”“She moved too nimbly for the camera to catch her movement. It wouldn’t help anyway. On the off chance that the camera captured her trick, it would’ve captured you swapping the glasses as well. That’ll further solidify the fact that you set her up.”They were still discussing it when his phone rang. It was Paisley.Realizing that he was ab
All hell had broken loose in Room 1018. A male reporter was curled up on the floor in anguish, while a female reporter lay unconscious outside the door. Mary was crying her eyes out, insisting that she didn’t know how things had happened the way they did. She kept calling Hamish, but he wouldn’t answer his phone.Both the Carson and Martinez families were overwrought with worry and tension. Mary was leaning limply against Paisley. They couldn’t be sure if she were pretending, but she wasn’t responsive.They were startled by the sudden turn of events and frantically sent all three of them to the hospital. It didn’t matter what the truth was. They just couldn’t let anyone die tonight. They also subdued the naked stranger.Naturally, they didn’t dare involve the police in this. First of all, it wasn’t something they wanted publicized. Both families’ reputations would be ruined if people found out that Mary slept with a male prostitute.The Carsons daren’t stay out of this incident e
Mary entered the restaurant and saw Hamish sitting in a booth. He was leaning into the seat, looking relaxed. Hamish didn’t look anything close to the way Mary remembered him. There was an air of cold resolve about him. She took a moment to calm her nerves. If Hamish wanted to talk, it meant he needed something from her. That was proof that things weren’t as bad as they could’ve been. Walking over gracefully, Mary sat down across the table and stared at Hamish coldly. She no longer looked at him with an affectionate gaze. Since he had seen through her, there was no point in her keeping up the pretense. Evidently, he was more cunning than her, and she had nothing to say about that.Mary said coldly, “Out with it!”Sneering, Hamish said, “That’s more like it. I like this tone of yours better.”She smirked. “You used to be completely fooled by my act, though.”His face went stiff a little before he responded, “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”Paying no mind to Hamish’s quip, s
It was morning, and Sophia already heard from Elliot that Hamish set up the whole thing. She liked what she heard. She then went to college, feeling excited. Sophia was studying in Phoenix, but she needed to take up some military training as soon as college started. For ease of management, she had to stay in the hostel for the first couple of weeks.Although Elliot didn’t want her to stay in the hostel, Sophia was excited about it. Her husband had been nagging her like an old man for far too long.A car pulled over at the college gate. As expected, Elliot proceeded to nag her again, “You should sleep earlier so that you can get up in the morning. Don’t spend too much time on your phone or sleep past your bedtime.“The temperature is drastically different between day and night. Always wear a coat so you don’t catch a cold. I want you to call me every day—once in the morning and another one at night. Make friends with your roommates. If you run into any bullies, call me.”Sophia ke
Avery didn’t exactly try to hold him back. Smiling at Sophia, he said, “I didn’t know you enrolled in the same college Charles did. In fact, this is my alma mater!”Returning his smile, she said, “Nice. I’m going to say I know you if anyone looks at me funny.”He chuckled. “It’s a handy trick, too. I had a word with the director and dean. So, feel free to look them up or give me a call if you need any help.”She smiled helplessly, “Come on. I’m not a kid.”Michelle, who had been keeping a faint smile on her face, said, “Keep an eye out for Professor Patel’s lectures. You have to catch it. They’re as wonderful as they are informative.”She wasn’t about to shoot her down. Moreover, Sophia knew that there was time and place for everything. So, she smiled and went along with her, “Alright. Got it.”However, she did glance at Charlene as she spoke. Charlene might’ve seemed fine, but Sophia knew that she was just putting on a brave face. She was trying hard to be a competent bodyguar
As Avery fell to the ground with Michelle in his arms, he saw Charlene soaring through the air from the impact before plummeting to the ground. She then rolled away from the road until her head crashed into one of the many stores’ steps.“Charlie…” Avery clambered to his feet, wanting to check on Charlene.However, Michelle grabbed his hand and called out to him weakly, “Avery…”Avery looked at Michelle frantically as she fell limp into his embrace. “Hold on, Michelle. What happened?”Charlene looked toward Avery. She needed to see if he was safe and sound. The moment she saw past the crowd and everything that stood between them, she saw him holding Michelle tightly and the panicked look on his face.She took a deep breath at the sight. She couldn’t fault Avery for this, either. After all, he didn’t love her, and she couldn't force him to.With that said, the crash was excruciating. Charlene’s whole body was in pain. Raising her hand weakly, she touched the back of her head and f
“Michelle will be fine. Her parents can take care of her.” Avery turned toward Mason and Leticia. “You two should look after Michelle while I keep an eye on Charlie. She doesn’t have any family here.”Leticia responded, “Sure thing. Don’t worry about Michelle. We’ve got her.”Mason also said, “Get some rest, Charlie. We’ll see you again later.”Avery wiped Charlene’s tears when both of them left, “I’m sorry. Does your head still hurt?”He felt as if he was deceiving himself as soon as he asked the question. Charlene was a tough girl. So, why would she cry because of her head injury? Avery wondered why she felt sorry for herself.‘She’s crying because of me. I know that, but what can I do or give her to stop her heartache?’Charlene responded, “Not really.”Avery changed the topic on purpose, “Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll ask my men to buy you some porridge.”With that, he made a phone call.Charlene watched as he thoughtfully told his men to buy the porridge from a
“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,