Bridget tried to take several deep breaths. She had met many people in the past years, but this was her first time encountering such a shameless person.The man parted his lips, still wanting to continue. However, the guy beside him frowned and shoved him aside. “I think we’ve wasted too much time here,” the second man said while alertly examining Bridget.Although Bridget’s lips twitched with anger, she refrained from speaking and only cowered, putting on a terrified display.The man with yellowed teeth noticed Bridget’s reaction and reluctantly pursed his lips, but he did not resume his conversation with her. Instead, he took on a colder attitude as he responded, “Darling, although I’d love to continue our chat, other things require my attention now. You could wait for mere here, though. Because it won’t be long before this hotel becomes mine.”His face lit up with pride as he waved his hand in the air. Then, he ogled Bridget’s body with a lascivious grin—one that could make others
Phaedrus found Bridget peculiar, and her presence felt too random. His instincts told him that her words were untrustworthy, so he turned to face the man with yellow teeth again. “She’s already given us Darius’ location, so I’m sure we know what to do next—that is, I think we should go to the hotel’s backyard.”After saying that, he did not wait for the man’s response; Phaedrus marched straight for the backdoor.The man’s jaw fell slightly while his brows furrowed; that was the first time he felt like a genuine idiot for overlooking the details. He glanced at Bridget with growing skepticism before turning to face the other way and catching up to Phaedrus. The man thought, “This chick claims Darius is resting on the second floor, but if Phaedrus chooses to go to the backyard, then Darius must be at the back! After all, Phaedrus’ judgment has never been wrong over the past few years. It’s all thanks to Phaedrus that my forces can get away with doing illicit business.”Only after the t
“Damn you, Phaedrus! It seems you’ve been hogging the limelight for far too long among our group! I won’t allow it! I won’t let anyone displace me—I’m pretty sure you knew this much when joining our team. Yet you didn’t bother hiding or changing your desire to break that rule! The way you’re acting now has wounded me. I don’t think I can ever forgive you. Therefore, you can either die here or vanish from sight forever. Those are the best options for you since you once mentioned you loathe the thought of friends turning against each other. If you cease to exist today, I can tell everyone that Darius killed you. That would also allow me to achieve my ultimate goal—having total control over the group again.”Bridget sneered once she finished repeating the man’s words. The truth shocked her, especially since she had not met anyone with such thick skin.Meanwhile, Phaedrus’ voice grew hoarser by the second. “I can’t believe you’d do this. Although you’ve always made some drastic decisions,
Although she had a hand in causing this, she still felt shocked. It was, after all, different from anything she had experienced before since most of the blood came from one person. In the past, to achieve victory, she would have made at least three people bleed to their deaths. Yet, now, the majority of the blood was Phaedrus’. He applied pressure to his wound while standing upright. Most of his injuries were on his abdomen. The rest of his wounds were barely visible; all Bridget could see was how Phaedrus struggled to cover his stomach, which still emitted the heavy stench of blood. That continued until his pants got soaked. His blood even dripped from the hem of his pants, pooling on the ground outside the backdoor.Bridget furrowed her brows, feeling conflicted about what to do. She would have to cross the blood puddle if she wanted to walk over to the enemy like a regular person. Doing so would stain her literally and spiritually. Alternatively, she could always use her abilit
“Without him,” Bridget continued, “You’d be long dead. Despite this, you want to kill him because he’s more powerful than you. How can I not laugh when an ungrateful little prick like you exists?”A frown marred Phaedrus’ face. At the same time, hopelessness flashed in his eyes, knowing Bridget’s loud announcement made it impossible for him to regain his group’s trust anymore. He sighed, locking eyes with Brock while saying, “I’m indeed a member of the authorities, but you’ve got one thing wrong—I’m not a spy sent by the authorities, police, or the government. The truth is very much the opposite of what you think; I’m not a spy, but I have a bone to pick with the authorities!”“Hah! Hilarious. I doubt anyone would believe what you’re saying.” Brock rolled his eyes at the former. His face paled once more as he was unwilling to accept the cruel truth; he was the only one who would believe Phaedrus, regardless of how bizarre the latter’s words sounded. Overwhelmed with an unprecedented
Bridget’s eyes narrowed to slits. Despite her smile, her other facial features seemed cold.That was when Darius opened the backdoor inside the hotel and saw a trembling Brock, who could barely stand upright in front of Bridget. Likewise, he noticed a more polished man among the enemy team, Phaedrus, who lay dead on the ground due to severe injuries. Frost coated Darius’ eyes as he scanned the battlefield, where people were still fighting in the background. However, both teams seemed like their minds were elsewhere. Frowning in annoyance, he thundered, “Listen up, every staff member of Umbrite Hotel! I want you to fight off our enemies with the utmost seriousness. Otherwise, you’ll have to face the consequences! Need I remind you guys that I’m quick to anger?”He then turned to look at Brock and calmly said, “I’d surrender if I were you. After all, the only one who can effectively defeat our security guards is Phaedrus, but he’s dead. No one can help you since you’re so useless. Tha
The way Brock slumped to his knees made it seem like he was willingly begging Darius for mercy.Darius cocked a brow and could not help chuckling heartily. It caught every person’s attention, as they had always viewed him as handsome and stern; it was their first time seeing him laugh without self-restraint, so it shocked them. Being the center of attention started making Darius uncomfortable, so his lips gradually pursed. Even so, his eyes were slightly curved in amusement as he looked at Brock, who knelt on the ground and had yet to accept the current outcome. It was not long before Darius shut his eyes, speaking in a casual tone. “Hah! I always thought your mind was incapable of intelligence, but I didn’t think even your actions would be this stupid. Even a one-year-old that had just learned to walk wouldn’t fall so clumsily while walking. What a joke.”Brock’s eyes widened at Darius. Hesitance flickered in his eyes while he pursed his lips several times. Eventually, he forced h
The enemy’s weapons, dropping all at once, produced the sorrowful sound of defeat that reverberated in everyone’s ears. Even their hearts ached at the thought of losing.“Thank God it’s all over,” Bridget said, sighing while raising her brows. She then turned to return to her room, thinking, “Alicia’s capable of wrapping things up here.”As expected, once she opened the backdoor to re-enter the hotel, someone opened the door from inside—it was a panicked Alicia. The latter rushed over so frantically that Bridget had to take a few steps backward. With a smile, she asked, “What’s going on? Why the rush? Why don’t you tell me, and maybe I can help out.”Alicia was panting so hard that she could barely speak. Bending forward and resting both hands on her knees for support, she took a haggard breath before replying, “N-No, I’m good. Instead, I was only checking up on your end and seeing if you needed help. Also, I found something that might help you next time.”It took a lot of effort for
"If you hadn't picked on me, I wouldn't have ended up like this. No matter how wealthy I've become, I'll never be able to take these black robes off!" The mysterious man's voice was shaky. He was extremely agitated.James frowned at that. He said curiously, "You keep saying I've done you wrong, but everything I did to you was what you did to others. I only gave you a taste of your own medicine."The mysterious man's breathing sped up when he heard that. He barked out a laugh and sneered, "I'll be honest with you. I never thought I'd have the chance to meet someone as dumb as you again."He shook his head. "I find it hard to imagine what your grandson will do when he sees you like this." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. The man was caught off guard. He looked at Darius as his body trembled violently.Darius frowned when he saw this. It was completely different from what he'd imagined. He narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man, his
Gabriel smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. I'll return to my workstation and prepare a proposal on what to do with Noah."Darius nodded and smiled. "Good. That's all I ever wanted." He turned to leave. "You need to get to work, and I need to return to my hotel to get some rest."Gabriel stopped. Darius' words made him hesitate. "I'm sorry to be asking this because I don't think it's my place, but it's probably better for me to ask anyway. I don't remember there being any hotels nearby."You should head home if you wanna get some rest. I don't understand why you're heading to a hotel to rest."Darius raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. He turned with his hands behind his back to look at Gabriel helplessly. "I don't know how to feel about what you've just said. You're making me think you're a little silly. Wouldn't I know how to search for a hotel?"It won't take you long to prepare a proposal, but it'll take me ages to get home from here." Darius turned and left.Gabriel's lips twitc
"Because you realized the risk was far greater than what you were comfortable with," Darius said calmly.But Noah started trembling. He looked at Darius in terror. He didn't expect Darius to see right through him after some simple back-and-forth. His eyes widened in fear.Everything that was happening now made him feel like he was dreaming. Noah had only been a step away from success, yet Darius had ruined everything.Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at Darius. "I've said everything there is to say. I'm the lowest rung on this ladder, and I only have one purpose for being here. It's to make you come under the authorities' control. Once you're here, my mission's accomplished."Someone else from the authorities will be here to deal with you, but that has nothing to do with me. They wouldn't have told me about it, anyway."Darius put his hands behind his back without saying anything. He turned to leave. Noah's eyes widened as he stared in fear at Darius' back.Darius didn't see this, bu
When Darius straightened up, his face became devoid of emotion. He said calmly, "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only want frank answers. Otherwise, I'll punish you for every lie that you tell me. I don't see any hope in your eyes, but let's see whether you prove me wrong."Darius paused, then continued, "I've already said something similar once. That was a chance I gave you. From this moment onward, I want you to know that I won't repeat myself because I believe you've had enough time to prepare yourself."Gabriel stood beside him and put his hands behind his back as his lips twitched. He'd thought about the various reasons for Darius repeating himself. But the one thing that hadn't occurred to him was that Darius had done it to give Noah time to prepare.Gabriel felt like applauding Darius, but the rational side of him stopped him from doing so. His rationality told him he'd be in for trouble if he were to do that, so he only looked at Darius with a smile.Darius sensed Ga
Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. Then, he said, "You're too nervous, Gabriel. It makes it seem like you don't trust me. In truth, there's nothing for you to worry about."He stretched his neck and continued, "I know very well how bad the consequences of destroying this building will be. Aside from those silly regulations, I'll also need to pay for it. I might be wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy forking out a huge sum of money as compensation."Darius spread his hands and shrugged. At the same time, he pointed at the window and turned to look at Gabriel. Then, he said, "Look. The windows are perfectly fine. They're not even scratched. That shows my life force is non-destructive."That's why you have nothing to worry about. You can put your heart back into your chest."Gabriel straightened up and sighed in relief. Then, he gave Darius an embarrassed smile.Darius grinned but didn't say anything in response. He put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Noah. He sai
"We're classmates from the same major, too! We were interns at Dream Investment Group, remember? And we got kicked out on our first day. You broke my legs because of a tiny argument we had outside the building! The surveillance cameras captured all of this!" Noah cried.Darius tucked his hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes. Then, he said mockingly, "You're the biggest fool I've ever met. Do you think you're the only one who can tamper with the surveillance footage? Any footage that can be tampered with can also be restored."Noah's eyes widened in shock. He gulped and tried to think of a way to explain away the injuries Darius had inflicted on him. Still, he couldn't think of anything. Before he had the chance to think any further, Darius spoke.He said, "There's one thing you got right, though. Gabriel is on my side, so he'll stand up for me no matter what you say."Gabriel's lips twitched at that. He subconsciously opened his mouth to say something in return, but Darius bea
"And I don't think it's my job to make you see sense," Gabriel continued. He put his hands behind his back. He gave Noah a look that was an odd mixture of gentle iciness. "I've given you more than enough time and chances."Gabriel sighed. "It's obvious that you don't care for that, though. And so I think it's time for me to treat you as an officer should." He sat down on the other side of the desk again.Noah's face was white with fear. Gabriel acted like he didn't see this, though. He smiled. "As I mentioned, I gave you plenty of time and chances, but you didn't appreciate them."His gaze turned frosty. "If that's the case, I'm sure you won't object to me doing this per our guidelines."Noah cried, "No, wait! I don't know what Darius has promised you to make you side with him unconditionally, but there's no way I'll let you two get away with this. You have to make sure you do everything by the book. It's a reasonable request, and you have no right to turn me down!"He trembled viole
Gabriel put his hands behind his back as he looked at Noah with a smile. "Now, you've piqued my interest."Noah looked up at Gabriel. His voice was deep and hoarse as he said, "If you help me, I'll give you half of the Reid Consortium's assets once I get my hands on them. You should know that without me, there's no way you'll get a dime from the Reid Consortium."Gabriel snorted with laughter when he heard that. He straightened up and slowly circled Noah. He sounded mocking as he said, "You've lost me there. I tried to puzzle it out, but it doesn't make sense at all."Why would I want to get my hands on the Reid Consortium's fortune? Even without it, I'm perfectly independent. I don't need it to survive."Gabriel crossed his arms and looked at Noah mockingly. "Or maybe you're different from the rest of us. Maybe you'll die without the Reid Consortium's wealth." He smirked and gave Noah a sharp gaze.Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're the one making me laugh now. I don't know
Gabriel sounded gentle, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. This was especially true for Noah, who sat across from him. He felt incredibly nervous. He shut his eyes and breathed rapidly.Noah never would've expected to still be in danger after being taken in by the authorities. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel. "So, are you determined to help Darius now?" His voice was shaky, and his eyes were wide because of his nerves.His emotions were clear as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh. To stop Noah from noticing, he quickly exhaled and sat down with one leg over the other. At the same time, he leaned forward to place his hands on the desk.He tapped his fingers on the desk quickly but rhythmically. Gabriel's eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at Noah. "Tell me, Noah. What happened between you and Darius? Earlier, you said he was the one who injured you. Do you have any proof?"Because we checked the surveillance footage, a