Huub continued, "Judging from that alone, your ex-husband isn't being fair—he just doesn't have standards."Then, turning to smile at Gina, he continued, "Your mother is the mother of a CEO. She naturally shouldn't be treated as an equal with these plain Janes. In fact, you should always be aware too, Helen—don't stoop to the level of these pissants, or you'd cheapen yourself."And with a gentle wave, one of his goons strode up, grabbed the waitress, and slapped her twice.Helen winced as she watched, at once feeling indescribable guilt.At the same time, Huub's goon pushed the waitress down on the floor. "Get down on your knees and apologize!""I'm… sorry…" The waitress' cheek was covered in blood, but she was trembling as she knelt before Gina and apologized humbly.Gina did not appear uncomfortable at all, even grinning gleefully. "See, Helen? Mr. Droitner has class. Frank? Hmph…"She did not elaborate, but she was clearly relishing in catharsis as Huub's goon punished the wa
"Absolutely not!"Gina strode up, snapping unreasonably, "This is a major transaction we're talking about. We're meeting someone there, and it must be Room 10! If you mess this up for us, you will see that even ten karaoke boxes would not be able to cover the loss!"The karaoke box manager did a double take.A major transaction on their premises?But what transaction would have to be carried out in a sordid place like this?!Still, while the karaoke box manager was confused, he was still a seasoned veteran who would not get flustered over the little things.Smiling, he suggested, "In that case, allow me to discuss this matter with the customer in Room 10. Let's see if they're willing to let you have the room.""Good. Go!" Gina snapped, waving him off and leaving Helen exasperated.-Soon, the karaoke box manager was knocking and entering Room 10. "Excuse me…sirs?"Frank's heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was the karaoke box manager who entered this time, reclining aga
There was either no Bloodcrane Spiritbloom inside at all, or the box could contain the scent of the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom—just like the one Frank had."Hello? We're here."Soon, Helen's call was answered, and an obscure woman's voice spoke from the other end.Since Helen had put the call on loudspeaker, Frank could hear clearly enough to tell right away that it was none other than Horey Lindt."I'm watching the cameras," she said right away. "Frank Lawrence isn't here, is he?""Frank?"Helen appeared shocked and frowned as she glanced at Huub and her mother. "Why would you care about Frank? Isn't the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom what you came for?""Heh. Well, he has the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, so if he's not here, then it's not with you!""Hah!"Hearing how skeptical Horey was, Huub snatched Helen's phone right then and snapped coolly, "Listen closely! I am Huub Droitner, heir to Droitner Inc.! That so-called Bloodcrane Spiritbloom?! I have it too! And I'm now demanding that you f
"Absolutely not!"Huub protested as he caught on. "What if you renege on our deal after we give you our treasure and refuse to free your hostage? We'd just be taken for suckers!""My fight is not with you. I only want the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom!"The voice on the other end snapped impatiently, "At worst, the only person I have a bone to pick with is Frank Lawrence! None of you are my concern, and I won't hurt the hostage if your Bloodcrane Spiritbloom is real as you assured me! He will be freed!"Still, she soon paused and giggled coolly. "And you're in no place to demand anything from me."Huub's expression turned cold at the kidnapper's demands, but she hung up before he could say another word.He returned the phone to Helen and slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it!" he bellowed before turning to Helen. "What do we do now? Are we just going to give up the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom? What if she suddenly changes her mind?""We have no choice now."Helen sighed lengthily, lowe
Click.In the same instant Frank heard the wooden box being opened, he leapt out of the closet straight toward 'Horey Lindt', catching her and pinning her on the floor."Don't move!" he snapped."Ahh!" The woman shrieked underneath Frank, jolting him to his senses.Feeling a foreboding sensation in the pit of his stomach, he turned to the woman, his eyes widening as he found himself staring at an unfamiliar face.It was not Horey! "What…"Even as Frank's face fell, the woman beneath him struggled, punching his chest."Let me go, you moron! Let me go!" she shrieked."Damn it!" Frank cursed as he heard a rush of footsteps outside and poked the woman in the collarbone, knocking her out.Then, he scooped her up in one hand and hid in the next room before pressing his ear against the wall to eavesdrop on Room 10."What happened?!""The closet broke? And what's that on the table?"Frank breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the staff members' murmurs of confusion—fortunatel
Horey was no fool—she would be able to tell away that the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom in the box was an artisan object and no treasure.And since it was a fake, she would immediately presume that Helen and the others were trying to trick her.On top of that, Frank showed up and subdued her courier.One did not need imagination at this point.Horey would naturally presume that the whole thing was a trap designed by Helen to catch her, and that Helen had never planned to follow her demands from the start.Horey would be furious and would definitely hurt Gavin Lane in retaliation."Devious witch…"Frank could not help sighing, impressed despite Horey being his enemy. She was so cunning she would crush her senior apprentice, Kairo Wal, by a country mile in the brains department.Seeing that Frank has asked his questions—and that she already gave all the answers she could give anyway—she asked fearfully, "Excuse me, could you let go of me now?""What? Oh, right. Sorry…"Frank quickly
Tugging on Frank's sleeve, the woman said quietly, "M-My boyfriend and I… slipped. And we heard people outside, so we hid…"One of the security guards was staring at her sideways. "If you heard people, why would you hide?""Uh, well…"The woman murmured awkwardly. "We came in from the back door. We saw an empty room, so we tried to check it out before we got our own… And then we slipped and hid when we heard you coming.""I see."The security guards nodded before one of them said, "Wait, did you break the closet in Room 10? I'm sorry, but you'll have to pay for it…""What? How much?" the woman asked, her fingers clenching on Frank's sleeve."Five grand." The security guard whipped out a price list."What?! That's so expensive!" The woman flinched in shock."It's fine. Five grand it is—we can afford it."Still, Frank quickly strode up and whipped out a check to write down ten grand before slipping it into the security guard's chest pocket and patting it. "Use the change to buy
"Well, this means trouble," Frank murmured to himself, frowning as he tried to think of a solution.-Meanwhile, outside the karaoke box, Helen received a call from Horey. "Your plan is genius, Ms. Lane.""What?"Helen was left confused. She looked between Gina and Huub, but they looked just as confused as to what the kidnapper was talking about.Horey chuckled just then. "Still pretending, huh?""I'm not pretending. What are you getting at?" Helen pressed urgently.Horey laughed in cold rage. "Not pretending? Then why did you bring a fake flower? Hell, that's not all—you even had someone hide in the closet in Room 10, ready to ambush me! You're really showing no sincerity here, Ms. Lane!" Helen wheeled on Huub in shock. "The Bloodcrane Spiritbloom is fake?!"Huub appeared stunned for a moment, but he quickly stuck with the script he had prepared beforehand, insisting vehemently, "Impossible! That's definitely the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, an heirloom from my ancestors! How cou