Smack!Lily the secretary was left shocked by the audible slap.Did someone really just slap Helen Lane, the CEO of Lanecorp, in her own office in Lanecorp Tower, and while she was sitting on her office armchair?!But there was no doubt that it had just happened, and the assailant was a furious Vicky Turnbull, who had rushed to Zamri all the way from Morhen.As soon as she heard Frank was hurt and taken to a hospital, she dropped everything and rushed over immediately.Along the way, she was told everything that had happened and somehow decided to go straight to Lanecorp Tower instead of visiting Frank.Then, as soon as she arrived at Helen's office, she slapped the other woman without another word."Are you going to argue, Helen?" Vicky asked icily through her teeth."No," Helen's knuckles clenched under her desk, her whole body shaking as this was the first time she saw Vicky being this furious.Smack!Vicky said nothing as she slapped her other cheek."Ms. Lane!" Lily exc
The rage on Vicky's face somewhat subsidized, and she appeared weary as she collapsed on the couch, rubbing her brow.Helen then began, "Vicky, I know—""What would you know?!"Vicky bellowed before she could finish and waved her off impatiently. "I don't want your explanation.The silence between them resumed for a long while, until Helen said, "I'll leave.""What?!" Vicky looked up in surprise."I said, I'll leave… I don't deserve him," Helen murmured, keeping her head down."Wait, are you crazy, Helen?!"Somehow, Helen's words left Vicky furious again, and she sprang to her feet as she slammed her hand on Helen's desk. "You think you can just leave without a care after what you did? Is that all you can do, Helen, as the great CEO of Lanecorp?!""Then what am I supposed to do?!" Helen cried, breaking down in tears as she collapsed on her desk. "I-I don't know what to do… I don't know how I should face him… It's all my fault…"Vicky was silent, seeing how much Helen blamed h
Frank's mood was endlessly somber—not only was Huub's threat weighing down on him, but there was also the physical pain he was enduring.It was even more disappointing that Helen had not visited over the last two days, although he had an idea why.Even if Helen did agree to let Huub search Cologne Court, Frank did not believe it was her own call, as he knew her well enough to see that she was wet behind her ears.While she was easily deceived, Helen also had a genuine bond with Winter and the others, and she would not have allowed Huub to attack Winter.That meant Helen was a victim too, and Huub must have used the fake Bloodcrane Spiritbloom to coerce her, forcing her to let him search Cologne Court for Frank's real Bloodcrane Spiritbloom.Then, unable to find the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, a frustrated Huub must have taken everyone in Cologne Court hostage as leverage against Frank while burning down Cologne Court.While Frank was preoccupied with his thoughts, his phone rang besi
Frank spoke quietly, "Bring me the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom.""But, Mr. Lawrence…" Trevor was hesitant. "You told me not to take it out under any circumstances, and—""Don't waste my time," Frank snapped.Noticing the edge in Frank's voice, Trevor hung up right away without another word."Phew…"Frank lay on his bed again, sighing lengthily.Then, growling through gritted teeth, he forced himself to sit up and pulled out all the tubes attached to him as he got out of bed."Frank?! What?!"Peter rushed in when he heard the commotion inside and immediately found Frank trying to stand up by leaning on the bed handles.He was stunned—Frank could still get out of bed in this condition?!After all, the doctors here at Zamri Hospital said that Frank had sustained over seventy percent of burns over his body, with his hair completely burned off.It went without saying that the gaping hole in his stomach ended up even worse, and an infection was kicking in by the time Frank was sent to
Frank never told anyone when he left.However, Madfist was already waiting downstairs at the hospital like a prophet, standing beside an inconspicuous Audi parked by the curb.Frank stared at him blankly for a moment but soon came to his senses. He moved to ride shotgun, still holding the wooden box containing the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom."Bralog's Droitner Building, I take it?" Madfist asked bluntly and started the car after seeing Frank nod.As he drove, he snuck a look at Frank beside him as he said quietly, "I know what you're going to ask, and I promise to answer your questions. First of all, I can assure you that Horey Lindt is dead."Frank's scowl eased at his words. "She's—""My adopted daughter," Madfist answered calmly before Frank could finish. "A good friend entrusted her to my care before he died… the girl was not even ten years old at the time."Madfist's expression seemed to soften even as he recounted the story, but he eventually shook his head. "But she was obses
"A curious balance…"Frank hung his head—the phrase itself was indeed curious.To everyone else, Frank's father, the Lord of the Southern Woods, was a hero who subdued all of Talnam by himself. But in reality? Even Frank could not put his finger on it.Even as he ran into a ton of trouble through the years, he had the feeling that his father was playing an elaborate game of chess. And Frank himself, as well as Silverbell, the chief of the Martial Alliance, were both just pieces in his game.No one could tell what Godwin Lawrence and Fenton were actually up to, even as Frank was now increasingly aware that both geezers were not as down-to-earth as they looked.While it was a pain to think about that, Frank was not bothered since he did not believe his old man would hurt him.As such, he prepared to deal with his problems at hand instead.Even as Madfist looked on, he took out the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom that glimmered with an eerier red hue.After some hesitation, he peeled off
Even Frank's hair, which had been burned off entirely, was growing out once more.He was mostly healed in no time at all, but the essence of the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom was still leaking.As such, he absorbed some of it, filling his meridian nexus to increase and solidify his pure vigor.Naturally, the rest was wasted as he unwittingly released a burst of pure vigor.Pursing his lips, Frank felt the loss—if he had stayed calm when he absorbed the essence of the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom, his abilities would definitely have risen to the next level.Still, he could not be bothered, given the urgency of the situation—healing was his priority, and if he was being wasteful, it could not be helped.Still, he felt a little guilty that he had accidentally involved an average Joe as he refined the essence of the Bloodcrane Spiritbloom.He scratched his head, embarrassed as Madfist teased him. "It's too late to turn around and apologize, huh?""Kiddo…"Madfist could not help chuckling when
Droitner Inc. was deeply in need of an actual enterprise to solidify their foothold in order for them to continue their shady dealings.They had certainly thrived with their trades—in which they had always sneaked in some precious item.Indeed, this exhibition was where Huub would show the foreign businesspeople various items. Should they express interest, Droitner Inc. would procure them before reselling them abroad, thereby earning a huge commission.And now, Huub was smiling fawningly as he spoke to a blond, middle-aged businessman. "What do you think, Mr. Schneider? This vase from the middle ages is of the finest quality that Droitner Inc. has ever seen!"The pudgy Mr. Schneider studied the vase for a long while before shaking his head and sighing.He turned to say something to his beautiful translator, who nodded and turned to tell Huub, "Mr. Schneider is saying that the vase looks like a replica, and he's skeptical about the date.""Hehehe…"Huub chuckled, seemingly not su