Mona stood nearby awkwardly, blinking."Hmm…" she mused as she glanced at Frank. "Should I be hugging you too, Frank?""Quit it." Frank shoved her away even as she moved up.Kiki was the last to arrive, clicking her tongue in wonder as she watched the other ladies chattering, pouting, flirting, or bawling around Frank."What's this, Trevor?" Frank asked when he saw Trevor Zurich arrive with his men.Trevor grinned. "It seems that they weren't subject to any abuse—Maron might have an agenda here, but it was just house arrest at best. In fact, they were kept in the guest room and not the basement.""Yeah, don't worry, Frank—we're fine," Helen said with a smile."What do you mean 'fine'?" Vicky folded her arms before her chest, snapping in annoyance. "I had to sleep in the same bed with you, and you almost knocked me off! Go on a diet, Helen!""S-Shut it!" Helen blushed, retorting loudly, "You go on a diet!""Tut, tut. Denying it with all that flab around your belly?" Vicky reach
"Yes, Mr. Lawrence." Trevor agreed to it right away without asking any questions.Frank then returned to his Maybach to find it congested, with the ladies arguing endlessly on who got to ride shotgun.Eventually, Winter triumphed, not because Vicky or Helen actually lost, but because neither woman could stand the thought of the other riding shotgun."Hmph. I've ridden shotgun with my darling many times anyway," Vicky huffed, folding her arms before her chest. "Who's your darling? How brazen," Helen snapped, her ice-like beauty persona long forgotten."Oh, just stop it already…" Frank was left rubbing his brow—his days of peace were long gone."I won't be going back to Skywater Bay," Kiki said, standing outside the car and waving him goodbye. "The Soranos have given up on me after Hubert Sorano's death, and I can live the way I want to now.""Are you going to be alright?" Frank frowned, somehow worried."Don't worry. Vicky has my back!" Kiki grinned and winked at Vicky, while V
Helen waved him off, smiling faintly. "Just give it a rest—I bring good tidings, as we Northstream Lanes are now completely a part of the Lane family again.""Uh huh, and?" Frank remained unaffected.Helen was not surprised and kept smiling. "Well, that's not all. Uncle Gavin also told me that I'm now a candidate for the head of the family!""Just a candidate?" Frank snorted in disdain. "Hey, don't get too greedy!" Helen bumped him in the head, giggling. "Others would have to rack their brains scheming just to get the opportunity. It's already amazing that someone like me, who was only recently taken back, was chosen at all!"To be honest, Helen was as apathetic about being brought back to the main family as Frank was. They would only be a branch of relatives, having a superficial relationship with the Southstream Lanes without any meaningful exchange.As such, becoming a candidate for the next head of the family was different! The title alone carried weight and position over th
In the end, Vicky was the heiress of an important family.Helen certainly dulled in comparison, just as her pride could not take it.Therefore, now that she had the chance to become the head of the Lane family and become an equal of Vicky's, she would seize it.As for who would come up on top, that depended entirely on their respective abilities!Ring…Helen's phone started jingling just then, and she answered it. "Hello?"Gina was immediately snapping, "Where are you? Come back to the manor right now! Remember Madam Lang, Mark's second wife? She's here, and she's also being very specific about wanting to see you!""She wants to see me? Why?" Helen asked even as she glanced at Frank.Mark was brother to Henry Lane—Helen's grandfather—and had married three wives in his younger days. It also happened to be the reason Henry and Mark had parted ways in the past.Nonetheless, Gina was at once cheerful, "Oh, don't you get it? It must be because your uncle has informed you that you'r
Gina was getting more frustrated by the minute. "Hah! Still trying to fool me? Cindy had Randall Young of Square Street appraise it personally. That man is a specialist, and he said it's a glass orb worth no more than twenty bucks—or are you saying he's wrong?! Don't think you can have my daughter with a mere trinket. At least pay me fifty million dollars in dowry if you want to marry her!"Even as Gina pulled Helen along, glaring at Frank viciously, Helen tried to calm things down. "Did you make a mistake, Mom? Frank would never make a mistake.""A mistake?! The evidence is right there! Frank is a liar!" Gina snapped angrily. "He might even be lying about forcing Titus Lionheart to submit! Don't fall for his lies, Helen!" "Enough!" Frank snapped coolly but keeping his voice low as he could see the Southstream Lanes were watching them gleefully. "Where's Cindy? Why don't you ask her?""C-Cindy?" Gina was suddenly stammering. "S-Something came up at her college, and she was told to
Gina dropped to her bottom, unable to cry no matter how she wanted to, feeling hollow inside.How could she have known that some ruby Frank threw at her was worth that much?!"What are you doing over there?! Can't you see that Madam Lang has been waiting for so long?! Where are your manners and proper upbringing?!"On the other hand, Jade finally had enough and snapped from afar, slamming her cup on the glass table with an audible clang.That was especially the case for Gina, sitting on the floor like some fishwife. "Forget it—we can save this, for later. Let's go back to business," Frank said calmly right then, knowing how important the meeting today was for Helen. Helen realized with a start at his words. It was true—she was still thinking about the ruby, but what was at hand was more important.Jade then extended a hand as she introduced, "Helen, meet Madam Lang. She's your grandmother twice removed, and her words are absolute in the Southstream Lane household."As she spo
Jade snorted coolly right then. "Could've done that earlier, but you had to drag your feet. How impudent."Beside her, Luna's eyes flashed with obvious glee, as if Helen was kneeling to her and not to Fleur.She was clearly upset that Helen was chosen as a candidate for the next head of the Lane family, but so what if she was? In the end, Helen still had to kneel before her grandma.On the other hand, Frank was frowning as he watched Helen kneel.He was already sick of such ugly tradition, and even Godwin Lawrence—the most corrupt man Frank ever knew—never maintained such tradition. In contrast, the fact that some paltry households would maintain it made it clear they were used to bullying the younger generation.Still, Frank bore with it, staying silent since being a candidate for the next head of the Lane family was very important to Helen.Meanwhile, Fleur remained apathetic as she sat there, watching Helen kneel. She waited until Helen's fingers started shaking from holding
"O-Okay, I'll do it right away," Gina exclaimed and promptly poured another cup of tea, handing it to Helen and giving her a look.Helen clenched her knuckles, ready to refuse serving it to Fleur again, when she remembered Vicky.Even now, the difference between them was huge—becoming the head of the Lane family was Helen's only way to turn the tables against Vicky.As Helen prepared to reach out and take the tea cup, Frank, who already had enough, snatched the cup off her hands.Gina did a double take but was soon incensed. "What are you doing, Frank?!"Was he going to mess up yet another monumental opportunity for her?!If he upset Fleur, forget about Helen becoming the next head of the Lane family—they would be exiled again!"Frank…" Helen was murmuring.She certainly knew that Frank had enough and was saving her from further misery.Still, just as everyone was left hesitating, Frank snorted as he briskly flung the tea at Fleur's face."Argh!" Fleur shrieked as the brown t
Frank snorted. "Alright, I'm hanging up. I'm getting started over here soon.""Yeah. Good luck," Jouri replied.Hanging up, Frank looked up at the waterfall overhead, and then at Skyler, who was standing beside him. "So? Is it time yet?""Almost… Now!" Skyler's eyes were glowing even as she stared at her watch."Alright."Frank looked up just as the skies abruptly darkened. "Ah, there it is—the eclipse."The sun seemed to disappear, and the world was suddenly shrouded in darknesses.And beside him, a stone door imbued with the power of the spiritron vein also rumbled as it parted."Got it!" Frank rushed inside without another word as soon as he saw it."Hmph. I'm surprised that you could reach this place." A cold, wrathful voice resounded inside even before Frank got a hold of his surroundings.Looking up, Frank found a youth in a black cossack and sporting grey-white hair, standing upon a cliff as he looked down on him.Frank chuckled. "Hehe. Like I said, I've come to kill
Frank narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?'Crane shrugged. "I don't mind giving it to you straight—members of Torrent are actually… Ahem. A part of Torrent himself."Frank paused. "What's that supposed to mean?""You don't get it, do you?" Crane grinned. "Then let me put it to you this way—every member is a clone of Torrent.""A clone?" Frank gasped in realization."Yes," Crane nodded. "That's why I believe that challenging Crane is just suicide. You have no idea how powerful he is—only death awaits you down that path."Frank smirked. "Oh, but I don't think so."Crane rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever—now listen closely. You will find Torrent in the Mystic Trail, but you would only find that place when the sun and moon coincide, and the entrance is beneath the waterfall south of Horton."As he finished, he snorted coldly. "I have no idea if you can actually do it, but I'm hoping you do kill him… Heh. I'm getting tired of being stuck under his control for so long."Then, waving off
Frank abruptly turned, immediately noticing one of the Cranes crouching, ready to spring forward and blindside him."Got you!" He laughed."Hah! You fell for it!"Just as Frank swung a punch to pulverize that Crane, he suddenly burst into pus that splashed at Frank's face."Damn it!" Frank took a step back, surprised that the clone's presence was identical to the real Crane, and a trap on top of that!"Die!"The Cranes around him each whipped out a dagger, all of them stabbing at Frank at the same time."Get off!" Frank bellowed, unleashing a shockwave that sent all the Cranes flying across all directions."Frank! Above you!" Skyler suddenly shrieked."Yes! I'm right here!" A strange laughter sounded above Frank just as he wiped the pus off his face.Crane was suddenly directly above him, launching an aerial kick straight at Frank's head, and Frank had no time to dodge!"Die!" Crane's smile curled into a twisted angle as he saw that too.He was very confident with this kick
"Disgusting…" Skyler murmured through her hand.Despite being skinned and scalped, the women were all still alive and singing to the music that was playing despite their anguish."Talk about a terrible fetish."Frank was scowling too—why were all the members of Torrent such sick deviants? It seemed like his plan to wipe them out was absolutely correct!"So, you killed my clone?"The lanky man on the couch slowly turned to level his bloodshot eyes at Frank.His lips were wet with bed as they curled upward into an eerie smile."Clone?" Frank narrowed his eyes."Hehe. It's a sage art."Crane shrugged as he stood up and wiped the blood off his lips. "It's only natural that you don't understand… Still, you deserve praise. If you can kill my clone, that means you're not just slightly stronger than Ghost."Naturally, the man was none other than the real Crane.Still, as Skyler studied him from a corner, even she could notice the strange twitch of his fingers, and his veins were pro
Even as Crane ran, he was looking over his shoulder, his heart pounding. "No… I won't win in a one-on-one!"No, as long as I get back to my real body… we can do this together!" He frowned, having seen how Frank sliced off the pinkies of those hood rats. It hence quickly dawned on him that Frank was not just slightly stronger than Ghost, as Torrent had put it!"Almost there!" He gasped when he saw the signboard of Pegasus Showtown in the distance. "As long as I get there and rendezvous with my real body, that brat will lose—"That was when he turned and saw that a shadow had caught up with impossible speed."What?!" Crane's eyes almost popped out in bewilderment. "What speed is that?! Are you kidding—"Even as he spotted the shadow, the shadow turned into a youth with an impassive visage.His fist outstretched, he was clearly punching toward Crane's forehead!"Argh…"Even as Crane looked on, the youth's punch slowed down by tenfold, but his fist kept closing in.Then, whe
Seeing Skyler sigh, the tattooed thug presumed that his extortion worked.He strode up, grabbing Frank's shoulder. "No one's gonna help you, boy. Pay up, or you're not leaving.""Exactly! You're not getting away!" the crowd of hood rats hollered. "Last chance."Frank's eyes were cold and fixed on Dani, however. "Are you going to intervene? If you do, you can keep that check. If you don't…""Ugh. Fuck off! I don't care!" Dani spat, her expression smug as she folded her arms before her chest. "Who do you think you are to threaten me?!""Exactly! Pay up, and you can leave!""Yeah! Ten grand, at least!""You probably don't know my boss Wyvern, but when he's here, you won't get away with just ten grand!"Even as the crowd closed in, Frank shook his head. "Well, you had your chance. Don't blame me for what happens next.""You're giving us a chance?! Hah! Who—argh!"Even before Dani could finish gloating, Frank was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her viciously by the wrist."Arg
"Five grand?! Did you hear that?! He just threw five grand!""Must be a rich kid coming here for a secret rendezvous, out of prying eyes? Those types are the easiest mark!""Fuck! And Dani got one of us… It hurts me more than losing at the races!"Frank could hear the buzz around him but ignored it as he strode past the men flanking him and headed toward the street that stank of blood."Stop!" A big tattooed man grinned sinisterly as he intercepted Frank.As his buddies encircled Frank as well, Frank snorted—it seemed that they took his reaction for a sign of weakness and thought that he could be cowed.The tattooed man rubbed his chin as he leered at Skyler's voluptuous figure, chuckling. "Look, boy. I'm short on cash, so let me take a loan. I'll pay you back some other day, how about that?"His friend laughed. "Exactly! You just gave Dani five grand, and we won't ask for more… just four, how about that?"Skyler scowled in turn and glanced worriedly at Frank beside her—was he
Frank himself had just stepped out of the nightclub when his eyes narrowed."Blood," he murmured, his nostrils twitching."Blood?"Skyler sniffed the air, puzzled. "I can't smell it.""It's from the opposite street… I smell the blood of over a dozen people.""A dozen?!" Skyler did a double take.He could identify the number of people who were killed?! That was just ridiculous!"Come on, let's take a look."Just as Frank led the way toward the source of the stench, a woman suddenly came up, catching Frank off guard and throwing herself into his arms."Hmmm?" He looked down to see that she had thick makeup, average looks, and a rather pudgy belly."Argh! He touched me!" she pointed at Frank and shrieked even before he realized what was happening."What?!" Skyler was staring at the woman too, mystified."Oh, sister! You just didn't see it!"The woman kept hollering, pointing at Frank's face. "Your boyfriend grabbed my ass! Is that how you teach him manners?!""Teach him ma
Wyvern screamed even as he clutched the stump that was his hand, screaming so shrilly one might mistake his voice as inhuman."Oh, just shut up." The lanky man glowered and launched a kick, reducing Wyvern into puddles of blood and pieces of innards, splattering all around the lobby. "Argh!!!" the devilish lady screamed as she watched the carnage unfolded."Another sound, and you'd end up just like him." The lanky man turned and frowned at her impatiently."Hngh…" The devilish lady promptly clasped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes as she trembled."What the hell?!"Outside, Wyvern's lackeys heard the screams and ran inside, looking for him. "Hey, where's Wyvern?!"However, the lobby was too dimly lit for them to notice the blood and guts scattered around the walls, and they only sensed that terrible stench."Hngh…" The devilish lady was too scared to speak, and tears trickled out of her eyes."Fuck!"One of the lackeys strode up and seized the lanky man