The sea, especially within a 10-odd-mile radius where the eyes could see, was practically endless. Even a swimmer would find their strength steadily evaporating as the hope of seeing land or rescue, along with the warmth of their body, were slowly chipped away by the claws of icy water. Without ample preparations and gear, death was a surety.Two bodyguards yanked Sandy by her arm with their dear life, but the obstinate mule kicked up a rough fight. Beads of sweat bathed her hands before rolling down the arms.Colton rushed to the railing and bellowed, “Are you suicidal!?”Sandy gave out a sheer, mirthless laugh. “I'd rather die than see you people gloat!”Shock jolted through Colton. “Wait—”The woman pried her arm out of his grip with all her might. The force knocked her off balance, and she toppled, plunging straight into the sea below. The water swallowed her. It was then that several speedboats emerged from a distance. Two helicopters circled above the sea, inching close
”Bit of a waste of her several days’ worth of tears now that we know Nollace is still alive, right?” Waylon finished.Colton rose to his feet. “I better get to the office.”His brother considered him. “How’s Freyja holding up?”Colton paused in his tracks. His tone was hard to decipher when he asked, “What’s with the concern?”Waylon chuckled. “I thought it’s quotidian for a brother to care about his sister-in-law’s wellbeing.”Colton told him she was fine before leaving the mansion altogether.Somewhere in the distance, atop a quiet lake, a rustic gazebo overlooked its tranquil water. Nicholas held a fishing rod in his hand and a coffee mug in the other. Nearby, a modest array of food was spread across the table. Bodyguards guarded the gazebo from a few steps away, making sure that no one would disturb their peace. Daisie propped her chin on the thick of her palm. She had been sitting quietly on her spot for more than half an hour by now, yet she had never seen her fishing rod
Daisie recalled something and pouted. “If he’s safe, why hasn’t he contacted me or returned?”Didn’t he know how worried she was? She really thought that she would never see him again.Waylon sighed. “He wouldn’t feel safe to be with you as long as Donald is alive.“Daisie, Nollace pays a lot of attention to details. He wouldn’t put his life in danger if he wasn’t sure. He wants to be with you, so he’ll have to remove all obstacles first. You have to trust him.”Daisie looked down.She knew what was on Nollace’s mind. He would always protect her. No matter what he did, even if he had his flaws, he had never hurt her. She didn’t need to love a perfect man as long as it was Nollace.Nicholas tossed the bait into the water, which started a ripple and slowly said. “That child was very lucky.”Waylon chuckled. “He is. How do you even escape when you’ve been pulled underwater? Mr. Southern even saved him.”“Mr. Souther?” Nicholas paused and squinted while he searched his memory. “He’
Nollace looked up. “Mr. Southern.”He was wearing riding gear with brown boots and was carrying a red horsewhip that looked brilliant under the sun. He looked skinny, his waist and shoulders looked different from other men, and even though he was 5’7’’, he looked weak. He played with the horsewhip while looking at the crowd. “If you want to join in, I could get them to teach you something, but you might not be able to handle it.”Nollace smiled and rolled up his sleeves, then walked down the stairs. “If you’re willing to teach, I’m willing to learn. I don’t mind learning more.”Cameron crossed his arms and squinted. This man from Yaramoor was keen on learning. When the students saw Cameron walking over, they stopped. “Sir.”Cameron waved his hand and said, “This is No—”“Neal Beck.” Nollace cut him off and calmly said, “My name.”Cameron realized that Nollace didn’t want to expose his identity, so he played along. “Alright, Mr. Beck would like to learn from you. I hope you sh
Cameron slowly drank his tea and chuckled. “They’re just an organization that’s under the Southern Clan. As long as we keep an eye on their interaction with Puzo, we don’t need to pay attention to a girl.”The butler felt glad.All those years, Cameron had grown more into how Sunny was when he was young. He would be able to take over the family soon. However, something came to his mind, and he quietly sighed.If Cameron’s real identity was exposed, the Southern Clan might have to face some tribulations because Cameron wasn’t who people thought he was. At Bassburgh, at the Goldmann mansion…Nolan placed down the documents and raised his brows at Waylon. “You’re going to the East Islands too?”Waylon nodded. “I heard that Aunt Saydie was going over to visit the Southern Clan, and I’d like to meet the hero of Southeast Eurasia, Sunny Southern.”Nolan squinted and knocked his knuckle on the desk. “That’s a messy place and out of our scope. The underground gangs of Ora have power th
Nolan put his hand to his forehead. “Your identity will attract too much attention.”It wasn’t just her looks—anyone who had seen the news would know her identity as a famous actress and a Goldmann.Daisie smiled. “I’ll wear a disguise then. Playing a character won't be too hard.”Nolan could only agree because he couldn’t win over that argument. After a few days, Saydie and Waylon were ready. There wasn’t an airport on the East Islands. The furthest a plane could get to would be at the coastal town in the nearby country, and from there, visitors would have to take a boat over. The boat docked at the pier, and Saydie walked out of it, then leaned against the car while waiting for Waylon. “The ship will sail in 15 minutes.”Waylon looked at his watch, and it was already 10:00 a.m.At that moment, Daisie, who was late, came with her luggage and called out to them. “Waylon, Aunt Saydie.”Saydie turned around and was surprised. “Daisie?”Waylon looked toward her and laughed. S
Sunny looked up. “I’ll temporarily hand over the authority of The Commune to you.”Nollace was surprised, then he squinted. “The Commune? Isn’t that under The Serpents’ management?”Sunny picked up his teacup again. “Honestly, The Serpents have been changing. I care about our past relationship, but if they are going to betray that, I’m going to break them.”Nollace smiled. “You trust me?”Sunny sighed. “If you want to get rid of Donald, you’ll have to get rid of The Serpents first. The leader of The Serpents is a friend of Fabio Puzo. I know that, but I can’t do anything. Puzo has spies in The Serpents, so if I do anything to them, I will be giving Puzo a chance to get The Serpents to turn against me.”Nollace said, “But if I do anything, they will know that you are behind it, and they will still suspect you.”“Don’t worry about that. Neal Beck is a guest who was brought back by Cam. I’ve made up your identity and arranged for you to take over The Commune. The Serpents won't know
Daisie rested her head on her hand. “I wonder where Nolly is now…”Waylon placed a snack on her plate and chuckled. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s with the Southerns right now, so you don’t have to worry about him.”She picked up the snack, and just when she was about to eat it, a commotion came from the hall downstairs.A group of muscular men was standing in the hall. They were wearing some sort of uniform, and it seemed like they came from East Winston. They looked furious and did not come with good intentions.A man smacked the table and pointed at the waiter and manager. “Our lady has booked this restaurant today! Ask all of them to get out of here!”Forcing a smile, the manager walked up to the man and said, “Mr. Estrada, for your information, you’ll need to make the reservation with our restaurant one day in advance. Our customers are still here, so—”Before he could finish speaking, the man called Mr. Estrada grabbed him by his wrist and snarled, “Cut the crap! This is the Ea