Daisie was stunned. It was only now that she realized the young man in front of her was Cameron.‘But he’s so young!’She thought Sunny was old and his son should be around 30 to 40 years old, considering how they called them.Cameron lifted his eyelids and put down the cup. “You two are pretty gutsy. I’m sure you’re not just an ordinary businessman considering the fact that you have the nerves to go up against The Serpents as soon as you come to the East Islands.”Measuring Waylon up and down, he continued. “Those businessmen who came to the East Island would wear expensive clothes to signify their status. The richer the businessman, the more they were welcomed on this island. After all, no one would want to let go of a chance to slaughter a fat sheep that came to their door.“As for you, sir, although it seems like you’re wearing brandless clothes, if one looks closely, your clothes are specially-tailored outfits, and they're rare on the market. Either they're from a private com
Cameron glanced at her, and she shut up. The butler was giving instructions to the maids when Cameron stepped into the courtyard. The butler turned his head to look at him and greeted him with a smile, “You’re back, Mr. Southern.”“Where is my father?” he asked.“Mr. Southern Sr. is meeting his guest in the study room,” replied the butler.“Another guest?” Cameron lifted his eyebrows. “There seem to be a lot of guests recently.”The butler continued. “This guest comes from Metropolis. It seems like they want to make an alliance with Mr. Southern Sr.”Cameron had heard of Metropolis from Morwich before. They were a powerful organization in North Ancora, and their leader, Strix, had made quite a reputation for himself in the medical field. It was just that he had retired and had taken on the name Henry. Not only that, but he also kept a good relationship with the royal family.It seemed to him that the organization in Ora was going to do something. Otherwise, Metropolis wouldn’
Daisie cast her eyes low. “I know, I know. I’ll stay out of trouble for all of your sake.”Suddenly, something took shape in her mind, prompting her to ask, “Aunt Saydie, did you catch any news about Nollace?” Saydie shook her head. “I doubt he’s using his real name while active in the East Islands, especially since that’s also where Donald is. Nollace is a cautious guy, so he must have taken up some kind of pseudonym.”A pseudonym necessarily complicated their search.Daisie fell silent. She seemed to be mulling over something.…Far in the East Islands, the furor was brewing in The Commune. Joaqin Serrano grimaced as soon as he received the news. “What’s the meaning of this? That old bag appointed some outsider to take over The Commune!?”The Commune had always been The Serpents’ turf. Sunny Southern had been painfully reluctant to cede control over the territory to The Serpents for so many years, and yet the same Sunny Southern decided to hand control over to a man who was n
The next day, Daisie looked for Waylon in the room next to hers. She was about to knock when she realized the door was not exactly closed. She peered through the lean crack and saw Waylon talking to a man in front of his window.“You sure that was Neal Beck?”The man nodded. “Yes. I dug a little deeper, too. All they know it’s that he’s some sort of VIP Cameron Southern met while conducting business abroad. He was obviously very well-regarded, considering how Mr. Southern later made him the governor of The Commune—traditionally The Serpents’ territory.”Waylon narrowed his eyes. ‘Neal Beck… A stranger the Southern heir brought home.’ Had he not already known Nollace was rescued by Cameron, he would have never suspected ‘Neal Beck’ to be a pseudonym.This Neal had to be Nollace. “Please continue your work. See if you can gather more useful information.” The man gave a small nod. “Understood.”Daisie ducked behind the wall the moment the man turned. When the door was yanked op
The woman’s eyes glided over the curtain. She could see the silhouette flitting about behind the veil. “Joaqin expressed his wish to marry Ms. Serrano to you.”The silhouette inside froze, comb still locked in black, smooth hair. A peal of laughter suddenly erupted from beyond the curtains. “Oh, Joaqin has such a sick sense of humor. Imagine, asking me to marry a squawking chimpanzee!”The woman cast her eyes to the floor. “Mr. Southern has refused.”Cameron was done grooming. The silhouette emerged from behind the curtains, cutting a sleek, tidy figure made even more handsome by an aura of heroism. A melange of languidness, laid-back casualness, and unflappability hung over the figure’s face. “So, Dad’s decision to let Mr. Beck take care of The Commune really threw The Serpents off, didn’t it? And the only solution they could come up with was political marriage. Well, sucks to be them. I’m not… ‘husband’ material.”The woman sighed. “It’s a potential blow to your identity. That’s
Well, it looked like Sunny had underestimated The Serpents, after all.Cameron was a little shocked to see how thorough Nollace’s analysis was. Her time with Nollace had been short so far, and yet it was enough for her to realize that he was observant, shrewd, perceptive, and incredibly intelligent. He never put all his cards on the table, and he never left traces that could incriminate him. He was mysterious.The more mysterious a man was, the more unsettling he was. Had he appeared to her as an enemy—Cameron doubted she could escape him at all.She traced the rim of her teacup and smiled briskly. “I’m not too worried about Joaqin’s scheme. It’s his daughter who’s the biggest thorn in the flesh.”Nollace narrowed his eyes in silence.Cameron propped the side of her face with her hand and leaned onto the armrest lazily. “I bumped into two foreigners in a restaurant the other day,” she intoned, surveying his reaction. “Brother and sister, I think. They don’t look like your garden-v
Cameron’s smile faded. Nollace did not stay to hear her answer. He picked his jacket up and left. He was certain that the answer was only going to be yes.Cameron waited until he disappeared into the door to lean against her chair, her mood pensive and thoughtful.A woman approached her from the side and informed her, “Mr. Cameron? Ms. Serrano invited you on a date in a restaurant.”A smile shadowed Cameron’s lips. “And she couldn’t even wait.”…The venue was devoid of other patrons. Clearly, Florence had the whole establishment cleared out just for her. Now, her bodyguards stood outside like a row of samurais.Cameron brought two women with her. She found Florence refining her make-up from her seat, her eyes staring at a compact mirror. “Ah, Cameron! You kept me waiting for a little too long.”The cap on her lipstick clicked. She looked up and flashed Cameron her most seductive smile.Cameron pulled a chair out, sat, and chortled. “That’s your winning make-up? You wouldn’t
Florence had put herself in trouble. She didn’t expect Cameron to be on such high alert, but if she didn’t drink it, it would mean there really was something in the drink.Once she was caught, Cameron would not let her or The Serpents get away. She took over the wine glass and downed the content.The glass was empty without a single drop left. “How’s that?”Cameron clapped. “You’re a good drinker.”She turned and got the woman behind her to bring a new bottle of wine over. The woman brought it over, opened it, and poured some into the decanter.Cameron picked up a clean glass and poured the wine in. He then noticed how tipsy Florence looked, so he smiled. “What’s wrong, Ms. Serrano? Not feeling well?”Florence clenched her jaw. “I remember that I have somewhere to get to. I need to go.”The effects had kicked in. She shouldn’t have used such a big dosage.Florence quickly got up and left, and Cameron didn’t stop her but continued drinking alone.The woman noticed that some