Yves was wearing a hood with only an opening for the exhalation valve. He removed it as he got out of the car.He sized up his surroundings and quickly spotted Ethan and the others. Excited, he waved at them.Ethan watched his silly antics with obvious disdain. Yves would've given himself away if that wasn't Ethan's team down there. What an oaf! He never thought twice before doing or saying anything!Sienna was beside him and recognized Yves. "A friend?""I'm not friends with such a half-wit!"Everyone else got out of their cars. Someone who seemed to be a leader was already instructing them to unload the trunks.His face full of smiles, Ashton eagerly approached them. Ethan also walked up to the crowd.Most of Ethan's subordinates were men of Ashton's age. The eldest there was only in his 40s. Considering their mission, Ethan excluded the older team members, who could have difficulty getting about.His subordinates disregarded Ashton. Instead, they all walked up to Ethan when
It was drizzling, and the wind was strong in the hills. Suddenly, it was as cold as early winter. No one was outside the drug factory except the guards on their shifts.The employee dormitory was dark and quiet. Only the sound of the wind could be heard.A few agile silhouettes darted out of the room Victoria stayed in. Descending out of the blue, they knocked out a few careless guards and hid them.Wendy and Yves led their team into the underground club."Benjamin, you should rescue Timothy and the rest now. I'll go to you soon," said Victoria.Benjamin was worried about her. He wanted to stay with her, but his family needed him more.He allowed her to put herself in danger for the Summers. Now, he couldn't stay by her side because of the drug dealers at times like this.They had already talked about it. Still, once Benjamin turned his back to her, he felt immense guilt and dejection.He turned around and hugged her. Reluctant to leave, he kissed her on the forehead with a pai
Upon returning to her room, Sharon clutched her chest as she recovered from the shock. That woman earlier resembled the one who destroyed her family all those years ago.She poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down. Then, she slowly calmed down. As she sat on her bed, her dull eyes suddenly grew determined.She wanted to live. She had to live! She had to protect and care for her son. She also wanted to exact revenge. At that thought, she was no longer despondent.…At 3:00 am, a fire started in Sharon's room. Running out, she shrieked as she slammed on her neighbors' doors.The commotion quickly woke up those sleeping in the rooms on the same floor as her. As they ran out of their rooms, they noticed her room was already on fire.The fire was raging. Moreover, the rooms were made of wood, so the fire soon spread to the next room.Billows of smoke poured out of the burning room. Those who planned to put out the fire quickly gave up on that thought."Fire!""There's a
Ashton had drunk too much and was already asleep. Still, he immediately sprung up from bed when he got word about the fire in the employee dormitory. "A fire? In the dormitory? How did it happen?"Hurry up and fucking put it out! Stop it before it gets to the laboratory! Gather everyone to extinguish it. If you can't, make sure it won't spread. Nothing must happen to the laboratory!"Ashton wore his slippers and dashed out of the room without wearing his clothes.Thick smoke was billowing from the direction of the dormitory. The sky was tinged red and black. The fire had apparently reached the laboratory.Cold sweat broke out all over Ashton. Pointing at the fire, he urged anxiously, "Quick, quick! Get everyone to help put it out!"How was he to collaborate with Walter if the laboratory was burned down?If Walter canceled the collaboration, how would he get the necessary weapons to turn the tables? He didn't want to be under a woman's thumb for the rest of his life.Ashton was i
Meanwhile, Wendy, Yves, and a few others knocked out Ashton's subordinates in the underground club.Wendy looked at the women with sympathy. "Don't be scared. We're here to save you. Come with us!"To her surprise, they stayed put. They were very reluctant to trust them as they huddled together.Before this, Ashton came up with several similar scenarios. They not only failed to escape but would also be beaten up if those men caught them.They all wanted to escape this place but had since lost hope after getting beaten up a few times. So, it wasn't that they didn't want to get out. They just didn't have the courage to do so.Wendy couldn't understand, though.Puzzled, she looked at Yves, who stepped forward. "I understand your concerns," he said. "We're not Ashton's subordinates. You can relax and follow us out of here. Your families are waiting for you!"Someone recognized him. "Are you Mr. Homer? The one who always made the news by dating female celebrities?"Yves was thinking
Benjamin reached the hilltop before Wendy and her team. He handed the rescued hostages over to Abraham.They were helped onto stretchers and lifted into the helicopter. A military doctor in a white coat was waiting at the entrance with a stethoscope hung over his neck.Benjamin said, "Timothy and Steven had been injected with drugs. Timothy is showing signs of addiction. We must set them up for drug rehabilitation once they get back!"There was gloom on Abraham's cold face. "As part of the Summers family, this is their badge of honor. I believe in them. They will snap out of it!""I'm leaving them in your hands. I have to go back and look for Victoria," Benjamin said. Then, he turned and left.He had barely taken a few steps when he saw another group of people walking toward the hilltop. It was Wendy and Yves with a group of women following behind them.Wendy also saw the group of people on the hilltop, and her eyes sparkled. She turned to face the women, who were panting out of
A strong smell of something burning and gunpowder permeated the air in the factory. It was somewhat irritating to the nose.Benjamin retraced his steps along the same path. He also instructed people to search the grove near the mobile wooden house.Since Victoria had said that she was going to see him, he was certain that she would. So, if something happened to her, it had to be on the way to find him.Benjamin's judgment was correct. He soon discovered subtle clues.The yielding earth in the grove had many footprints of various depths and sizes. Benjamin crouched down, carefully examining and identifying them. Then, he closed his eyes. In no time, his mind reconstructed the series of events.When Benjamin opened his eyes, he exuded an eerie chill. Ethan's men gulped nervously before asking, "Mr. Harper, d-did you discover something? It's not Victoria, right?"They knew Ethan would surely go mad if something had happened to Victoria.Benjamin turned around, his gaze dark and
Ashton had shouted at the top of his lungs. Even amidst the chaos of the night, it resonated powerfully. Many of the people present heard it, and they were puzzled. However, when bullets were raining down on them, no one had the time to think about it.Ashton's men followed his orders and charged toward Benjamin. Ethan looked at Benjamin, who was bathed in the glow of the flames. The latter exuded a murderous intent devoid of any warmth. Ethan could not help but feel that something terrible was about to happen.Benjamin skillfully took down Ashton's subordinates, who were armed with heavy weapons. Simultaneously, Wendy, using her right hand to support herself, aimed a gun at Ashton's head."Ashton Jones! You're a scumbag! I'll kill you!"Yves thought about all the innocent girls who had been hurt. At that very moment, he wished he could tear Ashton into pieces.He could not believe Ashton wanted to end Benjamin too. Right then, Yves appeared like a bomb about to detonate.
Victoria saw that Benjamin wasn't looking like he was kidding at all. She placed both of her hands on his chest and turned her head away when he leaned in to kiss her.She then pushed him away hard and changed the topic by saying, "I heard that Solomon was beaten up in his own house last night."Benjamin chuckled lowly and said, "There's no use changing the topic."As he was talking, he arched his neck and pressed his lips near Victoria's ear.Victoria's ears, especially her helix, were extremely sensitive. She subconsciously pulled her hands back and covered her ears with her palms.Benjamin took the chance to wrap his arms around Victoria's waist and pulled her close to him. His face was close to hers.Victoria could feel Benjamin's burning desire as she was pressed down onto his lap. She now knew better than to struggle.This was just shooting herself in the foot!It wasn't that she didn't know what he was like, but she just had to stir him up.Victoria felt uneasy when she
Victoria used her other hand to support her cheek as she blinked.She said, "How could someone who dislikes wasting words and unnecessary chatter nag endlessly over just a small wound?"Benjamin coldly asked, "Are you complaining that I'm long-winded and annoying now?"He looked aggrieved, as if he would be angry if Victoria were to answer "yes".Victoria laughed out loud again and replied, "I'm not!"She used her finger to poke at Benjamin's cheek.She was smiling when she asked, "Are you madly in love with me, Benjamin?"Benjamin looked at Victoria seriously as he crouched by her legs.If it was before this, he would've nodded and replied "of course" without hesitation. But now …Benjamin couldn't be as confident and sure when he recalled Wendy's previous words.Victoria didn't think much of it and took Benjamin's silence as affirmation.She continued, "I'm thinking that you're definitely madly in love with me. That is why you're so heartbroken and reacted abnormally even
"Where are we heading to now, Ben and Mrs. B? Why are the people here so weird? Why are they dressed up as if they're in a period drama?"What is this place? Why are the both of you here?"Yves was back to his lively self as soon as he got into the carriage. He started asking endless questions."You regained your memories now, Ben? I knew you'd never forget about Mrs. B no matter what. Even if you did, you'd definitely remember everything as soon as you saw Mrs. B!"Yves gushed on. It took him a good while to realize that Benjamin's expression had changed. Even the atmosphere in the carriage became strange.He asked, "Did I say something wrong?"Wendy laughed dryly and replied, "He's not as deeply in love with Victoria as you think he is. He didn't remember anything."Yves laughed awkwardly before pursing his lips.He started to butter Victoria up."How did you know Ben is here, Mrs. B? How did you find—"Victoria pursed her lips and glanced at Gwen who was driving in the fro
Yves stared at Anna. She started out mumbling, and her voice grew louder toward the end.He looked confused. "Ben, Mrs. B, what is she talking about?"He was sure she was speaking the same language but couldn't, for the life of him, understand what she meant.Upon listening to Anna, Wendy immediately felt she was too quick to agree to Yves' request because of the money. She wanted to push him aside.However, he was in a sorry state with his limp. His face was visibly thinner than before, and his eyes weren't as bright as they used to be. She found herself sympathizing with him.Victoria pressed her lips together, and her brows creased further.Benjamin turned to Silas. "Go and get Asher!"Anna didn't dial back on her arrogance. "Great idea. I'm looking for him, too."There was a horse race today, yet he locked me up in that cabin! I have a score to settle with him!"Victoria recalled Asher leaving the stables urgently during the day and had a hunch about what happened."If yo
Yves looked up with teary eyes and could vaguely make out Benjamin's sour face.He rubbed his eyes with all his might. Benjamin's face slowly became clear to him as his vision cleared."It's really you, Ben! Oh, Ben!"He was pleasantly surprised, as though he finally had someone to rely on. He teared up in excitement.The next moment, he became aggrieved again. He was just like a three-year-old who was bullied by a stray cat.He cried, "You're here, Ben. Why didn't you ask someone to look for me? You've no idea what I've experienced."I've been locked away in that shabby cabin and almost lost it. I miss you so freaking much!"Benjamin looked less sour now. He took out his handkerchief that he brought along wherever he went.He passed it to Yves, who had tears and snot all over his face. "Clean up. You're a grownup man, you know. Look at you."With one hand taking the handkerchief, Yves clung onto Victoria with the other.Benjamin stared at his hand that was holding onto her.
Asher felt his heart shatter. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I've already gifted it to someone else!"The person in charge felt his heart ache, too. "I wanted to inform you when you arrived, but you told me to talk to you after the race."You've always said that horse has a character and that you like it, no? I never expected you to give it away."Who did you give it to? Could you, perhaps, buy it back from him?"Asher was dispirited. "I can't."He waved it off and continued, "Forget about it. It belongs to someone else now."I'd been obliging to its every wish for all the time it had been here. Still, it never obeyed me."It's intelligent and chooses its own master. I can't tame it. It's no better than an average horse to me."Tell those who witnessed that incident that they shouldn't talk about it to anyone. You may leave."The person in charge glanced at him. Bowing, he acknowledged the instruction he received and left.Asher looked toward Sebastian and sighed dejectedly
Silas and Wendy immediately hurried over in excitement when they heard they were going to split the winnings.Wendy, who wasn't the best in maths, counted gleefully, "We bet one thousand gold coins. As the odds are at one to 246, we'll get … ten thousand, 200 thousand … 244600 gold coins. Am I right?"She surprised herself when she said that out loud. She and Silas exchanged glances and started hopping about in delight.That was a lot of gold coins! They were rich!"Ten percent of 244600 gold coins would amount to roughly 24 thousand gold coins, so 20 percent would make it about 50 thousand. Victoria—"Silas and Wendy were already dizzy. Turning to them, Victoria instructed, "Give us a moment, and take Onyx with you.""You …" Silas looked at her suspiciously. Was she planning to keep all the money to herself?She gave him a warning glare, and he and Wendy obediently led Onyx away.They shouldn't offend their moneybag right now.Victoria looked at Asher. "That's over 240 thousa
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. It was a teenager who was around 15 years old. Not bothering to keep up his image, he sat on the floor and clung to Sebastian's leg.Besides him, many others were standing around Sebastian. They all looked at Sebastian pitifully.Asher loudly asked the one kneeling, "Just look at you, Troy Lancaster! What happened to your enthusiasm?"It's only a meager sum. Do you really have to react this way?"Troy Lancaster? He was the Lancaster family's youngest son, Sebastian's younger maternal cousin.Victoria had a photographic memory. She saw his name when she skimmed through the log book earlier.He had bet 500 silver coins, which wasn't the least of all. It wasn't a hefty sum either, considering who he was.The Lancasters had very conflicting approaches in his upbringing. His mother pampered him, while his father was very strict toward him because he thought he was spoiled.Judging from his reaction, he must've been greedy and impulsivel
Once Roxy left, several women with ill intentions who criticized Victoria earlier became uneasy. They came up with excuses and left one after another.As the drama ended, everyone calmed down. Some were listless, while some were feeling down.There were also a few who approached Victoria, among whom were mainly men. They earnestly introduced themselves.Benjamin scanned the men who surrounded Victoria and somehow felt betrayed. Glowering, he seemed about to fly off the handle.His glare was too harsh, and many retreated after a short exchange with Victoria. She studied those who resolutely remained beside her.Compared to people from the outside world, the clan members had less desire for material possessions.Those who stood their ground didn't feel displeased at losing a hefty sum in the bet. They also withstood the pressure Benjamin's glare exuded.It was fair to say they were the best among the best.They were from decent families and had been receiving proper education sin