“Rumor?” one of the women asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you saying you didn’t buy their company—”“I’m not talking to you,” Oliver interrupted coldly, not even sparing the woman a glance. “I’m talking to her.”He pointed at the woman who told her other companions about Oliver’s acquisition of the companies.The woman’s eyes and mouth widened, looking at Oliver with shock and fury.“How rude!” she exclaimed.“I am, but you started it,” Oliver answered in a cold tone and without hesitation. “You’re acting like you’re plainly asking, but the real thing is you’re demanding.”“W-What?” Her eyes blinked in surprise.She was about to talk back to Oliver, but to her shock, Oliver’s attention wasn’t on her now.Rather, it was on the woman who made the statement.“I don’t mean any harm, not to any of you,” Oliver said, his voice calm and reassuring.His gaze moved to the other companions, then back to her.“I just want to know where the rumor came from.”“U-Uhm…” the woman trailed off, not kn

“But just in case you need help with hacking, just let me know,” Ryan added, his voice low and sincere.“I will.” Oliver nodded, reassuring him. However, what Oliver did next shocked Ryan.He poured whiskey into his glass and drank it in a few gulps.As if it wasn’t enough, he poured another shot, drinking it as if it were only water.“Oliver,” Ryan called, his voice now laced with worry. “Is something wrong? You know that I can help—”“No,” Oliver interrupted, not letting Ryan finish his sentence. “I mean, I can handle this one. I need more help on what happened to the Umbrella Bank.”It was true, but at the same time, Oliver couldn’t help but feel frustrated.Ryan could give him all the answers he needed about that number, yet he couldn’t ask.The only thing he could do was to feel the frustration and disappointment creeping onto him.“Alright,” Ryan said, seeing that Oliver was doing his best to shift the conversation.And he realized there could be a reason for that, so he decide

Upon having that realization, Oliver gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.This time, he had a promise to himself.“I won’t let history repeat itself, and I make sure to protect all my loved ones,” he muttered, his voice laced with determination. “I will do that… no matter what.”*****A few hours later, Oliver arrived at the Capital.He didn’t tell Legion V about it.Seraphine, on the other hand, knew that he was coming back, but didn’t exactly know when.“Mr. Hunt?” someone called him as soon as he walked onto the parking lot. “I’m your designated driver for today. Let me take you to your destination.”Oliver nodded in response.Then, he placed his luggage on the back and sat in the backseat afterward.“All okay now, Sir?” the driver asked, turning on the car’s engine.“Yeah,” he replied.A smile tugged at the driver’s lips as he stepped onto the pedal.The ride was silent as the driver focused on his task, while Oliver was scrolling on his phone.He was scrolling through the ar

“She was currently experiencing fatigue, as if she was being exhausted every day,” Cedric said, his tone low but laced with worry. “Her hyperthermia isn’t normal, either.”He added, “Her body was cold, yet her head was hot. Because of that, the doctors had a hard time knowing what was happening to her. It shouldn’t be divided like that.”Cedric glanced at the room for a moment before his gaze returned to Oliver and Seraphine.This was also sudden and strange for the doctors, as this was the first time they had seen a case like this.‘There is a variable interfering with Anastasia’s body,’ Cedric thought, his brows furrowing. ‘But for some reason, we couldn’t find what it was.’“She needed to stay here for a few days so we could monitor her,” Cedric told them instead. “Sadly, she couldn’t go to school again in the meantime.”The sadness and disappointment were evident on Seraphine’s face upon hearing those words.“Anastasia liked going to school. When she hears the news…”Her voice tra

“Even when someone kept on bullying me, I never thought about quitting school.”“What?” Seraphine asked, her eyes widening in shock. “Someone’s bullying you at school? Why didn’t you say anything to me?”“I don’t want you to worry, Mom,” Anastasia answered as she played with her fingers, puckering her lips.She added, “I saw how hard you’ve been working for us before, so I can’t tell you about my problems.”Oliver and Seraphine’s hearts sank upon hearing those words.Clearing her throat, probably to stop the tears that were about to fall from her eyes, Seraphine sat on the chair and looked Anastasia in the eye.“My baby,” she called, voice slightly stuttering, as she caressed Anastasia’s hair. “That’s the problem of an adult, and you’re just a child. You don’t need to worry about that.”“But Mommy, it hurts me every time I hear your cries,” Anastasia answered, the sadness evident in her voice.Anastasia added, “I may not be fully awake at that time, but I hear you. I can also feel you