“Did she just say she’s getting the divorce papers ready?” Evelyn asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. “This doesn’t sound like a trick anymore, it sounds real.”Even Maxine nodded in agreement with her mother’s statement. She was certain Lisa wasn’t lying or trying to use Tedmond this time; she was serious. Lisa had been looking for a way to leave the family but hadn’t found one, and now she wanted to use Tedmond as her escape.Maxine wasn’t going to let that happen.“You heard right,” Tina replied. “She did mention divorce papers.”“Does that mean she was serious about divorcing Max and leaving with Tedmond without giving Otis his assets back?” Gerald asked, wanting to be sure he’d heard correctly.“Yes,” Frank responded with a nod. “She only brought that up because Tedmond has Otis’s assets.”Otis slammed his hand on the desk, the sharp sound cutting through the chatter.“That’s enough,” he said, his brows twitching with anger. “We still have a lot to listen to, and I’m not goi

“We’re here already,” Hino said, pulling the car to a halt as he glanced back at Tedmond.Neil, who sat beside him, leaned toward the window. The sound of gravel crunching under the tires faded, replaced by the distant hum of cicadas. His brows drew together as his eyes adjusted to the view outside.“This… is it?” he muttered.Tedmond looked out the window, catching Neil’s expression. His brows furrowed. Since they were tracking his phone, he’d been sure they were heading in the right direction. That was why he had spent most of the drive working on his tablet—getting a bit of light work done so he wouldn’t have to deal with it once he got home.The hour-long drive had finally brought them here, and now Tedmond raised his head fully to take in the area.It wasn’t at all what he had pictured.He’d expected a rundown, graffiti-stained building tucked away in some dark alley—broken windows, peeling paint, the stench of oil and sweat hanging in the air.Instead, in the middle of a wide st

The moment the knife pressed against the scarred man’s neck, Tedmond shot upright from his spot. He had no idea what Marek’s temperament was like and no way of knowing if Marek was about to kill the man on the spot.Given Marek’s appearance and the fact that the knife in his hand was one he had crafted himself, Tedmond could tell that if Marek wanted to get rid of the man, he could do it without batting an eye. But Tedmond wasn’t ready for bloodshed.He had only come here to retrieve his phone, and the others were supposed to be innocent.Still… would they really count as innocent after just trying to kill them?At that moment, the others near the scarred man held their breath in shock. Their eyes darted between Marek’s steady hand and the thin line of red that was beginning to bead against the man’s skin.Two of them froze like statues, unsure whether to move forward or back. The tallest one clenched his jaw so tightly the sound was audible. Another man, younger and more reckless, to

It didn’t take long for them to walk out of the tunnel. As soon as they emerged, they found themselves in a vast open hall. Several large doors lined the walls, each identical in size and color.Tedmond’s brows arched as he studied them. It was obvious the boss had made every door the same to confuse anyone trying to find his room.Scar raised a shaky hand and pointed toward a large wooden door reinforced with iron studs.“That’s… the boss’s room.” His voice was low, almost breaking.For a moment, his thoughts twisted. ‘He’ll skin me alive if he finds out I led them here, but what choice do I have? Better him than me. I still want to live.’They stopped before the door. Scar slowly lifted his hand to knock.From inside, a deep voice barked, rough and impatient.“Did you deal with them already?”Scar froze, his throat tightening. The boss’s tone dripped with suspicion, heavy even through the thick door.Before Scar could answer, Marek moved. With a glance at Tedmond, he lifted his boot

Marek glanced around the room as soon as the boss and Scar stopped moving. Several men stood guarding the front door, their stance rigid, as though they had been waiting for something.Marek instantly realized why—they had been waiting for them. Since he and the others had come through the tunnel instead of the front entrance, the ambush had failed.Even Neil understood and let out a quiet sigh of relief.Hearing that sigh, a smug smile crept across the boss’s face. He immediately snapped his fingers.The guards turned, weapons raised in alarm. But when they saw their boss, they relaxed until the man behind the camera spotted Marek. His eyes widened in recognition.“They’re the intruders!” the man shouted. “Protect the boss!”The cry split the air.In an instant, the men surged forward, rushing to shield their leader. The boss’s instincts flared, and he seized Scar by the collar and hurled him straight at Marek, hoping to use the chaos to slip away.Scar stumbled hard, crashing into M