Mikayla nodded and took out a small packet of powder before handing it to Lennox. "Relax, it's just a sedative mix, nothing harmful. Once the Grand Elder takes it, he'll fall asleep for a short while, and during that time, my dad will take what he deserves and leave the Advanced Medical Institute." She continued, "When the Grand Elder wakes up, it'll just be you and me. By then, I'll already be his future daughter-in-law, so even if he's angry, he probably won't dare do anything to me." Lennox laughed loudly as he played with the packet, completely unconcerned. "I thought it was gonna be something huge. It turns out that all I need to do is put my dad to sleep so Mr. Owens Senior can make his move. That's way too easy! Leave it to me, I promise I'll handle it perfectly." Mikayla blinked innocently. "Lennox, why are you so good to me? Aren't you afraid the stuff I gave you might be poison?" Lennox froze for a second. Then, he scolded her gently. "What are you even saying? I trea

Lorenzo chuckled softly. "Well, we're still better off than you, Andrew, charging in overconfident and not knowing your place. Mr. Vazquez asked me to send his regards." Andrew laughed. "You think mentioning Mr. Vazquez's name is going to scare me? Mr. Owens Senior, you really underestimate me. Let me make it simple for you: the Owens family isn't getting anything out of this unless he shows up at the Institute himself to take charge. If he does that, I'll pack up and leave without another word." Lorenzo only smiled and said nothing else. Guillermo would never travel all the way here for something as trivial as the Institute, and Lorenzo didn't need him to. If he couldn't handle someone like Andrew, then he had no business being Guillermo's right-hand man. Koda's fighting style was vicious and overpowering. His heavy blade whistled through the air with every swing, each strike aimed to kill, and each move meant to crush. Corbin, however, moved sharply and swiftly, darting arou

Corbin was already drunk on his own victory, completely forgetting himself. He strode into the Grand Medicinal Hall, marched straight to the director's gold-backed chair, and sat down without a hint of shame. Then, he swept his gaze across the room and shouted, "Now, show me your respect!" Lennox was the first to rush forward and kneel while shouting in delight, "Dad, congratulations on seizing the seat!" The remaining apprentices and subordinates all dropped to their knees as well, roaring in unison, "Congratulations, Mr. Corbin!" A few elders stood off to the side, looking abandoned and bitter. Among them were the two who had clashed with Andrew earlier. Corbin turned to them with a grin that did not reach his eyes and said, "Elders, are your knees stiff, or are you refusing to bow down to me? Or is it that you're harboring doubts and dissatisfaction?" The elders let out strained, miserable laughs before they each knelt in turn. Their chests were tight with bitterness an

Rusty dropped to the ground. Following Eric's instructions exactly, he began crawling like a turtle. While crawling, he continued slapping his own face. Within moments, his entire face was beaten to a pulp, completely unrecognizable. This scene left everyone else utterly dumbstruck. Then immediately, they felt their blood run cold with terror. Someone gasped in horror, "Dark magic! It has to be! That guy is using dark magic!" "It's not dark magic, you idiot. That's the legendary Phantom Mirage; it can control people's minds and steal their consciousness." Another voice trembled with fear. "Terrifying. This is absolutely terrifying." Their once-defiant eyes were now filled with horror. Andrew caught their reactions and let a faint smirk flash across his lips. "So, does anyone still think my words don't matter?" An old man spoke in a grave tone. "Mr. Lloyd, are you saying you plan on keeping us here by force?" Andrew looked at him and countered with a question. "Forc

Lennox's mind instantly went blank as terror exploded through him. "Dad!" he screamed, the sound sharp enough to shake the room. Corbin's face had gone completely pale, drained of all color. His mouth kept spurting out blood mixed with foam, and the violent coughing nearly choked him. Corbin gasped, "T-The water… It's poisoned! You bastard, h-how dare you do something so unforgivable?" He tried desperately to lift his hand to grab Lennox, but his fingers caught nothing. His arm fell limp to the floor, and his eyes shut. Just like that, he died without another sound. Lennox's mind buzzed. He grabbed Corbin's body and wailed, "Dad… Dad! How did this happen? It wasn't me… It really wasn't me!" His body suddenly jolted as he whispered, "Something's wrong with the drug… Did Mikayla mess it up? Yeah, she must've mixed it up by accident and made it poisonous." Yet, as he spoke, his voice grew hoarse. Lennox was stupid, but he was not delusional. There was no way the drug had