Alex let out a long, guttural scream.Leon had just sliced off his right hand — clean. The severed hand, still clutching the gun, hit the blood-soaked floor with a wet thud.Thump!Leon kicked Alex hard in the chest, sending the hitman sprawling onto his back.“Reckless and stupid? You should’ve said that while looking in a mirror,” Leon said coldly, standing tall with his chin slightly raised.Alex winced in pain, raising his head to look at Leon. What he saw sent chills down his spine—Leon’s eyes were glowing, his entire presence radiating menace. This wasn’t the same man he faced earlier.“I’ll ask one more time. Who sent you?” Leon’s voice was icy. Blood dripped steadily from the blade in his hand.Leon took a step forward. Alex panicked. Clutching his bloody stump, he scooted backward, trying to get away.“W-who the hell are you?! How are you still alive after I shot you at point-blank?!”Leon didn’t answer. Once the distance between them closed, he crouched down—face-to-face—his

After their hug, Arkwell looked into Leon’s eyes with a smile, nodding as he patted Leon’s muscular arm.“You really look different now. For a second, I didn’t recognize you. You’ve gotten so jacked and strong. You doing alright, buddy?” Arkwell asked.“I’m good,” Leon replied. “And I’m glad to see how successful you’ve become. You’ve done great, buddy.”Watching the two reconnect like old friends, the male receptionist broke into a cold sweat. Gavin, meanwhile, was still gaping, trying to process what was happening.“Director Gavin,” Arkwell turned to him, prompting Gavin to quickly shut his mouth, “about what we discussed earlier in the car—I’ll leave that to you. If you have anything else to tell me, save it for later. Right now, I’d like to entertain my old friend.”Gavin was too stunned to respond right away. When he looked at Leon, he saw the man give him a faint, knowing smile.Old friend? Arkwell and Leon are old friends? Is that for real?“Come on, man. Let’s talk in my offic

Around 1 PM, Leon arrived at his mother’s house...The moment he stepped out of the car, he climbed the porch stairs. The front door opened, and Evelyn appeared, looking worried.“Leon, I need to go home,” she said.“Go home?” Leon looked at her, puzzled. Did something happen?“Yes. I need to change. It feels weird still wearing this dress.”Leon glanced at her from head to toe. She looked stunning in that rose-gold gown, but she had a point—she should’ve changed by now.But hadn’t she already changed last night? Leon was sure of it. He had offered her one of Rose’s t-shirts and shorts. Evelyn had slept in the spare room—his old room—wearing them.So why was she back in her gown?“If it’s about clothes, you can just wear Rose’s. You two seem about the same size,” Leon offered.Evelyn shook her head, eyes filled with sorrow.“I can’t. Those are your sister’s. Not mine.”Leon grew more confused. But after a moment, he understood.“Rose doesn’t want you wearing her stuff?” he asked.Slow

That afternoon, after a quick stop at the mall, Leon and Evelyn pulled into the driveway.As they stepped out of the car, they saw Rose standing on the porch, getting ready to leave.“You heading out this early?” Leon asked.Rose shot him a cold look. “I’m covering for a co-worker again. Besides, I need the extra cash,” she snapped.Leon gave Evelyn a slight nod—his way of saying, go on inside. She took some of her art supplies and walked past Rose on the porch. Neither of them exchanged a word. Rose didn’t even acknowledge Evelyn—acted like she wasn’t there.“Watch over Mom. I’ll be back later,” Rose said, stepping off the porch.As she tried to walk past him, Leon gently grabbed her arm. Their eyes locked.“I found you a better job,” Leon said calmly. “Quit the strip club.”Rose yanked her arm free. “Don’t tell me what to do. You’ve been gone five damn years. You’ve got no right to say anything about how I live my life.”The hatred in her eyes was sharp, unmistakable. And Leon got i

Cornwell raised an eyebrow, smiling challengingly."You asked me the number. Well, that’s the number. If you want to take her that badly, you’ve got to transfer that amount to my bank account. I wrote it down there," he said.Of course, that amount was excessive. Even if you totaled the contract breach penalty and damages, it wouldn’t reach $200,000.Cornwell deliberately wrote one billion dollars on that little paper just to mess with Leon. Sure, Leon might be able to pay the club membership fees and even tip the two security guards earlier, but to transfer one billion dollars—in just five minutes? Practically impossible."If I transfer one billion dollars to your bank account right now, you’ll act like she never worked here?" Leon asked.Cornwell glanced at Rose, smirking. "Yeah. I’ll act like she never worked here. In fact, I’ll pretend I never even saw her in this strip club."Cornwell raised his eyebrow again. He had deliberately written his personal bank account on the paper, no