Margot’s question cut through the lobby, loud enough to draw the attention of Kate and the few people standing nearby.Rose’s face instantly paled. Just when she thought her day was looking up, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with one of the people she most wanted to avoid.“Heh, answer me! What’s a strip dancer like you doing here? And why are you dressed like this? You think you’re a career woman like me, huh?!”Margot kept up her sporadic verbal assault. Rose wanted to say something, but her courage just wasn’t there. The terrible things the Harringtons had done to her and her mother over the past few years had completely eroded her self-worth.Slap!Suddenly, Margot’s hand cracked across Rose’s face.“Answer me when I ask a question, you bitch!” Margot shrieked.Rose’s resolve crumbled further. She felt a burning heat on her slapped cheek. Her eyes began to well up.“What’s going on?”“Who are they?”“I don’t know. They don’t look like employees here.”“Then what are they

Leon collapsed to the floor, landing face down.“Feel that, asshole!” said the man holding the gun. “You think we didn’t see you trying to sneak in through the front door?”Indeed, they had been monitoring Leon’s movements via CCTV. Realizing he was looking for another way in, his buddies had sent him to ambush Leon.Now that Leon was down, the man tucked his pistol behind his waistband. He pulled a pair of plastic handcuffs from his pocket and quickly cuffed Leon’s hands his back.“Get over here. Help me carry him,” the man ordered.Another guy stepped out from behind the door. He had a gun too, but after seeing Leon lying motionless, he slid it behind his back.“You took him down that easily? Guess he’s not as tough as they say,” the second man sneered.The two exchanged smug grins. They had no idea Leon could hear every word they were saying.Long story short, the two of them dragged Leon through several rooms until they reached the main hall.The place was filled with pool tables,

A black limousine with gold accents cruised down the highway.Victor Kerstel sat in the spacious passenger seat, his laptop open on the table. Beside him, Jonathan slept, his right hand still in a cast.Suddenly, Victor's phone rang. It was Quint."Tell me you have good news for me," Victor answered the call.[I'm afraid it's the opposite, Mr. Kerstel. I want to ask for an increase in my fee.]Victor frowned. He dropped the phone for a second, just to check if it was really Quint calling. It was."What do you mean? We agreed on your fee yesterday."[Well, yesterday you didn't tell me how dangerous this man truly is. Just today, he wiped out several of my men—two of whom were guys I heavily relied on. It's only right that I ask for my fee to be increased, because the risk is beyond what I imagined.]Victor's face soured. He wanted to curse Quint, but he knew it wouldn't make the situation any better."Alright. How much of an increase are you asking for?"[Triple. I want my fee tripled.

The electric shock was strong enough to take down a full-grown elephant. But Leon’s physical endurance was far beyond that of an average man. His knees buckled, dropping him to the ground, but he stayed conscious.Tap! Tap! Tap!Leon heard footsteps approaching. By his calculations, backup would arrive in five minutes. His options were running out. If he got cornered, he’d have no choice but to unleash his inner power—the true strength of The Mourner.But maybe he wouldn’t need to. Sirens wailed in the distance.Dimitri had told him earlier that GHPD was on their way. Apparently, the cops got here first.“Police! Drop your weapons and raise your hands!”The shout came right after the screech of tires. Leon slowly opened his eyes. Black smoke still clouded his vision.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!A gunfight had broken out between the police and the mafias attacking him. Leon was almost certain now—these guys were The Devil Crow mafia.The gunfight raged on relentlessly. Meanwhile, sev

In a quiet bar, soft music played in the background. Evelyn sat at one of the small tables. The bartender had just delivered her drink.Without hesitation, Evelyn poured the liquor from the bottle into her glass and took a long sip, downing half of it in one go.The dry burn hit her throat immediately. Her head throbbed faintly. Truth was, Evelyn couldn’t hold her liquor.So, why was someone like her—bad with alcohol—sitting here, drinking alone, looking miserable?It started with a phone call from Gregory around four in the afternoon. Her older brother had called to tell her there’d been a shootout on one of the streets a few hours earlier. He mentioned that Leon might’ve been caught in the crossfire—photos of Leon’s black sedan near the scene were already circulating online.At first, Evelyn didn’t believe him. But then Gregory sent her the link to the post. The moment she saw it, panic gripped her. Especially since Leon wasn’t answering his phone or replying to her messages.By eve