The Grant family villa lay in utter disarray, yet no one had the heart to tend to it. A few remaining servants wiped away their tears as they began to tidy the main hall.Tabitha Grant’s mother let out a soft sigh and joined them.What had just occurred was nothing short of a catastrophe for the Grant family.Especially Timothy Lane’s parting words—they weighed heavily on both Tabitha and the rest of the family, filling them with unease.Tabitha’s father knew his daughter’s temperament all too well. He fixed her with a stern gaze.“No matter what happens tomorrow, you are not to go see that bastard Timothy Lane. Do you hear me?”Even back when Tabitha was still in school, he had heard enough about Timothy Lane to form a thoroughly negative impression.And now, seeing him aligned with Patrick Davidson only confirmed his worst suspicions.A man like that—one didn’t need to think twice to know he harbored nothing but ill intent.Tabitha did not answer. In the end, she simply lowered her

“I… I know…”A frail man stepped forward, pointing at Arthur Barrett.“Many of the classified files in our research department are stored on Director Barrett’s computer.”Arthur Barrett glanced at the man who had betrayed him, too weak even to glare.This was exactly the effect Duncan Kirk wanted. He casually pointed at another person.The selected individual’s legs gave out instantly, and he was dragged forward by two burly men.This time, however, Duncan Kirk did not order any violence. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Arthur Barrett.“You may be loyal to the Hill Group—but can you guarantee that everyone here shares your loyalty?”Arthur Barrett lowered his head in silence as Duncan Kirk approached him.“Whether they suffer or not depends entirely on you. If you cooperate…”“Impossible.”Though his voice was faint, it was unwavering.Duncan Kirk’s expression turned cold. It was time to unveil his final card.“Very well. You may not care about yourself—or even them. But surely there is

Master Darkshade and Master Clearwind exchanged a glance. The suggestion had merit.As for Octavia’s taunts, they paid them no mind.After all, they had never claimed to be paragons of virtue—winning by any means was their creed.Seeing them move toward Daisy, Octavia stepped forward at once, blocking their path.“Stop. Take one more step, and I won’t hold back.”They had already witnessed her strength in the earlier fight, but neither master regarded her as a true threat.Even Russell Sanders dismissed her entirely. With the masters present, he had no fear of harm.When they remained unmoved, Octavia chose to strike first.She lunged straight toward Russell Sanders.It wasn’t because he was the weakest—but because, within their group, his position mirrored Daisy’s importance to her.If she could seize him, the two masters would be forced to yield.Catch the leader, and the rest would follow.Russell Sanders had not expected her to target him so directly. For a moment, he froze in pla

The moment Russell Sanders hit the ground and rolled several times, a thunderous explosion erupted behind him—his car was blown to pieces.It had to be that damned man. The blade’s energy must have sliced into the fuel tank.No wonder he hadn’t pursued him any further.Fury churned in Russell Sanders’s chest, but there was nothing he could do except watch Daisy’s car disappear into the distance.Though Daisy and Octavia had shaken off his pursuit, a heavy weight still pressed on their hearts.As they fled, they had seen in the rearview mirror that Iris Lloyd was already wounded, his clothes soaked through with blood.He was no match for those two masters. The chances of him walking away alive were vanishingly small.Octavia wiped away her tears, her voice still trembling.“Mr. Lloyd… he may not be coming back. We will avenge him.”“I just hope Adrian returns safely…”She knew that if anyone could avenge Iris Lloyd, it would have to be Adrian.None of them were strong enough to face th

Emptiness marveled at just how wealthy Adrian must be, then casually added, “The beast in the mine has already been dealt with by Mr. Doyle. From now on, there will be no more incidents of it harming anyone.”Maizart and the others were immediately stunned, all turning toward Adrian for confirmation.Adrian smiled and nodded. “That’s right. It’s been taken care of.”Maizart and the miners were overjoyed. With the threat gone, the jade mine could finally resume normal operations.“Mr. Doyle, rest assured—though you are far away in the Novaland Republic, I will oversee this mine with the utmost care. Every penny earned will remain untouched and belong entirely to you.”Seeing how sincere Maizart was, Adrian did not refuse again.At that moment, his newly restored phone began vibrating incessantly. A flicker of confusion crossed his mind.Few people ever contacted him, and since leaving the country, he hadn’t received any messages at all.So why now—so many at once?Adrian pulled out his