Lauren deliberately paused, casting a glance at her mother before curling her lips into a cruel smile. Then she struck down with all her strength.The heel of her high-heeled shoe stabbed straight into Max's temple. A surge of blinding pain exploded through his head, and Max thrashed wildly, unleashing strength far beyond normal. He actually managed to break free.But his feet wobbled beneath him, as if he were dead drunk."Mom, why can't I stand steady?" Max said. The moment the words left his mouth, he collapsed with a heavy crash.He was dead."Max!" Daisy let out a piercing scream, shrieking and jumping about like a madwoman. She pointed straight at Lauren. "How could you kill your own brother?!"Lauren sneered, picked up the other high heel, and smashed it down at Josh.Josh was already unconscious. That blow left him no chance to struggle at all. His limbs twitched once, then he was gone."Josh!" Daisy screamed again, staring at Lauren with a mix of terror and hatred, wis

Rita bit her lip and said, "It was my husband who told me to come and tell you."Ray was a little surprised. "Your husband actually sent you here?""Yes, yes!" Rita nodded, her cheeks flushing bright red.At first, her husband had been furious, wishing he could have torn Ray to pieces. But after a few days of hunger, Snarky Guy gradually changed his mind.They were on the brink of death; what was there to care about?So he had even taken the initiative to send her to Ray.But could she really admit that? That would be too embarrassing!"My husband believes Lauren could never beat you, so he had me warn you instead. Consider it him trying to curry favor with you," Rita added.…Because of the blackout, the entire garage was pitch black day and night. Ray didn't wait until evening—he took Leo out for a walk at noon. After half an hour, Leo, too sensitive to the cold, couldn't bear it anymore, and they returned to the villa.But just as he approached the passage, Ray froze.He

"What kind of deal?" Bruce frowned, a sudden sense of unease rising in his chest.Ray hadn't been provoked at all. He remained perfectly calm—which meant this deal was definitely not going to end well for him.Ray smiled and said, "Since you keep talking about righteousness and about caring so much for your little gang, here's an idea. Let your woman come in and let me have some fun with her. In return, I'll give each of you a pack of instant noodles and a bottle of purified water. How about that?"Now the problem was thrown squarely at Bruce.Earlier, Bruce had said he would offer up his mistress to Ray—but did he ever mean it?Of course not.He had four bodyguards. His plan was obviously to strike the moment Ray opened the door, take him down, and then claim the entire villa for himself. Why bother with any deal?So now, with Ray publicly demanding his mistress as part of the trade, Bruce's expression darkened.The real issue was this: how had Bruce united these people in the

One hour later, the iron gate opened. Lola stepped out first, followed by Ray—carrying a stove."Ray!" Bruce ground his teeth, fury coiling in every line of his face. He wanted to tear Ray apart with his bare hands.Ray paid him no mind. He set the stove down, placed burning charcoal inside, and pulled a pot from the room. Placing it on the stove, he snapped on the light. In the pot, red-hot oil churned and bubbled, and faint outlines of ingredients could be seen.The sight of it made everyone swallow hard, their mouths watering uncontrollably, hunger gnawing at them like a living thing.When you're freezing and starving, is there anything more comforting than a steaming pot of hot pot?Ray was insufferable—so cruelly teasing them like this!Bruce, however, didn't glance at the hot pot. He stared at Lola instead. "Come here."Lola shivered but obeyed, stepping forward.Ray brought out plate after plate of thinly sliced meat and fresh vegetables. He smiled faintly, looking at ev

What was going on?!Everyone was shocked. All eyes turned to the man who had collapsed.Clutching his throat, he began to retch violently, vomiting everything he had just eaten."Ugh!" Another person dropped to the ground, vomiting just as badly.It was as if some invisible switch had been flipped. Everyone gathered there collapsed one after another, retching uncontrollably.The answer was obvious. Ray had poisoned them.Bruce was furious and alarmed at the same time. 'Serves you right for being so greedy,' he thought. 'This has to be food poisoning.'They never should've accepted anything from Ray. Now, they were paying the price.But one thing didn't make sense to him. Ray had clearly eaten with them, and he'd even been the first to eat. So why was he fine?"Did you poison them?" Bruce shouted.By now, the others had all lost consciousness.Ray smiled. "I wouldn't call it poisoning. I just let them eat some apple seeds."Bruce froze for a moment, then blurted out, "Cyanid