She couldn't keep herself from smiling, but this didn't stop her from quickly answering Lorenzo. She said, "This hotel-or perhaps I should say this plot of land-has a long history. It's been around since my grandmother was a child.Back then, before this hotel was built, no one occupied the land until the Graves family came into the picture." Alicia's voice was calm, but there was a hint of confusion in her eyes. She didn't know why Lorenzo wanted to know about this.She knew it wasn't her place to ask, so she racked her brains, trying to remember every detail she could about the hotel."Based on what I remember, the previous owner of this land was a staunch member of a cult. After his death, the building he'd built here became a place that no one wanted to come near. Things only changed when the Graves family showed up and produced the lease to the land. They only stayed for a short time before moving out, and no one knows why. Then, they converted the building into a hotel. Their ex

Lorenzo tucked both hands into his pockets.His face was devoid of emotion, regardless of how much Leaonard stared at him with assessing eyes. All he did was frostily ask, "I'd like to know what your next move is. Although nothing you do will work in front of me—someone with true power and wealth, I prefer to save myself the trouble."Leaonard's lips curled just then. Although it seemed like a smile, anyone who looked at him would know he was unhappy. He replied, "I was worried you'd behave this way. It's why I never dared step up before you and reveal all of this—I didn't want you to see me as an enemy after learning about my identity. It's not your fault for thinking this way, but I'm not at fault either. After all, I was taught the wrong values while growing up."A brief but loud snort came from Lorenzo, his distrust and disdain oozing into the space. It made Leaonard tense up while gawking at the former. Seeing Leaonard's widened eyes, Lorenzo raised a brow as he neutrally interro

Leonard straightened his back at once, adding, "One more thing-they now consider my existence a serious issue because I've located their newly developed medicinal substance and successfully injected it into my body in front of them." Lorenzo's eyes had fallen shut some time ago, and his breathing remained steady. Unsure whether Lorenzo was awake, Leonard got onto his approached the former to find out. Yet, as he stepped one foot forward, Lorenzo's eyes shot open as if shooting a dark warning at him. Before Leonard could process what was happening, his feet stumbled backward out of instinct, causing him to almost fall out of fear. Before he could stabilize himself, his gaze darted past the room and noticed Lorenzo's expression had returned to neutral. That was enough to relieve the weight off his shoulders. Following that, Leonard recomposed himself and calmly stated, "I know you have your reservations toward me, but please don't worry. You'll see I've been telling the truth thi

"I-I'm sorry, but I-I should leave now. I just realized I have some matters that require only me to attend to, so I have to go," Leonard muttered hoarsely while looking at Lorenzo. He then turned to leave but failed to take one step ahead as the latter grabbed his wrist. Simultaneously, Lorenzo's grip caused the flames beneath his skin to spread, making the pain even more unbearable. It was so intense that Leonard bellowed in agony. His cries ripped through the air and startled everyone at the scene, fear crawling into their hearts. What shocked Leonard was that Lorenzo remained unbothered. He had noticed it while he was screaming earlier, so once the pain soothed, he gazed confusedly at Lorenzo. Knowing what Leonard's inquisitive gaze meant, Lorenzo immediately explained, "I've seen this before. Investment Group must've intentionally left that guidebook behind for you and your fellow apprentices. That way, if any of you harbored plans to betray them, the book would mislead you

Leonard could not accept that. As his face turned bright red from humiliation, Lorenzo abruptly spoke. "There's no need to feel ashamed. Your excessive drooling is merely a result of the bugs tampering with the nerves in your body. Also, if you don't come over now, I can assure you those bugs will devour your entire nervous system. Although they can only chew off a small portion each, those pesky vermin can move quickly. Plus, there are many of them in your body, and they can attack your nervous system from every angle. You're only drooling now, but you'll randomly start giggling and excreting all foods or liquids you've recently eaten." While saying those things, Lorenzo shrugged stoically. Standing opposite was Leonard, whose face had darkened like coal when he heard the graphic description. His mind started visualizing himself losing control as he stripped naked before everyone. Then, his entire body quivered as he wa