"Please forgive my mistake, Reed!" Selene sobbed as she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his torso the instant the heavy wooden doors of the private VIP lounge swung shut behind them.The words tumbled out of her mouth like a breathlessly rehearsed script, her voice trembling with practiced, fragile vulnerability. She pressed the side of her face firmly against the smooth fabric of his tuxedo chest, weeping with the exact same theatrical cadence she had perfected over years of emotional manipulation whenever she found herself in deep trouble or needed his unyielding support to fix her messes. The tears flowed effortlessly, glistening on her cheeks in the dim ambient lighting of the secluded lounge.Even now, despite everything that had transpired between them, Reed possessed a strange, subconscious hold over her mind. For years, he had made her feel as though so long as he was by her side, she never had to worry about a single problem in the world because he would han

Reed stormed back into the grand ballroom, his heart sinking into a dark abyss when he failed to catch sight of Miyu's familiar dinner gown.The vast sea of glittering dresses, sparkling jewelry, and tailored suits blurred before his eyes as he scanned the crowded venue with desperate urgency, his pulse racing like a war drum. The suffocating anxiety in his chest intensified with every passing second; he knew with terrifying clarity that every moment Miyu spent separated from him under the influence of whatever trap Lucas had laid was a moment closer to disaster.Scanning the room, his eyes suddenly locked onto a secluded corner near the bar. There sat Lucas Scott, casually swirling a glass of scotch and laughing along with a group of high-society friends as if he didn't have a single care in the world.A surge of pure, unbridled fury exploded in Reed’s chest.He strode across the polished floor with long, menacing strides, completely ignoring the surrounding guests. Before Lucas cou

‘Whatever happens,’ Reed thought, steeling his heart against the rising tide of adrenaline, ‘Whatever lies behind this threshold, I will protect Miyu even without the system’s health.’With that resolute vow echoing through his conscious mind, Reed exerted firm pressure on the heavy brass handle, pushed the door wide open, and stepped into the suite.The three men followed close on his heels. The private VIP chalet was shrouded in thick, oppressive shadows, the heavy velvet blackout curtains fully drawn over the grand windows, blotting out the ambient lights of the surrounding estate gardens. The faint, floral scent of expensive hotel cologne hung in the still air.Reed’s sharp green eyes immediately shot to the king-sized bed in the center of the room.It was completely empty. The white silk sheets were a little ruffled, like someone had lain there.Lucas froze mid-step, staring at the unoccupied bed in utter, bug-eyed disbelief. The smug, triumphant sneer that had defined his featur

A single, heavy bead of sweat rolled down Lucas Scott's scalp, slid down the tense curve of his neck, and disappeared under his damp silk shirt, tracing a path straight down his spine.His aristocratic face was completely drained of color, his bloodshot eyes darting nervously around the crowded doorway as a sea of flashbulbs detonated in his face. The carefully constructed, untouchable facade of elite confidence he had spent years perfecting was crumbling into dust before his very eyes."Miyu!"Reed abandoned all pretense of restraint, rushing across the room to Miyu's side. He immediately drew her close against his broad chest, his hands carefully, frantically roaming over her arms, her shoulders, and her face, searching with acute terror for any hidden injury or tear in her skin. The raw, overwhelming relief gleaming in his dark green eyes was almost suffocating in its intensity.The sight of Miyu standing firmly on her own two feet, looking entirely sharp, lucid, and completely fr

The sudden, authoritative appearance of the police in the doorway instantly elated Lucas Scott. Though he had no idea who had placed the initial call, he desperately wanted to track down whoever made the call and shower them with gratitude for this absolute stroke of sheer genius. In his arrogant, warped worldview, the police force was not an impartial instrument of public justice; they were his personal allies, his family's paid protectors, and an extension of his status. They would never dare to cross his path, let alone move against a heir of the Scott family name. Among the sprawling crowd gathered along the outdoor garden path, both the sycophants who openly supported Lucas and the high-society elites silently disgusted by his atrocious actions, the general consensus remained the same. Everyone in Ruby City knew that Cole Scott, the formidable patriarch of the Scott empire, played golf weekly with the Chief of Police and generously funded the department's annual gala. Any l