"Of course. I'll be there soon."Adriana read Marcus's message aloud, then let out a long, deep sigh. Relief flooded her chest. She wasn't going to rely on Edward anymore. Not after today, not even ever. She made up her mind.Fool, absolute fool. She cursed herself under her breath.To even think that Edward would actually help her. Parents and their children fought, that was normal. Edward and his father would patch things up soon enough, and when they did, Edward would tell Caleb everything. Then that man would come for her before she could lay a finger on any real evidence.That was why she hadn't visited her sister, Camila, at the hospital. Because the moment anyone knew Camila had family, her cover would blow.Stupid girl! Stupid girl! She bit her lip until she tasted blood.From now on, be careful. She advised herself.She hurried to put on her clothes when a knock landed on the door.Adriana scurried over but paused, pressing her eye to the peephole first. On seeing Marcus, she

"Mrs. Zhenyu sent for him," Jason announced, "She wants to will her shares to the heir ASAP so he can start running the Zhenyu business."Master Feng was an angry man who would do anything to reclaim the heir position for his family. The sooner they acted, the better. Edward on the other hand was beginning to understand the family he had just entered, that was the reason he had spoken up.The man who walked in was Jay, the family physician. He was there to match Edward's kinship DNA and determine if there was any trace of Zhenyu blood. Mrs. Zhenyu and Jason had contacted him earlier, but he had refused to proceed without the entire family present."Good day, Mrs. Zhenyu. I'm here for the kinship testing, as requested," Jay said."The young man is the one over there." Jason pointed toward Edward.Master Feng's vision blurred, and he staggered backward. He clutched his chest, which had suddenly grown tight, and began gasping for breath."Dad!" Arthur quickly grabbed Master Feng. "You n

"You just lie a lot! The man sitting over there is weak. why else wouldn't he say anything?" Chloe finally steadied herself. Like everyone else in the room, she had been shaken by what Jason said. For so many years, they had done all they could to make Mrs. Zhenyu give them the shares for Arthur to rule the family. They had tried being nice, but it never worked on the old lady, not until Jason took her away months ago to somewhere her father had not been able to track. It was as if she had vanished from the surface of the earth, only to appear now. But even at that, they had seen something they could use to counter the issue she brought up, yet Jason had squashed it all.The horror on her father's face was something she had never seen before, and she knew what that meant 'if she could muster the courage and challenge what Jason said, her father would definitely be proud of her, just like he did with Mia moments ago'. With that thought, she said what she said.Master Feng, Isabella, L

"It's here, boss," one of the men announced, his voice cutting through the thick night as a truck rolled into view. Black's gaze shifted from the darkness he'd been staring into, his posture straightening.The truck came to a stop, its engine idling with a deep, growl that vibrated through the ground. Black stepped forward, his shoes crunching against the ground."Is there any issue encountered?" Black asked, addressing the driver through the open window."No, it's all clear," the driver shouted over the deafening roar of the truck's engine.The truck bore a logo on its sideBut impossible to make out from the distance where Adriana and Marcus hid.Black gave a curt nod of approval, lifting his thumb in acknowledgment. The driver engaged the gears, and the truck lurched forward, heading toward the thick bush beside where the sports cars were parked. Black followed behind it with his men their footsteps echoing in the now calm environment as the truck was farther, the engine sound alm

Marcus shot at the person behind the steering wheel angrily. His jaw tightened as anger surged through him. "How come you..."But Adriana's sob cut through before he could finish."Edward... you came." Her voice cracked. She wrenched herself from Marcus's grip, her heels scraping against the ground as she stumbled toward the car. "He shot him... he shot a man."Edward pushed the car door open and hurried out. The drive had felt endless, his mind filled with worst-case scenarios. Her message kept replaying in his head.Seeing her still alive, relief washed over him.His palms cupped her cheeks, thumbs brushing away the tears on her face. "Hey, it's okay." His voice remained steady despite everything.He had always seen her with her chin lifted and her eyes sharp. Seeing Adriana like this unsettled him. Guilt hit him hard. He should have been here from the start. He had agreed, promised, and then broken that promise for that meeting.He thought Li's business, was supposed to matter more