Zoey asked, “When you entered the room, did you smell a fragrance?”Russell gave a soft hum, sensing something was wrong with his body and understanding her implication. “So, I’ve been affected?”Zoey nodded.Russell closed his eyes briefly, trying to control the agitation in his body. “Then why aren’t you or Nelson affected?”Zoey explained, “The fragrance has a strong effect, and you’re usually affected within a minute or so. I’m fine because I took an antidote beforehand. As for Nelson, he must have taken the antidote too. Otherwise, he’d have been completely disoriented by now and couldn’t control me. I forgot to warn you, sorry about that.”Russell took a deep breath. “Do you have any antidotes left?”Zoey glanced at him and said apologetically, “I only have one left in my bag. But I can give you a shot.”Russell looked around at the buildings on either side of the street. “We’re almost at our destination. I can hold out until we rescue Leanna.”Zoey asked, “Can you really hold it
Zoey knew that Russell’s patience had reached its limit. She said, "I have an apartment nearby. I'll take you there and administer the shot." Russell gave a low hum in acknowledgment, his fists clenched as the veins on the back of his hands bulged. Zoey started the car and hit the accelerator, heading straight for the apartment. Leanna watched as their car merged into the traffic, holding her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Such a carefree person, to laugh after just going through all that." Hearing a familiar male voice, Leanna whipped around, "Toby, I told you not to speak! I really suspect you have an incurable case of male chauvinism!" Toby, his hands tucked casually into his pockets, looked every bit the nobleman, a stark contrast to the bloodthirsty image he had earlier. "I saved you last night, and again today. Is this how you treat someone who saved your life?" Leanna pursed her lips. Toby was telling the truth, but that didn’t mean she wanted to hear it! "Well, t
At this moment, Nelson, lying in his hospital bed, had no idea that his parents were already plotting to save him.He requested the police to contact Russell, claiming he had important information about Zoey that needed to be discussed with him. The police reported it to the Chief, who didn’t immediately dismiss the request but instead contacted Russell for his opinion.Upon hearing it involved Zoey, Russell agreed.Soon, he received a call from Nelson.“Russell, given our blood relationship, can you let me off the hook?” Nelson asked.Russell replied coldly, “No.”Nelson had expected this response but was not ready to give up. He pressed on.Russell, losing patience, said, “If you hadn’t mentioned something about Zoey, I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now.”Nelson sneered, “Russell, you’re really heartless.”He complained for a moment, but worried that Russell might hang up, quickly added, “I have a video from eight years ago, from a bar, where Ariana set Zoey up with some thug
The crimson fire illuminated the night sky as windows shattered with a crisp sound, and thick black smoke billowed upwards. The air around Woodmerrow Hospital was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with the sharp, suffocating stench of smoke. People fled in every direction, their cries, screams, and coughing blending into one overwhelming cacophony.Medical staff tried to maintain order, guiding everyone toward the stairwells. The stairwells, which had been empty just moments before, now became overcrowded. The hospital had 17 floors, and the fire had broken out simultaneously on the 15th, 14th, and 13th floors. Nelson’s room was on the 13th floor, and it was severely affected.Just then, the entire building’s power system was cut off, and the backup generators failed. The building was plunged into darkness, and the fierce flames seemed to lash out like a beast in the night, threatening to consume everything in its path. Panic set in, and a stampede ensued in the stair
Upon hearing Zoey’s question, Russell nodded as well. “So, you’ve been thinking about that too?” Zoey gave a light hum in agreement. “This car accident left no trace at all, making it extremely difficult to investigate. It’s very unnatural.” Russell tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ve already handed the footage to the police, they’re looking into it.” “But if we can't confirm whether that body was Nelson's, I can’t relax. He’s like a ticking time bomb for us.” Russell gently lifted her in his arms and carried her to the large bed. “You didn’t sleep at all last night. Rest now.” Zoey, lost in thought, softly agreed. Russell lay down beside her. “Can’t sleep? Maybe we could do something else we enjoy?” Zoey remembered their first time, how Russell had teased her for an entire afternoon, leaving her legs weak even now. She whispered, “I’m a little tired.” Russell wasn’t serious—he was just teasing her. “Then close your eyes and don’t think about anyth
Zoey hugged Leanna and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Although both of them were wearing masks, their affection was still evident. Leanna blinked her big eyes. “W-What’s going on?” Zoey shared her thoughts. “If the truck was transporting a car, it would have been easy for Nelson to be moved. We could track the vehicles that appeared right before or after the truck disappeared from the surveillance footage.” Leanna was still a bit confused, but she could tell that Zoey had figured something out. She foolishly said, “Oh…” Zoey asked Leanna to keep looking for things while she made a call to Russell. Leanna nodded, relieved by Zoey’s happy and relaxed expression. Zoey called Russell and explained her theory. Russell agreed that it made a lot of sense and immediately called the police station to inform them. The police chief instructed officers to review the surveillance footage based on the new lead. Once Russell hung up, a smile crept across his lips. His girl was re
Zoey noticed the jealous look on Russell’s face and couldn't help but find it a bit amusing. "Jealous? Leanna is a girl!"Russell furrowed his brows, his tone deepening. "Just because she’s a girl, she can kiss her?""Of course! We often…"Russell pressed his thumb to her lips, interrupting her. "No, you can only kiss me, and only I can kiss you."Zoey felt his possessiveness, and it made her smile. She grabbed his wrist. "You're being unreasonable! It was just a kiss on the cheek, and with a mask on, too."Before she could finish, his kiss landed on her lips. This time, unlike the usual playful kisses, it was urgent and intense, with a hint of punishment in it.Zoey immediately understood that Russell was genuinely jealous. It dawned on her just how strong his possessiveness was, even over something as simple as a friendly gesture between girls.She responded gently, allowing him to deepen the kiss until it gradually softened.Russell's forehead rested against hers, his breath coming
At this moment, in Aldmill.In a secret base.Nelson slowly opened his eyes, the bright light stinging his vision, forcing him to close them again.He tried to raise his hand to shield his eyes but found himself bound and unable to move."Is anyone there? Help!" he yelled.Footsteps echoed, and an exceptionally handsome man appeared in front of him. The man had deep brown eyes, a high nose, and thin lips—he looked almost like a mixed-race person."Shh, you're too loud." The man raised an eyebrow, holding a syringe filled with a light blue liquid.Nelson's voice trembled in fear. "What are you going to do?"The man smirked. "What do you think your life is worth to be saved?"Nelson didn’t know who his savior was or what their intentions were. At the time, he only wanted to survive, so even when he had the chance to save his mother, he didn’t.He had watched them dump a male corpse into a car, positioning Livia as if she were trying to climb out, before throwing a firecracker to trigger
Nancy fidgeted with her fingers uneasily, not because she was nervous about her wedding today, but because she had a constant feeling that something was about to happen.Susie seemed to give up her rights easily, even though she was not the type of person who easily gives up.Nancy raised her hand and placed it on her small abdomen. The baby was almost fourteen weeks old, having gone through a fire and being kidnapped, facing numerous hardships and challenges.She hoped to have a peaceful day today.Leanna, noticing Nancy's serious expression, walked over and leaned against the dressing table. "What's wrong, Nancy? Do you have something on your mind?"Nancy pursed her lips and raised her gaze, saying, "It was just an inexplicable feeling of unease."Leanna bent down and took her hand, "Don't be too nervous, Dalton has everything arranged. It's not a big deal if the flowers are a little wilted, Zoey is taking care of it."Just now, Zoe
After Nancy left, Leanna started urging Zoey to go to the hospital.Zoey said to modify Nancy's wedding dress before going, but Leanna couldn't wait and directly messaged Russell, saying that Zoey was feeling a bit unwell in the stomach and asked him to come pick her up.Leanna didn't joke about this kind of thing, Russell didn't even hold a meeting, he drove directly to come.Zoey was unaware of this, and was momentarily surprised when she saw Russell standing at the office door.However, she quickly realized that it must have been Leanna who sent him.Russell asked concernedly, "Why was your stomach feeling uncomfortable? Did you eat something cold or spicy? I was going to take you to the hospital, why were you still toughing it out? If Leanna hadn't messaged me, would you have kept enduring it?"Zoey had not answered the man's question yet, but Russell packed up her bag and was about to take her to the hospital.Zoey pursed her lip
The evidence of Susie's kidnapping and attempted murder is solid, so the Thatcher family came to demand justice, and the highest prosecutor's office in Lochcliff did not release the person.They resorted to threats and temptations, but it was in vain. Susie remained steadfast in her position.Susie's younger brother, Emmett Thatcher, went to see her. The man looked at her disheveled appearance and sneered, "Betrayed by your own people, how does it feel?"Susie looked at the madman in front of her and snorted, "If you came to see me as a joke, then get lost!""Tsk, you may look gentle, but your personality is really terrible. No wonder Randall didn't want you."Susie stared at him and suddenly got up to leave.Emmett laughed and said, "They were fighting for custody of Nacy, not to mention that the people from Lochcliff were quite powerful."Susie got excited and said, "That was my daughter, why did they take her away! Did Randall ask
Susie watched as Zoey and her group looked at her with indifference, and in an instant, she realized that they thought she was setting a trap for Nancy, when in fact, she was the one being lured into a trap.She boasted of her superior intelligence, but now she has fallen into someone else's trap, naturally feeling dissatisfied.She despised Randall, "I treated you well, and yet you sided with them! Why did you treat me like this?"Randall's eyes were cold and indifferent. "It was you who taught others how to treat you! Susie, you see me as a dog, but in my eyes, aren't you just a female dog?"Susie had never been subjected to verbal attacks, and she hated him so much that she suddenly pulled out a silver firearm from the waist of her bodyguard.Before she could pull the trigger, a syringe was shot into the back of her hand.In an instant, her entire arm became numb, and then half of her body followed suit. She couldn't hold herself up and k
Nancy was put on a black hood, and her heart was pounding.To be honest, she was very afraid of death now, because she still had a child in her womb.If she were alone, she would never become a burden or a weakness to anyone.As long as there was a glimmer of hope, she would try to survive.The car drove for a long time before stopping. Nancy was taken out of the car and was unsteadily pushed towards the inside.Not knowing what she tripped over, she fell to her knees on the ground.She felt a sharp pain, as her arms were supported by two people and she continued to walk forward.It seemed like she had taken a few turns before she was finally put down by someone.Nancy's knee was hurting terribly, but she still stood up straight.Because the eyes couldn't see, the ears seemed to be particularly useful at this time.She heard a woman's voice, to be precise, Susie's voice.She had only met Susie twice, but th
Dalton's heart tightened suddenly as Russell fell silent.He subconsciously disagreed in his heart, after all, if Nancy were to encounter any problems, it would be a matter of life and death. He dared not take this risk.If not done so, Susie was like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.Susie relied on the Thatcher family. The Thatcher family had their hands in both legal and illegal activities, secretly training assassins and having people specifically assigned to clean up crime scenes for the assassins. Therefore, she felt invincible.Russell came up with this idea because if Susie were to attack again at Lochcliff, he would have a way to detain her.However, the Thatcher family needed someone, and Russell had a way to incriminate her.Dalton remained silent for a long time, "You made me think about it."Russell did not persuade him anymore, because he knew Dalton would consider what consequences would develop if things con
This was the first time the two of them had a peaceful conversation, and it was surprising to see how harmoniously the rivals could get along.Randall chuckled lightly and said, "No need, I couldn't trouble you and Nancy."Dalton didn't like to drink coffee, but today he ordered an iced Americano, which was rare for him. The bitterness made him frown."I don't know how you could drink it."Randall caressed the walls of the coffee cup, "I suppose it was because my heart was too bitter, but after drinking this, it didn't feel as bitter anymore."Dalton looked at the man, who had been disheveled for several days, and without the initial hostility, he unexpectedly felt some sympathy.Randall laughed and said, "Don't look at me like that, I didn't need sympathy.""Sorry," Dalton looked at him, "Nancy told me about your past. To be honest, if it weren't for those obstacles, you would have built a cozy little home together. I'm quite envious
After they received the certificate, Dalton moved Nancy's luggage from the apartment to his home.When she came back, Nancy had a feeling of things having changed.Although it was still in black and white, the cold tones didn't seem as cold anymore.Indeed, what affects one's emotions is not the environment but rather one's mood.Dalton saw her standing at the entrance and asked, "Why aren't you going in? Is it because you don't like this style of decoration? I was thinking that since you're pregnant, you shouldn't stay on the villa side anymore. Even if the newly renovated one is environmentally friendly, it may still have some odor. I'm worried that your morning sickness will be severe."Nancy couldn't smell pungent odors these past few days, such as garlic, chives, and onions.Dalton felt that this place was closer to his hospital, so if there was an emergency, it would be more convenient for him to rush back. Otherwise, staying at Nancy'
During Nancy's hospitalization, both Eugene and Chelsea came to visit.At that time, they still didn't know about her pregnancy.Chelsea cooked Manhattan clam chowder for her.She sat by the sickbed and fed Nancy.Nancy was very embarrassed, after all, her own mother had never treated her like this."I could do it myself."Chelsea shook her head and said with regret, "I have always hoped to have a daughter, but after giving birth to Dalton, my ovarian function deteriorated and I can no longer have children. When I first saw you, I liked you. You have a dignified and elegant appearance, although you can be a bit cold, but you don't give off an arrogant vibe. I was especially happy when you and Dalton got engaged. I know you both had reservations about the arranged marriage, but I believe you can make it work. Things were going as we expected, Dalton was in a good mood for a while, and he even called us without impatience. I knew your relation