ログインMandy was paralyzed with terror, but her frantic struggles had left her utterly spent. She was at Leon's mercy, and in this house, mercy was a foreign concept. If Leon was the monster, Julian was his perfect instrument—a blade that struck exactly where it was told.Julian set the pliers aside and retrieved the heavy cleaver from the floor.“No! Please! I’m begging you!” Mandy sobbed, her eyes fixed on Leon in a desperate plea for clemency. Every word was an agonizing effort; her jaw was still dislocated, making her speech a mangled, painful slur.She stared at the blade in Julian’s hand. It looked heavy, dull, and terrifyingly efficient.Leon leaned in close, tilting her chin up to force her to meet his gaze. He gave a mocking laugh. “So, you know how to be afraid now? Where was this fear when you were helping Sarah? You should have remembered the hell you've already been through—you should have known that I would only make it worse this time.”He stepped back, clearing a path. Ju
“How dare you speak to me like that? Where do you get the nerve?” Leon’s voice was like ice, cutting through the air. He wanted to shatter any delusions she had left. “Mandy, don’t think for a second that helping Sarah means she’s coming to save you. Have you forgotten exactly how you ended up in here?”To his surprise, Mandy didn’t flinch. She gave him a fleeting, dismissive glance, as if his threats were mere background noise.Leon licked his lips, the metallic tang of blood filling his mouth. With a cold sneer, he seized her chin, his grip tightening with such violent force that her jaw audibly popped out of alignment.White-hot pain surged through her as her jaw hung slack, dislocated. When he leaned in for a sickening, forced kiss, she couldn't even fight back; her teeth wouldn't meet, and the agony in her joint was so paralyzing she couldn't even scream.Finally growing bored, Leon roughly snapped her jaw back into place before delivering a stinging backhand to her face. “Y
A chill ran through Mandy’s body. She didn’t need an explanation. She already knew exactly why Leon had turned on her.Her mind raced, searching for a way out.Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head desperately. “I don’t know anything. How could I possibly know your computer password?”Leon closed his eyes.When he opened them again, there was no warmth left.His hand snapped up around her throat.“I hate liars,” he said quietly. “Tell me the truth. You helped Sarah unlock my computer, didn’t you?”His grip tightened just enough to make breathing difficult. Mandy clawed at his wrist instinctively, panic flooding her senses. Just as the darkness began to creep in, he released her.She collapsed to the floor, coughing violently, struggling to draw air back into her lungs.“N-no,” she gasped hoarsely. “It wasn’t me.”She still didn’t dare admit it. She could see the instability in his eyes. Confessing now might cost her life.Julian sighed softly and crouched in fro
Realization hit him all at once.“I think I know how,” Leon said flatly.He ended the call without another word, pinching the bridge of his nose before immediately summoning Julian.Julian arrived within minutes. One look at Leon’s expression told him something had gone very wrong. He stood stiffly in front of the desk, hardly daring to breathe.“My computer was accessed,” Leon said coldly.Julian’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s impossible. No one can enter your study without authorization, and the computer is password-protected. The security system was custom-built by the group’s hackers. Any intrusion should trigger an alert to headquarters, along with a self-destruct protocol.”Leon narrowed his eyes. “I know who did it. When Sarah and Zachary came to treat me, I was hypnotized and unconscious for a long time. During that window, the only person in my study was Sarah.”Julian pulled the screen toward himself and began typing rapidly. Lines of code flickered past. After a
“Dad, you’ve changed too,” Melvin said quietly.Thinking back, when Mrs. Sanders had hurt Sarah in the past, Uncle Shawn would never have stepped in to defend her.Uncle Shawn let out a sigh. “I’m old now. I see a lot of things more clearly. I don’t want wealth or power anymore. I just want this family to live peacefully and happily.”At that moment, Sarah suddenly stood up and looked at Uncle Shawn seriously. “Uncle, about what I asked you to look into last time. Has there been any progress?”Uncle Shawn paused, then remembered. Sarah had indeed asked him for help regarding David. These past few days, with pressure from above, he hadn’t had the chance to follow up.“Not yet,” he admitted. “Sarah, don’t blame me for moving slowly. The people who used to attend family gatherings back then have all scattered. Some are overseas. Some are gone forever. It’s extremely difficult to gather them again, let alone ask them to recall what happened years ago.”He hesitated, then continued, h
“I said nothing happened!” Scarlett snapped suddenly, a surge of irritation breaking through. She didn’t want to answer any more questions.Steven froze for a second, but didn’t react much. He simply pushed her wheelchair back to the room at an unhurried pace.He gently lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the hospital bed. “Hungry? I cooked.”Only then did Scarlett notice the three differently colored insulated lunch boxes on the table. Three portions. Why three?Seeing the confusion on her face, Steven explained, “One is for Mia, one for you, and the last one is for Uncle Larson.”Scarlett suddenly remembered that every time she ate, she had seen those same three lunch boxes. That meant he hadn’t just been bringing food for a day or two.Thinking of how she had snapped at him earlier, guilt washed over her. “I’m sorry.”Steven set up the small table and placed the dishes in front of her. “Why apologize?”“I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” she said softly, lowering her







