"Does this have something to do with Debra?" Kale was puzzled.Drake turned to leave without answering. He simply ordered, "Clean up the scene. Lock them up and interrogate them. If they won't talk, just deal with them."...Outside the Jovial Hotel, Juan hobbled along, dragging his injured leg. Blood trailed behind him, leaving a winding path to the apartment building across the street.Inside the apartment, William had dozed off while waiting.A sudden noise from the door woke him up. He jumped off the couch and rushed over, only to see Juan collapse at the entrance."My God, how did you lose so much blood again?" he muttered, helping Juan up.Being a doctor wasn't easy. He had been flying all over the world to work at multiple sites. Treating the wealthy was highly remunerative, but it was exhausting."Let me check your wounds.""It's a knife wound."William lifted Juan's pants leg. His thigh was covered in blood, and the leg he used to walk on had a prosthetic. The area a
At the Lowe Mansion, Liza recounted the whole event to Garland."You have no idea how terrifying it was. Those people were after our lives. Several of them are missing. You need to talk to Dad and have him catch them all."Garland, who had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, felt dizzy when Liza rambled on and on in his ear. The worst part was that her story was incoherent. He had no clue what was going on."Promise me," Liza demanded, shaking his arm.Garland had a headache coming on. "Wait. Stop for a moment. Can you at least tell me who these people are?"Liza finally explained, "The leader is Cathryn.""Cathryn? Where is she?""She's dead.""What about the others?""I don't know."Garland slumped back onto the sofa. As Liza tried to persuade him again, he said, "Do you think I'm some kind of miracle worker? If Marion and Drake can't find them, how can I?"Liza had overestimated his abilities. Even if Fermin were still alive, he probably wouldn't know who
"Marion?" Debra rubbed her sleepy eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall.It was already 12:30. The incident last night had drained her energy, causing her to sleep in.She pushed open the bedroom door and walked out. Downstairs, Marion was cooking in the kitchen.The others still seemed to be asleep. Debra spoke up. "Your injury hasn't healed yet, and you're already rushing to make me lunch?"Marion came out holding a pot. "Go rest a little longer. The other dish will be ready soon."Debra came down the stairs and flopped into his arms. Her exhaustion instantly melted away."I'm so tired. Get a drumstick for me," she murmured."Sure," Marion agreed, patting her head.Garland burst out of his room, sniffing the air. "Who's cooking chicken soup? It smells amazing."Then his gaze landed on the embracing couple. Feeling awkward, he looked up at the ceiling and whistled, "Uh, I'm going to check on the soup.""Mr. Houston, let me take care of the kitchen," said Ivan, who had be
"What happened?" Garland emerged from the kitchen with a drumstick in his mouth.Holding her phone, Liza said anxiously, "Dad isn't answering my calls."Garland rolled his eyes. "What's so surprising about that? He never answers my calls.""No," Liza said. "Dad loves me the most. He's never ignored my calls."Debra chimed in, "Could it be that he didn't see the calls?""No way. My dad always has his phone with him. He didn't pick up last night. By now, he should have called me back," Liza explained."Well, why not just call home?" Garland whipped out his phone and called home.The line soon went through."Hello, this is Eaton Mansion.""It's me. Put my dad on the phone.""Mr. Eaton? Is it really you?""Who else would it be? Just get my dad on the phone.""Your father, he...""What's going on? Did anything happen to him?""He is in the hospital.""What? Is he ill? Is it serious?""It's serious. The doctor is pessimistic about his condition.""We're coming home right now
Liza and Garland rushed to the airport.Debra couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Bert's sudden illness. The last time they met, he was in perfect health."Hey, stop poking at your food. It's becoming mushy," Drake grumbled across from her.Debra snapped back to reality, realizing she had poked several holes into her food.Marion picked up dishes for her and countered without looking up. "Just eat your food."Kale rushed in from outside and reported, "Boss, we found an underground passage at the Jovial Hotel. We followed it and found that it led to a church.""A church?""Yes, a big church on Hailstone Road. The priest there holds sermons during the day.""What kind of sermons?""I'm not sure."Debra frowned. "The atmosphere last night was creepy. Those people wore masks, and it felt like a cult. Like some kind of ritual, and we were the sacrifices."She recalled the events and continued, "Cathryn said she spent all her fortune on the setup. I don't think her m
Outside a church, Drake leaned against his car, lighting a cigarette.By the time he finished smoking, Kale had sealed off the church with his team."Anything?" Drake asked.Kale gestured for his men to bring over a few boxes. Inside lay black cloaks and white masks resembling those from European theater."Nothing else?""No."Drake picked up a mask and turned to Debra, who was sitting in the car. "Is this it?"Debra looked at it and nodded. "That's the one.""Pack them up and take them away.""Your one-swoop takedowns are pretty polished.""It's passable.""That wasn't a compliment."Drake had brought her there so early in the morning. She had thought there was some urgent matter, but it was just sealing off the church."If you shut the church down, how will we catch them in the net?""I've taken control of the Jovial Hotel. Do you think they'd still come back?""Makes sense. So, you do use your brain occasionally.""Of course.""Then what's the point of sealing this
Ivan opened the car door for Debra, and she got out.Kale came back after handling things. "Boss, did Debra and Marion just leave like that?""What else? Should I have kept them for lunch? I owe them nothing," Drake said irritably. "Drive! Back home.""Understood." Kale got in the car, fastened his seatbelt, and handed Drake a bank card. "Debra found me this morning and asked me to give you this."Drake took the card and looked at it. "What's this? The accommodation fees?""Seems like it.""She's not that clueless after all."However, when he checked the balance, his smile faded. There was only 7,698.6 dollars left.'Really? It's got both the whole and the decimal. Debra wouldn't let herself lose out even a little,' he grumbled inwardly."Get some people to investigate the Trennery family. Have Grover under watch.""Debra has taken Ivan to Seamar City. He didn't do anything unusual the night before. Is there still a need to act?""My gut tells me something's off with them."
Half an hour later, Debra looked at the financial reports in her hands.She was amazed. "Not only did we not lose, but we made a profit? That's impressive, Randy.""Really?" Erica leaned in for a look. "Must be owed to the strategies you made.""That's not it," Randy argued. "The profits are owed to Andrew. You know, since Debra left, Theda has been attacking us like crazy. There is no way I could handle it. Andrew sorted it all out."Intrigued, Debra asked. "How did he handle it?""Who knows? Maybe charm or trick." Randy shrugged."Come on. You think Andrew's like you?" Erica swatted his neck. "Use your brain sometimes. Of course, Andrew tapped into his business savvy and connections.""Ouch! I was just kidding." Randy pouted.Debra asked again, "Has he been at home these past few days?""Yeah. Where else would he be?" Randy replied. "He rarely leaves the house since he was born. This time, he flew all the way to Orkgate for your wedding. That's really something."He paused
"No biggie. I'm just that sharp," Randy grinned."Don't flatter yourself." Erica smacked his arm, turning to Debra. "If that's the play, we'll set up around the valley early.""We scoped it out last time. Here's the terrain map Marion roughed out. Memorize the basics, just in case," Debra said.Jordan spoke up. "I'll plant people inside to learn the lay. If things go down, we'll back each other up."He paused, frowning. "But we've only got one path. Without the full picture, it's still risky.""Got it here," a voice called from the door.Everyone turned to see Theda walking in with Robert. A map was in her hand."It's you guys." Debra was surprised.Theda had been busy with her business. She barely had time to breathe, not to mention show up there."This mess is huge. If the Illuminati takes Seamar City, my business is done," Theda said.She'd seen Jeffery's crazy side. The Illuminati couldn't be anything good.She unrolled the map and stuck it on the board. "This is the val
Liza eased up, knowing Debra was always faithful.She would help if she said so."Is the Illuminati really that bad?" Liza asked, having never seen Fermin cornered like that."Yeah," Debra said flat-out.Liza fought back her tears. "I'm not as smart as you guys, but if I can help...""You've done plenty," Debra said, patting her head.The once-bratty lady had grown into someone brave and kind. They'd all seen her change.But this was too risky. They couldn't bet on her life."Everything's set," Marion said, striding in with Jordan.Liza blinked at their suits. They looked solemn, as if ready for a last stand.Debra nodded. "Alright, let's go over everyone's setup and run through the plan."Randy wheeled in a blackboard that showed the outskirts map.The Four Great Families had owned Seamar City for ages. Their eyes and ears were on every corner.They'd linked up north, south, east, and west, with Juan's lines tied in.According to intel, the Illuminati hadn't sunk deep ro
"Just listen to me and go," Fermin said, pulling his hand free.The next thing she knew, he yanked her toward the emergency exit."Fermin!" she yelped.The restaurant staff, loyal to Fermin, hustled her into the stairwell. By the time the guards outside caught on, she was gone."Get her," the guards barked.If Liza slipped away, Michael would have their heads. But before they could chase, Fermin's crew boxed them in."You know what this means?" one guard spat, dropping all politeness.They knew he was just a puppet. If he broke free, Bert's life would be done."Kill them," Fermin ordered, turning back to the restaurant.A waiter dropped a tray, the crash drowning out muffled screams from the stairwell.Liza was already in a cab. She tried to turn back, but a staffer blocked her. "Miss, you can't go anywhere but Seamar City. The Potter Mansion is your safest bet. Think of what Mr. Eaton's doing for you."Her stay overseas made her a hostage. While she was here, Fermin was lea
The driver hesitated but complied. "Sure, Mr. Eaton. How long do you plan to stay? There's a meeting this afternoon.""An hour," Fermin replied.From their conversation, Liza caught on that their family was under the Illuminati's thumb. The driver would not grill Fermin about his schedule otherwise."Who're you to butt in? He'll hang out with me for as long as he wants," she snapped.The driver bit back his gripes. "My bad. Sorry."Liza clung to Fermin's arm, heart pounding. She had been pampered her whole life, and her family had always been untouchable. She never imagined they'd be under someone else's boot.The car stopped by the mall. Liza and Fermin got out.When the guards tried to follow, she whirled. "My brother and I are going shopping. What're you tagging along for?""Protecting you and Mr. Eaton," one said.She opened her mouth to argue, but Fermin cut in. "They can carry bags for you."She hesitated. With these guards tagging along, they couldn't talk about the si
"Dad." Liza rushed to the bed, grabbing Bert's hand.In her mind, Bert was a stern old grump. He was always tough and sharp.But now, the illness had taken a toll on him. He had shrunk, and his hair had gone gray overnight.Fermin stood behind her, watching with pain.In fact, Bert had been ill for a while now. He had been grooming Fermin for years.But once he'd caught wind of Fermin's plans, Bert would rather kill him and trash their legacy than let him join the Illuminati.Fermin knew this day was coming. Liza didn't. Bert never wanted her to.She froze, feeling like his hand had twitched. She stopped crying and spun to Fermin."Did you see it? Dad moved..." she exclaimed.Fermin clapped a hand over her mouth, a move that confused her.He shook his head, warning her off. She nodded fast, signaling she'd keep quiet.Fermin checked the door and eased his hand off. "Dad's fine. Let's head home, alright?"Liza glanced at Bert with reluctance but wiped her tears. "Okay.""Co
Drake's mouth hung open, but no words came out."I swapped the drug for saline," Juan said. "You're on your own tonight. You've only had one dose, so there might still be a chance. If you don't wanna die here, suck it up. Don't let Kale die for nothing."Juan dropped that and left the room.Drake slumped on the bed. Old memories came flooding back, from their first meeting to their camaraderie. They had been through thick and thin together.If it hadn't been for him, Kale wouldn't have been dead....In the hospital, Liza kept watch outside the ICU where Bert lay.Two black-suited guards blocked the door. Even after surgery, they wouldn't let her in."When can I see him?" she asked, clenching her fists.The guards stood like statues, ignoring her."That's my dad," she shouted, pounding their chests. "I need to be with him. Move. Get out of my way.""Stop it." Fermin strode up, grabbing her swinging fist. "You're an Eaton. Act like it."He turned and slapped a guard hard. "Y
Juan arrived at a villa on Seamar City's outskirts. It was where Drake was locked up.It was pitch black in the room, with only a bed. The windows were nailed shut.The moment Drake handed over the stone, he'd guessed his fate. The Illuminati had rules for traitors: the blessing ritual.But that "blessing" was just injecting their latest drug into turncoats. They would be used as free guinea pigs. Death was the best outcome. Surviving meant real torture.It didn't hurt. Rather, it felt like heaven. That was why they called it a blessing."When did they shoot you up with that stuff?" Juan asked.Drake leaned back on the bed, nonchalant. "I gave them the stone. It doesn't matter to you. Just give me the drug."By night, he was a mess.The stuff could ease the pain for an hour. Then hell would kick in. Once the cravings hit, it felt like ants gnawing his bones.The pain wired into his nerves. At its worst, he'd bash the wall, tempted to bite his tongue off.He couldn't leave wit
To the bishop, Debra and her crew were small fry.A hundred years ago, the Four Great Families might've been untouchable. But now? Their roots were shaky.The Illuminati, on the other hand, had grown unstoppable.For the stone, he'd see them and let them feel the Illuminati's might. It was something callows like them couldn't touch."Tell them I pick the time and place," he said. "Get the stone ready. If it's fake, they'll get the harshest punishment from God.""Yes, Master," Michael replied, turning to leave.Lara stood up to protest, "I'm against this. We should take the chance to wipe them out and take their assets."In her mind, the four families were nothing. When they could snatch what they wanted, there was no need for deals or games."God spares all," the bishop muttered. "I'll give them a shot to live. If they bow, why kill them?"Lara fell silent, but Frederic stepped out of the shadows. He asked, "What about the stone Drake gave us?""Only one of the two stones is
Night settled in deep.Debra and the crew were still waiting for Michael's reply."Still nothing? They don't buy it, do they?" Erica paced, antsy."Give it time. They'll bite," Debra said, clutching her phone.She had promised Kale she would bring Drake back. No breaking that.A text finally pinged her phone. It was Michael.Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Like Debra said, the Illuminati couldn't rule out her having the real stone.If theirs was fake, Michael and his crew couldn't afford the fallout."Marion, it's on you now," Debra said.The Houston family had military muscle on tap. The Potter family owned elite guards and intel. Erica and Randy were solid backups.But this meeting? Debra had to go herself."Does it have to be now? Maybe wait till you're healed?" Erica said.Debra shook her head. "Drake is at risk every day he's with them. I can't take that chance. Just like they can't risk us holding the stone.""She's right," Randy jumped in. "Drag this out, and who