The Potter Mansion was silent.Everyone looked at Marion on the couch.Debra squeezed his hand. "Jordan's guys are on it. Randy will be fine. Don't worry too much."Randy and Erica had been missing for 24 hours without any information.The valley's outer edge was crawling with hired guns, likely to keep them out.Even knowing Enoch ran the Illuminati didn't help. They had no leverage.A guard rushed in. "Report, Mr. Osborne...""Where is he?" Marion shot up from the couch."He's outside... on a stretcher," replied the guard.They rushed outside. Beyond the iron gate, Randy lay on a stretcher, pale as death. His gut was bandaged, blood soaking through."Randy!" Debra yelled at the guards, "What are you waiting for? Get him inside.""Yes, ma'am." A few guards hauled him in."Don't sweat it. Just a flesh wound," Jordan said, waving over William. "Hurry. Check on him."William raced down from the second floor, med kit in hand. "Coming. Where is the patient?"He sped over and
Chapter 1"Get the defibrillator! Increase the voltage!""Doctor! The patient is experiencing massive bleeding, and the A-type blood from the blood bank was just urgently taken away."The intern nurse's hands were covered in blood, and she trembled.The operating room reeked of blood.She had never seen so much blood before.At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind.'Who would suddenly take away A-type blood from the blood bank?'The woman lying on the bed was pale. Her lips were dry, and her eyes started to lose focus. "Juan...""What?""Juan Nichols..."The intern nurse made out the name murmured by Debra Frazier.Juan Nichols was the most influential businessman in Seamar City.The doctor was on the verge of collapse. He dialed the wrong number three times before finally getting it right. He quickly pleaded with the person on the other end of the phone, "Mr. Nichols, your wife is experiencing massive bleeding, but the blood from the blood bank has been taken a
Chapter 2Juan also looked over.A red figure stood out in the crowd.Debra, clad in a burgundy dress, seemed to captivate hearts with every gesture. Cameras flashed at her like she was a reigning superstar walking the red carpet.'Debra?'Juan took a moment to recognize her.In the past, Debra preferred light makeup and plain dresses. This was the first time Juan had seen her like this.Seeing Debra for the first time, Shelia was filled with jealousy.Compared to the alluring Debra, she seemed too plain."Debra looks stunning."Shelia's tone carried a subtle envy.Debra spotted them and walked over.Shelia thought Debra, unaware of her relationship with Juan, would be surprised or awkward, but Debra was poised and smiling."Mrs. Nichols is here. Who's the lady beside Mr. Nichols?" whispered a reporter.Debra approached, linking her arm with Juan's, and extended a hand towards Shelia. "You must be Shelia mentioned by Juan. Nice to meet you! I'm Debra. You can call me Mrs.
Chapter 3Due to this episode, Juan's attention was solely on Debra. Shelia's performance was completely ignored.When the auction ended, Debra was about to leave when she bumped into Juan and Shelia."Debra, if you don't understand real estate, don't mess around," Juan said bluntly.Shelia chimed in, "Yeah, Debra. Your actions have cost Mr. Nichols ten billion dollars."Debra chuckled, "Miss Miles, you misunderstand. This piece of land is mine to buy. What does it have to do with Juan?"Shelia blurted out, "But that's ten billion dollars.""It's just pocket change for me, not to mention for her."From not far away, Randy's voice came. "Isn't that right, Ms. Frazier?"Debra caught sight of Marion and said, "It's just a plaything for purchase."Shelia blushed with embarrassment.Ten billion dollars meant nothing to Juan and Debra.In front of these people, Shelia felt inferior."Heard Mr. Nichols got married. Is the lady beside him Mrs. Nichols?" Marion chimed in.Shelia b
Chapter 4The room fell silent for a moment. Marion smirked and said, "Mrs. Nichols, you can't wrongly accuse good people.""Yeah, we're all legitimate businessmen," Randy chimed in."In the realm of legitimate business, it's not up to me to judge. But I think Juan might be interested," Debra said. "I'm just a clueless rich girl, while Juan isn't. If I tell him what happened, I wonder if he'll take notice.""You're sneaky!" Randy couldn't contain his frustration.Debra looked at Marion seriously. "Lend me eight billion, and I'll pay you back with interest in three years."Randy's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? Do you know how much interest that'll be? If you can't pay it back, we'll lose eight billion dollars. You're Juan's wife. Who can hold you accountable?""I know the interest. I'll sign a contract with you. If I can't repay, I'll give you my family's properties and stocks, and I'll work for you for the rest of my life." Randy paused and continued, "And besides, my marriage
Chapter 5Shelia's smile froze. "Why?""Mr. Nichols is taking his wife tonight, so it wouldn't be convenient for you to attend."Shelia forced a smile. "Oh, so he's taking his wife. That's great. I didn't want to go anyway.""That's good."Shelia held her phone and bit her lip.Her roommates exchanged glances."Shelia, did your boyfriend stand you up?""I heard this event is international. Didn't your boyfriend organize it to introduce you to some foreign entrepreneurs?"Facing their skeptical looks, Shelia managed a weak smile. "He has an important client to accompany. I shouldn't disturb him."Shelia glanced at the dress in her hands, her expression dimming.'Juan never likes Debra. Why did he suddenly...'She tightened her grip on the dress.She had looked forward to tonight's event for so long. She couldn't just give up.As the night fell, Juan had a splendid black dress sent to Debra.He had been waiting downstairs for a while when he saw Debra descending the stairs
Chapter 6Her cry pierced through the room.All eyes, including Juan's and Debra's, turned to her.In their eyes, Shelia was a rude and uncultured woman.The old gardener bent down to pick up the scattered roses and apologized profusely.Feeling the stares around her, Shelia quickly changed her attitude. "I'm sorry. I was in haste. Are you okay, sir?"Debra watched from nearby.Even though Shelia tried to fix it, it only came off as insincere.Shelia also noticed Debra beside Juan."How did she get here?" Juan frowned.Given his expression, he seemed clueless about Shelia's arrival.Debra wondered if Shelia came on her own.Debra stayed silent.This plot was different from that of her last life. Juan brought Shelia to the party, where Shelia impressed Caleb Houston. It led to a smooth path overseas and success after graduation with support from Juan and Caleb.Debra thought that Shelia would not show up this time.Yet here she was."Mr. Nichols!" Hearing the commotion,
Chapter 7Given his expression, Juan knew that this plot of land would fetch a hefty sum.Yet he chose to let Stephen have it as a favor.That was just Juan's style."I was just paying a compliment. You're reading too much into it," Debra replied.Juan furrowed his brow, assessing the sincerity of Debra's words.It made sense. Given Debra's intelligence, how could she see the future value of that land?Juan realized he was overthinking it."Hope so."Juan turned away, leading Shelia to meet other people.Shelia glanced at Debra.Debra managed to capture the hint of triumph in Shelia's eyes.She downed a glass of champagne.In the eyes of others, she was just a failed woman abandoned by her husband.Her husband left her and took another woman to meet business partners. Could anything be more of a joke than this?Debra felt disheartened. She had planned to mingle with the business elites, but with Juan gone, it became difficult.How could she approach those entrepreneurs
The Potter Mansion was silent.Everyone looked at Marion on the couch.Debra squeezed his hand. "Jordan's guys are on it. Randy will be fine. Don't worry too much."Randy and Erica had been missing for 24 hours without any information.The valley's outer edge was crawling with hired guns, likely to keep them out.Even knowing Enoch ran the Illuminati didn't help. They had no leverage.A guard rushed in. "Report, Mr. Osborne...""Where is he?" Marion shot up from the couch."He's outside... on a stretcher," replied the guard.They rushed outside. Beyond the iron gate, Randy lay on a stretcher, pale as death. His gut was bandaged, blood soaking through."Randy!" Debra yelled at the guards, "What are you waiting for? Get him inside.""Yes, ma'am." A few guards hauled him in."Don't sweat it. Just a flesh wound," Jordan said, waving over William. "Hurry. Check on him."William raced down from the second floor, med kit in hand. "Coming. Where is the patient?"He sped over and
Erica was older than him, about the same height as those jerks.Randy remembered her in a private school uniform. Her shirt was hacked short, and her bow was swapped for a tie. Tall and cool, she was like the queen of high school.She seemed to be glowing, and his eyes sparked.She frowned. "You've got guts to mess with my guy on my turf."Raised tough by Caleb, she had gotten real skills, not showy stuff.Those punks didn't even graze her. She flipped one over her shoulder, then kicked the rest down one by one.For the first time, Randy thought a girl fighting could look so cool.'If you could show up now like back then, how great would that be?'His eyelids got heavy. He could barely keep them open.He knew she couldn't swoop in to save him like before....Debra and Marion were at the city's edge when the call hit."What? Randy ran off to the valley?" Debra was shocked but quickly snapped into gear. "Wait. You got so many people there. How could he slip away?"They all
"I've told you a million times," Enoch said. "Nothing in this world comes free. As a businessman, you know the drill. You want something. You pay for it."He looked down and continued, "Although I don't like you, my blood is in your veins. You want Erica? Then you do what I say."He stood up and walked over, clapping his hand down on Randy's shoulder. "You've grown up, my boy. You should carry the Osborne name proudly. I know you've got it in you. Together, we can build an empire. No more bowing to the other three families. No more kissing the Houstons' asses. We won't be the weak link anymore. You get me?"For once, he softened, almost fatherly. But to Randy, it felt fake as hell.If he were a loving father, Enoch wouldn't have ignored him for 20 years."You never held me or owned me," Randy said. "I don't need your approval or your empire now."He shoved Enoch's hand off and stepped forward, pressing the knife to Enoch's neck. Then he ducked behind Enoch, dodging Michael's line
Enoch might've been older, but his face stayed smooth."Where's Erica?" Randy wasn't there to chitchat.Enoch sat down in a chair. The place felt like a giant cathedral, his spot way up high."She's with me," Enoch replied. "You want her back? Need something to trade.""What did you say?" Randy laughed coldly. "Trade? Erica is not a commodity, and you're committing a crime. She's going to marry me. Why did you do this?""She's tied to the Houston family," Enoch replied. "You could've picked anyone else. The Houstons are heartless. If it weren't for your sake, she'd be dead already.""I need you to hand her over," Randy barked, starting toward him.Suddenly, someone fired a shot. The bullet hit the floor an inch from Randy's foot.In that dim light, only a crack shot could pull that off.Michael stepped out from a corner, pistol in hand."See? So impulsive," Enoch sighed, glancing at Michael. "He is sharper and smarter, more like me."Randy pointed at Michael up on the platfo
Under Randy's threat, Lara didn't dawdle. She swiped her fingerprint, and the infrared beams blinked out."My clearance only kills the lasers for three minutes," she said. "Taking me like this only slows you down. Let me go, and I swear I won't pull anything.""Three minutes? Then hustle," Randy snorted.She was full of schemes. Cutting her loose brought him nothing but danger. He would not fall for it.Lara kept her cool and led him toward the end of the hall.The place was futuristic, loaded with tech Randy had never even seen. Only people with the code could get in.Now that she had removed restrictions, it was now just another regular hallway.At the end stood a massive door. She spoke. "Our master is behind that. I can't go in, but I'll open it for you.""Do it quickly," he urged.She stepped to the side and used facial recognition. The door slid open, revealing a dark room.As he scoped it out, she broke free and tried to shove him in.Quick in reaction, he yanked her
As long as he twitched it a little, Lara would be dead.Randy growled, "Cut the crap. Try me again, and you're done."Lara didn't dare push it. She took a breath. "Okay. Follow me inside.""I know who your master is," he said. "Tell him to let Erica go, or the Osborne line ends with me."Her face shifted at that. He noticed. "What, you don't know who he is? Guess you're not that big a deal around here. So, quit stalling. Take me to him now. Touch me, and you don't live to see another day."Lara's composure crumbled.In the Illuminati, nobody knew the bishop's identity. She couldn't tell if Randy was bluffing or not.She had no choice but to lead him toward another entrance. Those goons didn't dare stop him. They just stepped aside.She took him deeper into the valley. The further in, the warier Randy got.The mist thickened, blotting out everything.At a rocky entrance, she used her fingerprint to unlock a hidden door in the mountain. It was mind-boggling that the Illuminati
Lara's face twisted. "No way he would say that. He wants the four families wiped out.""Take it up with him." Juan shrugged, heading out of the valley. "I'm not wasting my breath on you."Lara muttered in disbelief, "Our master wouldn't do that. This was our shot to take them down."Before she could piece it together, a guy rushed up. "Miss, something else showed up.""Who was it?" Lara snapped, annoyed.The four families only had Debra and Marion worth a damn to them."Looks like someone from the Osborne family.""Randy? What's that punk doing here?"Right then, a guy flew in from the mist, screaming as he hit the ground.Randy stepped out with a fierce expression. Lara barked for her crew to gear up.Everyone was puzzled, not expecting a wuss like Randy to be so good at fighting.He'd taken out every guard outside the valley solo, and not one alarm had been tripped. It meant he had memorized the layout, found the safest path, and dodged every trap.Lara sized him up serio
The Illuminati crew scattered into the mist.The leader stayed, pulling off his mask.Juan's brow creased hard. This was all he could do for them.Debra and Marion hauled out of the valley.Earlier when they were talking to that guy, she had clocked his limp. Plus, he had tapped his leg to drop hints.Through those details, she had figured out it was Juan.Juan had fed them a load of crap.Erica was inside. The bishop would show himself if they managed to find her. He would let them go if they could make a deal.It sounded reasonable but did not hold up.The Illuminati had an edge over them. If the bishop wanted to meet, he wouldn't need to snatch Erica. Even if he had her, it'd be to trade for the gemstone they held.He commanded, and they had to comply because they had zero leverage to negotiate. If they had no leverage, the bishop would not let them go.This was the tip-off dropped by Juan. Her business instinct enabled her to perceive it.Erica wasn't in the valley at a
It was afternoon already.Debra and Marion parked their car outside the valley.Looking at the sprawling terrain ahead, Debra couldn't shake the memory of trekking through it with Kale just days ago.Revisiting this place made her shiver."Your injury's still fresh," Marion said. "I can go alone."Debra shook her head. "We agreed on going together. Besides, I'm not here to fight. It will be fine."Marion ruffled her hair. "Alright, we're in this together."Enoch brought Erica here to lure them in. That much was clear.Now that they were here, they'd get her out.With night closing in, they quickly followed the route they'd mapped out and headed in.The map from Juan came in handy. In less than 30 minutes, they reached a clearing smack in the middle of four towering mountains.Mist hung light in the air, and the jagged peaks all around gave off a heavy, oppressive vibe.Through the fog, figures in black cloaks and white masks stepped out.Debra slid behind Marion, their han