Chapter 1

The presidential suite of Crown Hotel lay quiet, the passion of the night now just a lingering warmth in the sheets.

"Hey, gorgeous…"

Noel Campbell turned toward the woman beside him, about to gently wake her.

At that moment, Yvette Quinton's eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep. Her gaze landed on a sharp-featured face with a hint of roguish charm.

Their eyes met at almost the exact same moment.

And then—

"Ah! You pervert!"

Yvette pushed Noel away hard and scrambled to cover herself with the blanket, her voice sharp with anger.

"Who are you? Why are you in my room? Get out, or I'm calling the cops!"

"Calling the cops?"

Noel smirked. "Come on, this is my room. Also, I want to know how you ended up in my bed."

Yvette glanced around, finally realizing she wasn't at home. She was in an unfamiliar hotel room.

Slowly, memories from the night before began to come back to her.

Her grandfather was gravely ill, and the Quinton family was going through a crisis.

In a desperate attempt to secure their standing in the family, her parents had decided to marry her off to someone she didn't even like. If it weren't for that, there was no way Yvette would have stormed out in the middle of the night to drown her frustration in alcohol.

That was when she ran into Noel, who was drinking at the same bar.

They were both completely wasted. And as for what happened after that…

Yvette's eyes fell on the bright red stain on the sheets, then a wave of helplessness and hurt washed over her.

Tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them.

She was the second daughter of the Quinton family, one of the youngest rising stars in the city's business world.

And somehow, she had given her precious virginity to a complete stranger.

"Hey, gorgeous, I think there's been a misunderstanding."

Seeing the hurt look on her face, Noel tried to speak. However, Yvette cut him off without a second thought.

"Shut up!"

There was no point in talking anymore. At this point, she was completely shattered, with nothing left to hope for.

Did it even matter who she gave her first time to? She was going to marry someone she didn't love anyway.

"Here's 20 thousand dollars. Take this money and disappear from the city. And don't you ever mention this to anyone!"

Anger. Hurt.

Even despair.

Yvette took a deep breath, gritting her teeth as she got dressed. She tossed the money on the bed and turned to leave.

"Wait. At least tell me your name!" Noel called after her. "And even though I'm engaged, if you don't mind, I'm willing to take responsibility for you."

Yvette paused but didn't even turn around. She just shot back coldly, "You? Responsibility? As if."

With that, she pushed open the door and walked out.

"Interesting..."

Noel stared at the money on the bed and smiled bitterly. He'd just come down from the mountain yesterday. His mentor had given him an emerald pendant and sent him to the city to marry the Quinton family's eldest daughter, and repay a debt to the Quinton family's patriarch, Dylan Quinton.

But instead of meeting his fiancée, he ended up in bed with another woman.

What surprised Noel the most was that, despite being the young heir of a powerful guild with influence reaching across the globe, a woman still looked down on him.

Noel's mentor was a Divine Sage, someone even the ruler of Valoria had to bow to with genuine respect.

And in just 15 years, Noel mastered the four arts of medicine, combat, divination, and mysticism. With the Divine Sigil in hand, he rose to become the young heir of the Arcane Guild, descending the mountain as the mentor's proxy.

It wasn't just him. Any apprentice under the Arcane Guild's banner was a force to be reckoned with, someone who could shake the world with just a stomp.

After Yvette stormed out in a huff, Noel smirked playfully and casually picked up the Nokia phone resting on the nightstand.

Within moments, he dialed a number.

"My lord, I was starting to worry when you didn't call!"

"Cut the small talk. What have you found out?"

"I've been digging into the Quinton family's situation, but there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Just spit it out," Noel coldly said.

"The Quinton family seems to be in trouble. Mr. Quinton Sr. fell seriously ill months ago. They've called in top doctors, but nothing has helped. It looks like his time might be running out."

Noel's expression hardened immediately.

"Pick me up in ten minutes. We're going to Quinton Manor."

On the other end of the line, a middle-aged man in a suit replied with deep respect, "As you wish, my lord!"

If anyone else saw this, their jaws would probably drop in shock.

Tyler Lewis, the powerful head of a trillion-dollar conglomerate, was bowing and scraping like a servant before Noel!

-

Half an hour later, a car arrived outside Quinton Manor.

Noel stared at the grand estate, memories flooding back.

When he was seven, he'd been badly injured and fallen into the Longmere River. If Dylan hadn't saved him, he would have died long ago.

By a stroke of fate, Dylan sent Noel to Fangspire Mountain for treatment, where he was fortunate enough to be taken in as an apprentice by his mentor.

Fifteen years had passed since then.

Not only had Noel healed completely, but he had risen to become Arcane Guild's successor.

Now, it was time for him to come down from the mountains and repay his debt.

'It's been 15 years, Mr. Dylan. Hold on. I'm coming to save you!'

With that thought, Noel strode toward Quinton Manor.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"No entry without an invitation. You can't just barge in!"

Two guards blocked his path, holding their batons firmly.

"I'm an apprentice of an old friend, here to see Mr. Quinton Sr. I have proof."

Noel held out an emerald pendant to one of the guards.

"Wait here."

The guard eyed him skeptically, then took the pendant and went inside. After a moment, a tall woman in heels and long hair appeared.

Seeing who had arrived, the guards immediately stood at attention and greeted her respectfully. "Ms. Lulu!"

It was Lulu Quinton, the eldest daughter of the Quinton family.

"So, you're the one who brought my family's token?"

Lulu glanced at Noel's rough, mud-stained clothes and worn shoes, her eyes flickering with disdain.

"Whatever. Come inside."

She showed little interest and turned to walk away.

This was the Quinton family's eldest daughter?

Noel frowned. She wasn't quite what he'd expected.

After a moment, Lulu led him into a richly decorated living room.

"Wait here," Lulu said, then pointed around the room. "Don't touch a thing unless I say so. If anything breaks, you'll never be able to pay for it."

With that, she left Noel standing alone in the lavish living room, clearly planning to walk away.

Noel called after her, "Wait, where's Mr. Dylan Quinton? I heard he's seriously ill. I'm here to treat him."

Lulu spun around, her voice dripping with disbelief. "You? Treat Grandpa?"

She looked him up and down with scorn. "We've got the best miracle doctor in Chansear District, Aaron Spencer. We don't need you meddling."

She scoffed, then added, "Just wait here."

"Best miracle doctor in Chansear District?"

Ignoring Lulu's words, Noel followed along out of curiosity. "In that case, I've got to see this!"

-

Upstairs, the mood was heavy.

Dylan lay in the hospital bed, his white hair spread across the pillow, dozens of acupuncture needles still in place. He remained unconscious.

"Dr. Spencer, how is he?"

Family members gathered around, worry etched on every face. Dylan had been out cold for three days, and his vital signs were growing weaker.

"His vital organs are failing, and there's nothing medicine can do," Aaron said grimly. "I'm sorry… Mr. Quinton Sr.'s illness is beyond my ability."

Aaron sighed regretfully. "I'm afraid you all need to prepare for the worst. There's nothing more I can do for him."

He had already used his most secret technique—the Ninefold Needle. But even that hadn't worked.

Dylan's illness was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Even as the top miracle doctor in Chansear District, he was completely out of options.

"What?"

"Is Mr. Dylan really going to die?"

Hearing this, everyone in the Quinton family turned pale and lost their composure.

Yvette's tears fell like a river, her face drained of hope.

If Dylan died, it would be a crushing blow to the entire family.

"He won't die while I'm here."

Just when everyone was drowning in despair, a figure pushed through the crowd and walked straight to Dylan's bedside.

Yvette's eyes widened in shock when she recognized Noel's face.

'Why is he here?!'

It was just her luck to run into him again.

But how did he get into Quinton Manor?

"Get out! Who let you upstairs?" Lulu shouted, her anger sharp as she rushed to stop him.

She had warned him not to touch anything, and she never expected Noel to be bold enough to break into Dylan's room.

However, Noel didn't hear her. He just stared at the unconscious old man, his eyes welling with tears.

'You saved my life 15 years ago, sir. I swear I won't let you die today. No one's taking you away, not on my watch!'