LOGINEvelyn Marsh glaubte nicht an Monster. Sie glaubte an Bilanzen, an Quartalsprognosen, an die sichere und geordnete Mathematik eines Lebens, das auf Distanz basierte. Sie war die Art von Frau, die ihr Herz hinter Glas verbarg und ihre Ambitionen scharf polierte. Dann betrat Carter Voss ihre Welt, und jede Regel, die sie sich je auferlegt hatte, geriet in Brand und brannte bis auf die Grundmauern nieder. Carter Voss ist kein guter Mensch. Das hat er nie behauptet. Ihm gehört die halbe Unterwelt der Stadt, er erzwingt Loyalität durch Angst und vergräbt seine Sünden so tief, dass sie Teil seines Fundaments geworden sind. Er verliebt sich nicht in Frauen. Er erwirbt sie. Nutzt sie aus. Wirft sie weg, bevor sie ihm etwas Wichtiges kosten können. Aber Evelyn ist anders, und Carter weiß es in dem Moment, als er sie sieht. Sie hat keine Angst vor ihm, und allein das genügt, um sie zur gefährlichsten Person in jedem Raum zu machen, den er je betreten hat. Er redet sich ein, sie sei eine Strategie. Ein Mittel zum Zweck. Eine schöne Ablenkung, um seine Feinde aus dem Gleichgewicht zu bringen. Er belügt sich selbst, und tief in seinem teuren Schweigen weiß er es. Als Evelyn die Wahrheit über Carters Imperium aufdeckt und erkennt, dass ihre eigene Vergangenheit mit dem dunklen Gefüge all dessen verwoben ist, was er geschaffen hat, verschwimmt die Grenze zwischen Liebe und Verderben. Denn in Carter Voss’ Welt ist nur eines gefährlicher, als seine Feindin zu sein: die Frau zu sein, die er unaufhörlich begehrt. Und Evelyn Marsh wird bald am eigenen Leib erfahren, was es kostet, von einem Mann wie ihm geliebt zu werden.
View More"Everyone wants to live forever. But if he really can't die, he will live to see everyone close to him dies one after another. In the end, he will have no one to care for and there will only be him and loneliness..."
On the edge of a camellia-grown cliff stood a 16-year-old youth in white. The cold wind from down the cliff was touching his face and making noises on his clothes. The lonesome silhouette did not fit in this world at all.
It was beautiful dusk with wind and evening glow. And it was a shame that a human could not fly on a sword and see the most beautiful scene of this world like an Immortal. The youth took two more steps ahead as some broken stones were brought rolling by his feet and fell to the endless abyss without resounding.
He gave a sigh and took back the hesitating final step. It's not that he had not jumped from here, he just survived from that suicide. Although his internal organs were all broken after that jump, he was fully recovered for no reason in seven days. He failed to die.
"Chen'er..."
At this moment, a middle-aged man's voice rose from behind. The youth turned around and realized that there had been a man standing in the pavilion in front of him.
The middle-aged man's sideburns were grey, and he looked drained. It seemed that he was exhausted both physically and mentally. The youth slowly walked to him and asked gently, "Father, have you implored them again...?"
The middle-aged man sighed and said with a bitter voice, "Chen'er, I'm sorry. I'm too weak to protect you..." He could not help giving another sigh before he could finish his words.
The youth turned pale and said with a smile, "It's fine. Don't worry..."
They said no more. The setting sun stretched their silhouettes longer and longer as if there was no end.
The youth was Xiao Chen, the fourth young master of the Xiao Family in Cloud City. However, there was another piece of memory in him which belonged to thousands of years ago.
At that time, there was rich Spiritual Qi in that world, and everybody could cultivate True Energy and fly on a sword. He was a disciple of the Mystic Cyan Sect, which was recognized as the best sect in the Immortal's Practice, and also the one and only disciple of Ling Yin, the Immortal Miaoyin. His talent had been peerless since he was a child. When many cultivators were trying to figure out the Core Forming Realm, he had already reached the Realm which they could never reach in a lifetime.
With his talent, he should have reached the Great Completion Realm and then survive the Ordeal to become an Immortal, ignore his destiny, and become an Immortal King of a region.
However, a sudden incident ruined everything. He was framed. People contended that he colluded with the Devils and killed fellow brothers. He was convicted and his Nascent Soul was destroyed as a result.
During that frame-up, only one person dared to believe and protect him against the public opinion. It was his master, Ling Yin. On the day of his execution, Ling Yin, with unmatched power and skill, managed to cheat those supreme deities and secretly sealed his Soul into the Samsara Jade which was the greatest magic treasure in Archean times.
When he woke up again, he found himself in swaddling clothes, crying. When he came to realize that thousands of years had passed, he looked through every available historical record and ancient document. It turned out that he could not find any trace of his last era. Everything had changed.
Not even a single word was related to that era, as if it completely disappeared at a certain point. Those Immortal Kings and Devil Kings who claimed to be undestroyable, along with the earthshaking wars between them, had all become myths and legends among storytellers.
Having gone through a Samsara, his Fortune was halved. Everyone had his Fortune. One with good Fortune might be born in an imperial family, while he who had a poor Fortune might turn out to be a beggar in the streets.
Therefore, nobody could imagine that as a peerless talent in his previous life, he didn't even have a Spiritual Meridian in this life. This meant that he could not even generate a martial artist's Internal Strength, not to mention absorbing Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth. He was worse than common people.
"Chen'er, what's your plan?" Xiao Yifan finally broke the silence with a low voice.
"I..." Xiao Chen was awakened from endless memories, but he did not know what to say.
Xiao Family had been an Ancient Clan of Martial Arts for thousands of years. Every family member was able to practice martial arts. If a member failed to reach Onefold before 16 years old, he had to be banished out of the family. It was a Clan Rule that could not be changed.
All these years, Xiao Chen lived like a walking joke. Although he was a young master of the Xiao Family, some cleaners could look down on him in his face.
Xiao Yifan sighed and said, "Those old men are your grandpa's cousins. They are the ones to make decisions in this family. I can only beg your grandpa to not send you to some barbaric places out of the Nine Provinces."
Xiao Chen turned around and didn't say anything but looked at the opposite cliff. Clear spring water rushed down to the valley from both cliffs as water smoke rose in between. The sunlight shone on the mist, reflecting rows of brilliant rainbows.
Therefore, this place was named as Rainbow Bridge. It's said that Immortals lived on rainbows. But how could a common people ascend to a rainbow before they became an Immortal and be able to fly?
Even in the era of his previous life, it was hard for an ordinary human to become an Immortal. Not only did it take abundant Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth but also an excellent talent. However, he lost both in this life.
"Everyone in the world wants to be an Immortal, but few of them can make it. It's just like this Rainbow Bridge. I can only stand and watch..." Xiao Chen sighed, ready to turn around and leave.
At the very instant he took a step, an earthshattering thunder rose from behind and shook the Rainbow Pavilion. Both of them were startled. It was in the early spring in March, and thunders in this period of time couldn't be so loud.
Xiao Chen turned around and saw a dazzling radiance rising in the west. The white radiance stretched 30,000 meters high as it almost blocked the setting sun.
Then, a cyan light glowed in the skyline and the clouds were rolling. Xiao Yifan murmured, "What's happening? Why is the weather so strange?"
They saw golden light glowing in the skyline as bolts of lightning and thunders raged. Two beams of light respectively in cyan and white flit through the changing clouds. They split up and collided from time to time, and each time they met, they seemed to be able to split heaven and earth.
Xiao Chen was shocked deeply. This was not some strange weather. If he was right, there were two Cultivators fighting in the sky!
But how could this be? He could not feel the Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth. If the Spiritual Qi was gone in this world, how could they cultivate to a Realm that could enable them to fly?! Was the Spiritual Qi still here?
The two beams of light were moving toward Xiao Family's place where numerous mountains stood. The brilliant radiance and roaring thunders shook the entire mountain and countless Xiao Family disciples who were practicing martial arts in the mountain.
Xiao Chen was finally awakened. In his previous life, he had experienced countless fights between Immortals and Devils. Nobody else here was more aware of the horrible power in a fight between cultivators. Everything could be crushed under the shockwave of magic spells. Even a Tenfold martial artist would be instantly destroyed into nothingness under the shockwave.
"Father! Get out of here!"
However, it was too late. A row of residual shockwave dashed toward them as Xiao Chen threw himself on his father. He then heard a huge rumble from behind, and the cliff was shattered into dust; the camellias were turned into ashes.
Even Xiao Chen was 20 meters away from the explosion, his blood was running fast and his heart was beating violently as he heard drones and saw stars. The disciples hurried here and witnessed the fight. They saw two beams of light colliding again and again with destructive, imposing aura.
Some disciples were scared and paled. They trembled and fell onto the ground. They had been practicing martial arts all their lives and had never seen such a strange scene.
Some clever youths seemed to realize something. At this point, they forgot that they used to mock at Xiao Chen and looked at him, saying, "Hey! Undead Chen! Is this the Immortals fight that you used to say?"
The two beams of light were getting closer to them. With a huge rumble, the peak of a mountain was sliced off smoothly, and then, masses of broken stones were sent flying to the Rainbow Pavilion.
A dozen elders rushed here and immediately exerted their Internal Strength to block the stones while yelling, "Get out of here!"
Most disciples ran for their lives, except for some daring ones. However, some unlucky disciples were hit by the stones. They spat blood and were sent flying far away.
At this point, two figures appeared in the sky. They stood opposite on their swords as the sea of clouds kept rolling under. One person had white hair and beards, wearing a cyan robe and holding a Duster. He looked like an Immortal Elder came down from heaven.
The other wore a white dress dancing with the wind and held a white Immortal's Sword. She stood high in the sky with her eyes as sharp as lightning, and looked like the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens.
The Xiao Family disciples were stunned. Gosh, someone in this world actually cultivated to become an Immortal! The Immortals did exist! To them, only an Immortal was able to fly on a sword and casually broke a mountain.
Although many people had heard stories about the Immortals from storytellers, they looked at the two Immortals with admiring eyes. They had been practicing martial arts all their lives. Even if they attained to perfection, could they fly on a sword? Could they block a single Sword Qi from an Immortal?
Some people were still running to the Rainbow Pavilion to see what was going on. Xiao Chen shouted at them, "Stand back! Keep away from here!"
Xiao Yifan was already stunned, mumbling, "Chen'er, what's going on?" At this moment, he forgot his identity and remembered that Xiao Chen had always talked something about becoming an Immortal.
All of a sudden, things in the sky changed again. The two people engaged again and released dazzling golden light. The violent Sword Qi directly cut off the top of four or five mountains; grass and woods were instantly ravaged into ashes.
Due to the short distance, many disciples were instantly blown away by the strong wind from the fight. Everybody now felt doomed. If the two people had gotten closer to the Xiao Family, this Ancient Clan of Martial Arts with thousands of years of history would have been destroyed in the blink of an eye.
A red-robed elder looked frightened and couraged himself to shout at the sky, "Distinguished Immortals, please pity and spare us humans, don't fight here..." Before he could finish his words, a row of residual Sword Qi directly sent him off.
In the eyes of the Immortals, humans were just like small insects. The two Immortals in the sky could not hear his words at all.
Xiao Yifan finally came to his senses. He pulled Xiao Chen to leave this dangerous place. However, Xiao Chen got rid of him.
"Father, you go ahead."
Xiao Chen turned around and looked at the sky with keen light in his eyes. As a flying sword controlled the energy of heaven and earth, all these were the Immortals' magic spells he used to be familiar with.
He shouldn't pick himself up. He had to ask them what happened to him! Why could they generate the True Energy and cultivate to the Realm that enabled them to fly, yet he, knowing the most genuine cultivate method and could not feel the Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth!
In the eyes of those humans, the two people in the sky might be the Immortals. But he was clear that the two people were just at Core Forming Realm, not even the Nascent Soul Realm.
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and rushed to the mountaintop.
Xiao Yifan turned pale in fright and shouted, "Chen'er, come back!" He moved his feet and played the lightness skill, trying to catch Xiao Chen. However, an unexpected row of Sword Qi shockwave fiercely blocked him back.
Xiao Chen turned around and said, "Father, go home! I must go there!"
"Don't! You'll die!" Xiao Yifan clearly knew that his son wanted to become an Immortal. But how could they mortals do this?
Xiao Chen smiled and said, "No, I won't die." Then, he sped up and rushed to the mountaintop.
He didn't know whether he would die or survive. He just knew that there would not be another chance if he missed this one. He didn't want to be expelled from the family or let his father live in the shadow of the others.
The thing he hated most was to live a mediocre life!
CHAPTER ELEVENDie Frau, die nie die war, die sie vorgab zu seinSeline Cross hatte ein Gesicht, dem die Leute glaubten. Das war, wie Evelyn jetzt verstand, der Zweck. Es war kein konventionell schönes Gesicht, doch auffällig: kantig und präzise, mit dunklen Augen, die die besondere Qualität einer Person trugen, die Schwieriges überlebt und nicht zerbrochen, sondern geschärft daraus hervorgegangen war. Evelyn hatte dieses Gesicht über einem Cafétisch gelesen und dem vertraut, was sie darin sah, und sie lag selten falsch bei Gesichtern, weshalb das Ausmaß, sich an diesem Gesicht geirrt zu haben, etwas war, das sie noch verarbeiten musste.Sie saß in ihrem Auto vor dem Haus und ging nicht hinein. Carter war oben. Sie hatte ihn gebeten zu bleiben, und er war der Typ Mann, der blieb, wenn er sagte, dass er es täte, und sie brauchte sechzig Sekunden allein mit der Information, bevor sie wieder in seinen Orbit zurückkehrte und sowohl die Information als auch die Art, wie er sie ansehen würd
CHAPTER TENWas es kostet, etwas Wahres zu bauenSie hatte eine Chance auf die Aldermoor-Akte.Nicht heute Nacht. Nicht in diesem Treffen, mit Dace im Außenbüro und Michael am Schreibtisch und allem, das noch in Bewegung war. Heute Abend ging es um Mabel und darum, den Same der Verhandlung zu pflanzen, der ihr Zugang verschaffen würde. Die Akte würde später kommen, wenn Michaels Wachsamkeit niedriger war, wenn er glaubte, sie säße wirklich in seiner Tasche, wenn die Darstellung, die sie spielte, das Vertrauen erzeugt hatte, das sie brauchte.Das wusste sie.Sie wusste auch, dass jeder zusätzliche Tag innerhalb von Michaels Perimeter ein Tag war, an dem sein Misstrauen sich verfestigen konnte, ein Tag, an dem der Mann aus dem grauen Sedan ihm etwas bringen konnte, das sie übersehen hatte, ein Tag, an dem sich die Operation auf unvorhersehbare Weise verschieben konnte.Also zwang sie sich, auf die Aktenkiste auf dem Sideboard zu schauen und dann wegzusehen, und zwang sich, mit Michael ü
CHAPTER NINEDie Dinge, die wir bauen, und die Dinge, die sie zerstörenSie war seit elf Tagen in Michaels Welt und hatte siebzehn Dokumente, die sie vorher nicht gehabt hatte.Die Arbeit war mühsam und erforderte eine spezielle doppelte Aufmerksamkeit, die sie zuvor nicht ausgeübt hatte: die Aufmerksamkeit, die ihr erlaubte, die ihr gestellte Aufgabe kompetent genug zu erledigen, um Glaubwürdigkeit zu bewahren, und gleichzeitig den Zugang zu nutzen, den die Aufgabe bot, um das Dossier aufzubauen, das die Person, die ihr die Aufgabe gab, letztlich zerstören würde. Es war, hatte sie entschieden, die anspruchsvollste berufliche Herausforderung ihrer Laufbahn, und sie empfand sie in der Weise als klärend, wie echte Schwierigkeit klärt.Michael hatte ihr Zugang zu den internen Finanzunterlagen der Foundation gewährt unter dem Vorwand, sie helfe ihm, die Unregelmäßigkeiten für eine stille interne Korrektur zu dokumentieren. Der Zugang war echt. Was sie damit fand, war weit mehr, als er bea
CHAPTER EIGHTDie Kunst, geglaubt zu werdenGlaubwürdig übergelaufen zu erscheinen erforderte die Darstellung einer ganz bestimmten Art von Niederlage.Evelyn war in der Darstellung sehr geübt, wenn sie sich darauf einließ, was sie nur selten tat, weil sie Performance in den meisten Zusammenhängen grundsätzlich für ineffizient hielt. Dieser Kontext war anders. In diesem Kontext war Performance der Mechanismus, durch den die Wahrheit am Ende geliefert werden würde; damit war sie keine Lüge, sondern eine Strategie, und mit Strategie war sie so vertraut wie mit kaum etwas anderem.Der erste Schritt war der Rückzug. Sie schickte der Foundation eine formelle Mitteilung, in der sie einen Interessenkonflikt anführte, der während des Audits festgestellt worden sei, und die Übertragung des Mandats an einen anderen Analysten der Firma beantragte. Das war faktisch wahr: Sie hatte einen Interessenkonflikt, nämlich die Aldermoor-Verbindung, und der Konflikt war erheblich genug, um den Rückzug beru





