LOGINAs Jamie had said, the end of the secret passage opened into another warehouse.At this moment, the warehouse was so quiet that Wendy could almost hear her own heartbeat.Then, a low, hoarse voice suddenly broke the silence."Why didn't you just leave me there alone? You wanted to remove the obstacle for Sharon, didn't you?"Wendy froze, a flicker of surprise lighting up her eyes."Lesley, you're awake?!"She quickly set him down and said, "Hold on a little longer. I'll stop the bleeding first."She stripped off her jacket, pulled out the knife she always carried for self-defense, and began tearing the fabric into strips.Lesley watched her movements, his tone flat. "Don't waste your energy. Since he showed up, he's not going to let us leave this place easily."As if on cue, another series of explosions rang out from somewhere nearby—so powerful that the entire room shook violently.Wendy's heart sank.She didn't know Harley well and had no idea what he was capable of. But j
Harley had stayed so deeply under the radar that even Jamie and Lesley had never detected him, let alone anyone outside the family.Jamie continued, "The fact that Harley dared to use his trump card means he must have a foolproof plan in place. He's inherited our father's ruthlessness to the letter—we can't underestimate him. Only by treating him with that kind of caution can we buy ourselves even a sliver of a chance."The Walton family produced one ruthless heir after another. Harley was no less than Jamie in that regard—if anything, he was worse. Having grown up under their father's wing, he'd absorbed every dirty trick and underhanded tactic the old man had to teach.Trapped here now, there was no guarantee any of them would make it out alive. Calling Sharon and Thomas for backup carried an enormous risk.Ryder glanced at Wendy, who looked dazed and unsteady. "But if something really happens to Wendy, Miss McKinzie will blame you for it…"Jamie said, "As long as Sharon is safe
Ryder and Wendy helped support Lesley as they made their way toward the secret passage.Wendy asked in a low voice, "Why did you save me?"Lesley's tone was flat. "No reason."Wendy opened her mouth, wanting to say thank you, but the words got stuck in her throat.They quickly reached the entrance to the passage that Jamie had mentioned. Jamie turned a switch on the wall, and with a low rumble, the wall slowly slid open.Jamie stepped in first and turned back to look at them. "Hurry—get inside."The moment the words left his mouth, a massive explosion ripped through the warehouse behind them.The terrifying shockwave spread outward—a violent blast of heat and force surging toward them.In the split second before the impact, Lesley shielded Wendy with his body—but the shock was still so intense that she lost consciousness almost instantly.Wendy was jolted awake by someone shaking her.Opening her eyes, she saw Jamie's grim face above her. A trickle of blood ran from the corne
Harley continued, "This time, have you still not learned your lesson? You two brothers are so love-struck it's almost laughable. In the end, you're both going to fall because of women—choosing a woman over the kingdom. Why not just hand the kingdom over to me? I can promise you this—I'll never give up everything I've fought so hard to build for the sake of a woman."Jamie's eyes turned cold, his handsome face darkening instantly.Their father had kept yet another ace up his sleeve. The old fox was indeed a veteran—twenty years as head of the Walton family, after all.But to think he'd even sabotage his own sons—raising them like venomous insects, watching them tear each other apart. Even a beast wouldn't devour its own young, and yet their father had been cruel enough to go this far.Jamie had long since cast aside any filial affection for his father. He was surprised, yes—but his heart remained unmoved.If Harley was bold enough to show himself now, it meant he'd already neutrali
In the end, it was Jamie who uncovered the truth by sheer accident. And it was precisely that revelation that allowed him, with no power or influence to his name, to turn the tables and seize control of the family—by first securing their father's shares before moving against Lesley.Of course, Lesley was no easy opponent. Born into privilege, he'd received elite training from childhood. Sharp-witted and formidable in his dealings, he was every bit as capable as any family head. But standing so high, one tends to miss the dirt at one's feet. Jamie, by contrast, had grown up at the bottom, exposed to every kind of dirty trick and underhanded move imaginable—a world Lesley had never had to navigate.The reason Lesley had lost this round wasn't a lack of intelligence—it was because he'd been betrayed by someone he trusted most. And his methods had never been as ruthless or underhanded as Jamie's.Harley's expression twisted with malice. "It seems Dad was right to tell me to bide my ti
"As you just said—once you sign this agreement, we'll let you live."Lesley smiled faintly. "Let me live? Aren't you afraid I'll regroup and make a comeback?"Wendy said, "You'll have lost your shares, and you've taken a major hit this time. If you want to rise again, it'll probably take another ten or twenty years. By then, who knows who'll even be sitting at the head of the Walton family? If you've got the ability to fight for it, go ahead—that'll have nothing to do with us anymore. If we killed you, the remaining forces from your mother's side might choose to go down fighting with us. Unless we're left with no other choice, we'd rather not have blood on our hands."Lesley was the rightful heir of the Walton family, and his mother's side was a powerful match—equal in status and influence. A life like his couldn't just be snuffed out without consequences. Even Jamie, back then, hadn't chosen to kill him. After all, once Lesley handed over his shares, killing him would only invite a
If Jamie hadn't been forced to leave, Sharon might have suffered even more. Perhaps her other hand would have been completely ruined as well.Wendy's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Thomas."Thomas, how did you know something happened to Sharon?"Thomas had arrived last and from a dist
A fleeting shadow crossed Thomas's eyes, a glint of cold light gone as quickly as it appeared.He, too, would never let this go.Sharon hadn't even blamed Julliard, so how could she ever blame Thomas? After all, she was the one who had granted his leave of absence.Neither Julliard nor Thomas dese
Thomas spoke from the side. "Jamie even had the audacity to demand an apology from Sharon."Wendy let out a cold snort. "Shameless brute."If she wanted revenge on Jamie, it wasn't enough to target him alone. She needed to strike from within the Walton family itself.Now that she had come to Marc
Everyone present had heard of Jamie's methods, but seeing them firsthand made stomachs turn.Worse still, the victim was one of their own. In that instant, the Kalen family's faces fell into dark, ugly masks.Victoria frowned and averted her eyes from the screen. She could not bring herself to watc







