Other hotel guests, disturbed by the commotion, opened their doors and told Damon to lower his voice. However, when he shot them a cold glance, they quickly slammed their doors shut and fell silent.
After a while, Hazel finally ran over and opened the door. She had been exhausted from her flight and had fallen asleep almost immediately after freshening up at the hotel. In her sleep, she vaguely heard someone knocking at the door but couldn’t wake up until she heard Damon’s voice. That’s when she realized it wasn’t just a dream; someone was indeed knocking. When she looked through the peephole and saw that it was Damon, her shock was immediate. She quickly opened the door. The moment the door swung open, Damon stormed in and yelled, “Xander, you jerk! Taking advantage of someone when they're vulnerable—you're not a real man!” He yelled for a long while, scouring every corner of the hotel room, but didn’t find any trace of the other person. His anger gradJust as Damon and Kin breathed a sigh of relief, the next moment, the door to the room opened, and Hazel’s sharp eyes darted between them.“What are you two doing out there? Come in,” she said coolly.With that, she swung the door open wider and walked into the room without a second glance.Damon and Kin exchanged glances and reluctantly followed her in, with Kin almost glued to Damon’s back, as if Hazel were some sort of terrifying figure.Once inside, Hazel went back to her earlier seat. Damon lowered his head and stood in front of her, while Kin stood close behind, trying not to draw attention to himself.“So you say you’re here to protect me, but why is Kin here too? Does your company not have anything else to do? You two are the pillars of the business, and you’re both out here?” Hazel’s voice was laced with frustration.She had initially assumed Damon had come because he was worried about her, especially after hearing she was traveling
If it weren’t for the decent salary, Kin probably would’ve quit by now. Hazel glanced at Damon, who was still eating with great enthusiasm, and silently rolled her eyes. She was certain she couldn’t keep working with such a boss. "We haven't had a chance to eat, and the next meal doesn't seem like it will be anytime soon," Kin said, his voice full of grievance. Hazel felt a twinge of sympathy, but then she remembered that Kin was siding with Damon. It wasn’t her fault if he couldn’t manage his own assistant, so that sympathy quickly faded. After finishing breakfast, Hazel left with Xander. Damon and Kin, to her surprise, followed them out. She thought after all the morning's commotion, they would finally take care of their own matters, but as they waited for their cars, Damon lingered behind, not leaving. Thankfully, their car arrived quickly, and without saying a word to Damon, Hazel got in and left. Damon didn’t follow this time. Instead,
Damon glanced behind him at Xander, noticing that Hazel hadn’t come up yet. It was just the two of them on the upper floor. “I know you like Hazel, but after being together with her for so long, if she liked you, you’d definitely feel it. The only reason you’re not together now is that Hazel doesn’t like you.” Damon had previously discussed Xander and Hazel’s relationship in detail with Kin and Chrissy. If they hadn’t been together before because of Xander’s hesitation, then after Hazel’s divorce from him, and with no progress between them, the only possible reason was that Hazel didn’t like Xander. However, Damon also knew that just because Hazel didn’t like him now, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t develop feelings for him after spending time together. “If it’s really like what Mr. Price says, then why bother coming here? Wouldn’t that just be a waste of your effort?” Xander was always calm, even in front of Damon, showing no signs of excitement or
This restaurant not only required a reservation, but they were strict about the timing—if you were more than twenty minutes late, they would give your table to the next customer.Reluctantly, Hazel nodded. “Since you haven’t eaten yet, come along. After all, we’re all friends.”Damon shot a resentful glare at Xander before eagerly settling into his seat.If he weren’t worried about making Hazel upset, he would’ve yanked Xander out of the seat and sat next to Hazel himself.When they arrived, Damon immediately noticed it was a place frequently visited by couples.The restaurant had a romantic and somewhat ambiguous atmosphere, with most customers pairing off in couples—both men with men and women with women, though these were rare. Groups of three or four were even more unusual; most people came in pairs.“This can’t be a couple’s restaurant, right? I don’t see anyone else dining in groups of three. It’s just us.”Damon walked in front
Damon sat beside Hazel, his apologetic voice soft enough to make even himself feel uncomfortable. Hazel didn’t respond, and soon the atmosphere at the table became harmonious again, with no one speaking or making any inappropriate moves.After finishing the meal, Hazel said she needed to use the restroom, leaving only Damon and Xander at the table.This time, neither of them spoke. They both focused on their phones, and about ten minutes later, when Hazel still hadn’t returned, Damon started to sense that something was wrong."What’s going on? Hazel wouldn’t be feeling unwell, would she? You stay here, I’ll ask a waiter to check on her in the restroom."Xander, also sensing something was off, couldn’t stay seated. He stood up and followed a female waiter to the restroom area.They waited by the door while the waiter went inside to check if Hazel needed anything.To their surprise, the waiter came out alone after a quick check. "Sorry, gentle
"I think the same way. You should come too, and bring Xander Knox along with you. Don’t worry, I’m inviting you as guests because I want to learn something from you. As long as you cooperate, Hazel will be fine." "By the way, you should know the location, right? After all, you just left the estate. I’ll have someone meet you at the place you were earlier." Without waiting for Damon to respond, the person on the other end hung up. Damon held the phone for a long time without putting it down. He and Xander were close enough for Xander to hear the voice from the phone. In other words, every move they made was being monitored by this person. They were both CEOs—one of HX, the other of Price Corp—who were already regarded as elites in the eyes of ordinary people, but in this person’s eyes, they were no more significant than ants. "Well then, let’s head over. There’s really no better option right now, is there?" Xander said resignedly. Given the situati
Hazel carefully examined the dishes on the table, and her face immediately darkened. These were not her favorite foods, but her mother Novaria's favorites, which meant that the man in front of her must have had a close relationship with her mother.Given that he knew her mother's favorite dishes so well, their relationship couldn’t just be described as ‘good’ anymore.They were either the closest of kin or each other’s greatest and most formidable enemies.Only these two kinds of people could know each other so thoroughly.From the way the man had acted toward her, Hazel guessed that his relationship with her mother was likely the former."What is your relationship with my parents? These dishes are all my mother's favorites, and you’re so familiar with her," Hazel asked, her voice cold, as if laced with poison. The thought that this man might be connected to her parents' accident made her heart feel as though it were being pricked by a thousand nee
Hazel hadn't replied yet when Damon's message popped up first:[At a time like this, who cares about the voting meeting? You can’t even guarantee your safety, and you're still worried about work? Unbelievable.]Hazel smirked. Damon wasn’t even trying to hide his disdain for Xander.[I’ll talk to him about it first thing in the morning,] she replied. [Might as well use the opportunity to test how he feels about us leaving.][Fine. If we can leave, we’ll go; if not, I’ll just hold the meeting online.] Xander responded, clearly more focused on practicality.Damon frowned, his brows practically tied in a knot. He couldn’t fathom how these two could still discuss work while their lives were hanging by a thread.[Alright, enough. Go to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow,] he said, breaki
For some reason, Hazel couldn’t shake the feeling that Harold wouldn’t harm her. Despite their two previous encounters, where she had ended up tied up both times, there was something almost magnetic about him.It was as if there were a kind of magic surrounding him—magic that made her feel safe.At least so far, every time she had met Harold, she had always returned unharmed.This car accident was the only exception, but the people behind it didn’t seem to want her dead. If they did, she definitely wouldn’t have woken up so quickly."No matter what you decide to do, make sure to think it through carefully. Let Damon investigate first," Mark advised.Hazel nodded and gave a small laugh. "Thinking back, it's actually quite amusing. The once mighty Damon now seems more like my assistant."Her words made Mark laugh as well. "Assistant’ is a rather flattering term. It’s more like he’s become a servant."Th
Hazel's injuries from the car accident weren’t light. If an ordinary person had been in her place, they’d probably need ten to fifteen days of rest. But Hazel had the Shadow Vial X in her system, so she had recovered to a great extent in just one week."Didn’t expect the Shadow Vial X to be this powerful. No wonder so many people are trying to get their hands on it," Damon couldn’t help but comment, despite his vast experience.Achieving immortality seems impossible with the current state of science, but things like the Shadow Vial X, which can enhance the body's functions and push human limits, are precisely what draw so many to covet it."Though you're better now, it's best you don’t go out just yet," Elias calmly pointed out, and everyone agreed.No matter who caused the accident, it was most likely aimed at the Shadow Vial X. If news got out that Hazel was recovering so quickly, it would only make people even more f
HX’s headquarters was in D country, so it was perfectly normal for Xander to return there for work.However, Harold’s people must know that Xander was involved in this matter. It wouldn’t be easy to keep it from him entirely."We still need to be cautious. Harold is not as simple as we think," Damon said, his worry clear, though he didn’t have a better solution.Sully had been silent, her head lowered. She knew everything about the incident between Hazel and Harold from the very beginning.She always felt that Harold didn’t seem to have bad intentions toward Hazel. If he truly wanted to know if the Shadow Vial X was on Hazel, he wouldn’t have used such a reckless approach. After all, if something went wrong, Hazel could really lose her life.Harold only had Hazel as a lead; he wouldn’t so easily abandon this clue."Have you considered that what happened to Hazel this time might not have been done by Harold?" Sully suddenly spoke up.
"I’ll find a way to bring her back to the Price residence. My Grandpa’s health isn’t good, so we have most of the medical equipment at home. If Hazel just has external injuries, treating her should be no problem."Even though this hospital was invested in by the Price Corp, Damon no longer dared to let Hazel stay here for treatment.After all, there were so many people in the hospital, and he couldn’t be sure whether they were all from the Prices."I understand. If you need anything, just call me directly. You can keep Sully close to you. She’s a girl, and she has a good relationship with Hazel. Plus, she’s quite capable," Xander said."It’s better for her to take care of Hazel while we handle the situation."Damon nodded, not planning to have Sully leave with Xander. As for Omar, there were no secrets about him, and he was a good fit to stay in the hospital for treatment.Fortunately, there were doctors loyal to the Price family in this hos
Damon didn’t believe this was a simple accident; it had to be related to Harold. Originally, he had planned to investigate the matter involving his granduncle later, but now, the urgency of finding answers had increased.Damon sat in the ambulance with Hazel, heading to the hospital while Kin stayed behind to handle things at the scene.Once everyone was rescued, the police took their statements, and the area was quickly cleared. The bloodstains were washed away with water, and aside from a few spots that hadn’t dried, the horrific scene seemed as though it had never happened.Before the results of Hazel and Omar’s surgeries were available, Damon couldn’t bring himself to inform the old master.Ever since the events with Agatha and Jamal, the old master’s health had been deteriorating. The doctors had insisted he needed to rest.The old master had already worried himself sick over the situation with Hazel’s paren
“You have one too? Where did you get it?” Mark was utterly stunned. For a moment, he thought Hazel might have some connection to his estranged brother.“There’s a secret room in my parents’ study,” Hazel explained. “When I went in once, I found it there. I was worried it might be tied to something dangerous, so I didn’t dare mention it.”As she spoke, Hazel felt a pang of guilt. These people cared so deeply about her family matters, sharing everything they knew, yet she had withheld this crucial piece of information.“I’m sorry,” she said earnestly. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I was just afraid that knowing about this might put people in danger.”Her parents’ tragic fate still weighed heavily on her, making her cautious about involving anyone else. These people were family to her now, and she couldn’t bear the thought of putting them at risk.“This is your family matter,” Mark said gently. “It’s perfectly normal if there are things you don’
Damon, who read quickly, skimmed through the entire file before passing the laptop to his grandfather."So, it turns out everything Harold told me last time was true. I thought he might have planted some false information to mislead me into passing it along to you.""What exactly is Harold's objective? If he wanted to take the Shadow Vial X from you, he should have worked to gain your trust. Why would he reveal the entire truth to you through me?"Now that the truth was out, it was impossible to hide that Harold had a hand in harming Hazel's parents.If Harold thought he could convince Hazel to hand over the artifact now, he was clearly deluding himself."I don't understand it either," Hazel admitted. "Maybe he has a plan that we just don’t know about yet. That puts us at a disadvantage."The thought unsettled her. This constant feeling of being in the dark while the enemy operated from the shadows left her deeply uneasy.Esp
“Don’t worry, Hazel. What trouble could your grandpa possibly be in? The only downside is that the information network I relied on is completely burned. Years of hard work, gone! But finding something this significant makes it all worthwhile.”Seeing the proud smile on Omar’s face, Hazel finally felt reassured enough to focus on the materials.The information was incredibly thorough, laying bare everything about Harold, including his entanglements with Novaria and Jacob.As it turned out, Novaria was indeed Harold’s adopted daughter and a key researcher in his laboratory.Later, Novaria fell in love with Jacob, who joined her in the lab. Together, they became the central figures driving the lab’s most critical research.A significant portion of the lab’s breakthroughs were attributed to their work, leading Harold to pin all his hopes on them.The dossier also mentioned the elusive Shadow Vial X, confirming that Harold’s claims were
Hazel had carefully laid out every path, waiting for Adam to take just one step forward and fall into place.There was no time to waste. In two months, the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress would be held. If Hazel could deliver a heavy blow to Bailey at that event, she’d laugh herself to sleep every night.After parting ways with Amber, Hazel wasted no time contacting Adam to meet.The two families had already crossed paths professionally, so there was no need for secrecy. Hazel simply chose a café for the meeting.When Adam received Hazel's call, he was a bit surprised. Hearing that she wanted to meet for coffee left him even more astonished.The surprise quickly turned into apprehension. After all, Hazel asking him out for coffee didn’t seem like it could lead to anything good.When he cautiously arrived at the café's location, he relaxed slightly upon seeing Hazel sitting by a window in the main hall. There were other patrons nearby,