เข้าสู่ระบบGaius smiled. "Training isn't something you can rush. There's an old saying—haste makes waste."They understood the logic, but Aria and Victor were anxious."Hm? Mr. Norwood?"Still, both of them lit up when their eyes fell on Evan."Captain Stanton, Ms. Drakon," Evan greeted them with a smile. Then, he asked in faint concern, "Are your injuries fully healed?""All thanks to you, Mr. Norwood," Victor said, gratitude evident in his voice.A strange glimmer flickered in Aria's eyes.Not long ago, they had uncovered a few clues about the person who attacked Gaius. They had rushed in to pursue the lead without a proper plan and paid a heavy price.Everyone had been injured to varying degrees. Aria had even been disfigured. It was Evan who stepped in and healed them all."The ones who hurt you… They were from the Black Sun, too, right?""Yeah. And we're waiting for them to come back," Victor said, a cold edge flashing in his eyes. "Next time, we'll show them what we're made of."
"Do you have any other way to bring Zeke back to normal?"Hazel pressed the question, as if she had already seen through Roxanne and Anya's unease and hesitation.Neither of them answered.A suffocating silence settled over the villa. The only sound was the steady tick of the clock on the wall, each second stretching the tension tighter.By now, they were certain that Zeke's drastic change wasn't random. It was their fault.They had failed him again and again, disappointing him time after time. And worse, Zeke was dying.Something inside a person would twist and snap when they sensed their end approaching. Some gave up completely. Others changed beyond recognition. There were always signs.They couldn't bear to watch the once-perfect Zeke become like this. And they couldn't ignore their own mistakes.That was why they had thought of a desperate plan—letting Evan "die."In truth, they should've done this long ago. They should've done it long before Cain even came to Silverton.
From that day on, the way Zeke treated the three of them changed completely. It was as if he had become a different person.He lashed out at them with insults at the slightest inconvenience. Sometimes, he even raised his fists at them.Hazel and the others were stunned.They couldn't reconcile the shouting and saliva-spitting man with a twisted scowl to the gentle, attentive Zeke who used to care for them so tenderly. They couldn't believe that the man who had once filled their entire hearts was the same one screaming at them.Anya was the first to snap. She shouted back at him.A smack rang sharp and sudden.Zeke struck her across the face, knocking her straight to the floor.A thin line of blood seeped from her lips. She lay there, completely dazed.Zeke didn't say another word. He just gave them a cold glance and walked back into his room before locking the door behind him."What was that?"The three of them looked at each other.Shock filled their eyes, but there was som
"It worked!"Zeke's whole body shook with excitement when the phone rang. He felt around his back and found his shirt soaked through with sweat.One overseas call was enough to make him act like this.No one knew just how much that call meant. It carried every last shred of Zeke's hope.Since he was an unaffiliated outsider, he had to jump through countless hoops to contact the organization. He had to crack layers of firewalls while dodging Draganland's network surveillance just to get in touch with them.That alone was enough to scare most people off.One wrong move, and Draganland's most advanced tech would trace him in seconds.And even if he somehow made it through and sent a signal, the Black Sun wasn't obligated to respond.They wouldn't grant every request—and they definitely wouldn't waste time on someone of no interest or value to them.Zeke had been gambling. He was betting that he still held value in their eyes. He was betting they would notice his signal and choose
Estelle snapped back immediately. She knew Sylvie far too well."That scheming woman… She's seriously ticking me off…"Furious, Estelle dialed Evan's number without hesitation."Evan, what's going on? Are you really seeing that old hag? 'One home, two people, three meals, four seasons'—seriously?" Even though she was upset, there was a trace of nervousness in her voice when she questioned him, afraid it might actually be true."What are you talking about?" Evan sounded completely confused.Before he could say more, Sylvie cut in. "Evan said he's going to protect me. Am I not allowed to show it off a little?""Oh, that?" He thought they were referring to that matter and smiled. "Yeah, it's going to get a little dangerous in Silverton lately. Estelle, you should be careful, too.""So, that's what it is." Estelle let out a breath, her tone shifting instantly. "I knew it—you were just stirring things up again, you old hag. And now Evan's even telling me to be careful, you—"Estelle
Sylvie didn't even ask what had happened or why she suddenly needed protection—she agreed immediately. Her mind was filled with what Evan said about needing to protect her. As for the "closely" part, she had conveniently filled that part in herself.Sylvie's eyes lit up as she squealed in excitement. 'This is so sudden! Am I dreaming right now?'Evan had no idea that to Sylvie, his words sounded like something far more than just protection—it practically felt like a step forward in their relationship, even a roundabout confession.'This is happening too suddenly. I'm not ready!'Evan's divorce had only meant that she—and plenty of other women—finally had a chance to pursue him. Actually winning his heart was still supposed to be a long battle. She had already prepared herself for that. And yet, the moment he came home today, he said something like this.Looking at Evan standing right in front of her, Sylvie suddenly felt like crying. She had waited so long to hear those words.
They had sent Neil to "save" him, and now, Evan was denying it completely. Worse—he was twisting Zeke's intentions and accusing him to their faces.The three heiresses blew up."Evan, have you no shame? If it weren't for Zeke and us, you'd be dead! Not being grateful? Okay, but how dare you questi
"What? You found him?!" Anya blurted in astonishment."Yes! After I posted the reward notice, someone contacted me and said he was the one who donated blood at the hospital that day!"If Evan had been there, he would've been stunned. He was the actual donor. Hence, anyone else could only be an imp
"Ms. Stanton? Are you referring to Ivana Stanton?"Roxanne didn't know Sylvie, but her mind immediately jumped to Ivana when she heard Artemisia ask about a certain "Ms. Stanton"."It's nothing." Artemisia shut her mouth, but a storm was raging within her.They were still in the divorce cooling-o
Hugo eventually grew tired of the farce. He approached Graham like a predator closing in on wounded prey. Softly, almost mockingly, he patted Graham's cheek. "Where'd all that confidence and magnanimity go, old boy? Though you wanted my apology?"That was the cue. Hugo's men surrounded them. Anya







