LOGINThe living room went silent for three whole seconds.Dad suddenly scooped me up and hoisted me over his shoulder. He carried me around the room, laughing and spinning in circles."My daughter is the top scorer! My daughter is the top scorer!" he shouted excitedly.Mom stood there with tears welling up in her eyes, though she still sounded annoyed. "Put her down. What if you drop her?"Without missing a beat, she pulled out her phone and made a call."Hello, help me look up the home addresses of the students who got the second- and third-highest SAT scores in the state this year. I want to send their families some gifts as a little thank-you," Mom instructed smoothly.She paused, then added with a completely serious expression, "Tell them I'm thanking them for not scoring higher than my precious daughter."Dad stared at the results page on his phone and checked it at least twenty times."I can die a happy man now," he declared, bursting with pride. "Our family has produced the t
Sienna suddenly took a step backward, her face twisting with disgust. She bit down hard on her lower lip and darted a quick, dismissive glance at the four scions. Then, she quickly averted her gaze and raised her voice defensively."I never even liked any of them!" she shrieked. "They were the ones who insisted on doing all this for me. I never asked them to hurt anyone!"Zander jerked his head up and stared at Sienna in sheer disbelief. "But you told us you liked each of us. And you never objected to what we did for you," he protested."When did I ever say that?" Sienna cut him off coldly, blinking her eyes innocently.She crossed her arms, feigning complete ignorance. "You guys must have imagined it. I never said anything like that."She paused and added with a frown, "And how could you do something like that to a classmate? That's horrible."She turned to my parents, her voice filled with panic. "Mr. and Mrs. Quinton, whatever they did is on them. I really don't know a t
When my parents saw me wake up, both of them let out a sigh of relief.Dad immediately pulled me into his arms, his hand patting my back as his booming voice nearly rattled my eardrums."I knew my daughter would be fine. She's tough as nails!" Dad declared proudly.Mom rolled her eyes right beside us and coldly called him out, "I wonder who was crying his eyes out at home just now and nearly ruined his own father's birthday celebration."Dad muttered defensively under his breath, "You weren't any better. You nearly passed out the second you heard our daughter was in trouble."I looked up and glanced around.The powerful figures who had been radiating such murderous auras just moments ago were now smiling at me with warm, friendly expressions.I thanked them in a hoarse, shaky voice, "Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry for all the trouble."A chorus of booming voices erupted around me in an instant."Think nothing of it!""Anyone who bullies you is picking a fight with all of us!"
More and more people stepped out of the helicopters in a steady stream.An elderly man slowly descended the steps, leaning on a cane. Four bodyguards followed closely behind him.A middle-aged man stepped out with a cigar between his teeth. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the people across from him, a faint, unreadable smile playing at the corner of his mouth.The underground fight club's owner loosened his tie. An old knife scar stretched from behind his ear down to his collarbone, standing out sharply in the daylight.Their sharp, predatory eyes swept across the scene. Zander and the others instinctively took half a step back. Their expressions kept changing.But what shocked them most was that all those powerful figures gathered around me."My poor Daphne. She's been through so much," an elderly man murmured tenderly."It's all our fault for not looking after her properly. Now everyone thinks they can bully her," another man muttered, his voice filled with guilt.The four
Simon's face twisted in sheer disbelief, his voice cracking as he shrieked, "Mr. Young, are you sure you've got the right person? How could you possibly know Daphne?"By then, Henry had already ordered his men to carry me out of the trunk. He fixed Simon with an icy stare."I met her and her parents recently. Do you think I'd get the wrong person?" Henry replied sharply.The color instantly drained from Simon's face. Staring blankly at my limp, unconscious body, he was at a loss for words.How could Daphne possibly be related to the Young family? How could this be happening?A deep look of regret flashed in Simon's eyes.After confirming that I was not in any critical danger, Henry finally raised his gaze back to Simon."Tell me. Why did you hurt her?" he demanded.Simon's expression shifted uneasily, but he refused to speak.Henry didn't bother asking a second time. He motioned for his men to grab one of Simon's subordinates and pressed a gun against his temple. The man's leg
Simon's pupils contracted, and cold sweat broke out on his back.The man standing before him was Henry Young, the head of the Young family, whose influence rivaled that of the Mercers.Young Group ran legitimate business on the surface. But everyone in the underworld knew that its real power lay in the shadows. The Youngs were notorious for their ruthlessness and decisiveness. They never gave their enemies a chance to fight back.For years, the Mercer family had done everything possible to avoid conflict with the Youngs, just to keep the peace.But Simon had never imagined Henry would show up here in person. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the shock and fear rising inside him.Then he forced a respectful smile. "Mr. Young, I didn't realize it was you. What a small world."He chuckled nervously. "Since you've come here personally, you must have something important to take care of, right? I have something urgent to deal with too, so I should get going."As he spoke, he c







