LOGINThe sound of hurried footsteps snapped Candice’s attention away. She turned toward the door, and both Charlie and Kyle followed her gaze.
Several familiar figures appeared at the entrance. Sophia was in the lead, looking deathly pale, followed by Bianca and Jerry.
"Something happened!" Sophia rushed in, her voice trembling. "Edward and Gabrielle have been kidnapped! Rex and Gabrielle’s bodyguard went after them!"
"...Kidnapped? To where?" Candice’s back
Candice leaned in to get a closer look. Sophia, Bianca, and Jerry also stood up and crowded around.The video showed a lavishly decorated hall. Several people were sitting on the steps and sofas; upon closer inspection, it was indeed Edward and the others. Every person in the frame had their hands and feet bound.* **Edward** sat on a long sofa, with **Ollie** beside him.* **Mike** was positioned slightly behind them on an armchair.* **Rex** sat on the steps in front of them.* **The female bodyguard** was seated on the carpet.All of them were expressionless. It was normal for the others to look grim, but Edward was the type of man who would still crack a joke even if his car was totaled and he had a hole in his chest. Despite the dire circumstances, they were still alive—this stoic silence simply wasn't his style."Where is Gabrielle?" Candice muttered.They scanned the screen and finally spotted a figure tucked under
The sound of hurried footsteps snapped Candice’s attention away. She turned toward the door, and both Charlie and Kyle followed her gaze.Several familiar figures appeared at the entrance. Sophia was in the lead, looking deathly pale, followed by Bianca and Jerry."Something happened!" Sophia rushed in, her voice trembling. "Edward and Gabrielle have been kidnapped! Rex and Gabrielle’s bodyguard went after them!""...Kidnapped? To where?" Candice’s back straightened as she stood up and walked toward Sophia.They weren't on land; they were in the middle of the ocean. Where could anyone be taken? Furthermore, where were Mike and Ollie?Charlie looked at Jerry, signaling him with a sharp gaze to explain exactly what had transpired.Jerry looked just as shaken. "The four of us were searching along the path. We didn't find Mr. Lawrence, but his tie and shirt buttons were scattered along the way. At the time, we thought he left t
Dante’s eyelid twitched violently.The words had come from Kyle.His tone was a direct strike, his gaze a blatant interrogation. He might as well have asked point-blank: *Is this your doing?* On the surface, Kyle’s approach lacked finesse and he clearly didn't care for social niceties, but the effect was potent. It was designed to trigger the most honest, unguarded reaction from a person caught off-guard."Mr. Jackson!" Dante cried out, nearly bolting from his chair in shock."Mr. Fletcher, you seem rather agitated. Is it because you actually know something?" Charlie’s voice was gentle and polite, but the implication was enough to cause a heart attack.Sensing that Charlie was the more "reasonable" one, Dante immediately abandoned the difficult Kyle and turned to Charlie with a pained expression. "Mr. Clemens, I can see you’re a man of reason. You know why I organized this gathering and invited so many people. You are all th
The female bodyguard’s frantic pleas did little to move the crowd. While she didn’t *look* like she was lying and lacked a clear motive, she was their only lead. As Sherlock Holmes famously said: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."The atmosphere remained at a standstill.Charlie glanced at her. His gaze was aloof and cold, yet his voice was low, magnetic, and persuasive—almost hypnotic. "Why don’t we calm down and try a change of perspective? If you were standing where we are, what conclusion would you reach?"He paused for two seconds, letting a sense of mounting pressure fill the silence before speaking again. "You are currently the prime suspect. If you can’t prove your innocence, going back will likely be..."He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear. Gabrielle had been lost on her watch. Denise would never forgive her. If she remained
The group stood frozen.Edith lay there alone, but the others were nowhere to be seen. However, the stalls had yet to be checked.Rex walked over and pushed the doors open one by one. When he reached the third-to-last cubicle, he called out, "Found one."He carried a woman out from the stall. It was the female bodyguard."She’s alright, just unconscious," Rex reported after a quick check.Charlie signaled him to check the remaining stalls and the men's restroom next door just in case. Rex did a rapid sweep but found no sign of **Gabrielle**.They moved Edith and the bodyguard out of the restroom to a nearby lounge, laying them both on the sofas. With Sophia and the others currently unreachable, they had to focus on the crisis at hand.Rex shook the bodyguard awake and cut straight to the chase: "What happened?""What..."The bodyguard’s expression was vacant, but the confusion lasted only a few seconds. Sudde
"What about Gabrielle and her bodyguard?" Candice asked.For some reason, she felt Rex’s words were a bit odd. Edith was supposed to be with Gabrielle, yet he only mentioned Edith.Rex shook his head. "I don’t know.""You don't know?" Candice was taken aback. "Do you mean they weren't together?"Charlie’s brow furrowed. "Explain yourself clearly."Rex explained with a pained expression, "I really don't know. It might be because Edith's perfume was just too cloying; it completely masked the scent of the other two. Or perhaps they didn't take this path and used a different corridor instead. In any case, I only smelled the lingering scent of Edith's perfume heading toward the right. I couldn't pick up anything else."The group fell silent.Choosing between left and right was a headache enough; now things had become even more complicated.*Only* Edith?So, it was possible that Gabrielle and her bodyguard hadn't stayed with her. Alternatively, Edith’s perfume might have simply been so over
Not long after Candice returned upstairs, Sophia and Bianca arrived stealthily.With Charlie now out of town, Bianca felt emboldened to head straight to the top floor to play. Although Charlie had been turning a blind eye to her presence lately, she still didn't dare flaunt herself right in front o
Thud—A muffled impact sounded near her ear.However, she wasn't hit. In that split second when she thought she couldn't possibly dodge, her feet suddenly felt light. She was swept into an embrace and spun half a circle. Now, her back was pressed against a broad, powerful ches
“Candice, you won’t leave me, right?”A deep, somewhat aggrieved male voice echoed in her ears.She immediately sensed something was wrong. Her face was suddenly captured by a large hand, and the next moment, Charlie’s handsome yet sorrowful face was reflecte
Sophia instantly went from murderous intent to burning heat.Her mind flashed back to the last time he’d been injured in battle, lying in bed and generously letting her touch him—so stimulating she nearly got a nosebleed.This “gay” man was way too seductive!“Sweet granddaughter, are you trying to







