Se connecterThe smile froze on Belinda’s face, making her features look even more distorted and grotesque.
Perhaps she hadn’t expected this man—who looked every bit the refined, noble gentleman—to speak with such blunt, childlike disregard for social graces. She was so incensed she couldn’t find the words to retaliate.
"My apologies," Charlie said with a slight smile. "I’m not in the habit of lying. I hope you don’t mind."
"..."
Belind
The smile froze on Belinda’s face, making her features look even more distorted and grotesque.Perhaps she hadn’t expected this man—who looked every bit the refined, noble gentleman—to speak with such blunt, childlike disregard for social graces. She was so incensed she couldn’t find the words to retaliate."My apologies," Charlie said with a slight smile. "I’m not in the habit of lying. I hope you don’t mind.""..."Belinda gritted her teeth.She decided to abandon this self-inflicted humiliation of a topic. "Mr. Clemens doesn't seem surprised to see me. It seems you’ve already guessed it was I who invited your friends onto my ship to 'play.'"Charlie replied in a relaxed manner, "I had my suspicions. Tell me, how are they enjoying themselves?""Quite well," Belinda said, her smile returning with a vengeance. "I asked for one of Miss. Lawrence's fingers as a welcoming gift. They weren't
"I don’t want much," Candice said calmly. "I just have a few lingering doubts I’d like Mr. Fletcher to clear up. And while we’re at it, I’d like to borrow your phone for a few calls."Dante froze for a heartbeat.*She wasn’t forcing him to go to that deathtrap with her?*A wave of relief washed over him. He forced a casual cough, raising his voice for the benefit of the room. "So that’s what Miss Hale meant. My apologies for the misunderstanding. Let’s sit over there, shall we?"He pointed toward a partitioned coffee booth shielded by decorative greenery.The three of them walked over. Jerry, snapping back to his senses, followed closely behind to act as a lookout, ensuring no curious guests could sneak close enough to eavesdrop.The expressions of the people left in the hall grew increasingly subtle and uneasy.Once behind the partition, a visibly tense Dante took the initiative to ask, "Miss
The air in the grand hall turned to ice.Jerry’s eyes darted frantically between Candice and Kyle. His heart hammered against his ribs; he knew that if either of them "exploded" right now, there wasn't a soul alive who could stabilize the fallout.Further off, the guests in the hall began to cast lingering glances toward the trio. However, being the "sly foxes" they were, the vast majority had no intention of wading into these muddy waters. No one dared to step closer.Ever since the cellular signal had been restored, every guest had remained glued to the hall. They were experts at reading the room—they knew exactly when they could act tough and exactly which lines could never be crossed. Mr. Fletcher had already lost all face today. If anyone was foolish enough to sneak a phone call and leak the gossip now, it would truly ignite his wrath. Offending a man like Dante to his face brought zero benefits.They were content to watch the fire from a
"Are you certain that was Gabrielle?""I’m certain. Miss Lawrence was running in a panic, as if someone was chasing her. I didn't know what was happening then, but having heard that she and Young Master Edward were abducted, I assume a kidnapper was after her.""You assume?"Kyle repeated those two words. "So, you only saw her running alone?"The man from the acrobatics troupe seemed to recall the moment carefully before saying with certainty, "Yes, just her."Jerry added, "Didn't you say you chased her for a bit? Where did she finally disappear?""Uh, that..." The man began racking his brain for an excuse.Jerry cut him off, exposing the lie. "Actually, you didn't chase her at all. You were busy doing something else."As for what that "something" was—being one of Denise’s plants, he likely intended to assassinate Edward. Seeing him leave the theater, the man must have followed him, hoping to strike when he wa
Edward was more than happy to let go.However, he still had to convince this little "ancestor" to release her grip. He lowered his voice to coax her. "Gabrielle, let Brother go find you something to eat. How about letting Natasha stay with you for a while?"Gabrielle shook her head and only hugged him tighter."Don't you want chocolate, ice cream, or little cakes?" Edward tried to tempt her with her favorite snacks.But this time, even sweets held no sway over her.Edward was out of options. "Fine, forget it. I’ll do it. Natasha, go help Rex guard the door."Natasha nodded. "Understood."She turned quickly and walked toward the entrance, her stiff shoulders slowly beginning to relax. Edward stared at her back, his brow furrowed in faint confusion.Ollie’s gaze grew even colder, as if he wanted to freeze both Gabrielle and Edward into ice sculptures. Seeing Edward’s eyes lingering on the female bodyguard, he sn
Bang! Bang! Bang!The shots rang out in rapid succession, like a string of firecrackers with a lit fuse. What started as a single crack exploded into a relentless, unstoppable rhythm that shattered the silence of the enclosed cabin.Outside, the guards’ expressions twisted in horror. One man lunged forward, desperate to check the interior, but he hit the floor before he could even blink. A bullet had found its home directly between his eyes. He was dead before he felt the cold steel.No one else dared to offer up their head to the slaughter.Inside the cabin’s lounge, the scene was a tableau of carnage. Six men were sprawled across the floor in various states of ruin. Five were dead; the sixth clung to life, clutching a shattered arm and a mangled leg, his muffled screams filled with abyssal terror.The fear in the survivor's eyes was absolute.From the moment one of them had his weapon snatched away, the "Yama of Death" had begun swinging his scythe. They thought their reactions were
She wasn’t about to make a fool of herself.There were so many young nobles attending tonight, and the Lawrence family had chosen only the Clemens family. Naturally, it was because Charlie had the best qualifications.Unmarried, good-looking, with no bad habits—and, most
Friend? Granddaughter?Denise frowned slightly.Her instinctive reaction betrayed her — she truly didn’t know what was going on, nor could she even begin to guess.In fact, with Edward and Mrs. Lawrence still not back, the most she could speculate was that Belinda
“Who??”Rex and Candice were both stunned.Wasn’t Edward supposed to be at the banquet right now?But almost immediately, Candice thought of something—those who were kidnapped weren’t just her grandmother, but also Mrs. Lawrence. Maybe he’d
“Pick someone up?”“Pick who up?”Candice’s nerves instantly went taut.Tonight’s entire arrangement was already a gamble.She knew from the start it wasn’t a good idea, yet she still went through with it. All the way here, she







