Lahat ng Kabanata ng Side Chick Era… Over: Kabanata 1871 - Kabanata 1880

Victoria took a document file from the drawer beside her bed."I started investigating this matter a long time ago. Because I had to avoid Thomas's surveillance, it took much longer than expected. But I still managed to uncover quite a bit of useful information."You already know my current situation, Lex. After my shares were stripped away, I lost my authority just like Silas."From now on, I'm afraid it'll be difficult for me to compete with Sharon again. Consider this file my way of repaying the kindness you've shown by still coming to see me."When Lex left Victoria's place, he was in an excellent mood. The information she had provided was extremely valuable.It had to be said—among all the women he had ever met, Victoria's intelligence easily ranked in the top three.If Sharon and Thomas hadn't appeared, it would have only been a matter of time before Victoria secured the position of head of the Kalen family.After returning home, Lex went straight to the study. He carefull

Although Lex had learned quite a few self-defense and combat techniques, there was still a clear gap between him and men like Thomas and Jamie—people who had fought their way through bloodshed to claim the position of family head.And since Thomas dared to appear openly before him, he must have already made thorough preparations.What Lex hadn't expected, however, was that Thomas would come straight to his door without the slightest hint of fear.Just as Lex was thinking about how to stall for time, he saw Thomas suddenly pull out a handgun."Thomas—"Lex had barely spoken two words when the bullet struck his body. Yet, the pain he expected never came. He froze for a moment before quickly realizing he had been hit by a tranquilizer round.The next second, Lex lost consciousness.…No one knew how much time had passed before Lex slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he saw was a massive iron cage towering several meters high.Lex instantly snapped awake and realized he

The long blade in Lex's hand seemed utterly insignificant before such a massive, ferocious beast. With a single swipe of its paw, the lion knocked the weapon flying.Lex rolled across the ground and quickly grabbed a long staff to defend himself.But the lion's claws were razor-sharp and immensely powerful. With a casual swipe, it tore away a large patch of flesh from Lex's face.Blood immediately poured down his face.The scent of blood only further stimulated the lion. Baring its fangs, it lunged forward, aiming straight for Lex's vulnerable neck.Thomas's cool voice sounded from outside the cage."Too weak. With so many weapons at your disposal, you can only last this long?"Liam stood quietly behind Thomas, his back already soaked with cold sweat.He had followed Thomas for many years, yet this was the first time he had ever heard him mention the events in Neldene.Even Carmen and Chris probably didn't know about these things.Those memories had clearly been sealed away t

"Thomas?" Sharon called out."Mm." The figure answered softly, then began to move, slowly walking toward her. Light and shadow intertwined, the dim glow falling across Thomas's body and casting his tall silhouette in deeper darkness.Sharon's heart skipped a beat. That strange feeling from earlier rose again in her chest."Thomas, what were you doing just now?" she asked.Thomas handed her a glass of water. "I was worried you'd be thirsty when you woke up, so I went to pour you some water."Sharon accepted the glass and asked, "When did you get back? Why didn't you say anything? You suddenly appeared at the door just now and nearly scared me."Thomas looked at her with a faint, ambiguous smile. "I came back not long after you started your call. But you were so absorbed in the conversation that you didn't hear me knock."A faint flicker passed through Sharon's eyes.When Xavier had told her about Lex's disappearance earlier, her attention had indeed been completely drawn into th

Thomas paused for a few seconds, then said thoughtfully, "Since a servant saw Lex return home, and all of his belongings were still in the study… the most likely scenario is that Lex disappeared while still inside the house."Uriah raised an eyebrow. "Our family's security is top-notch. Even if someone managed to infiltrate, it's no easy task to spirit a fully grown man out of the house without anyone noticing. Even if the surveillance had been sabotaged, with so many family members around, the intruder could never eliminate everyone without raising alarms. How, then, could Lex have been taken without anyone noticing?"Thomas lifted his gaze to meet Uriah's. "Uriah, your residence surely has secret rooms or hidden passages, doesn't it?"Uriah's eyes narrowed, already understanding where Thomas was going.Thomas continued, "A family like yours must have secret passages connecting the estate to the outside world, intended for emergencies or escape. If someone used these hidden routes