All Chapters of Dropping the Act: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

It was sunny earlier this morning, but now the sky had turned dark, as if a massive black cloth had been draped across it.Thunder rumbled, lightning streaked across the sky, and the rain came pouring down.The gates of the mansion opened from the inside. Marcus stepped out, holding an umbrella.Joel hurried out of the car and asked respectfully, "When will my sister come out?""Mr. Montgomery accidentally damaged the design draft. Ms. Youngblood is upstairs reworking it. Please be patient, Mr. Youngblood," Marcus explained.Without giving Joel a chance to respond, he quickly turned and left.Joel checked his watch. Elena had been inside for over an hour now. What was taking Nicholas so long?Fearing something might have happened to Elena, he caught up with Marcus. "My sister's afraid of thunder. I'd like to go up and keep her company."Marcus turned around. "The mansion has excellent soundproofing. She can't hear what's going on outside. There's no need to worry, Mr. Youngbloo

The bold black-gold letters carried a sharp, commanding edge like Nicholas himself.He was an extremely dangerous man, and if Elena was going to deal with him, she had to tread carefully.She pulled out her phone and quickly texted Nicholas, "Hi, it's Elena Youngblood," on WhatsApp.He read it within seconds.His profile picture was a black void, and his username was simply the letter "N".Elena figured "N" stood for Nicholas.He was a man at the pinnacle of wealth and power. Of course he had the ego to match.With Remus unwilling to release her, her only chance was for Nicholas to keep pressuring the Youngblood family.Elena sent him another message. "Can it still get up?"When Nicholas saw the text, his face turned dark.How could she have ever dared to doubt him?Marcus, standing right beside him, caught a glimpse of the message and barely held in a laugh. "You're the legendary Mr. Montgomery. How could it not get up?"Still, even Marcus had his doubts sometimes.Nichol

Before entering her room, Elena could still hear Talia crying.Joel's previously irritated demeanor softened as he comforted her gently. "Don't cry already. I'll protect you as long as you don't mess with Elena."Elena thought to herself that it must be nice to have a brother.Sometimes, she couldn't help but envy Talia.Although Joel would sacrifice anything to protect the bigger picture, he genuinely cared for Talia as long as it didn't interfere with his own interests.Unlike Talia, Elena had no one to rely on.The flowers she picked looked pretty, even with just a simple trim. Elena placed them in a vase and stared at them for a while.…Talia didn't come downstairs during dinner, so George arranged for a maid to bring her meal to her room.Remus suddenly put down his fork and asked, "Did you go to the backyard to pick flowers this afternoon?""Yes."Elena remained poised as she placed her fork aside.The Youngblood family had many rules when it came to meals. As long a

"I didn't want to keep you waiting," Elena said as she met Nicholas' gaze without a hint of fear. Nicholas was dressed in a black bathrobe that barely concealed the expanse of his chest. His hair was still dripping wet, and the lingering scent from his shower hung in the air. He looked exceptionally good in black. That pure, unadulterated hue mirrored his eyes so precisely that it felt like looking into an endless, bottomless abyss—enigmatic and unpredictable.Nicholas gently wiped away the water droplets at the tips of his hair that landed on Elena's face. His calloused fingers lightly brushing against her skin created a fleeting, almost flirtatious sensation.Elena grasped his firm, slender arm, while her other hand settled on his bathrobe belt. She then tugged it apart with deliberate force as she flashed him a mischievous grin.Nicholas' stunning physique was revealed entirely. His prominent Apollo's belt and well-defined eight-pack abs were a testament to his physical prowess

It was raining heavily outside as the deafening roar of thunder accompanied streaks of lightning that sliced through the curtain of rain. Elena stood amidst the torrential rain while she tried to flag down a cab, her heart sinking into cold despair, shivering with a chilling sensation that gripped her tightly. Amber's cremains were kept at Youngblood Manor, still denied a final resting place even to this day. Edgar, too, had been condemned to suffer in death. Elena couldn't help but feel like she had failed as their daughter. She had failed to protect her late parents.It was as if the entire sky had given up and was crumbling down, with only the roar of thunder and the drumming of rain filling the air—everything else was swallowed in silence.Elena ran into the road, flagging down passing vehicles and pounding on their windows in vain, as none stopped for her. At that very moment, she felt as helpless as an abandoned child surrounded by a sea of rain. She couldn't help but recall