Ch. 921..930

Chapter 921 Noah Attacks Danny

In order to allow his mother a temporary rest, Noah had no choice but to inject her with a sedative. Only then did the Carnegie Residence return to peace.

And yet, the tranquillity seemed so dreary. While Noah sat on the couch, his eyes unknowingly turned red as he gazed at Raffle’s portrait from a distance.

He couldn’t understand how the family, still perfect in the eyes of outsiders three days ago, had fallen apart today. Even though things like this could happen to anyone, why did it have to happen to the Carnegie Family?

Feeling the buzzing on his phone from an incoming call, Noah had to immediately gather his emotions and prepare to answer the phone. Now that his mother had collapsed, he had to be the pillar supporting this family.

However, he had only taken his phone out when the caller cut the call. Noah let out an irritated sigh at that, and was about to throw away his phone when a text message popped up.

When he clicked into it, he saw that there was only a web address in the message. Not even the sender was displayed. He thought it was a spam message, and wanted to click out of the message to delete it. However, the screen suddenly went unresponsive. There was still no response after he tapped on the screen several times.

It took him a short second to realize that the sender had sent him malware that prevented his phone from leaving the message as long as he didn’t click on the link.

For some reason, he proceeded to click on the address despite knowing that there was a risk of his phone being infected by a virus.

After a brief loading, a surveillance video began to play automatically.

In the video, Raffle was knocked into the air and crushed, staining a large area of the asphalt concrete with red blood. Soon after, Danny appeared at the scene, and after checking Raffle’s breath, he dragged the body away by himself.

The veins in Noah’s hands gradually protruded, and his body started to shake uncontrollably as he watched all this. He was about to crush his phone into pieces any time now.

According to the official report, Raffle died of drowning and suffocation from jumping into a river. No one tried to get to the bottom of the cause of death, and all the possibility of homicide was ruled out. Even Raffle’s own son almost believed it.

But it all turned out to be the doing of the Griffith siblings. To Noah, they had killed his father and had used their power to fake innocence.

Raffle would have died an unjust death if Noah hadn’t seen this video.

Before Noah could snap back from drowning in his hatred, the screen suddenly went black, and in the blink of an eye, even the message with the web address disappeared.

Noah quickly checked all possible locations the message could be in on the phone, but he found nothing.

It was at this moment that he started to regret not saving the evidence so that he could avenge his father.

But I am my father’s son. I won’t let him die in vain even if I don’t have evidence!

Without thinking too much, he ran out the door with his phone in his hand and went straight to Danny International Finance Corporation Building.

When Noah passed through the last intersection, he saw from a distance Danny walking out of the building, his hand in Ariel’s.

Noah immediately sped up the car and rushed over. After getting out of the car, he abruptly punched Danny in the face, knocking the other man to the ground.

Before Danny could react, Noah straddled him and raised his fist again. “I will kill you!” he yelled, and he landed one deadly punch after another.

As Danny raised his hands to block Noah’s fist, he took the chance when Ariel was pulling Noah off from behind to suddenly retaliate by grabbing Noah’s neck, and pinned him firmly on the ground so that he could not move.

“Are you done?!”

Danny and Noah had never met face to face, and they didn’t know each other. All Danny felt was irritated from being attacked without a reason.

“No!” Noah roared as he struggled out of the hold. “You murderer! I saw it! You were the one who hit my father with a car. You were the one who killed him!”

Danny’s expression froze. He was stunned for a moment before confirming Noah’s identity. “Are you Raffle Adaway’s son?”

“What’s wrong? Do you feel guilty? I didn’t think you would feel fear, you cold-blooded murderer!” Noah’s face was flushed, and he was high on adrenaline like a wild beast.

Hearing that, Danny fell silent before he uttered, “I did not kill him.”

“Bullsh*t! I have seen the surveillance! Are you really still trying to lie your way out of this? Every member of the Griffith Family is evil! You would even kill a clean and honest official in order to protect your wealth. Scum like you don’t deserve to live!”

The more Noah spoke, the more emotional he became. There seemed to be a fire in his eyes that burned endlessly.

“Seeing is not always believing. You are just being deceived by appearances, like how you thought your father was a good official,” Danny persuaded him earnestly.

Even though Raffle didn’t die by his hands, he did hurt Raffle’s body. He was aware that he should indeed apologize and show humility to Raffle’s family.

However, Noah completely lost control when he heard those words. He stood up abruptly from the ground and threw Danny down again, swinging his fists desperately as he roared, “You would even slander a dead man? Are you even human?!”

Danny didn’t fight back. He thought he didn’t have to do that to someone younger than him. The police soon arrived and took both of them to the station.

The police reinvestigated the cause of Raffle’s death according to Noah’s statement, but neither the surveillance video nor the final autopsy report could find anything related to Danny.

The worst part was that Raffle’s body had already been cremated, and Noah couldn’t even ask for a new autopsy. Left with no choice, he could only watch Danny get acquitted.

Even though he was enraged, all Noah did was go after Danny and spit, “This isn’t the end of it!” Danny’s footsteps came to a stop, but he didn’t turn to look at Noah.

Ariel, however, could no longer watch on, and she coldly advised Noah, “We understand that it is difficult for you to control your emotions since you have just lost a loved one, but we will consider suing you for intentional tort if you keep this up.”

“Ariel.” Still soft-hearted, Danny turned his head to look at her. “Don’t say that.”

“You don’t need to play the good guy now.” Noah didn’t appreciate it at all as he continued spewing venomous words. “Don’t think that you can get away with it because you have Alexander Griffith behind your back. I will definitely get you arrested and jailed!”

“Do what you want.” Not wanting to continue with the argument, Danny took Ariel’s hand and left the place with her.

After they got in the car, Ariel couldn’t help feeling annoyed at the way Danny handled the incident. “You will only make him take this another step further if your attitude is soft. There will be trouble in the future.”

“But it is a fact that I hit his father. I should take a beating from him.” Danny regarded it as atonement. “Don’t tell my brother and the others when we get home.” Even though Ariel was reluctant, she still nodded. “Don’t worry. I know what to do.”

…

At the same time at Wegas, Jamie suddenly jumped while holding the phone. “What?!” he shrieked. “You guys are coming to Wegas too?”

“Mhm. We are going to cheer you on.” Elise then teased, “So if you want to do something, just wait until we arrive before you act. Two heads are better than one. There are so many of us. It will definitely be better than having you work alone on this.”

“Alright.” He eventually hung up the phone grumpily before he turned to look at the equipment on the couch. His thick eyebrows were unconsciously pulled together.

Chapter 922 Disguising as a Man in the Cuber Residence

Many days had passed, and yet there was no news from Gale. Clearly, he was not a reliable person.

Although Jamie had faith in Gale being resourceful, he had been dragged along for too long before this. A relationship would be meaningless if one had to rely entirely on others when it came to emotional matters.

He would have to do it himself if he wanted to win the lady over! Being a man who walked the talk, Jamie slipped his phone into his pocket and left after he took his things.

As soon as he went out, Gale received a call from his subordinate. “Mr. Myres, Mr. Keller has bought a lot of night travel equipment. He is going to the Cuber Residence now.”

“Keep your eyes on him.” Gale then hung up the phone before calling Napoleon.

“Mr. Cuber, I have received news that an organization that Narissa has had contact with in Cittadel before has come to Wegas. They seem to be planning to recruit Narissa to join them. As far as I know, that organization is very dangerous, and it might not be a legitimate organization. Narissa might have to be on the run for the rest of her life if she really becomes a member of that organization. We won’t even know when she will be able to come back.”

“I got it.” A strong sense of crisis surged in Napoleon. After thinking for a while, he looked up at the young butler beside him. “Go. Tighten the security of the manor. From now until the end of Narissa’s wedding, even a mosquito can only enter and leave the perimeter with a Cuber Residence permit!”

“Yes, Mr. Cuber!”

It took less than fifteen minutes after he instructed the butler before the residence became an impenetrable kingdom. With a guard at every five meters and a watchtower at every ten meters, anything that approached within a hundred meters would trigger an alarm.

Facing such extreme security measures, Jamie had no choice but to give up the infiltration plan when he tried a few times, only to almost get exposed during every attempt.

Fortunately, there was always a way out. On the way back, he found that the Cuber Family had posted a recruitment notice—they were hiring a nanny!

Even though they wanted a woman nanny for their dog, this was no problem for Jamie, who had survived even the hardest phases of life.

And so, a ‘woman’ of nearly six feet three with wavy hair and a light yellow dress appeared at the application area. “Registration, please! Julia here. Thank you!” Jamie leaned on the table coquettishly and tightened his throat as he winked.

The employee in charge of recruitment shrank back in fright upon seeing Jamie’s manly face. “D*mn, bro! We are hiring a female nanny, not a man!”

Jamie’s face immediately fell, and he bent down to squeeze the two huge water balloons on his chest in the employee’s face. “Are you blind?! Have you ever seen a man with these humongous racks?!”

The staff looked at his perked up chest in disgust, but he finally gave Jamie a registration form that he then completed.

Jamie had thought that the dog sitters had no competitors at first. To his surprise, people signed up one after another, and there were a total of more than 50 people who came.

However, after the Cuber Family’s two rounds of screening for academic qualifications and salary, only one-tenth of them remained.

Except for Jamie, the other four were highly educated and experienced professional nannies. Even so, Jamie was not fazed. Anyone who knew dogs knew that dogs were always more docile and obedient in front of men.

Wasn’t Jamie the obvious winner, since he was the only man here?

Princess? Jamie mused when he heard the dog’s name. Sounds like a good, fluffy girl! I will take it for a run, and then shake her paws later. I will definitely win it on the spot.

However, the image of a small-sized, friendly Princess was completely shattered the moment the wolf-like dog was brought out.

The dog was a vicious and huge creature whose height almost reached Jamie’s waist. Is that thing even really a dog?

What has it got to do with the name Princess?! Looking at Princess’ sharp teeth, Jamie couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his back.

I will lose a chunk of my meat if that thing bites me! Even a big man like him was frightened. As the other candidates were women, they were naturally even more scared, and two of them even forfeited and ran away.

The only candidates left now were Jamie, an older woman, and a younger woman.

Napoleon, who sat high on the stands, waved his hands to prompt them to act. “Princess’ child died of dystocia. And as Princess has severe depression, anyone who gets close may be attacked. Whoever can tame her without hurting her can stay. Go on. Show me what you are capable of.”

Hearing this, the two women looked at each other before the younger one took the lead. She asked a servant for the snacks that Princess usually enjoyed to bribe her with it.

Holding the goodies, the woman slowly approached Princess. Just when everyone thought she was about to succeed, Princess suddenly went crazy and jumped toward the woman. “Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Fortunately, Princess couldn’t touch the woman because the chains were strong enough. However, the woman was so frightened that she fell down, got up, and ran away without even saying that she was leaving.

“Next,” the servant next to Napoleon coldly reminded.

Seeing the old woman next to him, Jamie was ready to be a gentleman and go ahead, but the woman pushed him away angrily.

“What are you doing?! Don’t you know how to respect the older and younger? I will go first. I am taking this job. Don’t you even dream about fighting over it with me!”

Now that his good intentions had been trampled on, Jamie simply let her do as she pleased. “Okay. Go on, then!” he muttered while going to the side.

The old woman only rolled her eyes at him before she turned to Princess.

When she was about one meter away from Princess, the woman stopped, took a deep breath, and took out a whistle from her pocket which she blew with all her might.

She then ordered in a stern tone, “Princess, sit! Princess, sit! Sit!”

Princess looked at the woman dazedly with her head tilted. It was as if she understood, but was considering whether to obey or not.

The woman was relieved when she saw this, and she grew bolder. She continued to raise her voice and approached Princess aggressively before she stretched out a hand and commanded condescendingly, “Princess, hand! Hand!”

When Princess didn’t respond, she bent her torso and grabbed Princess’ paw.

It was this move that made Princess lose control. She bit the woman’s palm, and in the blink of an eye, the grass on the ground was stained red with blood.

“Ah! My hand! Help me! Help!” the woman cried on the floor.

She had completely lost her dominance, and she didn’t even dare to resist when the dog was on her.

In the end, several armed servants came forward and rescued her from the dog’s mouth.

She was left pale and bleeding as she shakingly sat limp on the floor.

At this time, the servant suddenly brought a check and stuffed it into the old woman’s pocket.

“Here are your medical expenses and compensation. You can go.”

Napoleon had come to the scene at some point. After dismissing the old woman, he calmly looked at Jamie, who was the only one left on the field.

“You are the only one left. Would you still like to give it a go?”

Jamie didn’t even hesitate as he solemnly nodded.

He couldn’t bear to lose his arm, but he was going to give it his all to keep his girl!

Chapter 923 Narissa Has Another Choice?

Jamie pulled his hair up, and after sorting out his emotions, he resolutely walked toward Princess. Carefully, he put both hands behind his back to let the dog know that he was not aggressive while he moved in little by little, preparing for a long battle.

Just like a snail, no one would notice that it was suddenly close as long as it moved slowly enough. Still, Jamie miscalculated.

The servant who was pulling the iron chain behind Princess accidentally let the chain slip from his hand. In that instant, Princess lost control and ran toward Jamie, the only stranger at the place.

Princess was already in front of him before he could react. He turned around to escape, but because he was too anxious, he lost his balance, sprained his foot, and fell straight to the ground.

Princess saw her chance and dashed ahead before her teeth sank into his arm. The sharp teeth that pierced his skin caused him to break out in a cold sweat, and the veins on his forehead were all bulging.

He instinctively raised his other hand to knock the dog down, but his last bit of rationality prompted him to put his hand into the hidden interlayer of his boots for the silver needle he hid inside.

Seeing that Jamie was bound by Princess like the old woman, Napoleon watched for a while before he called the servant in disappointment. “Separate them.”

Several servants in protective suits started to run toward Jamie from different directions.

Seeing that they had arrived, Jamie endured the pain, and pulled out the silver needle with great force before he quickly sank it into the dog’s neck. Dogs, like cats, could tolerate pain very well. Being pricked by a needle was like being bitten by a mosquito for them.

However, even though Princess didn’t react to the needle, the drug he injected soon started to take effect. Princess let go of Jamie’s arm to jump around excitedly, and she would stick out her tongue from time to time. Her gloomy blue eyes were bright again.

Everyone there was taken aback by the sight. Has Princess been cured? As Jamie struggled to get up from the ground, he took the chance when he tidied up his appearance to hide the silver needle in his wig.

The silver needle was Elise’s usual weapon, and the one he used just now was the improved version. He had soaked the silver needle in a drug that could quickly stimulate the brain. It was originally used on human beings, and that was the first time he used it on a dog. He was glad it worked, or else he wasn’t even sure he could get away with it.

After giving himself time to calm down, he put on an energetic expression and hooked his finger at Princess. “Come here, Princess,” he instructed in a weak voice.

After hearing him, Princess immediately ran over wagging her tail, and obediently sat down at the space in front of him. She then looked up at him while she waited for the next order.

“Good girl.” Jamie patted her head rewardingly to show everyone the intimacy between them.

The truth was, Princess would obey anyone who came over now. That was why he had to be the first to prove his strength.

Sure enough, Napoleon was extremely satisfied with what he saw.

“The job is yours.” He clapped his hands and told the servant next to him, “Mr. Champ, get a private doctor to treat her.”

“Yes, sir,” the housekeeper, Gareth Champ, replied respectfully.

Napoleon then gave Jamie a trusting look and left.

As soon as he turned around, Jamie immediately let out the breath he was holding. He soon fell to the ground holding his bitten arm while he gasped for air.

However, he had obviously forgotten his current identity. Despite having long locks on his head, and wearing a dress, his legs were still open unscrupulously. It was definitely a sight to behold.

Gareth happened to come over to check on Jamie when he flushed red looking at Jamie. He then quickly took off his jacket to cover Jamie as he said in a gentle voice, “Please let me bring you upstairs to dress your wound, Miss Julia.”

Jamie’s face immediately turned sour when he heard that. “Why are you talking to me like that?” he gagged.

“Your voice…” As though realizing something amazing, Gareth pointed at his neck.

Only then did Jamie realize that he forgot he was still in disguise. He hurriedly coughed twice and weakly explained, “Oopsie, my bad. I happened to catch a cold recently, and my voice is rather hoarse. I hope I didn’t scare you.”

Men’s IQ would always become non-existent in front of beautiful women.

Gareth believed Jamie’s words just like that. He even bashfully scratched the back of his head as he mumbled, “Of course not. You are so beautiful, Miss Julia. You would never scare anyone…”

Jamie instinctively frowned at those words. Surely he is not interested in me? No! I am a woman-loving man!

Thinking of this, he hastily rejected the man’s kindness. “It is alright. Just tell me the direction, and I will go by myself. I can get familiar with the place as well.”

“I will take you there.” Gareth swiftly helped him up and supported him as they walked. “Young Miss Narissa is going to visit Princess in the backyard tomorrow. You can start with the training soon if you dress your wound earlier. It won’t be worth it if Young Miss Narissa wants you gone in case she isn’t satisfied with you.”

“Does the lady like Princess a lot?” Jamie couldn’t help asking about Narissa.

“Nothing over the top. But Princess will be a dowry in the end, and she will follow Young Miss Narissa to her husband’s house. You have to train Princess well in advance to avoid hurting people outside,” Gareth informed.

“Dowry?” Jamie stopped in his tracks. “Who is getting married?”

“Young Miss Narissa, of course!” Gareth looked at him with amused eyes. “Didn’t you notice that the whole residence is being refurbished? It is all for Young Miss Narissa’s wedding. Mr. Cuber only has one daughter, so it is going to be a big celebration.”

“Who is the son-in-law, then? Gale Myres?” Jamie suddenly felt irritable.

“Oh, how unexpected!” Gareth chuckled. “You are well-informed indeed.”

However, Jamie couldn’t get himself to laugh. He solemnly asked another question. “Does the lady know that she is getting married?”

“Geez, what are you talking about? How can we make it so big if she doesn’t know? The Young Miss is no dummy,” Gareth said with a chuckle.

Jamie’s heart sank at those words. That is right. Narissa is no dummy. She wouldn’t stupidly wait for someone who may not even reciprocate her feelings. She already has another choice, and I still came too late A woman’s sweet voice as an announcement informing about a new journey rang out at Wegas Airport. “Welcome to beautiful Wegas, travelers. We wish you a pleasant journey.”

By the time Elise and her group walked out of the airport gate, a few cabs had already been waiting for them for a long time.

“The hotel address has been sent to your phones. We will meet there. And don’t get lost.”

After instructing the group, Elise and Alexander set off first with their children.

Even though Brendan and Danny and their other halves were here for their honeymoons, they went off separately as their itineraries didn’t overlap.

After Brendan and Yuri’s car drove away, Danny took Ariel to find a relatively newer cab and got in it.

Danny started to engage in a friendly conversation with the driver after the car drove a distance. “Hey man, we are here for our honeymoon. Any place you would recommend for couples to go?”

“Wegas is full of surprises. You will see as I continue to drive.”

Chapter 924 Welcome to Hell

From his deadpan voice, it didn’t sound like he had just picked up some passengers. Feeling disappointed, Danny adjusted his position in his seat. Subconsciously, he tried to observe the cab driver in the rearview mirror. The instant he did so, he saw the latter lowering his head. Obviously, the cab driver had been spying on them just now.

A guilty conscience gives itself away. Seems like this guy isn’t some nice person. Danny yanked at Ariel’s dress before giving her a look.

Ariel took the hint at once. Simultaneously, the pair began to observe their outside surroundings, mentally estimating the likelihood of them succeeding in jumping off the vehicle. However, before they were done analyzing the risks, the cab driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the cab to a screeching halt without warning.

Danny and Ariel lurched forward thanks to inertia. Before they realized what was happening, the cab driver quickly flung the car door open and jumped out of the cab.

“Are you alright?” Danny checked on Ariel while shielding her with his body. Ariel shook her head and happened to see the cab driver smashing a hammer against the car window. “Watch out!” She swiftly pulled Danny to her side.

At the same time, the car window shattered into smithereens, and a smoke bomb releasing thick clouds of smoke was thrown inside. Being no strangers to such situations, Danny and Ariel simultaneously chose to hold their breaths and pretend to pass out on the spot.

After the smoke dissipated a while later, the cab driver finally returned to the scene and opened the car door to check whether Danny and Ariel were unconscious. However, as soon as he got his upper body inside, Danny suddenly opened his eyes and sat up on Ariel’s lap. Grabbing the driver by the throat, he pushed him out of the car and knocked him out with a few cuffs and kicks.

Seizing the opportunity, Danny then took Ariel by the hand, turned around, and ran. Unlike Cittadel, Wegas was fraught with intricate relationships between various powers. If they were to keep tarrying, nobody knew what kind of trouble they’d get into, so they decided to get out of there as soon as possible.

Unbeknownst to Danny, however, a tranquilizer gun nearby was already aiming at them. In the end, he and Ariel didn’t manage to run away; they’d barely run several meters when the tranquilizer dart went firmly into their necks.

A moment later, a woman dressed in a mink stole emerged from the woods nearby with the tranquilizer gun in her hand. Standing in front of Danny, she looked at him and Ariel, then looked at the driver in the distance and rolled her eyes sullenly. “What a moron!” she groaned. Suppressing her impatience, she walked up to the driver to wake him up, as there was no way she could handle two adults on her own. After getting near the man, she kicked him with her stilettos, urging, “Hurry and get up, you useless piece of sh*t!”

As soon as she finished her sentence, she was suddenly punched heavily in the back of her neck. “Aah!” She let out a grunt before falling unconscious on top of the driver.

Jessie smugly stretched his limbs while looking at the unconscious pair. “Haha! That’s what I call an ambush. Have a good rest here, you two!” After dragging the woman and the driver to the roadside and settling them down, he turned around and went to the other side of the road. Carrying Ariel on his shoulders and tucking Danny under his arm, he then breezed away.

…

An unknown amount of time later, Danny came around and opened his eyes in horror, only to be greeted with Jessie’s somewhat grotesque face. Standing at his bedside, the latter eyed him expressionlessly from above, saying in a voice as spooky as that of a ghost, “You’re up? Welcome to hell, my little dar—Ouch!”

Before he could utter the next syllable, Danny punched him in the left eye, causing him to crouch down in pain right away.

“You son of a b*tch! Where’s Ariel?!” Danny jumped out of bed, clenching his fists and readying his stance in preparation for another attack.

“She’s dead!” Jessie blurted out thoughtlessly in a fit of anger without even looking at him.

Taking his answer at face value, Danny instantly went berserk. “I’ll kill you!”

“No, no, no! Don’t do that!” Jessie hurriedly sprang to his feet and dodged into a corner. “I was just joking! Miss Ariel is still alive!”

“Trying to fool me, huh? It’s not that easy!” Danny clutched him by his T-shirt and raised his fist above his head. “It was my fault for failing to protect her. I’ll kill you first before taking my own life so that we can die with her!”

“Aah! Help—”

The instant Danny’s fist came down on Jessie, the room door opened, and Ariel stood by the door looking at them confusedly. “What’s wrong with you, Danny?”

Danny was stupefied by what he saw. Then, coming to his senses, he immediately let go of Jessie and trotted up to Ariel. After pinching her cheek and making sure that she was indeed Ariel, he finally heaved a sigh of relief, saying, “Phew, so you’re still alive! I was scared to death, you know?”

Clapping a hand over his bruised eye, Jessie complained in sobs, “You’ve gone too far! How could you be so cruel to your savior?! Sob…”

“You’ve got only yourself to blame for that!” Danny was sick of the man’s wimpy behavior. “Is life and death something that can be joked about?”

“I was just trying to liven things up! Who knew you’d be so violent as to hit me without warning…” Jessie countered. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, and his eyes moistened as he spoke.

“What about the time when you used tranquilizers on us?!” Danny seized the opportunity to vent his spleen while seething with anger.

“I didn’t…” Jessie retorted, only to bite his tongue mid-sentence. He hung his head and mumbled, “I only did that for fear that you two would refuse to come. The tranquilizer won’t harm your body, anyway.”

“Bro, you acted sneaky last time because we didn’t know who you were, but this time, we already knew you’re one of Ariel’s dad’s men. If you wanted to look for us, you could’ve just done that in the open. Why go so far as to use tranquilizers on us?” Danny seriously couldn’t make sense of this guy’s behavior.

Jessie opened his mouth, wanting to explain himself. In the end, however, he bit his lip and bit back the words he’d wanted to say.

After that, they got to meet Camren Abbott, Ariel’s father.

The Abbott Manor was less a manor than an island—and a completely self-made island at that. Additionally, the island was equipped with patrols, consisting of army veterans hired by the Abbott Family. Jessie, Danny, and Ariel had to ride in a station wagon for nearly six minutes just to get from the room just now to Camren’s drawing room.

Though a short journey, it was enough for Danny to estimate Camren’s financial capability. There’s no way the Griffith Family can compare with the Abbotts. If Alexander gathers all his assets, he might barely get to be on an equal footing with them.

As expected, Camren did nothing to conceal his dislike for Danny the instant they met. “To be honest, you’re not my ideal son-in-law.”

Danny was about to launch a long, high-sounding speech to win his father-in-law over. However, before he could speak, he heard the latter justify himself by saying, “But never mind since Ariel likes you.” Then, he continued, “That being said, don’t ever think you can sit back and start neglecting her because she gives you her hand in marriage.

My daughter would never have to compromise or do anything she doesn’t want to. She can call off her engagement or divorce you whenever she wants. Even if you’re an emperor, she can dump you as long as you do wrong to her!”

Chapter 925 Where Are Her Principles

This sounds so childish for some reason… Looking at the man’s shiny bald head, Danny eventually nodded in obedience, saying, “Don’t worry, sir. I’ll make Ariel happy.” “Uh-huh.” Camren stroked his bald head in a leisurely and carefree manner. Then, he asked, “I hear you started your own business in Cittadel?”

“Yes, I have.” Danny proudly raised his head and puffed out his chest; in an instant, he found an opportunity to prove his worth. “Our company is about to go public—”

“Just close it down if it’s not going public yet,” Camren said obstinately without giving him a chance to finish his speech. “Come and work at one of the companies owned by the Abbott Enterprise to get familiar with it in advance.

Ariel’s gonna have to come back and help with such a big family business sooner or later. Who’s gonna do the work if not you? She?” For a moment, Danny was at a loss for a reply; he didn’t want to live off a woman. “Uh, well—”

Seeing the situation, Ariel immediately intervened, saying, “Danny’s company is the result of both his efforts and mine, so we both hope to achieve something with it. You just agreed not to intrude into our lives. If you want to overstep the boundaries, I think we’d better go back to being not on speaking terms as before. I’m already used to living without a father, anyway.”

Camren’s countenance changed at her words. Then, he exhaled deeply, saying, “Look at you; you’re siding with him even before you get married to him. Wasn’t it for your sake that I said those things? I won’t interfere in your life if you don’t like it, but you don’t have to say things like us being not on speaking terms. Do you really want to blame me all your life like your mother?”

Ariel replied, “It’s not my place as a daughter to comment on what sort of relationship you want to maintain with Mom. What I care about is how you treat me as your daughter. If you really love me, you’ll know what is good for me.” She remained rational as usual, though it made her seem rather devoid of human feeling.

Camren shook his head in resignation. “You really are just like your mother. Well, forget it then. I’ll let you do as you please,” he said. Then, he switched the conversation to another subject, suggesting, “Anyway, now that you both are in Wegas, why don’t you stay here at home? That way, I won’t have to go back and forth between two places to see you.”

Ariel flatly refused to do him the favor, though. “Have you ever seen anyone who stays in her parents’ home all day after getting married?” she argued. “And besides, our friends are still waiting for us at the hotel. You want us to go back on our word?”

“I can’t do this; I can’t do that… Am I still like a father to you?!” Camren burst into a tantrum like a child.

Faced with such cringy awkwardness, Danny couldn’t help but be reminded of how Jessie had made a scene while clinging to Ariel’s thigh. So, there’s a reason Jessie is so effeminate! I guess this is what they call ‘an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ Still, Camren was his father-in-law, after all. Not daring to laugh in his face, he only curled his lips into a furtive smile.

“I’ll give you a phone call every day. That’s the most I can promise you,” Ariel said impassively.

“Okay,” Camren instantly agreed as if fearing that she might go back on it. Stroking his head again in excitement, he said, “You said that yourself. I didn’t force you into it, so you’ve got to keep your promise!”

“Yeah, I’ll do as I promised you,” Ariel replied with an affectionate drawl.

It was said that people tended to behave like children as they aged; once reaching a certain age, elderly people often became as unpredictable and capricious as children instead. In reality, they were just craving attention; even the slightest bit of attention from whoever was willing to give it would brighten them up.

Camren smiled from ear to ear with joy written all over his face. “Alright, it’s fine as long as you keep your promise. Just go on with whatever you’re doing and call me whenever you need anything!”

“Goodbye, Dad,” Ariel replied. With that, she quickly dragged Danny out of the house before Camren realized what she had just said. Shortly after the couple had left, Jessie came in and inclined his upper body respectfully. “Sir.”

Camren instantly resumed a serious countenance while looking at him gravely. “You didn’t let it slip, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Jessie answered in all seriousness. “Miss Ariel and Mr. Danny had no idea it was Miss Jolene who made trouble behind their backs today.”

“Good work.” Camren nodded slightly before turning unconsciously to look out the window. Both of them are equally dear to me, after all. All I can do is protect them from one another as much as I can.

Meanwhile, after driving down the bridge across the ocean, Danny ultimately couldn’t help but ask about Camren. “Your dad is rather strange. He’s never shown up for so many years, and it’s not like he’s short of money. Why only now does he think of you?”

Ariel answered candidly, “That’s because his wife passed away last year. He hopes that I’ll go back and inherit his company.” “His wife?” Danny was dumbfounded. “What about your mom?”

Ariel shrugged. “It’s the same old story of a love triangle: my dad jilted my mom and married another woman to go up in the world. That’s the gist of it.”

Only then did everything become clear to Danny. “No wonder your mom was so harsh with me before. It’s indeed difficult for a woman to trust another man after getting betrayed.”

“Yeah, but you made a different choice from my dad’s, so I wasn’t wrong about you.” Ariel flashed a sweet smile at him. Danny reached out his free hand to pat the back of her hand. “Let’s be nicer to your mom from now on. She must’ve been in anguish over these years.”

Ariel was both surprised and amused by his words. “Aren’t you gonna ask me what I think about inheriting the Abbott Family’s fortune?”

“What else can you think about it? Your dad wants to make it up to you, but whether you want it or not is totally up to you. You know I can afford to keep you, anyway.” Danny stared ahead intently with imperturbable eyes. Worldly possessions like money no longer matter to us.

Feeling warm inside, Ariel leaned over and quickly kissed him on the cheek as a reward before settling back in her seat as though nothing had happened. She replied nonchalantly, “I turned it down because he’s got another child to whom he can entrust his company.

Mom’s a principled person. If I accept it, I’ll fail to live up to what she’s persisted in for so many years.” She thought Rebecca must be afraid of accepting Camren’s money since she hated him so much.

Surprisingly, Rebecca gave her a dressing-down when she told her over the phone about this. “Who told you to turn it down? You should’ve accepted it! Why shouldn’t you? This is what he owes you. As his first child, you’re entitled to inherit everything he owns, so you should’ve stripped him of every penny!

Just wait there! I’ll head right over immediately and take care of this with you!” she chided. With that, she hung up the phone in a hurry, leaving both Ariel and Danny in complete bewilderment with the cell phone in Ariel’s hand. Why is this different from what we imagined? Where are her principles?

…

Meanwhile, Alexander and his family had seated themselves along with Brendan and Yuri in the VIP room at Prism Hotel. After a couple of minutes, the waiter pushed the door open; Narissa entered gracefully on Gale’s arm while wearing an haute couture dress.

“Godmother!” Alexia ran over excitedly, throwing herself at Narissa’s feet before staring up at the lady with sparkling bright eyes. “Godmother, you look like an angel!”

Narissa used to wear clothes that prioritized versatility and ease of movement, which made her look cool and fashionable in distinctly gender-neutral clothing. Today, however, she was wearing a princess dress and a pair of high heels; even her hairstyle was meticulously designed. She looked just like a runaway princess, which surprised even Elise and others, let alone the kids.

Chapter 926 Teased by a Woman

“Aww, that’s so sweet! Did you eat some sweet stuff on the sly again?” Narissa bent down. At first, she wanted to pick Alexia up, but as her dress hindered her from doing so, she merely pinched the little girl on her plump cheek. “You’re such a lovely sweetie, Lexi!”

“Hehe!” Alexia winked her big eyes in a deliberate show of cuteness, which made everyone laugh gleefully.

Narissa led her inside by the hand before turning to look at Elise. “Why didn’t you guys come to me at the Cuber Residence right away when you arrived? My place has plenty of rooms, so why stay so far away instead?”

“It’d be inconvenient to do that. We brought our whole family with us, after all.” Elise made up an excuse before veering away from the subject. She asked, “And may I ask who this gentleman is?”

“Oh, this is Gale, whom I talked to you about. He’s now working at BJ Biotech,” Narissa replied.

Gale nodded by way of a greeting.

Elise stepped forward before extending her hand to shake hands with him. “Mr. Myres, thank you for the drug last time.”

Gale calmly avoided the awkward thank-you segment. “It’s nothing. I’m glad to be of help, anyway. Let’s get seated first,” he replied while walking to the dining table before pulling out the chair for Narissa in a gentlemanly manner. “Come and sit here, Narissa.”

Naturally, Narissa seated herself there.

While ordering food, Gale asked for her opinion first before telling the manager to have a tableful of dishes served according to her palate. “That’s it for now. Serve the wine once it’s decanted,” he said before dismissing the waiter.

While he was ordering food, Elise and Narissa whispered to each other. Elise asked, “Is Jamie not with you two?”

Narissa was completely baffled. “Jamie Keller? Is he coming as well?”

“He’s here already. Didn’t he go looking for you?”

“Nope. I never saw him.”

“That’s odd…”

Their mood was interrupted when Gale suddenly chimed in, asking, “What are you two chatting about?”

“Nothing.” Elise smiled a faint smile. “Just some private stuff between young ladies.”

Alexander seized the opportunity to claim a share of the man’s attention, saying, “Mr. Myres, I hear that your company has lots of other novel drugs under development, and I wonder if you need support in terms of funding. As it happens, Smith Co. has some spare cash, so feel free to tell me if you need it.”

Times were changing rapidly, and BJ Biotech’s drugs were presently ranked among the first in the world. Inevitably, Smith Co. had to rely on the drugs it produced to keep expanding. Rather than negotiating prices again and again, Alexander would prefer to become one of BJ Biotech’s shareholders to make it easier for him to use these drugs in the future. Of course, his selfish ideas extended far beyond that. If he could completely acquire BJ Biotech’s drug manufacturing technology for his own use, he’d no longer have to be at the mercy of others.

Gale’s reply was tactful; he neither accepted Alexander’s offer nor turned it down. “Narissa’s friends are mine, too. I’ll ask about the company’s future plans for development when I get back. If there’s such an opportunity, I’ll invite you to join us, Mr. Griffith.”

Alexander didn’t intend to get women involved in this, though. “This has nothing to do with Narissa, so please don’t give us special treatment. Business is business, Mr. Myres.”

“Sure.” Gale lifted a corner of his mouth slightly with no intention of continuing the subject.

Smart as they were, everyone in the room cleverly dropped the subject.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming awkward, Elise hurriedly broke the silence, asking, “What’s taking Danny and Ariel so long?”

“I’ll go out and meet them.” Gale stood up, buttoned up his suit, turned around, and stepped out of the room as though he were the host.

“I’ll go with you.” Alexander followed suit.

As soon as the two men reached the hotel’s entrance, they saw Danny and Ariel step out of their car. “Hi, Alexander.” Danny waved his hand, tossing the car keys to the bellboy while he was at it.

Gale’s eyes involuntarily lit up when he saw the car’s plate number. “Do you two also know Mr. Abbott in person?”

“You can say that. We just met him for the first time today,” Ariel replied vaguely. She didn’t want to disclose her relationship with Camren, nor did she want to ride on his coattails.

“I see.” Gale nodded before turning sideways to make way for the couple. “This way, please.”

Not intending to dwell too much on the subject, Ariel picked her feet up and stepped inside.

Danny was just about to catch up with her when Alexander dragged him and caused him to fall far behind her. “Who is Mr. Abbott?”

“It’s a long story…” Danny replied before giving Alexander a brief introduction of Camren.

Thanks to Gale’s stubbornness, the dinner turned out to be a simple one, and it actually ended in less than an hour. Initially, Elise was hosting the dinner, so Alexander was supposed to pick up the tab for it. However, Gale had dropped his credit card at the front desk beforehand on a trip to the restroom.

Surprisingly, the instant they asked for the bill, the door to the private room swung open from the outside.

The manager cringed in fear as he came in after an intimidating young woman in her twenties. The woman was dressed in low-key yet snazzy clothing, which fit her flamboyant personality very well. She came closer and looked around the dining table before finally fixing her gaze on Danny and Ariel. “You’re that cousin of mine who popped up from nowhere, aren’t you?” She eyed Ariel with scrutiny.

Danny thrust his hands into his pockets and stood up angrily to defend Ariel. “Who the heck are you?”

The woman stared at him for a couple of seconds before walking up to him. After looking him up and down for a while, she gave him a meaningful smile, asking, “You’re Danny Griffith?”

“Yeah, that’s me. So what?” Danny jutted out his chin defiantly. That was just the way men were—the cockier the other party acted, the more they’d refuse to be outdone.

“How surprising…” The look in the woman’s eyes suddenly became amorous as she stared unblinkingly at Danny’s attractive sideburns and the faintly visible outlines of his chest muscles. “My cousin’s got a good eye for men, eh?” she commented. Before Danny realized what was happening, she suddenly stretched out her hand and pinched his gorgeous left hip before quickly letting go of it.

“Hey! What are you—” Danny instantly broke out in goosebumps as a shudder ran through him. He glared at the woman, wanting to chide her, but he was too embarrassed to know where to start. I actually got teased by a woman! How am I supposed to seek justice for this?

“What is it?” The woman pushed her luck, thrusting her breast against him as if she had no sense of shame.

“Drats!” Danny staggered in fright and fell into his seat in complete discomfiture.

“Hehe…” The woman laughed with her hand over her mouth. Stretching out a fair and slender hand, she slid it down his chest and fondled him. “Don’t worry, I won’t eat you.”

Before her voice could fade, a hand suddenly shot out from the side, seized her wrist, and dragged her away.

“Who the hell are you?” Ariel looked rather displeased. Just because I trust Danny’s strong willpower doesn’t mean other women can tease my man as they please!

“Aaah!” The woman bit her lower lip coquettishly in a seemingly innocent demeanor. “You’re hurting me, Ariel. Why get so angry? I was just joking. We’re a family, after all—”

Ariel tightened her grip on the woman’s wrist. “I’m asking you one last time—who are you?”

“Ouch!” The woman screamed in pain and had no choice but to give in. “I’ll say it! I’ll say it, alright? Let go of me!”

Chapter 927 Refusing Is Useless

“If you won’t speak, prepare yourself for a visit to the hospital.” Ariel was skilled in kickboxing, making it well within her abilities to break someone’s bones. Upon saying that, she tightened her grip once more.

Tearing up with pain, the woman yelped, “Ow, ow, ow! You’re hurting me! I’m Clara Hissinger, Mr. Abbott’s niece and your cousin! Let go of me now!” “Cousin?” After hearing Camren’s name, Ariel pondered for a moment before letting her go.

Clara soothed her aching wrist, her seductive features twisting into a furious expression as she said in a hurt and indignant tone, “I only came over because I heard that my cousin was here and wanted to let her know that Mr. Abbott’s family doesn’t need to pay for their meals in Wegas, but this is how you repay my kindness!”

Ariel’s eyes narrowed, a glint flashing past her eyes as she pondered the plausibility of Clara’s words. While she was distracted, Clara seized the opportunity and collapsed on top of Danny, sneakily shoving a name card into his suit pocket.

“Damn, stay away from me, you jinx!” Danny wanted nothing else but to stay away from her. He immediately pushed her away before stumbling to his feet and taking refuge behind Ariel.

“Hehe, you’re adorable.” Clara laughed uncaringly, sending him a coy and charming gaze as she said, “We’ll have plenty of time to spend together in the future. I have an appointment later, so I’ll be taking my leave. Bye, Ariel. Bye, Danny.”

After giving Danny a flirtatious look, she turned around and sashayed away, her winsome appearance lingering in their minds long after she had departed.

As soon as the sound of her heels faded away, Danny began to shiver in an attempt to shake his goosebumps off, saying disdainfully as he walked away, “Who exactly is that woman?”

It was the first time he had seen someone clinging onto their brother-in-law as she had. The others exchanged glances at his question, just as unfamiliar to this strange yet unruly woman as him.

“Miss Hissinger really is Mr. Abbott’s niece. She grew up abroad, so her personality is a little unusual.” Gale voluntarily offered his opinion.

Though his words were implicit and did not touch on her imprudence, the rest knew what he truly meant. Fortunately, the minor incident was disregarded soon after.

After returning to the hotel, Elise sought Alexander’s opinion. “What do you think about Gale?”

“He’s an opportunist who knows how to manipulate people’s hearts and minds. He’s very ambitious, but he’s also very good at hiding it,” he replied, hitting the nail on the head.

“What if Wendy sent him?” Elise asked dubiously.

“We should wait and see for now.”

After all, he was from BJ Biotech, which made him useful, and Alexander didn’t want to let this trump card go to waste.

He walked over with two glasses of red wine and handed one of them to Elise before taking a seat next to her. “We’re on someone else’s property, and it won’t be easy to defeat them. That’s why we have to take the time to deploy the right people or we’ll get into trouble if we’re too hasty.”

Although they arranged to visit Wegas long ago, their plans had been brought forward, resulting in the deployment of most of Smith Co.’s men being cut short. To avoid unnecessary complications, Alexander wanted to make sure that every step of the way went as smoothly as possible.

Just as he finished speaking, Alexia immediately barged in while yelling, “Emergency! I have an emergency!”

As she ran, she dove into Elise’s embrace, whining with a serious expression, “Mommy, where’s my sister? I’m going to grow up before I get a new sister!”

“I agree.” All of a sudden, Irvin appeared by the entrance with his hands in his pockets, his uncaring expression making him seem both callous and cheeky.

Hearing that, Alexander pursed his lips slyly before he turned around to gaze at Elise affectionately. “Mrs. Griffith, stop resisting and live up to the people’s expectations.”

When she saw him feigning innocence, Elise was instantly filled with denial and scooted away from him forcibly. “Kids, consent is important in our family. It’s my belly, so it’s my rules. If I don’t want a child, I won’t have one, okay?”

“I refuse!” Alexia protested heatedly.

“Refusing is useless!” Elise refuted in a heartless voice.

“Hmph!”

The mother-daughter duo simultaneously crossed their arms before their chests as though they were two furious dolls. The sight greatly delighted Alexander and Irvin as they both wore matching smiles.

Suddenly, Alexander called out to her. “Honey.”

“What? Mmph—”

The moment Elise turned around, Alexander instantly leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her lips. Caught off guard, she attempted to push him away, but the slippery couch caused her to sink further into his embrace instead. Elise’s face turned red, and she began hitting him with her small fists.

What is he doing? The kids are still here!

“Oh, that’s great! I’m going to have a sister!”

Alexia recalled that Irvin had explained in the past this was a game that adults used to express their affection. Hence, she assumed that the more they expressed their affection, the sooner she would have a sister, and began to clap wildly next to them, leading to an awkward sight—Alexander ‘bullying’ Elise while her daughter cheered them on. Fortunately, Irvin tactfully swept in and carried his sister out without forgetting to close the door before he left.

After hearing the door close, Alexander became even bolder, easily loosening Elise’s guard using his familiarity with Elise’s body. Elise wasn’t a match for him and was only able to leave herself to his devices. However, she refused to take things sitting down, and she tormented him wildly as soon as she was on top, her anger only dissipating after seeing him begging for more. With their children’s support, their long battle finally ended in the night, and they fell into a deep slumber.

…

Meanwhile, in the Cuber Residence, Jamie led Princess for a walk on the lawn, circling the manor until they approached the villa, where he deliberately slowed down and played with Princess where he stood. Soon, his efforts were not wasted. Gale’s car emerged by the manor not long after the sky darkened, showing that Narissa just had another perfect date.

Jamie lowered his head and swung the leash in his hands, his eyes despondent. As he looked into Princess’ eyes which were still somewhat melancholic, he scoffed coldly and couldn’t help but laugh at himself mockingly. What he lost to wasn’t Gale’s power, nor was it Narissa’s impatience, but it was his indecisiveness. In the end, he had gotten what he deserved.

A long moment later, he returned to his senses and tugged on the leash irritably. “Time to go back, Princess.”

The tamed dog now depended on him even more and immediately did as she was told, wagging her tail and running back. After returning to Princess’ room, he fed her some food and took a seat, leaning against her bed as he muttered to himself.

“Look, I’ve treated you, so you have to help her from now on, all right?”

Chapter 928 The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

“Princess, I’m sure you can empathize with the hardships a mother has to go through to transform from a spoiled little princess into a strong, independent woman. I’m glad you survived. You’re fortunate to have met me. Do you know that?

But we don’t know if mommy will be as lucky as you. So, in the future, you need to accompany her if she’s at a low point in life. Take care of her so that she won’t get sick like you, okay?” As Jamie babbled, Princess simply stuck its tongue out and panted happily. Then, it tilted its head, paying attention to anything but him.

“You little brat!” He could not help but hold its head and force it to look at him instead of its surroundings. He was still complaining even as he was gently holding its head. “How dare you ignore me, huh? The moment you’ve slightly recovered, you already act like you don’t know me! I was the one taking care of you all time too!”

Princess wagged her tail harder and even snorted as if she understood Jamie’s complaint. Jamie laughed at Princess’ reaction instead of becoming angry. He cradled her in the crook of his arms and swayed slightly. “You are just like her, always deliberately testing my patience.”

“How’s Princess today?” Narissa greeted him as she entered through the door. Jamie snapped his eyes open as he did not anticipate her to return so early. He momentarily froze mid-action before quickly releasing Princess from his arms. He rose to his feet sheepishly, moved a little to the side, and bowed. “Young Miss Narissa.”

Narissa hummed in response. Then, she squatted on the side of the bed and lightly stroked the dog’s head. “Princess, did you miss me?”

The moment Princess saw her, it acted entirely different from that when Jamie was accompanying it. It became highly attentive, rather than ignoring the person right before it. Not only was it smiling, but it also pushed its head against Narissa’s palm, demanding pats. Jamie looked at the scene with unconcealed jealousy. Then, just as he was about to comment about Princess’ double standard, he saw the fatigue flowing from Narissa’s eyes and became worried.

Hence, he asked gently, “Princess has been very obedient and cooperative with the treatment. Young Miss Narissa, you look tired. Are you alright?”

Narissa let out a deep sigh upon hearing that. “I know I should feel happy to be able to meet my old friends, but I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. Like… something is missing.”

“Is it because you weren’t able to meet that person?” As he asked the question, he was hinting at someone. He still hoped that she missed him dearly deep down in her heart.

Jamie’s face flashed across her mind that instant, and she felt as if a stone was thrown into the calm lake that was her heart. But then, she became inexplicably angry as soon as she thought of how he was still in Wegas and refused to even visit her.

“No!” she yelled in anger and left in a huff.

He felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart, and it hurt each time he breathed. He stared at her back as she left, and his nose felt stuffy as he tried to blink away his tears because a man should never shed tears easily. In the end, he hugged Princess tightly as if he could suppress the wild emotions raging in his heart by doing so.

…

At the same time, Danny was back in his hotel room. He shrugged off his coat and handed it to Ariel, who received it naturally and casually placed it over her arm. Then, she headed toward the bedroom to find a suitable hanger to hang the expensive coat.

High-end coats needed a delicate touch. If they were not handled with care and scrunched up, causing the cloth to wrinkle, it would greatly diminish their value. As a result, one would experience hundreds of thousands of losses due to mishandling the coat.

She finally found a hanger especially for hanging high-end coats, and she shook the coat a few times to remove the dust on it when a business card fell out of the pocket and landed on her feet. Ariel bent down to pick it up. It was Clara’s business card.

Coincidentally, Danny barged in with his upper body utterly naked.

“Ariel, have you seen my underpants?”

“No, but your secret will soon see the light.” Ariel held the coat in one hand and lightly waved the business card in the other. Then, she raised an eyebrow and asked teasingly, “Tell me, what’s this?”

“What’s what?” Danny approached Ariel, looking confused. He scrutinized the business card from her hand before asking, “Why do you have that crazy woman’s business card?”

“I should be asking you that. I found this little thing in your pocket, after all.” She narrowed her eyes and smirked. She looked like the cat that got the cream. But, of course, she knew he would not mess around behind her back—she was only trying to get a rise out of him for fun.

“Me?” Poor Danny looked even more bewildered. However, he thought his wife was merely playing around, so he tried to ease the atmosphere by smiling playfully. “You’re kidding, right?”

But as soon as he saw her serious expression, he began to waver and stared at the business card so hard as though he was trying to burn a hole with his stare alone. Still, he could not recall how it ended up in his pocket, and he could only hope that his memory would not fail him at such dire times.

“Well, take your time to think about it. Come to me when you have the answer. In the meantime, I’ll be bunking with Elise tonight.” She threw his coat aside and left the room without a hint of hesitance.

She believed that absence made the heart grow fonder. After all, they had been a little clingy lately, so a one-night separation should do the trick. Besides, she wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Elise anyway.

The outcome of Ariel’s decision was that Elise also kicked Alexander out of the room—just in time for Danny, who had just changed into casual wear, to witness his brother standing in front of his room looking desolated.

The brothers stared at each other, and both were speechless and equally exasperated by their wives.

Alexander immediately pounced at the chance to tease his brother, “As the general manager of SK, don’t you feel ashamed that you can’t even manage your girl?”

Danny was not the slightest bit angry at his brother’s teasing. Instead, he wore a cheeky smile while draping his arm around Alexander’s shoulder. “The pot is calling the kettle black! Why don’t we get a drink since we are both homeless tonight?” Alexander agreed to Danny’s suggestion as he was also feeling rather bored without Elise by his side.

Ariel and Elise sat facing each other, and the atmosphere was particularly tense.

“Is it realistic to fake my death and live with a new identity, just like you did?” Ariel asked with a solemn expression on her face. Everything about the Abbotts made her uneasy, and it was the best way to get rid of her connection with that family if she wanted to be left alone.

Elise gave it a serious thought for a while before answering, “Honestly, it’s too risky as it involved way too many high stakes. I don’t recommend you follow in my footsteps, regardless of the reasons behind your decision. Plus, faking my death was my last resort after everything else failed. It is not easy to live with another person’s face for the rest of your life.”

“Perhaps I was being too simple-minded.” Ariel nodded in agreement when she thought about the probable consequences. Alas, the complicated look on her face betrayed her true thoughts, and she was still trying to find a once-and-for-all solution.

“It is not for us to decide whether it is a blessing or a curse. Also, you can’t avoid a disaster that’s heading straight to you. So, running away isn’t the answer. Instead, you’ll have to face your fears sooner or later. Since Fate has decided that this is a mountain you need to climb, you’ll have to try your best to overcome the challenges it has set for you. Well, you still have time, so you can always make a decision later,” Elise sensed Ariel’s anxiety and comforted her.

Ariel’s cell phone rang the moment Elise took a sip of water. It was from an unknown number. As soon as she picked up the call, she heard a woman’s voice on the phone, which sounded inherently arrogant, “Old Mr. Abbott is sick. There is a car waiting outside of the hotel. Come home as soon as possible.”

Before Ariel could ask her about her identity, the other party had already rudely hung up the phone. Even Elise felt somewhat offended for Ariel. “Who was it?”

“It should be Old Mr. Abbott’s youngest daughter.” Ariel began tidying up her things. “Don’t wait up. I’ll be back soon.” Then, she immediately took off and left the hotel in the previously mentioned vehicle.

Just as soon as she left, someone broke into her hotel room.

Chapter 929 Head of Discipline

The hotel room was pitch black when Noah jumped in from the window, and when he landed, he remained as still as a mouse as he took stock of his surroundings. After he was confident that no one was in the room, the tenseness drained out of his frame. He began rummaging through the darkness to find any evidence that would point toward Danny’s criminal activities so that he could avenge Raffle by sending Danny to prison.

Beeeep. The sound of a card being swiped was loud, especially when contrasted with the absolute silence Noah was trying to achieve in his sneaky endeavors. Finally, Noah became so immensely frightened that he dropped the flashlight on the ground with a loud thud.

At the same time, the person opened the door, walked in, and saw Noah. But before the other party could see his face clearly, he squatted down, hastily turned off the flashlight, and picked it up.

He glanced at the graceful woman by the door and felt as if he was going to faint due to the suspense. He was soundly trounced by Ariel the last time he crept into the Griffith Residence. Could it be that he would lose to the same woman yet again?

However, to his immense surprise, the woman did not yell even though she had a glimpse of him. Instead, she closed the door behind her and strode up to him in the dark. Noah could even feel the softness of her chest and instinctively swallowed his saliva. He took a step back and pressed himself against the cabinet, trying to distance himself from her.

Within seconds, the woman was all over him. “Shh. Let me be your woman tonight.” She deliberately leaned into his ear as she sensed that he was a little tense and continued, “Why are you so stiff, you scaredy cat? Why? Are you afraid?”

Afraid? Her flirtatious words succeeded in inciting him, and he took the bait without hesitation as he wrapped his arms around her body. He shook her shoulders and ordered, “You’re mine from now on!”

“Of course,” she agreed but stopped short of making more promises.

“Do you have cigarettes?” she asked.

“Cigarettes?” Noah was stunned for a moment because her request came out of nowhere. “Nah, I don’t smoke. You should smoke less too.”

“It seems like my cousin controls every aspect of your life,” the woman teased.

“Cousin?” He instantly felt something was off when he heard that. But just as he was about to dig in deeper, there was another card-swiping sound. This time, he had no intention of hiding because he thought he was flirting with Ariel and being caught in the act by Danny would humiliate the other man. The woman also tilted her head in the direction of the door, and she seemed calm enough.

The door swung open, and someone turned on the lights. Danny and Alexander walked in one after another, and both were stunned by the two people on the bed.

Danny was dumbfounded by these interlopers. He couldn’t help but think that the advertisement was a lie. How dare they claim this was the best hotel in Wegas with such terrible security? Since when did his room become a place for random people to have s*x? Hang on a second! Isn’t the man Noah? And the one in his arm is Clara?! How did these two people get together?

Danny’s jaw dropped at the sight; he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

“Why are you here?” Clara saw Danny and straightened herself.

“We should be the ones asking that question.” Danny crossed his arms across his chest, looking as if he was a disciplinarian. Instead, she hugged the quilt, and her eyes darted between him and Noah. In that instant, she understood what had transpired and lost her appetite. “What the f*ck.”

She turned her back on Noah, wrapped the quilt around her, and quickly got out of bed.

Danny hurriedly pulled his brother aside to prevent him from witnessing such an eyesore. Then, he became annoyed when Clara took too long and impatiently shouted at her, “I don’t care why you are here. Leave now.”

Just as he was done making his demands clear, he heard her voice sounding from behind him, “Why do you always treat people so rudely?”

He turned and met her come-hither eyes straight on. He instinctively moved away from her with a shudder of disgust. “You asked for it.”

“Aww,” Clara whined coquettishly, and she fluttered her long eyelashes to seduce him. “I came here for you. Who would have known that I almost accidentally slept with someone else? You can’t imagine how sad I feel now.”

“Oh, my God.” He felt goosebumps as he held his forehead when he heard her reply. “You have zero morals or ethics. The world will be messed up if everyone acts like you. You’re such a sl*t. Do you know that?” Although Danny dared not look at Clara when he gave her a piece of his mind, he was speaking as if he was the head of the discipline disciplining his rebellious student.

Chapter 930 How Many Girlfriends Do You Have?

If there were one thing Clara despised the most, that would be being lectured. She had heard similar arguments no less than a thousand times since she was a child, and she thought those who reprimanded her were hypocrites. After all, she was only minding her own business and had not caused trouble for them. So, what gave them the right to meddle in her business?

“What now?” Danny puffed his chest out in the face of her undisguised annoyance. Still, he felt inexplicably guilty when he was met with her fierce eyes. He even imagined that she would force herself onto him if he continued pressing her buttons.

In the end, she merely rolled her eyes, turned, and flounced off without another word. Naturally, Noah wanted to chase after her, but Alexander blocked his way.

“Shouldn’t you explain why you are here?” Alexander questioned coldly.

Noah answered without hesitation, “I will spare no expense in bringing a murderer to justice. I will fight you to the end since you two worked together to scheme against us!”

“Do you think you would still be alive if we really wanted to end you?” Alexander’s voice sounded calm and neutral, but the threat was explicit.

“Come on, then. I’m not afraid of you. We should definitely compete over who lives a longer life.” Noah did not care if he was up against Alexander. He was fearless.

However, Danny, who had been feeling guilty because of Raffle’s death, stepped forward, pulled Alexander away, and took the initiative to mediate the situation. “Look, let me say this one last time. We have nothing to do with your father’s death. We aren’t saints. Stop testing our patience. If you continue pulling the same trick, you won’t be so lucky next time.”

“I only believe that good deeds come back to help you, and bad deeds come back to haunt you. God will never let any wicked person go!” Noah satirized.

“God bless your stupidity.” Finally, Alexander had had enough of Noah’s nonsense, so he shoved Danny aside and made himself comfortable on the couch.

“Just you wait!” Noah threw them a vicious look and stormed off.

Danny let out a helpless sigh as he closed the door.

“This person keeps sticking his nose in all the wrong places. We should’ve just given him a map to find Wendy to save ourselves from this headache,” Alexander groused. He hated uncertainties because they tended to impact his plans in ways that he could not imagine. Moreover, it. It had been a difficult journey for him to reunite with Elise. So, he preferred stability; the less uncertainty, the safer his family was.

“Well, I highly doubt he will come out alive if he finds Wendy now. He neither has the brains nor the skills to navigate through those muddled waters. So, let’s just consider this as an act of charity. He will let this matter go once he’s finally got it out of his system.” Danny did not want to have blood on his hands.

“On your head be it, then,” Alexander grumbled expressionlessly.

“Fine.” Danny did not say anything further, as it was reasonable for him to clean up his own mess.

“Wait, where are you going?” Alexander asked when he saw Danny walking toward the door. Danny rolled his eyes when he heard that idiotic question. “Of course, I’m going to book a new room. Do you want to sleep on that bed?”

Alexander was at a loss for words. He had somewhat forgotten what had happened earlier. The second he returned to his senses, he fled from the room like a bat out of hell without bothering to wait for Danny. After all, this hotel was very popular, and he wanted to be the one sleeping on a comfortable bed if only one room was left.

On the other hand, as soon as Noah saw Clara near the hotel entrance, he quickened his pace to block Clara’s way. “Wait a minute!”

She got impatient with him. “What do you want? Are you thinking of making me responsible for what I did to you?”

“No, not at all.” Noah looked immature and naive compared to her calm demeanor. “Instead, I want to be your boyfriend and take responsibility for my actions.”

She instantly became amused and asked, “How many girlfriends do you have?”

“None at all.” He shook his head.

“Go figure.” She didn’t bother to hide the contempt in her voice as she continued, “Well, you did a considerably great job back then as a virgin. But unfortunately, I’m not interested in innocent boys like you. I only like married men. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“Are you kidding me?” He could not believe his ears and was momentarily stunned by her brazen statement. Finally, she rolled her eyes at him, pushed him away, and left.

Poor Noah could only stare at her graceful back and wonder what went wrong. His heart felt as if it was sinking into the bottomless lake. They were so compatible earlier. How could she turn against him in a snap of a finger?

…

Meanwhile, the car, which Ariel was in, finally arrived at the Abbott Manor, but it did not drive to Camren’s villa. Instead, it took several additional turns and stopped at another estate a few hundred meters away.

Regardless, Ariel did not panic at the sudden turn of events. She figured she should make the best of it since she was already there. She got out of the car, spruced herself up, and then walked to the villa with a confident stride.

The interior decoration of the villa was low-key yet luxurious. The more-than-ten-meters high dome made the place look like a church. The villa’s owner was definitely more tasteful than Camren, as the decoration was also in line with the younger generations’ preferences.

Ariel was looking around for a servant to see if she could get any information when suddenly a familiar voice came from upstairs.

“We meet again.”

Ariel glanced up and saw a face quite similar to hers, except that the other person had sharper brows and eye features, making her look mean and unkind. Suffice it to say, Camren’s genes were truly dominant. Unfortunately, Ariel didn’t really know anything about his second daughter and only knew she went by the name Rylantha.

“Have we met?” Although she was on unfamiliar ground, her tone was flat as she exuded her usual calm yet strong aura.

“Of course, we met on the way to the airport. It’s a pity that Camren rescued you. Otherwise, you would have been locked in my private prison, never to see the light again.” Rylantha looked down at her condescendingly. Her tone was filled with disdain and arrogance.

Ah, I see. So, it was Camren who saved us, Ariel thought. Camren had indeed done a lot to prevent her from nursing a grudge against Rylantha.

“Well, you don’t need to treat me as your imaginary enemy. I have never thought of fighting you.” Ariel initiated a truce because she was the older sister, after all.

“Do you really think you’re worthy of being my enemy?” Rylantha narrowed her eyes viciously. “You will never be part of the Abbott Family so long as I don’t admit you as my sister. My mother would also never have tolerated you if she was still alive!”

Ariel shook her head upon hearing that. It was exactly what she thought. A marriage bond with a man of wealth and fame would only lead to despair. There was nothing one could do in that situation.

“Well, Rylantha, I will still treat you as my little sister no matter what you think. So, have some self-respect. The only thing I practice is etiquette. I always believe in the phrase, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. So, I will treat people with the usual niceties as long as they play nice. But I will also not hesitate to pay them back tenfold if they try to push my buttons. So, let’s get along well. It’s not good to fight between ourselves, especially since we’re sisters.”

Rylantha was just about to ridicule Ariel when she heard Ariel continue speaking, “And before I forget, you’re still my junior. Do you think you could have been born in this world had my mother not left? It’s easy to lose sight of things you already have once you become too calculative.”

“What a b*tch! How dare you compare yourself to me, you low life?! I am the only daughter of the Abbott Family! You should’ve never been born!” Rylantha lost it and started cursing and pointing at Ariel angrily as she yelled.

Ariel’s facial expression darkened at the abuse, and she warned, “I don’t like people yelling at me, and I refuse to tire myself out for people unworthy of my attention. People of different aspirations or principles cannot get along together. Come to me again once you’ve got your head on straight!”

She was never a benevolent person. There was no need to stay since the other party clearly didn’t welcome her presence.

“Stay right there, Ariel!