Ch. 571..580

Chapter 571

"Fuck that!" Sienna rolled her eyes at Bonnie. Then, the former gazed at the leader of the masked assailants. "I'm not her friend. I even detest her. Letgo, guys. I promise not to tell my grandpa about it. Also, I don't think he'd send his men here for a nobody." "That's enough horsing around! Go get them, guys!" Sienna began to fend off the men while cursing Bonnie inwardly. After all, it was the latter's daily.

'These guys are insane! I told them I'm not Bonnie's friend and even said I hated her. Don't they know that the enemy of my enemy is my friend? That said, I'm on their side!' Meanwhile, Ivor was paying for his purchases at the bakery counter when another group of masked assailants barged in. One barked, "He's Bonita's boyfriend! Get him!" Ivor's expression turned cold as he glanced outside the bakery. As expected, he saw Bonnie fighting out there. He knew he had to defeat the masked men before him to help her. Soon after, an intense fight broke out in the bakery.

"Ugh!" Sienna was kicked so hard that she flew backward. One of the masked assailants slashed his knife at her. As the knife was about to cut Sienna, Bonnie stood in the way and grabbed the man's wrist before twisting it.

The man let out a gut-wrenching scream as he released his knife. Bonnie kicked the knife upward and then caught it. She then stabbed the masked assailant. "Sienna, I'll clear a path for you to run! Get your grandpa!" Sienna was surprised, saying, "When did you grow a conscience?" Bonnie frowned. "They're here for me. You have nothing to do with this. You don't need to die over this." "I guess you're not so bad after all!" "Now!" Bonnie slashed a few more masked assailants, finally creating an opening for Sienna. "Run, now!" Sienna had been waiting for that moment. She had always prided Iherself on being an incredibly talented woman in a family of militants. If she could not take the chance to escape, she could no longer be proud of herself. Website After escaping the group of masked assailants, she turned and looked at Bonnie hesitantly. Sienna was unsure if she should call her grandfather.

'I don't want to do it since Bonnie and I have bad blood. She's the reason my reputation is ruined. Gah! I'll think about that later! I need to get the hell out of here now!' She fled and heard someone yelling, "Quick, the girl's making a break for it!" "Forget about her! We must seize Bonita first!" Sienna froze in confusion as she slowly turned around. Her eyes fluttered in shock as she gazed at Bonnie.

'I know what I heard. The masked assailant called her Bonita. Is Bonnie Ms. Bonita? How is that possible?!' Suddenly, a flood of memories filled her mind. At that moment, she had an answer to everything that had puzzled her before.

"That explains why Grandpa et

defended her No wonder she was in Ms. Bonita's room last night. Also, ake more Ivor's actions make more sense now. It was the butt of the joke all along. Then, Sienna thought about the bet she had made with Bonnie. The former could not help but smirk at herself. Meanwhile, one of the masked

assailants reported, "Sir, she's too formidable! We can't subdue henand keep her alive! I fear Jim or Leo will be here for backup if we drag it out any longer."

After sthought, a menacing light flashed in the leader's eyes. He said, e O "Do whatever you need to do. Remember, we must take Bonita alive! Our boss has questions for her."

Chapter 572

"You got it, sir!" Although Bonnie managed to fend them off earlier, things bectrickier when they stopped pulling their punches. She had just sent one of them flying when another cat her with a knife from behind. She might have been fast, but she could not react in tas he was too close.

"Get out of there, Bonnie!" Sienna charged at the masked assailant wielding the knife and tackled him out of the way.

"Sienna?!" Bonnie was surprised to see Sienna there. The former thought Sienna was long gone. Bonnie did not think Sienna would turn back, let alone risk her life to save her.

Various emotions overwhelmed Sienna as Bonnie stared at her. The former yelled, "You're getting distracted! Watch out behind you!" Bonnie whipped around and kicked the assailant, sending him flying. A moment later, she stood back-to-back with Sienna so that they could defend themselves and deal blows to their adversaries more efficiently.

Bonnie asked, "Why'd you cback?" Sienna pursed her lips and said, "I sure as hell didn't return for your sake." "Then, what prompted you to turn back?" "I'm from a military family. The McLeods have sworn themselves to a duty to protect the borders of Arvandor since my great-grandfather's time. We'd never compromise anything or anyone beneficial to our nation. You're Ms. Bonita, one of our nation's pillars. Naturally, I must protect someone like you!" Bonnie smiled as she listened to Sienna's speech. The former said, "It looks like I made the right choice by giving you a second chance." It did not please Sienna to hear it, but she had no comebacks.

"Bonnie!" Ivor dashed out of the bakery.

Bonnie gazed at him when she heard his panicked voice. Her eyes reddened as soon as she saw him, Ivor was no longer the elegant and graceful man he was minutes ago. Instead, his clothes were a mess, and his hair was disheveled Worse, there was blood on his white shirt.

Bonnie knew he was worried sick about her. That was why he willingly got hurt if it meant subduing his adversaries and getting to her quickly. "Hurry up and run, Ivor!" Ivor responded coldly, "What are you talking about? I can't run like a coward and leave you alone!" Bonnie pursed her lips, heartbroken when she saw how disheveled he was.

"Hey, can you two quit being so lovey-dovey? I can't hold them off alone!" When Sienna said that, one of the masked assailants kicked her.

"You kicked my fucking breasts again! I'm a woman, for fuck's sake! They weren't big, to begin with. Are you trying to make them smaller? f any one of you kicks my breasts again I'll kill you!" Sienna cursed as she scrambled to her feet. She then fought more recklessly because she was furious.

Bonnie rejoined the fight, and a few moments later, the group leader om received snews. He asked, Jim and his reinforcements are close?! We can't afford to drag this out any longer." He pulled out his pistol and shot at Bonnie.

"Watch out!" Ivor never stopped watching Bonnie's back, Thanks to e's back! that, he saw the gun in tand E quickly pushed her away. Bang! The bullet went right into his chest.

"Ivor!" Bonnie yelled at the top of her lungs. Her body stiffened before she cto her senses and darted En: toward him.

 

Chapter 573

Blood seeped from Ivor's bullet wound in his chest. Although his white shirt had bloodstains before, it was not drenched in red. It was a frightening sight. He staggered backward and slowly began to bend down.

"Ivor!" Bonnie's eyes reddened as she yelled at the top of her lungs. As she was about to reach him, several masked assailants stood in her way. She was prepared to kill them all.

"Back off! Anyone who stands in my way will die a horrible death!" Bonnie roared as she emitted a ferocious air. Suddenly, she kicked the assailant closest to her, and he flew before crashing to the ground and spitting a mouthful of blood.

His fellow assailants charged at Bonnie, but she quickly dealt with them. They sustained deep cuts after she snatched one of the knives and slashed at them.

In mere moments, the ground was littered with bodies as blood-curdling cries echoed. The smell of blood was evident. Bonnie saw nothing but Ivor leaning on the wall and trying to stay alive. A gust of wind blew past Bonnie as blood dripped from her knife and fell to the floor.

She looked like the devil incarnate. Her combat prowess was horrifying, striking fear into anyone who looked at her. Meanwhile, Sienna felt a profound sense of astonishment, and her eyes were full of shock. 'I've long known how formidable Bonnie is, but she's nothing short of a ferocious demon now. I must say, she has surprised me again.'

It took several seconds for Sienna to compose herself, grit her teeth, and fight off one of the masked assailants charging at her. She fought like hell to get close to Bonnie.

'Yeah, that's Bonnie, the person I detested the most. However, that doesn't change the fact that she's also Ms. Bonita. I've sworn to protect Ms. Bonita with my life. That's why no one will lay a finger on her as long as I'm alive!'

Sienna held onto that thought and fought vehemently through her adversaries. Finally, she reached Bonnie and stood back-to-back with her.

Sienna said, "G-Give me a minute. I-I'll make an opening for you to run to Ivor." The fight had drained Sienna so much that she was panting.

Bonnie kicked back a charging assailant before worriedly glancing in Ivor's direction. His eyes were shut, and his face was pale. He was not moving, either.

"Okay, let's do this together. Ivor has sustained a mortal wound, and we can't afford to waste time here."

Sienna nodded solemnly, tightened her grip on her knife, and charged into the group of masked assailants. "Argh! I won't fail my family! I will slaughter every last one of you!"

Bonnie followed her lead, slashing at her adversaries as quick as lightning. Soon, the masked assailants fell to the ground, their blood seeping into the pavement.

Chapter 574

Ultimately, Bonnie and Sienna slashed their way through the masked assailants and made their way to Ivor. "Ivor," Bonnie uttered worriedly.

He looked so frail that she felt a lump in her throat. Her eyes reddened as she lifted him to rest on her lap. Then, she grabbed his cold fingers and called out to him repeatedly, "Ivor? Ivor, con, wake up. Look at me, please." Remorse, guilt, and sorrow filled her heart. She began to tear up as these emotions overwhelmed her.

Meanwhile, Sienna stood nearby, defending them from the remaining assailants. She even formed a perimeter and kept them safe in the middle.

Bonnie fought back her tears and treated Ivor's wound as best she could while calling out to him, "Ivor, I'm here. Hurry up and open your eyes. You must look at me, or I'll give you the silent treatment for the rest of your life." Her voice began to choke up, and tears rolled down her cheek. "Wake up, Ivor. You have to wake up. I'm begging you, Ivor. Look at me, please!" That was the second tshe had ever felt this helpless. The first tshe felt this way was when her parents fell severely ill. Bonnie was too young back then and had no way of helping them. They would have died if Ivor's grandfather did not show up.

As boundless darkness consumed Bonnie, Ivor's eyes fluttered slightly. Then, he slowly opened them and saw her worried eyes. He revealed a pale and weak smile, saying, "B-Bonnie? Cough, cough! I-I'm so happy to...see you so worried about me." Bonnie sighed in relief when she saw Ivor regaining consciousness. He still had his wits about him, too. She leaned over and ripped out a part of her clothes to wrap it around his bullet wound, which was still oozing blood.

"Don't speak or move. I'll stop the bleeding." "Cough cough... Sure." He gazed at her affectionately.

Once Bonnie stopped the bleeding, she struck his vital points to alleviate his pain. However, Ivor's wound was too severe. He did not stay ve conscious for long before his eyes slowly shut again. Website Bonnie noticed it, and her heart dropped. She held his hands tightly and said, "No, you can't fall asleep, Ivor. I need you to look at me." Ivor could not bear to hear Bonnie so heartbroken. So, he struggled to open his eyes again. He looked overwhelmed with exhaustion but still treated her with love. "You're silly, Bonnie. I'm just tired and need srest. Are you denyingthat?" The more tender he sounded, the more guilty she felt. After all, he would not have gotten shot if he had not tried to protect her.

Bonnie fought back her tears and shook her head, saying, "No, I won't let you close your eyes! You won't die on me. You must hold on, Ivor. Do you hear me?" "Okay, I'll do as you say, like always," Ivor rubbed the back of Bonnie's hand, saying, "I-If I die, you'll marry someone else. Why would I let something like that happen?" "You should read the room, you dummy. How are you sweet-talkingat a tlike this?"

"Y-You're my fiancee. Of course, I I-I want you to stay happy. I can't let you feel sad. N-Not even for my sake." Ivor's eyes brimmed with affection. Bonnie was captivated by them, so much so that she could not look

away. The couple stared into each other's eyes when they suddenly e heard Sienna's heavy panting. Sienna said urgently, "Take el Ivor

away now, Bonnie. I can't hold them off much longer!" Content, belongs to Find

 

Chapter 575

Bonnie turned and saw Sienna sweating profusely. The latter had reached her limits. Bonnie said, "Hold on, Sienna. I'll take Ivor away now." She helped Ivor up and led him to a corner.

'Ivor is too weak. I need to get him treated now. I can't waste another minute. I must get us out of her as soon as possible.' "Okay, just hurry up." Sienna felt her limbs burning whenever she swung her knife or kicked someone. However, she had her family's gritty determination. Her tenacity pushed her to fight, even if her body screamed in agony.

Bonnie did not waste another second. She held Ivor's weak body and left as quickly as possible. After just a few steps, the leader of the masked assailants saw them. "They're trying to get away! Let's see how far they can get!" Bonnie heard the man's voice and turned to look at him, only to see him and his henchmen charging at her and Ivor. They had pistols and other weapons, too.

Her expression turned grim, and she feared the leader might shoot Ivor again. So, she stood before Ivor and yelled, "Sienna, I need help!" "On my way!" Sienna dealt with two more men before making her way to Bonnie. "What's wrong?" Bonnie calmly replied, "I know you're running on fumes, so I'll entrust you with Ivor. Take him away, and lethandle these clowns." Sienna's eyes widened in surprise. She looked at Bonnie before turning to Ivor. "Wait a minute, Bonnie. It's my job to protect you. What'll I do if I get him to safety and something happens to you?" Bonnie glanced at the pale Ivor with a trace of uncharacteristic affection. She said, "He matters most to me. You can protectby keeping him safe. I'm also a better fighter than you. I'll last long enough for Jim and your grandpa to arrive." Sienna disagreed with that, but considering their current predicament, she could only do as Bonnie said. The former gritted her teeth and took Ivor from Bonnie, "Fine, then. You better hang in there and stay safe, or Grandpa will lethave it." Find"Sure," Bonnie replied. Then, she glanced at Ivor affectionately before patting Sienna's shoulder. "I'm counting on you to keep him safe." Sienna glanced at Bonnie's hand on her shoulder and felt emotional. "All right, leave it to me!" Bonnie shoved her and ordered, "Go! Now!" "You got it!" Sienna quickly slipped into the corner with Ivor.

One of the masked assailants noticed it and told his leader, "The CEO of the Knight Group and Leo's granddaughter got away, sir. Should I send someone to chase them down?" "I've prepared for that. What matters is catching Bonita." His henchman nodded. "Understood, sir."

The leader glanced at the street across from them coldly. He barked, "Move in on her now! Leo and Jim are En.

almost here."

"Copy that." The henchman joined the foray and tried to seize Bonnie with his fellow henchmen. She was standing among the masked assailants. Her knife flashed as swiftly as lightning as she fended them off. No one could get close to her and could only attack from a further range. Website

Even so, Bonnie held them back.

Suddenly, a figure darted toward her from behind as she was about to ΕΠ take a short break.

 

Chapter 576

Bonnie's eyes looked menacing. She quickly turned over and avoided the masked assailant's sneak attack. Then she lifted her feet and launched them at his chin.

Crack! She heard the sound of his chin bones cracking and he was kicked away. He crashed to the ground and began wailing miserably.

She gave him an icy, sidelong glance. Just as she was about to look away, a figure darted at her from her right. Her cold eyes were reflected on the edge of the knife. Clenching her fist, she dodged and smashed the man's face fiercely.

"Gah!" He screamed as he fell to the ground.

She thought the man was out of the fight. Little did she know that the assailant shot up from the ground just as she turned around. He picked up the knife from the ground and slashed at her shoulder. She felt the rush of air and ducked instinctively. However, her body was at its limit, and she could not get out of the way in time.

The knife missed her shoulder, but it tore along the flesh of her arm and made a deep cut.

All of a sudden, her arm was covered with blood, and her eyes reddened with fury. "Die!" Bonnie kicked him squarely in the chest. The assailant's eyes rolled upward, and he passed out instantly.

The henchman standing next to the leader of the group becfrustrated.

"Ms. Bonita is too difficult to handle, sir. Jim and Leo will arrive if we don't take her away now. We won't be able to explain ourselves to the client then." "Don't you think I'm aware of that? The point is, our client wants her alive..." The leader smirked wickedly as an idea suddenly struck him. "Heh, I've got it. Why don't I just shoot her feet? Let's see if she can still act tough with her foot gone." He raised his pistol and aimed at her calf.

Bonnie sensed danger and saw him out of the corner of her eyes. She was startled and intended to duck out of the way. However, the other henchmen had caught her and held her, Still, and she felt helpless and frustrated.

'No! I have to stay safe and see Ivor again.

she let them taket as she looked for way to escape. FindHowever, the leader quickly opened fire. Bonnie could only watch as the bullet tore through the air toward her foot.

At the last possible moment, someone shoved Bonnie aside.

Whiz! The bullet flew right by her calf and buried itself into the wall behind her.

The next thing she knew, a team of fully armed men huddled around her, forming a perimeter,

The leader of the masked assailants was agitated. He knew the army men ve were here to protect Bonnie. 'We've lost our advantage. We can't stay here any longer.' He glared at her momentarily before waving in frustration. He barked, "Fall back!" "Let's see how far you'll get, you wretched thugs!" Leo barked.

Before long, the masked assailants were surrounded by a team of men wearing combat uniforms. Then, they were subdued. Jim ran to

Bonnie and saw the injuries she had sustained. His eyes turned red m immediately. He clenched his fists so hard that they made cracking sounds. "Are you okay? I'll take you to the hospital now."

 

Chapter 577

Bonnie wasn't doing so well, but she could only think about Ivor. Her voice carried a somberness that she had never heard before.

"I'm fine, but Ivor sustained a bad wound trying to protect me."

Jim was stunned, but he knew how much Ivor cared about her.

"Where is he now? Our cars are right outside. We can send him to the hospital now."

"We were in a dire situation. So, I asked Sienna to take him to safety first." She stood upright slowly and pointed at the corner. "They went that way. Let's look for them."

He looked at her pale face and couldn't help but try to persuade her, "You're not doing so well, Bonnie. You should just stay put. I'll bring some men with me and look for them. You have my word that I'll bring Ivor back to you in one piece."

"No!" She said sternly, "I won't rest until I've seen that he's safe with my own eyes."

Bonnie headed over to the corner hastily. Her body language was enough to show she was worried sick.

He sighed and took off after her. They had just arrived at the intersection when they saw a figure running toward them.

The surroundings were too dark, so they couldn't tell who it was. Jim took a swift step forward and stood before Bonnie. Even his men were standing by solemnly for a potential threat. However, Bonnie had excellent vision.

It might've been dark, but she could see who the figure was. "That's Sienna."

Shoving Jim aside, she ran over to Sienna. Once she was close enough, she realized that the latter was covered in blood and panting heavily.

"What are you doing here alone? Where's Ivor?"

Sienna met her worried gaze and clenched her fists. "We were on our way out when a group of people charged at us from nowhere and took him away from me."

"W-What did you say?" Bonnie looked downright terrifying as she clenched her fists hard.

Sienna gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. "I failed to keep my promise. I've humiliated myself. If you want to punish me, I'll take it."

"I know you did everything you could." Bonnie took a deep breath, attempting to suppress her distress and rage. She calmly ordered Jim, "Send all our men to track down Ivor. I want him brought back to me in one piece!"

"Copy that." Jim turned around to her bidding.

Then he looked back at Bonnie, only to see the concealed distress in her eyes. He wanted to soothe her but couldn't think of anything to say to her. All Jim could utter was, "It's not safe here. Let's just go back. She looked at the boundless darkness before her. Then, she reluctantly tore her gaze away. "Yeah. Let's go back."

'I'm worried about Ivor. I don't want to go back if I can help it, but Jim is right. It's not safe here. I might not care about myself, but I must think about the others.

'Also, these guys took Ivor away because they're after me. Standing here wouldn't help anything. I might as well go back to the hotel and use whatever connection I have to track him down.

'Maybe I could wait for these guys to contact me and talk about terms. Then, I'll bring a team to save Ivor from their clutches!'

Jim knew that she was pretending to be calm. It was akin to the calm before a storm. Bonnie might look fine, but a ferocious storm could occur.

 

Chapter 578

'The only thing I can do now is give Bonnie some space to work through her feelings,' Jim thought, 'Given the current situation, soothing her won't help her.'

This was the first time Sienna had seen Bonnie this riled up.

'She doesn't let her worries and agitation show, but I can feel how anxious she is. She is Ms. Bonita, after all. Her calm demeanor is extraordinary.'

Several days had passed since Ivor's abduction. Bonnie had exhausted all her connections to track Ivor down, but she turned up with nothing. Even Jim and Floyd sent their men out, but none returned with good news.

It was heart-wrenching. Bonnie was so worried about Ivor that she couldn't eat. It had only been a few days, but she had grown much skinnier.

Jim and Bonnie were sitting at the dining table. He watched as she moved her food around halfheartedly. He sighed and said, "You have to eat something. How else will you keep up your energy?" She sighed even louder than he did. "Forget about it. I've lost my appetite. Take it away."

She pushed the plate away, which he pushed back to her. "Have some of it, Bonnie. How will you search for Ivor on an empty stomach?"

"I mean it. I've lost my appetite." She shook her head.

Instead of persuading her, he said, "It looks like you're in love with him."

That stunned her. She pursed her lips but didn't respond. It was a silent admission.

'Ivor used to cling to me all the time. It's not like I hated him for doing that, but I didn't like it, either. Sometimes, I thought I'd never have peace until I shook him off. I don't find it peaceful now that he's no longer by my side. Instead, my heart feels empty, as if something's missing.'

Jim had always known she'd eventually succumb to Ivor's relentless attempts to win her heart. He couldn't help but sigh hard. She looked so distressed that he tried to soothe her.

"Ivor is a decent man. I'm sure the universe will look after him and ensure his safety. Also, if those guys decided to abduct him, then it means they weren't after his life. There's something else that they want. That means that he's probably safe for now."

She nodded in approval. "I'm aware of that."

Then, something occurred to her, and the anxiety she had just suppressed resurfaced.

"It's just that I feel this weight in my heart. It'll always be there until I know that Ivor's safe."

He tried to comfort her again. "You're overthinking it. He'll be fine."

She sighed gloomily, her eyes undecipherable.

Sienna came in through the side door and saw the look on Bonnie's face. She felt a pang of guilt. Taking a deep breath, Sienna readied herself mentally before she walked over to Bonnie.

"Like I said, it's my fault that Ivor was abducted. Don't worry about it, Bonnie. I'll make amends for my mistake. I won't return to Arvandor until I track him down!"

 

Chapter 579

Bonnie smiled slightly at how serious Sienna looked. "I appreciate it."

She meant it from the bottom of her heart, too.

Sienna's face turned red. Coughing lightly, she turned her head.

"Did I ask for your appreciation? Let me clarify something, Bonnie. I'm only doing this because you're Ms. Bonita. Furthermore, I was the one who lost him. The way I see it, they've taken more than Ivor. They've also robbed me of my pride.

"They wouldn't have been able to pull it off if I weren't exhausted from the previous fight! That said, I still failed. So, I have a responsibility to get him back."

Bonnie stared at her profoundly and stood up. Then she patted Sienna's shoulder.

Sienna went stiff for a second before she asked, "W-What are you doing?"

Bonnie responded firmly, "You have my respect now, Sienna."

That reminded Sienna of her bet with Bonnie. She was stunned for a while before she returned to her senses. Suddenly, she felt pissed off and smacked Bonnie's hand away. "Y-You played me for a fool because I didn't know the truth!"

Then, she thought deeply, 'When I made a bet with her, we agreed that whoever won Bonita's respect also won the bet. Then, I found out she was Bonita. What was the point of the bet, then? She had me wrapped around her finger the whole time. Our bet was nothing but a joke.'

The more Sienna thought about it, the angrier she got. She scoffed and said, "All right, I've wasted enough time on you. My point is that I'll bring Ivor back safe and sound. So, you can go ahead and stop worrying about it!"

Sienna then turned around and made her way out of the living room.

Jim watched as she left, his eyes filled with humor. "Sienna might seem like a hothead at first, but deep down, she's a decent lady."

Bonnie nodded in approval. "Exactly. All she needs is guidance, and she's well on her way to becoming a pillar of society."

Jim looked at her, visibly stunned. "I didn't expect you to have high hopes for her!"

"Do I?" She shrugged. "I'm just stating a fact here."

Sienna had just exited the living room and was standing at the door when she saw Leo. "What are you doing here, Grandpa?"

Then she glanced at the living room. "Have you been eavesdropping on our conversation, Grandpa?"

He glared at her and asked, "What do you mean by eavesdropping? Is that the way to talk to your grandpa? You guys were so loud. Do you think I need to do something that shady?"

She thought about it and muttered, "I don't think I spoke particularly loud in there."

He heard her, but he ignored her remark. After all, that wasn't what he cared about. What grabbed his attention was the attitude she had shown Bonnie. "It looks like you've moved from your petty squabble with Ms. Bonita."

He thought, 'I'm just glad Sienna finally sees what's more important.'

A hint of uneasiness flashed in her eyes. "She's Ms. Bonita. I can't keep hanging on to our petty differences. That'll make me small-minded."

He stared at her. He was wise, and it didn't take him long to see through his granddaughter. "Are you sure you let go of your differences with her because she's Ms. Bonita? Is there no other reason at play here?"

His questions had hit home. She, too, was asking herself the same question.

 

Chapter 580

'Did I decide to let go of my petty differences with Bonnie because she's Ms. Bonita? No. That's not true at all.

'Bonnie simply possesses maturity and talents that I can never hope to match. I've been arrogant my whole life. I never thought anyone was better than me. That all changed when I met Bonnie. 'She has achieved so much. That's not all, either. She might be talented and have many skills, but she never flaunts them. Instead, she's modest about them. I can't compete with her on that alone.' Sienna's mind wandered back to all the arrogant things she had done because she considered herself talented.

'I didn't think much about it before. Looking back, I realize how absurd and immature I've always been. I was ignorant. It's no wonder Bonnie was able to play me like a fool.

'Maybe I'm nothing but an ignorant child to Bonnie. That could explain why she hasn't held any of it over me.'

Various thoughts flashed in Sienna's mind. After working through them, she finally saw her real feelings. She smiled at Leo. "I've let go of it, Grandpa, but I didn't do so just because she's Ms. Bonita. It's also because of who she is when she's Bonnie."

'This is what I've been waiting for.' Reaching out, he patted his granddaughter on the shoulder, his face filled with love.

"Judging by your expression, I think you've thoroughly thought it through and come to terms with it. Ms. Bonita is a fine example for you to follow. Learn what you can from her."

She couldn't help but ask him, "Do you think I stand a chance to be better than her?"

He glanced at her and stroked his chin gently. "Do you want me to tell you the truth or sugarcoat it for you?"

She knew what he meant. "I-I guess you should sugarcoat it, Grandpa."

He responded swiftly, "There's no way you'll ever become better than her."

'That means the truth is the opposite of what he said. Grandpa's trying to say that I still stand a chance to overtake Bonita and become better than she is! I didn't think Grandpa had such high hopes for me and believed in my capabilities.'

The thought of it made her feel overjoyed. Even her eyes were sparkling with hope now. "Well, what about the truth, Grandpa? Can you tell me the truth?"

He glanced at her again and said, "The truth is that you can live ten times as long, but you'll never catch up to her achievements."

Sienna remained quiet.

'Ugh... I shouldn't have asked him at all.'

A couple of weeks later, Bonnie was standing on the roof of a skyscraper as she cast a glance at the milling crowds on the ground.

Strong, chilling gusts of wind blew past her, lifting her long hair and her sleeves.

She might've been skinny and frail, but she remained sure-footed in the face of the howling wind.

Although she looked tough, there was this sense of miserable loneliness about her.

Jim, who had just come to the rooftop, saw how she looked and felt disheartened. Worried that he might disturb her, he walked to her side slowly.

"The International Scientific Research Conference is over. We have to return to Arvandor."

She looked at him, her eyes still filled with distress.

"Any leads on Ivor?"