Luna hesitated for a moment before saying, "But he's one of Mr. Vazquez's men. If he dies, won't Mr. Vazquez retaliate?" Philip snorted. "Of course, Mr. Vazquez, the man who thinks he runs the world, will retaliate, but not for a mutt's death. He'll do it to trace the clues leading back to Reginald, Andrew's father." He continued calmly, "Right now, Andrew still can't break through his third seal. The only person who truly keeps Mr. Vazquez on edge is Reginald. Jaden and the Owens family are nothing more than pawns in this long-running chess match between those two. "And Andrew? He's just the newest piece added to the board, a reckless one at that. This game between Reginald and Mr. Vazquez is about to reach its breaking point." Luna was stunned. "I didn't realize things were this complicated. Mr. Vazquez still refuses to let Mr. Lloyd Senior go after all these years?" Philip let out a cold laugh. "Who said he's the one doing the chasing? It's hard to tell who's after whom n

Andrew drove his beat-up car through the streets and alleys of Chetvine for nearly two hours. He did not have any real destination in mind and was just out for a joyride. The tail that had been following him eventually gave up after a while because his route looked exactly like that of a house servant from the Lloyd family running errands. His car alone gave it away. It was in such terrible shape that no real member of the Lloyd family would ever be caught dead driving it. Once Andrew figured the timing was right, he made a sharp U-turn and sped straight toward Jaden's villa. This time, he was determined to kill the man. … By nightfall, the luxurious villa stood dimly lit. Every window was covered with thick curtains, making it impossible to see what was going on inside. The only light came from the front lawn, where the glow of spotlights revealed people coming and going. Dozens of burly guards patrolled the perimeter, each with an earpiece, pretending to be alert. However,

Jaden's face twisted in fury. "Valerie Reyes, don't push your luck!" Then, a loud bang echoed through the house. Andrew froze for a second, watching as the door was kicked clean off its hinges. Next, Valerie stepped out, tall and striking, moving with the predatory grace of a seductress. Kicking open the door like that, she walked out and completely ignored Jaden. The latter stood frozen in the room, trembling with rage but forcing himself not to explode. A few of his men came rushing upstairs. "Mr. Horton, is everything okay?" Jaden roared, "Get out! Who told you to come up here? Get the hell out, now!" The men backed off nervously, exchanging confused looks. They had no idea why their boss had just lost it. Meanwhile, Valerie stormed downstairs, slipped into a silver Aston Martin, and sped off into the night. From the window, Jaden watched Valerie's taillights disappear, his face dark with anger. She growled, "Stupid bitch, who the hell do you think you are?" He sna

Valerie's attacks came fast and ruthless. Her long legs swept toward Andrew in a relentless series of kicks, but he blocked every strike with his palms, pressing her legs down each time with precise, effortless control. The longer they fought, the more frustrated she became. She realized that no matter how fierce her offense was, she could not land a single clean hit on him. Continuing this way was pointless, and that smirk on his face only made her angrier. Was he looking down on her? With an angry shout, Valerie spun midair and landed several feet back. Her cold, proud eyes suddenly glowed with a faint violet light. Andrew sneered. "Go ahead and use whatever special techniques the Reyes family has. I might not be able to handle a martial emperor from your family, but you? No offense, but you're no match for me." Valerie's expression remained blank. "Is that so? Then tonight, I'll show you what humiliation feels like." In an instant, she vanished. The air exploded around h

Valerie was shocked, twisting her body while simultaneously driving her knee toward Andrew. Andrew ignored it completely, taking the hit squarely in his abdomen. He spat out another mouthful of blood, and his belly burned with excruciating pain. Even so, the pallor that flashed across his face vanished instantly. Seemingly unaffected, he grabbed Valerie's shoulder. Then, with a violent pull, he yanked her graceful body straight down toward the ground. Valerie's brows shot up in fury as her fists came like a storm, hammering toward Andrew. Andrew dodged. Then, in one motion, he positioned himself directly behind her. The hand gripping her shoulder pulsed with energy. Valerie grunted, feeling as if half her shoulder was about to be torn off. With her concentration disrupted, Andrew's other hand broke through the Amethyst Shield defense on her other side. At this point, Andrew held Valerie as if in an embrace. But between them, this was no embrace. Instead, he had locked bo