As the cultivator and the bald gangster began their ominous introduction, the air in the alley became charged with oppressive energy. The black fog surrounding the cultivator seemed to twist with evil, casting a scary glow that accentuated the shadows dancing in the corners.The bald gangster, driven by a mix of fear and awe, shouted compliments about the cultivator's bravery. His words painted a gruesome tapestry of the cultivator's dark deeds – a tally of lives extinguished, a legacy built upon destruction. The alley echoed with tales of the cultivator's cruelty, and it became clear that the forthcoming threat surpassed anything Nathan had faced before.Gwen, caught in the midst of this revealing threat, felt a chill run down her spine. The cultivator's reputation seemed to lead him like a haunting threat, and the fear of the unknown gripped her. It was her first encounter with a force so powerful, and the realization that her body had been manipulated only moments ago increased her

The tension in the alley reached a boiling point as the cultivator, desperate to end the situation, attempted to coerce Gwen into a drastic and unthinkable act. The air was thick with apprehension as he directed his energy towards her, intending to force her to take her own life.However, as the cultivator focused on manipulating the situation, he felt an inexplicable resistance in his own energy. It was as if an unseen force had frozen his abilities, rendering him incapable of wielding the power he sought to exert over Gwen. A perplexed frown etched across his face as he grappled with the unexpected impediment.Meanwhile, Gwen, with her finger on the trigger, felt intense pressure urging her to pull it. The unseen forces at play seemed to tug at her resolve, threatening to plunge her into a dire course of action. However, another force, seemingly protective in nature, controlled her finger, preventing her from succumbing to the cultivator's dark influence.The alley echoed with the s

Karina now understood the truth of the matter; she now understood why Nathan had to act the way he did because of the pendant, because he had collected it from her only for James to take it from him. She now understood that Nathan was not in the wrong and that it was James who was wrong in this situation.“What? Why did you have to take his pendant in the first place?”“Why shouldn’t I have taken it? We have been taking care of him ever since he got married to you; the least we could do is take the pendant from him and sell it; that way we can get some money from him."“You shouldn’t have done that, James!” Karina yelled with an angry look in her eyes.“Don’t yell at James like that; you should channel that anger towards Nathan; he was the one that beat up my son."“Mom James was in the wrong in this situation; he was the one that made Nathan react that way,” Karina complained. She knew how her mother always supports James, even though he was in the wrong.“James is not wrong for what

"Karina is my ex-wife," Nathan stated, his words hanging in the air, causing a sense of discomfort to pass over Karina's features. She braced herself for what was to come, sensing a shift in Gwen's demeanor.Gwen's expression hardened imperceptibly; her previous warmth was replaced by a thin veil of hostility. Unconsciously, she began drawing comparisons in her mind, assessing Karina and sizing up the history between Nathan and his ex-wife. A faint sense of insecurity crept into Gwen's stance, her defenses subtly rising as she gauged Karina's presence. Although she liked Nathan, she tried her best not to show it so soon.Karina, perceptive to the shift in the atmosphere, felt a pang of regret for the unintended discomfort caused by her mere presence. She struggled to maintain composure, caught in the crosscurrents of emotions, wishing to dissolve any tension."I hope I'm not causing any inconvenience," Karina interjected softly, her attempt to diffuse the tension evident in her voice.

“How about we make a bet on who would achieve the highest things between Alex and Nathan within a month?” Gwen proposed.Alex laughed out loud. “What? You are willing to bet on such a loser? A loser like Nathan is not worthy of being compared with me." Alex found it amusing that Gwen was willing to make such a comparison.Karina also laughed out loud; she believed that Nathan was useless and wouldn’t be able to achieve anything great because, since they were married, he hadn’t been able to achieve anything great at all.Gwen, on the other hand, was confident that she would be able to assist Nathan in achieving great things. “Laugh all you want, but are you willing to make the bet?”Karina was confident that Alex would achieve the highest things within a month, but at the end of the day, Alex was richer than Nathan and had more influence than him.“What’s the stake in the bet?”Gwen swiftly answered. “The stake in the bet is for the loser to admit that they were blind to the other pers