"Where are your heels, Clara?"The woman who was initially dressed very elegantly from head to toe, now looked like a homeless person after she removed her high heels. After dozens of floors were overcome without injury from the guards, but their bodies seemed shattered from climbing the stairs one by one up to the 15th floor."Are you still asking, Franklin? Of course it's because it's been a long time since I exercised using these damn feet. My feet feel a little sore, you know!"Unlike Clara, Franklin looked just fine. Perhaps he was out of breath, but he was good enough at using his feet to move around. Maybe because Franklin had been used to walking since he was little."I'll contact the helicopter pilot, we'd better head to the top of this building. After dozens of floors, I'm not sure your Mother and Sister are here, Franklin." Clara spoke with sad eyes. "They must be there. Frans, he just wants to make us exhausted and unable to fight the enemies whose difficulty levels increa
"Where are my Mother and Sister?" Franklin clenched his fists.However, Frans seemed to greatly underestimate his nephew. Although Franklin's appearance was far from his expectations and made him a little surprised, Frans still tried to appear calm and normal. Because Frans realized, he was no longer facing Franklin—the package delivery guy, but Franklin as a man who was already familiar with weapons and drugs."So, this is how you are now, Son?" Frans put his hands in his pants pockets. "Not a whining kid anymore, huh?""Hurry up and tell me, you bastard! Or I'll shoot your head!"Frans laughed harshly. The damp and stuffy room bounced Frans' voice so loudly and echoing. Seeing Frans' increasingly annoying response, Franklin drew his weapon."If you kill me, you won't meet your Mother." Frans sneered. "In this building it's not just us, Franklin. The killers will finish off your Mother if my voice is no longer heard by them. Which means, you killed me."Clara, who was on the side, wh
"My life?"Franklin pointed at himself with teary eyes. His hands were trembling as Frans stated something he wanted in exchange for returning Vina and his mother. Not only Franklin, but Clara was stunned too.Silence fell, with only the chirping of birds nesting in the building audible. Meanwhile, the humans gathered there stared at each other with unexpressible feelings. Especially Franklin, he stood frozen in front of Frans."Are you joking? You're truly insane, old man!" Clara shoved Frans, quickly pointing her gun at his head, capable of blowing his skull apart."Shoot, and Franklin will lose his sick sister and mother," Frans urged, raising both hands.Frans shifted his gaze to Franklin, who was hunched over, staring blankly at the floor. What was the point of sacrificing his life if he would die anyway and then couldn't protect his still living mother and sister?"What kind of offer is that, huh? It's the same as Franklin not being able to see his mother again, you bastard!" Cl
The hand-to-hand combat lasted over ten minutes. Though without weapons, the fight spilled a lot of blood and sacrificed the only bodies they had. There was no opportunity to protect their own bodies, Frans and Franklin were equally strong.Moreover, Frans' dark life background enabled him to fight against the younger one. Even with his already battered face before this evenly matched fight, he still exerted all his strength to counter Franklin's punches, kicks, and dodges."Bastard!" Frans knelt down. He spat to the side.His saliva mixed with reddish blood, a sign that Frans' internal organs had been affected by Franklin's hard punches to his chest area. His gaze was still sharp, showing his hatred towards Franklin."Turns out you're not polite enough when dealing with an old man, huh."Frans stood up, his fists still clenched, indicating he still wanted to continue fighting with Franklin, his nephew. Even though his legs were already shaking, Frans kept signaling that he would init
"What's your name?"Clara smiled as Mrs. Franklin asked her name. Although she had cared for the elderly woman when she was lying weakly in the hospital, Clara had never shown herself in front of the Franklin family before. So this was the first time she was meeting Vina and her mother face-to-face.Unfortunately, their meeting happened at the wrong time. Clara saw Mrs. Franklin's face, already very pale with wounds all over most of her body. She couldn't fathom how Frans could beat up an elderly, ill woman like that."I'm Clara." Right after saying her name, Mrs. Franklin slowly closed her eyes and lost consciousness. Clara knew the woman would sleep for a long time because of the wounds that hurt not just her physically, but also mentally. Just like Vina, the girl was terrified at the sight of a man. Her wounds were even worse than her mother's."Give them the best treatment," Clara ordered.At the large hospital, Clara purposely had them treated there so they could be closely mon
"So, how long will he be in a coma?"Clara was speechless when one of her trusted doctors gave her unpleasant news about Frans. It turned out Merida—the ghost assassin—had used inner force when trying to subdue Frans. You could say Merida had almost killed Frans, who was now threatened with nerve system damage.The doctor's explanation was quite detailed but left Clara frustrated. Initially, she was curious about the reason behind Frans's kidnapping. However, if this situation occurred, it was highly unlikely that Clara and Franklin would be able to find out."Make sure he stays alive," Clara ordered. "I really need him and don't let death touch him."After a brief discussion, Clara went back to see Franklin. It was now dinnertime and the special patient meals were available. Franklin knew he was still having a very hard time eating on his own, but he didn't want help from a nurse."Can you swallow this?" Clara asked, pointing to the rice porridge complete with puréed vegetables."I d
The days full of difficulties were successfully passed. However, Franklin still had to endure the sore and aching from the stitches after his neck surgery. During this time, the hospital nurses had been helping Franklin with limited activities. As for Clara, she occasionally came to visit him, although she had rarely visited recently."Miss, do you recognize the woman who usually comes to visit me in the evening?" The nurse nodded, with a friendly smile she answered Franklin's question. "Miss Clara? Of course. But, for the time being Miss Clara will be very busy.""Why? Is there something urgent?" The nurse had never seen Franklin before. Although she was on duty at the hospital, at least Clara would often hold parties so that her colleagues or subordinates would get to know each other. However, she was seeing Franklin for the first time and he had never attended the regular parties hosted by Clara."I also don't know. Just guessing." The nurse was reluctant to give an explanation
"What's all the commotion here?"Clara might not have been at the hospital for a certain period of time. It's just that one thing they didn't know was that Clara had a trusted person monitoring the situation and condition of the hospital to report to her. And today, Clara has returned after receiving news that Franklin was not being treated well."Weren't you all sworn to provide good service to patients?"Wanda, the young nurse whose name became Clara's main target, now faced the head of the hospital, whose status had been kept hidden all this time."I heard reports that you didn't take good care of the patient named Franklin. What's your reason for doing all that, Wanda?""I'm sorry, Miss."An apology is an implicit admission of sin, and Clara understood that very well."I didn't think I could make a mistake in recruiting nurses at this hospital." Clara turned her face away and folded her arms. "You, didn't you just pass the final selection stage and haven't even been at this hospit
Franklin was finally allowed to go home after a few weeks in the hospital. His condition was improving, and although he was still tired, Franklin was relieved to be back home. Clara, who faithfully accompanied him during his recovery, prepared to take Franklin home.Just as Franklin was ready to be discharged, the hospital room door suddenly opened and Selena appeared. She was carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers in her hand. She smiled when she saw Franklin, "Hi, Franklin. I'm glad to see you're better. I came to see you."Franklin smiled slightly and nodded, "Thank you, Selena. I'm glad to be home too."Clara, who was standing beside Franklin, felt something strange when she saw Selena. Although she tried hard not to show her feelings, her heart was filled with jealousy. Selena always seemed to be close to Franklin, and even though they were just friends, Clara couldn't help but feel uncomfortable every time she saw their closeness.Seeing the change in Clara's expression, Sarah, who
Charles felt increasingly desperate. Despite all his efforts to separate Clara and Franklin, he couldn't accept the reality that Franklin would remain in Clara's life. The long-suppressed jealousy and hatred in his heart reached a boiling point, finally pushing him to take more drastic action.That night, Charles entered the hospital with cautious steps. He hid his evil intentions behind a calm facade. After ensuring the hallway where Franklin was being treated was empty of nurses or visitors, he approached Franklin's room door.With trembling hands, Charles opened the door and saw Franklin lying weakly in the hospital bed. His face looked peaceful, seemingly unaware of the deadly threat approaching him. Charles walked slowly to the bedside, trying to calm his mind filled with various considerations. However, one thought kept dominating him—that Franklin must be eliminated so Clara would no longer be bound to him.Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pillow. He was c
After waking up, Sarah felt dizzy and confused. The world seemed to be spinning around her, and it took a while for her to realize where she was. Slowly, the memory of Franklin's accident hit her again. Suddenly, her heart was filled with deep worry, and she immediately asked to be escorted to the hospital, where Franklin was being treated.When Sarah arrived at the hospital, she found it very quiet. Family and neighbors sat anxiously in the waiting room. As her eyes fell on Clara, who sat quietly by Franklin's bedside with eyes puffy with tears, Sarah felt something different in her heart.All this time, Sarah had always objected to Franklin and Clara's relationship. Not because of Clara, but because of the dark past, where Clara's brother Charles was allegedly involved in the death of her husband, Franklin's father. The wound was still too deep for Sarah to heal, and it made it difficult for her to fully accept Clara.However, now, seeing Clara faithfully stand by Franklin's side, h
That morning, the atmosphere in Franklin's house was calm and peaceful. After going through the trials that almost separated him from Clara, Franklin was feeling more optimistic about his future. Although there was still a lot to sort out, especially in his relationship with his family, Franklin was confident that he could get through this with Clara.He got ready to go to the office as usual. As he left the house, Clara walked him to his car with a gentle smile. "Be careful on the road, Franklin. I'll be waiting for you at home," Clara said as she kissed his cheek.Franklin smiled back and closed the car door. No bad thoughts crossed his mind as he started the engine of his car and started driving down the highway. However, what Franklin didn't know was that Charles and Ronald had executed their latest plan to ruin Franklin's car.Somewhere hidden, Charles and Ronald were watching from a distance. They had sabotaged the brakes of Franklin's car, ensuring that the accident would happe
Charles sat in his magnificent study, with a large window overlooking his back garden. However, the beautiful view outside the window could not ease his anger. His face was tense, and his mind was filled with plans on how to separate Franklin from Clara. To Charles, Franklin was a threat he couldn't ignore, especially since Clara loved the man so much.Just then, the door to his study opened slowly. Ronald, his best friend and ally, entered with steady steps. Charles looked at him with eyes that implied tension, then invited him to sit down."Ronald, I can no longer allow Clara to be with Franklin," Charles began in a flat, but firm tone. "We have to separate them, no matter what we have to do."Ronald nodded slowly, although in his heart there was hesitation. He understood that Charles had personal reasons to hate Franklin, but Ronald also knew that Clara was a strong woman and not easy to manipulate. However, his feelings of love for Clara made him willing to do whatever it took to
A few days had passed since the last conversation between Franklin and Clara. Although they had decided to distance themselves from each other, their feelings still bubbled beneath the surface. Franklin felt lonely and restless. Every night, his mind was filled with images of Clara, wondering if the decision to stay away was the right one. However, doubts and insecurities continue to plague his mind, the result of Charles' manipulations poisoning his mind more and more.Meanwhile, Clara cannot fully accept the fact that her relationship with Franklin has been fractured. In the midst of her turmoil, she realizes that there are many things that Franklin doesn't know, and that makes her feel even more guilty. However, she knew that she was not guilty in any way. Clara tried to focus on her work, but the feeling of missing Franklin always loomed over her.One afternoon, Clara received a call from one of her men, Toni. Toni was the person she trusted to investigate more about what happened
Charles and Ronald were both upset to hear the news that Franklin was back. For Charles, Franklin's return was a nightmare that shouldn't have happened. He feels that Franklin is an obstacle in his quest to control everything, including Clara's relationship. Meanwhile, Ronald, who has long harbored feelings for Clara, is now burning with jealousy. Franklin's return means Clara will refocus on her lover, making Ronald feel even more distant from her expectations.At a café, Charles and Ronald meet to discuss their next plans. Charles sipped his coffee with a serious face, his eyes staring straight ahead, trying to devise a strategy."We can't let this continue," Charles said, his voice low but determined. "Franklin needs to get out of Clara's life, or at the very least, Clara needs to get out of Franklin's life."Ronald nodded, though inwardly he felt anxious. "But how? They seem so close now, especially after this incident."Charles furrowed his brow, thinking hard. "We'll have to sep
After a long and tense journey, Clara finally arrived in front of the Franklin family home. She glanced at Franklin in the passenger seat, who still looked tired and shaken by all the events they had just gone through. Although Franklin was trying to remain calm, there was obvious worry in his eyes. They had just escaped Amanda's clutches, but what awaited at home might be no less nerve-wracking."Franklin, we're here," Clara said softly, breaking the silence. Franklin nodded, trying to compose himself for a moment before getting out of the car.When Franklin and Clara got out of the car, the front door of the house was wide open. Sarah, Franklin's mother, and Vina, his younger sister, stood in the doorway. Their faces instantly changed from shocked to full of emotion when they saw Franklin. Vina immediately ran to her brother, hugging him tightly."Brother Franklin! You're alive! We thought you were...," Vina's voice was cut off by the sobs she couldn't contain. She had been devastat
Franklin stood still when he saw Clara in front of him. His face was filled with shock, as if he couldn't believe that Clara was really here, in this remote village. After everything that had happened, this meeting felt like a miracle. Meanwhile, Clara looked at Franklin with a mixture of relief, anger, and anxiety. The tears she had been holding back now began to well up in her eyes."Franklin... Are you okay?" Clara's voice sounded hoarse, full of emotion. She came closer, almost wanting to hug Franklin, but something held her back. Maybe it was the feeling that this was too surreal, or maybe it was the haunting sense of dread.Franklin nodded slowly, still rooted to the spot. "I... I didn't expect us to meet here. Clara, I really don't know how to explain everything. It's like a nightmare."Clara reached out and took Franklin's arm. "We'll get through this together, Franklin. I won't let anyone hurt you again."However, the moment was suddenly interrupted by a rustling sound around