Sylvia had no confidence in dealing with him after what he did to Pierce, Eric, and Ruth. The fear lingered that Dante might suddenly turn hostile, and it took her quite a while to regain her composure.Her victory in the second confrontation with Dante was hard-won. Although he had reluctantly agreed not to harm her friends or family at the moment, Sylvia needed to proceed cautiously. Sylvia retrieved a voice recorder from her drawer—she had recorded the entire conversation with Dante.Listening to the recording, she gradually smiled. She promptly called Matthew and said, "Come to my office. There's something important I need you to do."-Matthew swiftly arrived, and Sylvia handed him the voice recorder. "Matthew, inside is my recent conversation with Dante. I want you to compare Dante's voiceprint from the recorder with the one in the videos. Just let me know the results for now. Don't produce any official proof."If the voiceprints matched, Sylvia would have another card in
Sylvia and Lionel frequently exchanged information. Lionel could discern that she had exerted tremendous effort for Eric and others.Sylvia's voice reassured Lionel, affirming that Dante's influence from the Combat Department hadn't affected their communication much. It marked a partial victory for both. Armed with two video clips, they felt immune to Dante's actions.Lionel said, "Ms. Williams, Dante contacted me recently, likely to discuss the video matter. I suspect he might use my daughter to coerce me into abandoning the investigation."Whether Ruth committed treason or not, her fate appeared to be under Dante's authority.Lionel anticipated Dante using Ruth as a bargaining chip. He sought advice on responding to such an approach, considering they were on the same ship now.Sylvia suggested, "If Dante decides not to pursue your daughter's case, it might be better to have her return. Currently, our hands are tied, and we need someone capable to help us."Sylvia had many consi
When Dante met with those few individuals, they never mentioned appointing him as the head of the Combat Department. This made it difficult for him to act and even more challenging to deal directly with Sylvia and Lionel. He had to compromise and wait for the right opportunity.Lionel glanced at Dante and asked, "Can I trust words?"It was another round of merciless mockery. The term "trust" ignited Dante's anger, but he had no choice with Lionel holding the videos.Dante replied, "Mr. McClain, my hands are tied now. I've already promised Ms. Williams not to harm those around her. I'll even take extra care of the Innova Group. Even if you don't trust me, do you doubt her?"Lionel chuckled, increasingly admiring Sylvia. Just days ago, Dante had framed her husband, and now she had already turned the tables around."Very well," Lionel nodded. "Let's do what you said. However, I hope you won't go back on your word. Otherwise, how the video got leaked might become a mystery!""Okay."
During their conversation, Sean occasionally stole glances at Ruth. While he knew her due to her status in King City, they weren't close. Given his frequent overseas travels, Sean and Ruth couldn't be considered familiar.Observing this, Eric raised an eyebrow and asked, "You like her?"Sean blushed and replied, "Not really. I just didn't know Mr. McClain's daughter is the Lieutenant General of the Combat Department. It's a bit intimidating."Ruth had talent in martial arts. Coupled with her identity as Lionel's daughter, she became Pierce's protege and the Lieutenant General. Without her status, it might have been challenging for her to achieve these roles.Eric seemed skeptical. He had played matchmaker for Keith and Valerie and was now considering pairing Sean with Ruth. His primary goal was to match Sean with Jessica, who had a crush on him. If Sean were in a relationship, it would save Eric a lot of trouble.Smiling, Eric whispered, "She may seem tough, but she's one of the M
Ruth said, "My mother passed away early, and my father has never remarried. In a family like the McClains, especially with my father in the position of the family leader, it'd be difficult for him to maintain his status without enough power."At that point, Eric finally understood. Ruth was Lionel's only daughter, so she had to shoulder certain responsibilities. Even if Lionel did not explicitly state it, Ruth willingly took on these duties. She became the Lieutenant General of the Combat Department and Pierce's protege to support her father.Very few women would willingly choose such a profession from birth.Eric knew he had touched a sensitive topic and did not continue the conversation.During dinner, Eric noticed that the topic did not seem to significantly impact Ruth.Speaking of meals, Ruth, like Sylvia, belonged to the type of person who needed to fill her stomach first before handling her problems.Night descended with the accompaniment of thunder, and raindrops started
Eric hurried toward Ruth's room without bothering to put on clothes. He forcefully kicked the door wide open and found a dark figure standing next to the bed. The intruder clutched the blanket, gazing emptily at the pillow, which bore three gunshot holes.The intruder, however, reacted swiftly. As Eric kicked open the door, the intruder aimed the gun at the entrance, firing three shots.Recognizing the intruder's armed and trained status, Eric had strategically taken cover behind the wall before kicking the door. The three shots hit the wall, sparing him from harm.Eric wasted no time and charged in. His remarkable speed allowed him to reach the intruder in the blink of an eye, delivering a swift blow to the neck.The intruder's eyes widened, and he crumpled to the floor.Eric kicked the gun aside, sighing in relief. Glancing at the pillow, he couldn't shake off the chilling thought that if Ruth had been there, she would have met a deadly fate.Ruth entered the scene, picking up
Ruth nodded and advised, "Exercise caution and bring in more people."With skilled individuals by his side, Sean found it manageable to handle such situations.After ordering the disposal of the assassin, he remarked, "It appears this place is no longer safe. I'll arrange for you to relocate."Relocating seemed the safest option, but Ruth disagreed, "No need to move. Eric and I need to stay put if we want to identify the person behind this. After their failed attempt, they'll likely send someone else. They won't be able to explain to their client if they fail to eliminate us."Ruth's expertise in this line of work was evident.Sean sought Eric's opinion, who nodded and reassured, "Let's stay here for now. Don't worry."In the confined villa space, Eric wasn't afraid of armed assassins. With precautions in place, he could move faster than an assassin.Sean agreed, "Alright, I'll send more people tonight."Afterward, he left.Eric sensed that Sean wasn't overly concerned about R
"What is this thing?" Ruth asked, feeling a sense of confusion. Had she misunderstood Eric? How could a website have a list with her name on it?However, she quickly grasped the situation and exclaimed, "This is an assassination bounty list! How did you find this thing?!""Is it that difficult?" Eric replied, "When you mentioned the well-trained assassin, it reminded me of this website."Don't forget, I'm proficient in network technology. There's a group in our line of work, and I've heard them talk about an assassin organization."On this organization's website, there's a secretive bounty platform. Clients post bounties, and assassins take the orders. After completing the job, the assassin gets paid. I didn't pay much attention when I first heard about it. It came to my mind just now, so I checked and found your name."Ruth stared at Eric. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"Eric shrugged. "You didn't ask!"Ruth rolled her eyes and focused on the laptop screen again. "One million?