“I believe I have permission to begin the process?”“... Yeah, you can begin.”“Much appreciated. And yes, I hope you won't try to put your mouth after the bet is concluded.”“You…”“As you remain silent now, remain that way even after I'm done.” Richard coldly remarked.Not even bothering to wait for a response or for David's guards to give out yet another pointless threat, he approached the bed Mr. Lopez was on with Melinda tagging along and Anna keeping her distance from Davina and Eva.***The tension in the air was palpable as Richard hovered over Mr. Lopez, utilizing his [Eyes of Truth] skill to inspect the old man's body.Meanwhile, Melinda had already begun her treatment, utilizing a special technique from the Dawson family martial archives to run checkups on Mr. Lopez's body. More than a minute passed before she raised her head to meet Richard's gaze.She shook her head, indicating that she hadn't detected anything wrong with the old man's body, either be it in his flesh, bl
‘No, this is impossible. There's no way, it can't be!... How did he use water to deal with the poison?... Just how?’ Davina almost lost her mind as she tried to fathom how Richard managed to cure Mr. Lopez.The thought of what would happen now caused her to grow even more terrified as she began to figure out a way out of this mess, having no idea that Eva had devices of her own.Eva, knowing fully well that the gig was up, decided to make a statement before attempting an escape.From the moment Richard had been bold enough to ask her father for permission to try healing her grandfather, Eva had experienced a nagging feeling that something was wrong which was why she had prepared for such a scenario.Pulling out the hairpin she used to hold her hair in place, she charged at Anna before anyone could even recover from their shock at seeing Mr. Lopez recover so quickly.“Die, you bitch!” She cried out as she brandished the hairpin, covering it in a thin veil of Spirit energy and swinging
“What nonsense are you spouting now, jezebel?... You'd best explain yourself before I do something we'll both regret.” Mr. Lopez warned as he prepared to rise to his feet.Despite his words, however, Davina no longer cowered like before and even grew bold as she grinned. “Do you think you can still scare me with your empty words, old bastard?... You'd best care more for what's about to happen to your pathetic Mafia.”“You have grown bold, isn't that so?... Fine then, I'll make you realize that in this family, I am still in charge.”Mr. Lopez sprang up to his feet, acting as though he hadn't just spent several weeks in a coma, his complexion as rosy as could be as he stomped toward Davina.Just then, an explosion somewhere caused dust to fall from the roof causing Mr. Lopez to stop in his tracks, his expression cold as he glared at Davina who was grinning wickedly.“What is the meaning of this?”“Hehe, Be prepared, Lopez family, your reign over Barracuda will soon be destroyed as a new
The entire city of Barracuda was in a state of unrest as the common folk couldn't help but worry about the battle happening in the Lopez manor.The fact that the Lopez had remained overlords for many years ensured that the people were familiar with what they were capable of.But with these new attackers?... What if they were worse?... Would they have to experience even more hardship because of this?For most, they had to hope that the Lopez family would emerge victorious else the coming weeks would end up being a trying time for all those involved.Of course that only applied to the middle and lower class in the city.For the upper class, they were eagerly eyeing the battle to find out who would come out on top.For those that were directly linked to the Lopez family, they didn't hesitate to sever those links while those that weren't, kept a neutral stance, not willing to support anyone just yet.It was a means to get ahead as long as they could quickly gain the favor of whoever would
Mr. Lopez nearly collapsed upon hearing what the Chief of Police had to say.Not only had his men turned against him, but his allies and even his own money were being used to ensure he would have nowhere to turn to.Gritting his teeth, he ended the call, not willing to hear any more of what the Chief wished to say.His entire plan has fallen apart and now, his only choice remains barrelling through the enemy, hopeful that he won't get struck by an explosive.“Damn it!” Mr. Lopez bellowed as he glared at Eva and her unconscious mother.He'd always known Davina would be the end of the Lopez family if he let her do as she saw fit.Unfortunately, his word was law, and considering he'd already promised to marry Davina to David, he couldn't change that.Anna was meant to be his trump card but it seemed all she had done was to make Davina speed up her plans to ruin his family and take over as overlord.Now, he couldn't even mount a proper counterattack.As he realized just how defeated he wa
“Do not cross the line, Mr. Smith!” David suddenly erupted in annoyance as he marched over, showing a rare emotion he hardly revealed.Richard deliberately ignored him, causing him to grow even more furious.As he pulled out a gun with his subordinates doing the same, Richard moved like a phantom, his figure blurring as he was close to David and took hold of the gun before shoving it aside to grab David's neck.“You should have done that when Anna was being forced to flee this house.” Richard chided coldly, his gaze filled with utter disdain for the fool.David gritted his teeth. “That is a completely different matter!... Do you dare ask that we give up our legacy?... Who do you think you are!?”“Richard Smith and your legacy is about to go up in flames. My suggestion is tame in regards to that.”“You…”“You will remain silent or I will humiliate you before your father and your estranged daughter,” Richard warned before letting go of David after which he turned and walked back to the
“Have mercy, Anna, dear, you know the only reason I did what I did was that I felt betrayed. Imagine you were also married and your husband whom you trusted with your life, ended up sleeping with another woman and what's more, getting her pregnant. You may not lose it like me but I've always been crazy, Anna, you have to forgive me.” Davina pleaded, seeking to appeal to Anna's soft side.She was well aware that Anna wasn't a wicked woman and with the right words, would end up forgiving her.All Davina needed was a chance to remain in the Lopez family while keeping her life.She would surely ensure that everything would one day fall into her hands, it was her destiny for her and her children to reign over all that was Lopez.So even if it meant rolling on the ground, Davina wouldn't hesitate to do so for she had a goal in mind.Anna looked on, her gaze transfixed on Davina's kneeling figure, her lips quivering as she wished to speak but remained silent.“Please, my daughter, you have t
“I said no, Richard. I know I said I'd always do whatever you asked of me but this is something I will not and cannot agree to.” Anna remarked in annoyance as she turned her face away.Richard let out a sigh, he had expected her to react this way, especially after everything that had happened.David had lost the chance to reconnect with his daughter when he didn't stand up for her when she needed him the most and that was his loss.“Fine then, I just thought to bring it up to get you to make a decision.” Richard calmly replied.Anna glanced at him. “Are you upset?”“No, not at all. I already expected you to respond like that so it's fine.”“Alright.”“Anyway, how's the research into what Davina had said?... Is the Lopez family really in debt?” Richard inquired.“Yeah and by a whole lot. They mortgaged the manor to Gold Bank, which is one of the top banks in the country, and used the money to get the Estebans to support them. Apart from that, several of the Lopez assets are facing one