Mr. Shively was at home when his phone suddenly rang; it was Edward calling. They had been in contact during their previous visit. Mr. Shively looked at the phone’s screen with a hint of confusion, wondering why Edward was calling him. Then he realized Matt was still at Edward’s house. Had something happened to the boy? Mr. Shively’s heart raced, and other than that, he couldn’t think of any other reasons.“Hello, Edward, what’s going on?” Mr. Shively hastily answered the call, his voice tinged with tension. Matt was his only son, and any matter related to him could make Mr. Shively extremely anxious, especially considering that Matt hadn’t fully recovered from his recent accident. The previous camping trip had given him and his wife a lesson they would never forget. Now, whenever Matt was out of sight, Mr. Shively couldn’t help but worry. Matt was too lively, and not every time he’d be so fortunate to meet good-hearted people like Cipher and Edward in this society.“Oh, it’s nothing
The person in the room, Edward thought, was Harry. When he saw it was Harry, Edward could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all, Harry was an ally, and his nature was straightforward, not much scheming. Edward didn’t need to be overly cautious around him.“Harry, why are you still here? I thought you had already left!”“I saw you taking so long to come back, so I waited. Is there something wrong? Am I not allowed to be here?” Harry asked, somewhat uncomfortably. Lately, he had noticed that Edward was becoming increasingly strange. Over time, he no longer recognized his friend. Edward seemed to contemplate some elaborate plan.“No, that’s not what I meant! I was just curious,” Edward gently explained. He entered the room, pulled a chair from the desk, and sat down.“Speaking of curiosity, I have a bit of my own. It’s late; why are you only coming back now? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?”Hearing this, Edward was surprised. It was the first time Harry had shown su
Harry looked at the person in front of him, and in a short amount of time, he seemed to no longer understand his friend. The connection with Edward became increasingly unfamiliar; in those eyes, there was no trace of trust left. Every word and action from the other person seemed calculated.“Edward, answer me. What do you ultimately want with the two kids?” Harry stood up, forcefully placing the tea cup he was drinking back on the table, creating a highly unpleasant sound as glass and porcelain clashed.Edward looked at Harry, then glanced at the teacup on the table. He knew what Harry was thinking right now. Surely, he believed Edward intended to harm the two kids, turning Matt and Cipher into stepping stones in some plan of his. Harry’s suspicion was not baseless, although Edward genuinely had no intention of hurting Matt and Cipher. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he wouldn’t let the kids suffer because of the actions of adults. As for the idea of using Matt and Cipher as stepp
"So I’ll go first!"“Sure,” Edward said, escorting Harry to the door.As Harry left, Edward immediately turned back to his desk, opened his phone, and gazed at it. There was no expression on Edward’s face; his eyes were fixed on the screen. He neither spoke nor made any movement, as if Edward was contemplating something.After about five minutes, he raised the phone and began scrolling through his contacts, searching for Mr. Beson’s name. His fingers typed slowly, one letter at a time. B, E, S, O, and finally N. Yes, he had a matter to discuss with Mr. Beson, and ultimately, he aimed for this person.“The shark of the city,” Edward paused for a moment and then continued, “This nickname is quite fitting.” Saying this, a sinister smile appeared on his lips.Edward clicked on the search, and naturally, in less than a second, Mr. Beson’s name appeared on the phone screen: Benson Jackson. Edward slid his finger to the position where the name was written but didn’t press the call button. Hi
In the afternoon, Mr. Benson arrived to pick up Edward as arranged. “Edward, how have you been handling your work at the company lately? Is there anything you don’t understand?” Mr. Benson began questioning, continuously observing Edward’s expressions through the rearview mirror. Despite Edward appearing innocent, Mr. Benson understood that the young man behind him was far from simple, a shrewd individual beyond his apparent age.“Nothing much. I’ve been busy with studies lately, so I have paid little attention to company matters,” Edward replied, smiling, aware that Mr. Benson was observing him through the mirror.“Is that so?” Mr. Benson questioned further.“Oh, come on, Mr. Benson, you’re too suspicious. I’m just a twenty-something kid; how can I understand all the complexities of the company? Besides, I have friends, family, and personal matters to attend to,” Edward said, laughing.“Well, I’ve noticed that you’ve been in contact with McKay quite a bit lately. Any idea what you tw
“Okay, you step outside first,” Mr. Benson signaled the middle-aged man to leave. Now, in this spacious room, only he and Edward remained.“There are many renowned martial artists here. Have you chosen one for yourself?” Edward, smiling shyly, pretended not to know much. “I apologize; things are rushed, so I haven’t explored. Moreover, I trust Mr. Benson to choose someone suitable for me.” Edward mocked inside; lying without batting an eye was his forte. Truth be told, he had never intended to learn martial arts for defense. He was here for a different reason. Axiao had no mentor he wanted to learn from. There was only one person he wished to meet, someone who could become a pawn on his strategic chessboard.Mr. Benson said nothing. Choosing a master for Edward wasn’t a major issue.Just then, the door suddenly opened, revealing a man in his mid-forties. He was muscular, wearing a dark green, classy suit, towering at a height of 2 meters. Indeed, the newcomer was Gray Robinson, a skil
At a multi-level marketing company, an employee dialed a pre-assigned phone number to prepare for a sales consultation. Higher-ups provided all the numbers on the list. Less than ten seconds after pressing the call button, someone on the other end picked up.“Hello, we are Company X. Are you interested in our company’s circulation support products?” The salesperson was about to continue the sales pitch when suddenly, a highly tense voice of a young man on the other end interrupted. He repeatedly referred to the salesperson as “doctor” and kept mentioning his mother.“Doctor, what’s going on? How’s my mom?” The salesperson, bewildered, was about to explain when the voice on the other end continued, showing signs of urgency.“How is my mom now? Is it very dangerous?”“No, no. I think you may have misunderstood. We are not doctors, and we don’t know who your mother is.” The salesperson quickly spoke up. Initially, he thought the person on the other end was talking to someone else, and he
The elevator stopped on the 6th floor, and Edward stepped out. He didn’t turn into the restroom, nor did he head down to the hospital lobby. Instead, he turned left, where the rooms of actively treated patients were concentrated. And there was Jasper—his beloved “brother.” Edward found a secluded spot and sat down, quietly observing the situation. Of course, the “hidden” spot he chose conveniently provided a full view of Jasper’s hospital room.After sitting there for about three minutes, Mrs. Sherwood emerged from Jasper’s room. In less than a week, she seemed to have aged significantly, losing almost ten pounds. Mrs. Sherwood, currently in her sleepwear, had disheveled hair, wore flip-flops, and exuded an unkempt and disheveled appearance. As soon as she stepped out of Jasper’s room, she started yawning continuously, resembling a person addicted to cigarettes. Perhaps because of the continuous nights spent caring for Jasper, combined with the troubles she was facing, Mrs. Sherwood h