Chapter 53: PressureSteve was stunned by Ivy's answer. The man rounded his eyes, looking incredulous at what he heard. His body froze for a few moments."Are you saying that these two things have something to do with your betrayal?" Steve asked, confirming what he had heard.Ivy nodded her head quickly. Her index finger pointed at the long earrings as well as the necklace with the eagle pendant in Steve's hand. "That's right. That thing in your hand is the proof.""I mean, how come? Did it fall somewhere when you met him?" He held his head with one hand, flashing a smile that looked strange to see.Ivy shook her head at the question. "No, those two things didn't fall out when I did the "betrayal" of Terry, Ben, and Mrs. Aleena.""So?"Ivy pinned the hem of her shirt. Her gaze looked so scared. Her mouth was locked tightly with her jaw tight, as if she were hiding a terrifying secret. Her body moved uncomfortably, with her pupils moving randomly.Steve closed his eyes. The girl in fro
Chapter 54: X"Aren't you that guy, X?" Steve asked for confirmation, afraid he had the wrong person.The person on the other side was smiling broadly without Steve noticing. "That's right. I'm X, Steve." Steve was surprised that the person contacting him was the one who gave him advice when he was about to unmask Milky. The man almost cheered with joy that someone he admired was contacting him."Ah, I didn't expect someone as busy as you to contact me," Steve said in a happy tone. A big smile was etched on his face.The man smiled a little while adjusting some accessories attached to his body. Then he spoke again."Ah, of course I contacted you because I have some things to tell you." The man paused his words to take a breath. "But before that, why didn't you pick up my call? Did something happen to you? Or did you not keep my number?"The question posed by X made Steve grimace a little. Steve didn't have the man's number because he forgot it. His mind was distracted by kicking Mil
Chapter 55: The Threatening LetterHearing the news that their father had been threatened by HK 0908, Steve and Ben immediately stood up and went straight to Barbara's room, leaving the documents and laptop in the library.Steve entered without knocking, which made the people in the room look at him with a straight face. But Steve ignored that and chose to go straight to his father, who was still sitting in his chair."Dad," Steve called in a quick tone. He stood in front of his father, who was now working on something on his laptop. "What threats did you get from HK 0908?" He asked in a tone of restrained annoyance.Barbara shifted his focus from the laptop to his son standing in front of him. Barbara loosened the glasses perched on his nose and took them off slowly. His hand reached out to massage his throbbing forehead."Calm down, Steve. You'd better take a seat at—""I won't be able to relax as long as HK 0908 continues to terrorize our family," Steve said in a firm tone. He in
Chapter 56: Breaking UpTerry rounded his eyes. The same was true for Kai. The two men who were fighting had to stop what they were doing because of a shout from the direction of the stairs. The person approached and slapped both of them on the cheeks. Kai had to release his grip on the shirt Terry was wearing.Both Kai and Terry immediately fell silent, as if their mouths were locked tightly. The person who slapped them looked at Kai and Terry with an angry gaze."Do you think fighting like this will solve the problem? Where are your brains?"Kai turned his body around, facing the person. He stared at the person with a sharp gaze. "Shut up, Jessy, if you don't know what's going on. Better keep your mouth shut!" Kai said, raising his tone of voice.Jessy closed her mouth. The courage that she had accumulated so far suddenly evaporated. Jessy looked a little scared as Kai shouted at her. Her body shook violently with rapid breathing. Her heart was beating very fast, as if it were goi
Chapter 57: Explanation (1)By now, it was seven o'clock in the evening. Steve, Ben, and Terry were already at the headquarters inside the alley. The three of them were now eating dinner with a simple meal, which was yesterday's leftover pizza with a bottle of fizzy drink given by Miya this afternoon. Terry's food was finished before Steve's and Ben's. He intended to go outside. But his intention was stopped when someone called him. "Terry," Terry turned his head towards the source of the voice and found that the one who had just called him was Steve. The man with dark purple hair looked at Terry with a straight gaze."What's wrong?" He asked rhetorically, sounding as flat as a wall."Can we talk for a minute?"Terry looked silent. He seemed to be considering Steve's request. His eyes closed for a moment, and a rough sigh came out of his mouth."Yes, we can talk." Said Terry, who sat back on the sofa, right beside Ben, who was playing his favorite game."So, what do you want to ta
Chapter 58: CaringKai hobbled out of the car he was driving. He held his jaw, which was sore and throbbing. Fresh blood dripped from his forehead, and there were several open wounds on his face and arms.His clothes looked very dirty and worn out from the fight with Terry earlier. Kai almost fell down when his foot accidentally stepped on a rock in front of him. Fortunately, there was someone holding his body."Sir, are you alright?" asked the man in a worried tone.Kai turned his head toward the source of the voice. As it turned out, it was one of his employees, who he remembered often getting the best worker badge in his department. Kai could see the look of worry and fear on the man's face.Kai didn't want to show the pain he was feeling. He didn't want to be labeled weak by others. So, he smiled slightly in response, showing that he was pretending to be fine."I'm fine," Kai said in a calm tone, hiding the crying as well as the blood that was still dripping from the open wound.
Chapter 59: Another Fact (1)Silence engulfed the room after Terry said that. The atmosphere became strange and very awkward. The air became cold and stifling.Everyone in the room stared at each other. They were reluctant to open their mouths as they were lost in their own thoughts. The sound of clockwork accompanied every second of the silence.Steve turned his head toward Terry. The man's expression was not good. He looked angry and upset. Terry clenched his fist so hard that the beer bottle he was holding was dented.The man's breathing was labored. His face looked flushed with bulging eyes, as if he were ready to destroy anything in his way.Steve turned his eyes toward Barbara. He could see that his father was equally silent, but with a different expression. The man's face looked so shocked. But Steve could see the sad look on his face."Dad? Do you know anything about what Terry said earlier?" Asked Steve as he broke the silence that trapped the four of them.Barbara seemed hes
Chapter 60: The Facts (2)It was getting late. The clock struck 9 p.m. The rain was pouring down, soaking the earth, and the air was getting cold. However, that didn't seem to apply to the four people currently talking inside Terry and Ben's secret base. Because in here, the atmosphere was hot.The words Barbara had just uttered were like a bolt of lightning striking in bright daylight. Terry stopped sobbing with his eyes wide open, as well as his mouth. He seemed to have forgotten how to breathe in shock. The same was true for Ben.Both men looked shocked by another fact they had just learned from Barbara. Their hearts seemed to stop beating for a few moments. Their bodies tensed up as their faces paled."What?"The word just came out of Steve's mouth, as if representing the shock felt by his two colleagues. His eyes looked perfectly rounded, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.Although he was not in Ben's or Terry's shoes, Steve could feel what the two men were feelin
Chapter 138: EndingSeven weeks later, the autopsy letter from the forensic team was released. The autopsy was announced in court, as was prosecuting Minji, who was the suspect in this incident.Steve sat in the chair as a witness. He had left everything to the lawyer hired by Kai. After all, this was the final battle between him and Minji to prove whether she was guilty or not.Behind him, there were many people who came to see the trial. In addition, many of the media were allowed to record this incident since it was an open trial. They were filming this event because Rosemary was one of the most influential figures in the business world (and growing in Steve's hands).Steve felt his heart beating very hard. He hoped that Minji would not appeal the verdict. After the clerk announced the verdict, a 40-year-old woman who represented the forensic doctor, who autopsied the bodies of her father and mother, entered."I am Fela, the forensic doctor who will bear witness to the truth of t
Chapter 137: Tactics (2)Terry frowned at the words of the detective. He folded his arms in front of his chest, his hands staring straight ahead.His mind was now thinking hard. How could the culprit have been found? What evidence has been found? The thoughts kept spinning in his head endlessly, making him dizzy himself.Terry turned his attention to Ben, who was now frowning. The man with heterochromia eyes looked silent, as if he were analyzing the situation in this house.“What do you mean, sir?” asked Ben quickly, representing Terry’s question, who was about to ask the same question.The detective smiled faintly at Terry and Ben. “Yes, the culprit has been found. I just need additional evidence to support it.”“That fast?” asked Steve in an incredulous tone. He rounded his eyes, unable to believe what he had just heard.His heart seemed to stop beating as his face paled. Was the detective in front of him playing games with him? Or was he telling the truth? Because, as he rememb
Chapter 136: Painful NewsSteve, Terry, and Ben rounded their eyes at Minji's nonsensical words. They stared at each other before finally turning their faces the other way."You want me to be the father of the child inside your stomach?" Steve asked to be sure.Minji nodded her head quickly. Her eyes were sparkling, and her gaze was full of pleading. She looked at Steve with her hands clasped in front of her chest."Yes, I beg you. Please be the father of my child. Let's go back to the way we used to be, Steve. I've always dreamed of us being a family again, like-""Stop it there." Steve stopped Minji's words, which were too ridiculous for his ears. He put on a frivolous smile with a sardonic look in his eyes."After you left with another man and are now pregnant, you're asking to get back with me? Have you lost your mind?"Minji's smile now faded, turning into a sad face. Tears now flowed from her eyes again, much more heavily than before. Her sobs sounded so soft and heart-
Chapter 135: She's backAfter a long debate with Mr. Kang, Steve decided to just go back to America with Terry and Ben. And here he was, in an airport full of people.After getting their suitcase, the three men quickly made their way out. They had missed the country so much. Fun plans were already running through their brains.Steve inhaled the air greedily, with a small smile on his lips. He was very happy to be back in the country, although on the other hand, he felt a little bad that Mr. Kang had to take care of the rest of his work.As he was about to get a taxi, someone suddenly tugged on the hem of his shirt. Steve turned around to see who it was.His eyes were perfectly rounded, as if they were about to pop out of place. In addition, his heart seemed to stop beating, with his body frozen like a statue. He couldn't believe the person in front of him."Hello, Steve." Steve immediately took the body tightly into his arms. He buried his head on her shoulder. Steve's breathi
Chapter 134: Tactics (1)Steve blocked the tomatoes and cake thrown at him with his hands. The three men had no other means of protecting their bodies from the fury of the crazed audience, just because of Daniel's provocative sentence.Once the tomatoes and cakes on the buffet table were gone, the guests stood still, staring at the three men with disgust, cynicism, and hatred. Steve lifted his head from the folds of his hands, protecting his face, and looked at his own body.His body was so dirty, covered in cream and crushed tomatoes. The same thing happened to Terry and Steve. "Get the three of you out of here! A vile person like you doesn't belong with the leaders of the company, Mr. Steve," Alexa said angrily. She clenched her fists with a glare at Steve."Ms. Alexa, I-""Get out of here!" Alexa shouted loudly. She grabbed Steve's hand and pushed him hard, knocking him to the ground. Again, Steve felt a sense of dejavu, just like when he was humiliated by Daniel at Layla'
Chapter 134: Media Play (2)Daniel smiled happily as more people walked into his trap. His sooty black eyes were still focused on Steve, who was currently rounding the corner. He felt victorious because he had managed to make the man feel cornered.Daniel picked up the mic again, brought it closer to his mouth, and spoke again to make another provocative sentence."I have proof that Steve did that. Do you want to see it?"Again, there was silence for the second time. The audience was shocked by the words that came out of his mouth. "Don't you believe me? I really have proof." Daniel opened his mouth again. He made his tone persuasive so that the audience would believe what he said.The platinum-haired girl, who had been speaking, fell silent. Her mouth opened, and a look of doubt now overcame her. From that alone, the woman who had been supporting Steve now began to have doubts about what she believed in."You must be joking if you have proof." The platinum-haired woman uttered the
Chapter 133: Media Play (1)All the guests whispered to each other after hearing Daniel's words. Some of them even gave Steve a cynical look at the event. The praise they had just given him seemed to have been taken back. In other words, they are licking their own saliva.Seeing the situation turning against him, Terry gritted his teeth. His jaw clenched so tightly that his neck veins stood out. His hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His eyes were bulging, and a dark, black aura now surrounded his body, making the few people who were there step aside because they couldn't stand the dark aura. Let's not forget the dominant demeanor that was getting thicker and thicker around him, making Terry ten times scarier than before.Beside him, Steve and Ben looked quite panicked to see Terry, who was in alert mode. They were both trying to quell the anger of the red-haired man. Steve and Ben stroked Terry's back gently, trying to calm his hot-blooded heart."Terry,
Chapter 132: Covert Warning Steve was frozen in place. He couldn’t believe that his two colleagues had gotten on such a mission. His eyes shifted in another direction, reluctant to meet Kai, who was currently waiting for a reaction from him.“Who proposed the mission to them?” asked Steve, trying to remain calm. His voice sounded flat, contrary to the state of his heart, which wanted to blame his best friend.Kai sighed. He bit the candy in his mouth until it crumbled and swallowed it slowly. After his mouth was clean, Kai coughed a little. He wanted to create a serious atmosphere between himself and Steve.“Mr. Kang and I planned this,” Kai replied in a low voice. His gaze was still fixed on Steve, though the man was reluctant to look at him.“But why?” Steve massaged the bridge of his throbbing nose, feeling clueless about everything that was happening.“What are you bothering the Griffins for? Didn’t they do anything to the Grayon family and Kang Corp this time?”Kai glared
Chapter 131: Like Heaven and Earth Kai was silent for a few moments. His eyes were perfectly rounded, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. His face looked so pale, like paper. His mouth was slightly open, but he didn't say anything, as if something were holding his tongue. His heart seemed to stop beating. His mind was suddenly blank, as was the look in his eyes. Feeling something was wrong, Steve gently patted the back of Kai's hand. "Kai?" Steve called out in a slightly louder voice to wake Kai up from his reverie. Apparently, it worked. Kai was stunned and looked at Steve with blinking eyes a few times, gathering the consciousness that had been scattered. "Yes?" He said it spontaneously. "Why are you daydreaming?" asked Steve with a deeply furrowed brow. His tone of voice showed that he was annoyed, which was very different from before, when he was so friendly and warm. "Why are you being quiet? Please answer my question, Kai. I want to know what you're h