At the port, Drake watched the ship fade into the distance when Marianne suddenly arrived, a sight that struck Lucille as unusual."Why is she here?" Lucille asked, arching her brows at Drake."I told you we have to catch Zack this time," Drake responded."Now? Without even making sure Ely arrives at the island first?" Lucille's confusion was evident at Drake's abrupt plan, which could potentially disrupt her own arrangement to meet with Eleanor later."She'll be fine. She's with Aunt Ling," he assured."Why do you trust Aunt Ling so much?" Lucille inquired."She's already proven herself trustworthy, so you don't have to worry," he replied."When did she prove it? You hired her just recently," Lucille pressed."A long time ago...""Excuse me, but can we focus?" Marianne interjected, subtly nudging Lucille aside without Drake's notice. "Kale Justinbaste returned to Bellrox. He's meeting with the directors.""You can have him all you want," Lucille thought inwardly. While it would be be
Drake Chwe returned to BellRox, anticipating Zack White's retaliation after everything he'd done.However, there was an eerie calm amidst the chaos he expected. The headquarters remained tranquil, unaffected by the poisoning incident and internal conflict."What's going on?" Drake blurted out, breaking the silence."What's the matter?" Lucille asked, noticing his unease."These people are unusually quiet," he said, scanning the surroundings.Lucille looked around, puzzled by Drake's observation. "Is it necessary for them to be noisy right now?""No, but usually there's a buzz of gossip whenever someone falls from grace. They laughed at my misfortune and spread rumors instantly, but why is there no chatter about Kale Justinbaste?" Drake wondered aloud."Hmm, you have a point. Even if the issue should be kept out of public view, the employees usually catch wind of it. Could it be that the executives forgave Zack so easily?" Lucille speculated."Forgiven or not, these people tend to spea
Lucille hurried to Bigas's agency to meet Eleanor. She anxiously checked her phone for any updates from her boyfriend's sister."Where's Bigas?" she asked, addressing one of the staff members as she entered the agency."He's on his way back here," the staff member replied, gesturing for Lucille to follow them inside to wait."Why isn't she sending updates to me yet?" Lucille wondered aloud, growing increasingly worried."You won't receive updates through your phone; please use this one," the staff member informed her, offering a burner phone.Lucille stared at the burner phone for a moment before taking it. "I can't believe Ely is so thorough. Is she really a teenager?" she commented to herself. "When I was her age, I was completely dependent on adults. I wasn't as brave as her. I wonder what made her like this."She was essentially talking to herself, as the staff member didn't seem interested in her thoughts.She proceeded to call Eleanor, who answered immediately."Ely, are you sti
In Drake Chwe's office at BellRox Corporation headquarters, Drake looked at his guests with bored eyes. "What's taking this long?" he wondered inwardly, running out of patience. He had thought clearing his name would be easy with Marianne's competence, but it seemed her magic wasn't working today. She looked rattled and unorganized while presenting evidence that his businesses and sources of income were all legal."Aren't we done yet?" he asked Marianne, who appeared busy checking documents."They're still asking for copies of investment declarations, franchises—" Marianne began, but Drake cut her off mid-sentence."Whatever. Just hurry up. Didn't we deal with audits with ease? You're taking a lot of time today," he said disappointedly."I'm sorry," Marianne apologized. "The detectives were kind of complicated to talk to, and they were very thorough."Drake scowled. He could only sigh in front of the detectives, knowing he couldn't leave without completely disproving their suspicions
The accusations from the crowd washed over Drake like a relentless wave, yet he remained composed, irritation simmering beneath the surface. He was no stranger to the ungratefulness of BellRox employees, who always seemed quick to pin random crimes on him."I can't believe this nonsense," Drake muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. Despite knowing he had saved their lives by alerting them to the danger, gratitude seemed to be in short supply among the panicked crowd."Do I have to get used to this malice they always throw at me? These people never change," he bitterly mused, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment at their lack of appreciation. "Next time, I won't even bother if they're all on the brink of death.""Restrain him!" an employee exclaimed upon seeing Drake's lack of reaction to the accusations."Is that true, Drake Chwe?" Chairman Sy asked as he emerged from the crowd, looking haggard at the instant destruction of his beloved headquarters."No. Why w
Before Drake's arrival, Lucille wasn't praying for his well-being; she was silently pleading for his swift rescue.“Gosh! I can’t take this! Drake, hurry and save me!” she cried inwardly, her desperation evident.Despite having numerous system items for protection, her heart and body struggled to withstand the terror of the brutal fight. However, she managed to hold her ground somewhat against Zack's relentless assaults."Seriously! What's your system level?" Zack inquired, wiping blood from his lips."Level 3," Lucille honestly replied, but Zack dismissed her with a sneer."As if," he spat, gritting his teeth as he prepared for another attack, wielding a gun in his left hand and a knife in his right."When will you stop?" Lucille exclaimed in horror at Zack's unyielding onslaught. She had already consumed numerous health potions to recover from his attacks, yet her lack of combat experience left her struggling to defend or counter effectively."Until you're dead!" Zack declared, firi
Lucille didn't rush to pick up Drake. Instead, she contemplated fleeing, but the thought of what Drake and Zack were capable of held her back. If she fled now, she knew she'd be caught immediately."Maybe this can be of use later," she murmured, picking up the cursed knife Zack had dropped. She stowed it away in her system storage and then checked how many items she had left."Gosh, I wasted more than a hundred items today," she groaned, unintentionally fiddling with the key pendant on her necklace. "I want to be free," she sighed before dragging Drake back to the car.Drake, now free from injuries but covered in dirt and mud from being dragged, slowly regained consciousness. He sat up, examining his now-normal skin, yet still trembling from the memory of his body rotting."I’m alive?" Drake muttered, confused. His gaze wandered around, trying to make sense of their situation. "Did Zack succeed in stealing my chance?" he asked.Lucille didn't answer immediately, the silence stretching
The next day, Drake headed to BellRox's branch office for a crucial meeting with the executives and investigators. Tension hung heavy in the air as they convened to address the aftermath of the bombing at BellRox headquarters, which had resulted in staggering losses.Billions worth of products had been reduced to ashes, and the investors were threatening to withdraw their support. As the executives gathered, their voices grew louder with panic as they discussed the implications of the incident. The chairman paced nervously, grasping the severity of the situation.Meanwhile, Drake Chwe maintained a nonchalant demeanor, calmly observing the chaos and panic unfurling around him.Chairman Sy, his face etched with worry, addressed the executives. "This is catastrophic! We've never faced such a crisis before. Our stocks are plummeting, and the investors are breathing down our necks. If we don't recover from this loss, BellRox could be on the brink of collapse!"Ms. Simmons, the CFO, chimed