Eleanor Chwe remained silent in her room, staring at her burner phone with a furrowed brow, feeling hesitant about the plan Lucille had suggested. She wondered if it was truly worth faking an illness and lying to her brother."Are you bored? Want me to set up the computer here?" Cedric asked, noticing Eleanor's troubled expression."No, we're leaving," she said, shaking her head."Now?" Cedric's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Where are we going?""First, do what Lucille asked you to do, and then we're going to the mall later," Eleanor replied."Why the mall?" Cedric seemed perplexed."I'll probably meet my brother there," she explained."Oh, I see," Cedric nodded, piquing Eleanor's curiosity."Tell me, what did Lucille ask you to do?" Eleanor inquired."It's better if you see it than hear about it beforehand," Cedric replied."Okay?" Eleanor responded skeptically.Since leaving Aunt Ling on the island, Cedric has become Eleanor's servant, taking care of her general needs. While she ap
Drake Chwe's tribute system automatically lifted his suspension after his tribute, displaying a virtual firework on his holographic screen as a celebration."Congratulations for leveling up! You are now at level 13. Offer more tributes to gain more perks and features," the tribute system notified."Thank you for offering a tribute. Your system's suspension was lifted temporarily. Please make sure to get rid of the names listed on your meter within 24 hours, or else your system will go back to suspension," the system added.Drake sighed at how excited the system sounded as he tapped on the list of names of individuals who knew about his tribute system's existence."I don't know any of them at all," he said. "They are probably the island’s people."Drake wanted to hurry and go to Eleanor, but he needed to deal with the island first, and he had to get rid of the chief, or else he would become a future enemy.Drake hurriedly scanned through his newly unlocked system features and felt sati
Drake Chwe hurriedly went down from the rooftop, impatiently staring at the floor number in the elevator as he descended, eager to personally meet Eleanor."Cedric did well at protecting her," he muttered to himself."Pardon?" Aunt Ling asked from behind Drake, accompanied by security guards."He looked beaten up, but Eleanor looked fine," Drake said, recalling the image that flashed in his mind due to his tribute. He vividly remembered Eleanor and Cedric sitting in the mall's park, with Eleanor physically unharmed while Cedric's face was a mess."You already saw them?" Aunt Ling asked, feeling puzzled by Drake's statement. She avoided looking directly at Drake's empty eye socket, noticing the dried blood on his cheeks."Nevermind," Drake responded, tapping the floor impatiently as they approached ground level. He prepared to sprint out of the elevator, but Aunt Ling stopped him."What?" he yelled, irritated."S-sir, Eleanor might get scared if she sees you looking like that," Aunt Li
Drake Chwe's throat dried as he couldn't believe what was happening. The health potion, renowned for its ability to heal almost anything, couldn't improve his sister's health at all. It seemed to have no effect whatsoever."What's going on? Why isn't anything taking effect?" he trembled, his voice filled with desperation.He was relieved that his purchase limit had been restored even before the reset, thanks to his offering of a tribute. But the purchase limit wasn't the problem anymore. No matter how much he purchased, no matter how many times he tried, Eleanor's illness remained unchanged."Weak lungs, weak immune system, weak heart—what's going on?" he muttered as the system assessed his sister's state. The system couldn't pinpoint the cause of her illness but it could detail all the effects it had on her body."This isn't a curse, but what is this? What did those bastards do?" he said, frustration evident in his tone.Drake felt like he had hit rock bottom again.He felt like he w
Eleanor Chwe continued to feign illness, her guilt mounting as she heard her brother sob. She heard him desperately want her illness to vanish, especially as she felt like her brother was nearing breaking point. However, a call from White strengthened her resolve to maintain her act, using her illness to keep her brother away from further trouble."Where are you going?" Eleanor weakly tugged at her brother's clothes as she felt Drake moving away from her side."Oh, Ely, you're awake. How do you feel?" Drake asked, his worry evident as he gently patted her pale skin to check her temperature."Where are you going?" Eleanor repeated. She hadn't heard the entirety of the conversation, but she had caught Drake mentioning Sundial and Zack while she was faking sleep. It led her to assume that Drake was heading out to deal with something dangerous once again."I'm just going to check something at work. I'll be out just for a moment," Drake assured her with a smile, though he knew he was lying
Drake's eyes didn't waver, even as Eleanor's gaze locked onto his, and he didn't flinch when she asked why Lucille suddenly hated him."It's a misunderstanding, Ely. She's certainly angry right now, but she doesn't hate me," Drake confidently stated, believing that once he brought Marianne to Lucille and explained everything, it would all be fixed."Are you sure it's just a misunderstanding?" Eleanor pressed."Of course. So, can you allow me to go catch her?" Drake asked, considering dealing with Lucille's issue quickly so he could take the time to fix other things. But, to his surprise, Eleanor continued to cling to him."Of course. I'll stick with you," she said."Stick with me?" he asked, surprised by her determination."Yes. Don't tell me you're going to leave me again. I thought you promised," Eleanor pouted."I did, but..." Drake hesitated, contemplating how he could show Eleanor his brutal side, as he planned to confront Marianne in front of Lucille to make amends."Why? Is the
Drake wasted no time, immediately summoning a maid to stay with Eleanor in her room. He carefully moved her hands away from him and instructed Cedric to beef up security around her while he was away."Let's gather everyone for a meeting," Drake said as he settled into his car."When do you want it scheduled?" Attorney Lunes replied, stifling a yawn. He sat beside Drake, unable to conceal his annoyance at being roused from sleep.The Royal Eleanor Hotel boasted a five-star rating, a perk Attorney Lunes enjoyed as Drake’s employee. However, he despised the expectation of being on call regardless of the hour or his own activities."Now," Drake insisted, motioning for his driver to hasten their departure."At this hour?" Attorney Lunes protested, checking the time on the car's dashboard."What's the matter?" Drake inquired brazenly, though he knew it was unusual to summon one's team at 2 a.m. He endeavored to treat his employees well, understanding the challenges of toxic work environment
The meeting concluded once they assigned each member's role while Drake was away. They couldn't delve into the finer details, as Drake needed to hurry before Eleanor discovered his absence."Are you absolutely sure about this?" Attorney Lunes inquired as they returned to the hotel together."Why? Can't I trust you?" Drake replied."I mean, what's so urgent that you need to leave the country immediately?" Lunes questioned. From his perspective, Drake was steadily ascending in status in Magrao, so he was puzzled by the sudden departure."Just because," Drake reluctantly responded. "Don't worry too much. It's not like I'll lose contact with all of you. You'll need to report to me daily.""That's the exhausting part," Lunes groaned."Just fulfill your duties," Drake said with a smile, patting Attorney Lunes on the shoulder before entering first."Drake! Where did you go?" Eleanor's voice rang out as she rushed toward him."Oh, you're up early," Drake awkwardly remarked, caught off guard.