LOGINFor a long moment, the entrance to the Miller villa echoed with nothing but barking.The onlookers exchanged glances. She was really going through with it. Even George had not expected this.He looked up at the second-floor window. The curtain had not moved. Oscar gave no sign that he had noticed anything."Old man, she's really having an episode. She has to be." Helena could not hold herself back any longer. "Don't stop me. Even if Oscar scolds me for it, I'll take it. That dog isn't there for decoration. If he actually bites her, we've got a real problem.""Hold on." George caught her arm. He hesitated before lowering his voice. "Becca said those sisters are full of tricks. They keep coming back because they know Oscar has a soft heart. Half the time, nothing's actually wrong. Give it one more chance. If she keeps this up, you can go let her in."After calming Helena, he raised his voice again. "What's all that barking supposed to accomplish? The gate is wide open. The dog can o
The curtain was still drawn. That meant Oscar was home. He simply did not want to see her.Elara had slipped out of the Miller household yesterday without a word. What was she doing back here?With his abilities, he certainly knew she had recovered.'Recovered…' The word surfaced in her mind and refused to leave.She glanced both ways along the street. The independent villa district was usually quiet, with almost no foot traffic.She made up her mind, grabbed the front of her jacket, and tore it open."I want to see Oscar! I want to see Oscar!"She pitched her voice high and jagged, the same unhinged register she had used during those lost months. When she was herself, Oscar refused to see her. But when she was sick, he had taken her in, brought her here, and let her live under his roof.If acting out of her mind was what it took to get through that gate, then she would act out of her mind.What she forgot was that she had no real reference point for what an actual episode loo
Elara stumbled back two steps. The reflex saved her from being knocked flat.She steadied herself and looked up. At some point, the Miller household had acquired a black bulldog. It stood in front of the gate in a full threat display, teeth bared and eyes burning with aggression.Elara had been terrified of dogs ever since she was a child. Once, while playing with friends, she had accidentally stepped on a dog's tail. The animal had not forgiven the mistake. It spun around and bit her on the knee before she could get away. Even now, she could still see the scar whenever she lifted the hem of her skirt.The bulldog blocked the gate, leaving her no way to get past it. She called out to the two figures working in the courtyard, "Mr. and Mrs. Miller!"Neither of them turned around.She called again and again. At that distance, there was no way they hadn't heard her.Helena continued scattering seeds along the row. "Old man, is this right? We're going too far, aren't we? She stayed wi
"If something goes wrong with this patient on our premises, we cannot take responsibility."The hospital's ultimatum pressed in on Diana from one side just as Elara's call came from the other."Giana and Hilda have been taken. We need to go to Amara and Oscar. Both of them."Diana's mind could not process everything at once. For a moment, she genuinely did not know which crisis to address first: her two missing sisters or the woman lying in the hospital bed."If either of them is willing to see us, Freya's medical bills stop being a problem."That single sentence from Elara cleared the fog in Diana's mind.Of course. Freya's situation was a money problem, nothing more. Money they could not come up with on their own.But to Oscar and Amara, that amount was trivially small."Understood. I'm on my way. Who's going to Oscar, you or me?"A brief silence followed."You go to Amara," Elara said. "After yesterday, she definitely doesn't want to see me again. And Oscar just threw you
Giana and Hilda stuffed everything back inside as quickly as they could, then followed Lucius to the company that had set the trap.They did not stop to straighten the room. They were not the ones asking for help, and they could not keep anyone waiting.So the apartment remained in disarray. More importantly, only the bulky, worthless items were left scattered across the floor. The smaller valuables, phones and jewelry, had quietly disappeared into Brock's crew members' pockets during the chaos.They had barely left when Elara came running. She had not even had time to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She shoved the door open and froze.The room was a wreck."Giana!"Giana was always home, always at her keyboard. Elara knew that.No answer came. She rushed to the bedroom and found it empty."Giana!" she called again.The sound of her own voice carried something raw and helpless. What had happened here?She sank to the floor, unable to get back up. Every ounce of strength see
Hilda scanned the ground for something she could use as a weapon. She looked ready to go after Oscar herself.Lucius stepped into her path. "Hold on. What exactly is going on here? The more you two say, the more confused I get."Lucius held a position of considerable authority, but his world had always been insulated.This was his first time dealing with something like this firsthand, and he was trying to make sense of it with the straightforwardness of someone who had never needed to read between the lines.The bodyguard behind him was a different story.His expression changed as realization dawned. "Are you two from the Chamberlain family? The Chamberlain Group?"The sisters exchanged glances before lowering their eyes without a word. They did not want to confirm it. That name had cost them more than they could count over the past few months.Whenever anyone in Silverton heard it, their eyes turned cold before the conversation even began.But staying silent did not change who
Amara let out a cold laugh. "What to do? The only reason we ever invested in that school was because of Elara."Frankly, the principal of Silverton High is a dog we put there to guard the gate. If a dog cannot even do that, what use is he to me?"Jason understood. "Got it."Amara gave a small nod
The family hall stood on the hill behind the villa, enclosed within the compound walls.Amara followed the path up the back hill. She felt the eyes of the men in black on her the entire way. They had sealed the property with a tight perimeter. No one could enter or leave. Yet they had not advanced
"Bella, second daughter of the Chamberlain family." The lead man held up his phone and compared her face to the image on the screen. After confirming payment, he spoke into the phone. "Take her."The others moved in.Bella was not Diana. She was a superintendent. She could handle herself.The mom
Rebecca arrived at school intending to sit through class and study. She had not expected Oscar to send her in like this.The moment she stepped through the gates, the scene resembled a celebrity arrival on campus. Bodyguards cleared a path ahead while a makeup artist followed behind, touching up he







