"Tell me why you're so insistent on marrying me.""Because I love you, of course." Celeste York's words are sweet as honey, but her eyes are cold as ice and devoid of emotion.Damon Bishop snorts. No one on this earth has ever had the nerve to treat him as their prey. He admires Celeste's pluck.Yet to his surprise, the day after he turns her down, Damon finds Celeste is able to watch him and his fiancée walk past her without batting an eye.This pisses Damon off. Is this how Celeste acts when she loves someone?
View MoreWhen Damon left the hospital, he went straight to the Leopard Syndicate's lair.The gangs in Taverdale were mainly hidden in the seemingly simple factories in the industrial area.The signs hanging outside mostly read "Such-and-such Auto Repair Factory," "Such-and-such Cement Factory," or "Such-and-such Foundry," and indeed, some of them were engaged in these businesses, but once you walked in, it was a completely different world.The Leopard Syndicate's sign outside read "Fine Used Car Trading."The decoration was standard, the reception staff was normal, and everything looked no different from the places selling used cars on the market.Damon didn't bring bodyguards, only Liam. Both of them were dressed in black suits and wearing black sunglasses, giving them an air of mystery.They walked through the used car showroom and headed further inside. Behind them were the trading center and the repair workshop, with a sign hanging at the workshop entrance that read, "Employees Only."
Celeste ignored Damon and continued to count down silently.Counting down was one of Celeste's ways to distract herself. Without it, she might succumb to random thoughts and get lost in Damon's warmth.Since Damon couldn't control himself, she took matters into her own hands."15, 14, 13, 12... 3, 2, 1."As the countdown ended, she pushed him away.The comforting presence dissipated, leaving Damon feeling hollow in his arms and his heart.He awkwardly retracted his arms, bitterly smiling. How had he not realized she was so stubborn?Celeste was cold, distant, and guarded, yet... intriguingly contradictory."Oh, by the way, what did you find out yesterday?" Celeste spoke up, bringing him back to reality.Only then did Damon gather his thoughts and recount the events of the previous day to her."Bryan is still as petty as ever, even after five years," Celeste scoffed."You single-handedly got the big shots of Taverdale's gangs to quit gambling. That was quite remarkable ." Dam
That night, Damon unexpectedly suffered from insomnia.He tossed and turned, staring at Celeste's WhatsApp profile picture, which looked more and more like the cat he saw.Their demeanor was noble and aloof, and their eyes were charming and cold.He couldn't remember if it was Jasper or Nicholas who said that Celeste's aloofness made people feel vulgar in her presence.Now, looking at this cat, Damon suddenly recalled that statement.Such an aloof and beautiful woman was once his wife, once in his arms, and once beneath him, surrendering in such a way.They shared countless intimate moments, holding hands in the sunlight during the day and passionately entwined at night.They even dreamed of having a child together. But he failed to protect her, nor did he protect their child.If that child were still alive, she should be a girl, right? They wanted a daughter back then.Would she be as talented as Leo?No, he didn't want her to be a genius. He hoped she would be naive and i
Back then, Celeste had won 100 million dollars from Bryan, using it to leverage him into willingly becoming her spy and helping her topple Titus.Now, Bryan had become the boss of the Leopard Syndicate.Looking back, Celeste’s risky move had inadvertently helped him rise.Of course, he might not see it that way.After all, being outplayed by a woman with simple tactics and being manipulated so easily was hardly flattering for him.It was said that after losing one million dollars to Celeste, Marksville became Bryan’s Achilles' heel. Not only would he avoid the place, but his entire gang was also wary of mentioning going to Marksville for a game of cards.There were no secrets that time would not reveal. Bryan gave up gambling, and other gangs learned why, fearing they might be trapped as well.Gradually, the gambling trend in Taverdale declined over the years.Celeste did not expect her to reform the gangs of Taverdale single-handedly.Dana was from the Leopard Syndicate, but
Dana, the burly woman, was forced by several bodyguards to kneel on the floor.Already taught a lesson by the woman disguised as Vera and treated like livestock with her hands and feet bound and thrown into the trunk of a car, she was terrified out of her wits.Liam reached out and lifted the cover from her head.As the woman looked up, she saw Damon sitting in a chair with his legs crossed.His demeanor was noble and icy. His eyes were commanding."Mr. Bishop, spare me, please!" She recognized Damon and began begging for mercy. She knelt in place and dared not to move.Since he was in the open while his enemy was in the dark, Damon had thought that the person sent to kill Vera would be a tough character on par with his men, but he was mistaken.“Jailed for castrating your husband, you say? However, my men tell me that your husband has been behind bars for years.” Damon's voice was indifferent. His voice sounded emotionless to listeners but terrifying to the woman.Had she no
"You have no idea that every time he hugs me, he always avoids my injured arm."He can eat by himself, and he doesn't need to be fed. However, I insist on feeding him, and he patiently waits. He just wants to give me a chance to be close to him."His temperament is just like his mother's. Neither is he talkative nor good at sweet-talking/ Still, he knows how to be caring. I dared not think about what both the mother and son went through these years," Serena said, her voice choked with emotion toward the end. Celeste felt a slight tremor in her heart.She was not someone with solid empathy, as she had endured too much suffering herself. She tended to think that everyone had their own lessons to learn from their hardships.Leo was like that too. He was calm and rational.Both she and Leo were people who clearly distinguished between those close to them and others. They would care deeply for the few they cared about and not at all for those they did not.What Selena said about Le
On the day Vera died, Nicholas's hospital immediately stopped admitting patients. When asked why, the reason given was that expensive equipment had been damaged and was under investigation. Hence, no one could enter or leave.Leo’s poisoning was not severe, and logically, he did not need to stay in the hospital for long. However, Serena seized the opportunity to show her care by moving into the VIP ward to look after him personally. She had been staying in the hospital ever since.Before the hospital was locked down a few days ago, Celeste had wanted to take Leo home for observation, but he seemed reluctant to leave Serena and Damon. The doctors checked him again, and all his indicators were fine."Sir, please check again. I feel very weak." He held the doctor's hand and requested.The same happened the next day.On the third day, Celeste began to see through his act."Leo, lying is not a good habit," she said, despite often lying with a straight face."I feel unwell." Leo match
In prisons, women, too, established their hierarchy.While male prisoners often held rapists in the lowest regard, the peak of disdain among female inmates was directed towards women who had killed their husbands. At the bottom of this hierarchy were traffickers and those who had harmed innocent children."Vera" was immediately placed at the bottom.On her first day lining up for food, she felt disdain from the staff and even more so from the other inmates, who were bossy and looked for any excuse to trouble her."Vera" merely swallowed her pride and didn't fight back. Just like that, she had endured such a treatment for two days and two nights.With her interrogation impending and no abnormalities yet, she couldn't contact Damon and began to feel anxious.It wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day that another inmate was brought in. She was a burly woman."What are you in for?" "Vera" overheard someone asking that woman.The newcomer laughed heartily. "Ha! My man was che
Vera died. The worst had happened.Damon and Celeste waited outside the ICU while initially holding onto a sliver of hope. However, now their expressions turned serious."Vera took a lethal dose of sodium nitrite. This is unexpected," Nicholas said."Are your people reliable?" Damon asked.Nicholas responded after a moment. "Of course. Do we need to keep this strictly confidential?"Damon nodded slightly, then contacted Liam straight away."Spread the word that Vera has been detained in the detention center at Southlake and that the parents of the poisoned children will surely pursue this matter. Especially Celeste and the Belasco family."He intended to mention the Bishop family specifically, as Leo was the child of the Bishop family. However, only a few were aware of this. He had to consider Celeste's feelings.Being a longtime acquaintance and a clever one at that, Celeste immediately understood Damon's thoughts."I can pretend to be Vera'."Since the goal was to use Vera
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