Many had greeted Darius with various names. For instance, they would call him “Sir” or “Mr. Reid,” but no one had ever said both simultaneously like Donald just did. Amused by that, Darius curved his lips, chuckling ever so slightly. It was the first time he had shown such a sincere laugh before his subordinates. He even reached out to massage the spot between his brows, trying to calm himself. “Also, when you head back, please tell those among your subordinates willing to join my side to get some rest. If things go according to plan, we’ll have to face another problem tomorrow or the day after. I hope everyone can rest and recuperate before the problem happens.”The smile on Donald’s face morphed into a stern look almost instantly. He nodded, replying, “All right, Mr. Reid.”At the same time, he mentally swore never to let today’s mishap happen to himself or his other subordinates. Even if Darius did not mind Donald’s careless mistake today, Donald knew Darius’ impression of him wou

The message on his phone was from Bridget, and it read, “Sir, the enemy has arrived. What do we do now? Their numbers are vast. If we were to face off against them, there’s only a slight chance we’ll be able to seize them while keeping ourselves alive. Our party is much smaller, after all; even if we include the additional men that Donald will bring over, it won’t be enough to defeat the enemy.”The text was straightforward and curt, but Darius could tell Bridget was nervous. He arched a brow and curled his lips, thinking, “Bridget has remarkable abilities and strength, so I don’t know why she’s panicking.”Nevertheless, he quickly typed out a response, “Have our men stand guard in a line at the sides of the hotel or the entrances. I want the hotel surrounded. There’s no need to set up any defenses within the hotel—just allow the enemy to enter. When they do, the situation might turn in our favor, despite us having fewer men than them. Likewise, having fewer people in our team might a

“Everything that happened before was because of Alicia, and now, it seems like her presence is maintaining the calm and order on the first floor,” Bridget commented inwardly. To her surprise, Alicia’s eyes lit up upon noticing her arrival; the latter even flashed a smile.“Bridget, you’re here! Come on over. We’ve been waiting for you and have already prepared for battle.” While saying that, Alicia loaded some bullets into a gun without any hesitation. Not a trace of banter or lightheartedness showed in her eyes. Instead, there was only unwavering determination. That represented how Alicia did not view what was happening as a game.The former’s seriousness helped Bridget relax. Subsequently, she scanned the lineup of security guards with various expressions; some could be fearful, annoyed, or even resistant toward the orders Bridget was about to give—but none expressed their desire to leave. That seemed odd to Bridget. Nevertheless, regardless of their reasons, it pleased her to see

“—and yes, they’re standing outside the hotel’s brick fences, but I’ve already interfered with their surveillance equipment through my laptop. You could’ve done it too since dealing with computers and hacking is your forte.”Bridget’s eyes shot wide open with shock as she realized Darius was right; she was highly skilled in computing, so hacking the enemy’s camera was something she should have considered. Yet, she did not. That was because she had allowed the situation to get the better of her, giving in to the pressure and no longer being calm enough to think logically. Shutting her eyes, Bridget tried to soothe her hammering heart. Still, her complexion remained chalky as she could not accept how she had made a glaring rookie mistake. Meanwhile, Darius could roughly guess what Bridget felt from her prolonged silence. He had asked Bruce for Bridget’s background information long before Bridget came to work for him, so he knew her like the back of his hand. He cleared his throat and

Bridget silently predicted when the enemy would finally walk through the hotel’s main entrance. As she heard the many voices clamoring outside, she raised her arm to look at the time. The watch’s second hand made a complete turn, and the minute hand clicked one step forward. That was also when a loud crash sounded as the doors got broken down. At that moment, Bridget looked up at the entrance and saw what she had predicted—a horde of countless people on the enemy’s team. A bitter expression crept onto her face, wrinkling her brows into a deep frown. “There are too many of you. I’m not in charge of this hotel, so I’ll need to phone my boss and confirm whether we have enough rooms for you guys. Should my boss say no, I’m afraid I can only ask you guys to look for lodging elsewhere.” She got onto her feet. Although she spoke apologetically, a dark, hostile emotion radiated in her eyes. Bridget distracted the enemy to buy some time, as she did not know if the security guards she had se

Bridget tried to take several deep breaths. She had met many people in the past years, but this was her first time encountering such a shameless person.The man parted his lips, still wanting to continue. However, the guy beside him frowned and shoved him aside. “I think we’ve wasted too much time here,” the second man said while alertly examining Bridget.Although Bridget’s lips twitched with anger, she refrained from speaking and only cowered, putting on a terrified display.The man with yellowed teeth noticed Bridget’s reaction and reluctantly pursed his lips, but he did not resume his conversation with her. Instead, he took on a colder attitude as he responded, “Darling, although I’d love to continue our chat, other things require my attention now. You could wait for mere here, though. Because it won’t be long before this hotel becomes mine.”His face lit up with pride as he waved his hand in the air. Then, he ogled Bridget’s body with a lascivious grin—one that could make others

Phaedrus found Bridget peculiar, and her presence felt too random. His instincts told him that her words were untrustworthy, so he turned to face the man with yellow teeth again. “She’s already given us Darius’ location, so I’m sure we know what to do next—that is, I think we should go to the hotel’s backyard.”After saying that, he did not wait for the man’s response; Phaedrus marched straight for the backdoor.The man’s jaw fell slightly while his brows furrowed; that was the first time he felt like a genuine idiot for overlooking the details. He glanced at Bridget with growing skepticism before turning to face the other way and catching up to Phaedrus. The man thought, “This chick claims Darius is resting on the second floor, but if Phaedrus chooses to go to the backyard, then Darius must be at the back! After all, Phaedrus’ judgment has never been wrong over the past few years. It’s all thanks to Phaedrus that my forces can get away with doing illicit business.”Only after the t

“Damn you, Phaedrus! It seems you’ve been hogging the limelight for far too long among our group! I won’t allow it! I won’t let anyone displace me—I’m pretty sure you knew this much when joining our team. Yet you didn’t bother hiding or changing your desire to break that rule! The way you’re acting now has wounded me. I don’t think I can ever forgive you. Therefore, you can either die here or vanish from sight forever. Those are the best options for you since you once mentioned you loathe the thought of friends turning against each other. If you cease to exist today, I can tell everyone that Darius killed you. That would also allow me to achieve my ultimate goal—having total control over the group again.”Bridget sneered once she finished repeating the man’s words. The truth shocked her, especially since she had not met anyone with such thick skin.Meanwhile, Phaedrus’ voice grew hoarser by the second. “I can’t believe you’d do this. Although you’ve always made some drastic decisions,

Although she had a hand in causing this, she still felt shocked. It was, after all, different from anything she had experienced before since most of the blood came from one person. In the past, to achieve victory, she would have made at least three people bleed to their deaths. Yet, now, the majority of the blood was Phaedrus’. He applied pressure to his wound while standing upright. Most of his injuries were on his abdomen. The rest of his wounds were barely visible; all Bridget could see was how Phaedrus struggled to cover his stomach, which still emitted the heavy stench of blood. That continued until his pants got soaked. His blood even dripped from the hem of his pants, pooling on the ground outside the backdoor.Bridget furrowed her brows, feeling conflicted about what to do. She would have to cross the blood puddle if she wanted to walk over to the enemy like a regular person. Doing so would stain her literally and spiritually. Alternatively, she could always use her abilit

“Without him,” Bridget continued, “You’d be long dead. Despite this, you want to kill him because he’s more powerful than you. How can I not laugh when an ungrateful little prick like you exists?”A frown marred Phaedrus’ face. At the same time, hopelessness flashed in his eyes, knowing Bridget’s loud announcement made it impossible for him to regain his group’s trust anymore. He sighed, locking eyes with Brock while saying, “I’m indeed a member of the authorities, but you’ve got one thing wrong—I’m not a spy sent by the authorities, police, or the government. The truth is very much the opposite of what you think; I’m not a spy, but I have a bone to pick with the authorities!”“Hah! Hilarious. I doubt anyone would believe what you’re saying.” Brock rolled his eyes at the former. His face paled once more as he was unwilling to accept the cruel truth; he was the only one who would believe Phaedrus, regardless of how bizarre the latter’s words sounded. Overwhelmed with an unprecedented