Bridget’s eyes narrowed to slits. Despite her smile, her other facial features seemed cold.That was when Darius opened the backdoor inside the hotel and saw a trembling Brock, who could barely stand upright in front of Bridget. Likewise, he noticed a more polished man among the enemy team, Phaedrus, who lay dead on the ground due to severe injuries. Frost coated Darius’ eyes as he scanned the battlefield, where people were still fighting in the background. However, both teams seemed like their minds were elsewhere. Frowning in annoyance, he thundered, “Listen up, every staff member of Umbrite Hotel! I want you to fight off our enemies with the utmost seriousness. Otherwise, you’ll have to face the consequences! Need I remind you guys that I’m quick to anger?”He then turned to look at Brock and calmly said, “I’d surrender if I were you. After all, the only one who can effectively defeat our security guards is Phaedrus, but he’s dead. No one can help you since you’re so useless. Tha

The way Brock slumped to his knees made it seem like he was willingly begging Darius for mercy.Darius cocked a brow and could not help chuckling heartily. It caught every person’s attention, as they had always viewed him as handsome and stern; it was their first time seeing him laugh without self-restraint, so it shocked them. Being the center of attention started making Darius uncomfortable, so his lips gradually pursed. Even so, his eyes were slightly curved in amusement as he looked at Brock, who knelt on the ground and had yet to accept the current outcome. It was not long before Darius shut his eyes, speaking in a casual tone. “Hah! I always thought your mind was incapable of intelligence, but I didn’t think even your actions would be this stupid. Even a one-year-old that had just learned to walk wouldn’t fall so clumsily while walking. What a joke.”Brock’s eyes widened at Darius. Hesitance flickered in his eyes while he pursed his lips several times. Eventually, he forced h

The enemy’s weapons, dropping all at once, produced the sorrowful sound of defeat that reverberated in everyone’s ears. Even their hearts ached at the thought of losing.“Thank God it’s all over,” Bridget said, sighing while raising her brows. She then turned to return to her room, thinking, “Alicia’s capable of wrapping things up here.”As expected, once she opened the backdoor to re-enter the hotel, someone opened the door from inside—it was a panicked Alicia. The latter rushed over so frantically that Bridget had to take a few steps backward. With a smile, she asked, “What’s going on? Why the rush? Why don’t you tell me, and maybe I can help out.”Alicia was panting so hard that she could barely speak. Bending forward and resting both hands on her knees for support, she took a haggard breath before replying, “N-No, I’m good. Instead, I was only checking up on your end and seeing if you needed help. Also, I found something that might help you next time.”It took a lot of effort for

“I’m willing to tell you about that. Truthfully, I only know a little, but the so-called associate backing my late boss is a figure in black robes. He often appears in the middle of the night, or at least that’s the case whenever I spot him. It’s just that he hasn’t appeared in a while now,” the man revealed all in one breath before casting a teary look at Bridget. At the same time, for an unknown reason, he nudged the shoulder of the person beside him. A smile spread across Bridget’s face in that instant. “All right, you may leave. Once you get out of here, I suggest you find a proper job instead of working for illicit organizations like you are now. This line of work has no bright future and puts you at risk. If I ever catch you on my future enemy’s team doing unlawful things again, I’ll make you pay twice as much—one for your current sins and another for your future offenses. Got it?”The man gulped before bowing politely at Bridget and fleeing without a moment to spare. However,

“Because the fact of the matter is—you pissed me off, and that wiped out any hopes they had of surviving.” Darius took slow and controlled steps toward the man, his presence exuding an oppressive aura that quickened everyone’s breaths.Eventually, one of the many men on the enemy team could not hold back any longer. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the person who lied to Bridget earlier, thundering, “That’s enough, Waylon! This Darius guy has spoken a lot, but his words aren’t entirely wrong—you’re the sole reason we’re all going to suffer now! That little piece of shit that left us earlier didn’t think twice before giving that woman insider information. He doesn’t even care if the rest of us live! We don’t get access to much of the company’s secrets, but you and that shithead know everything. That’s clearly unfair to us! And now, for some unknown reason, you’ve decided not to tell Darius what you know. Are you having fun challenging them, knowing our lives are at risk? I don’t

“Sadly, that’s the truth. You’re all cruel people, so I know I’ll end up miserably if I lie to you. That’s an outcome I can’t bear, nor do I have to experience it because I’ve already revealed everything I know to you.” With that, Waylon shut his eyes and peacefully waited for his end. What shocked him more was that Darius continued interrogating him instead, which meant he was 100% likely to make it out alive. His eyes shot open while he cast an emotional and grateful look at Darius. “Y-You believe me?”“Yes.” Darius nodded. “I believe you. So, from now onward, you just have to decide whether you want to continue answering my questions.”This time, Waylon did not hesitate or pause; he nodded determinedly. “I’ll do it. You’ve chosen to believe me, despite how crazy my words were. That can only mean you trust me, so I promise to answer all your questions with the utmost seriousness and to the best of my abilities.”Lips curving upward, Darius responded, “I’d like to know how you surv

“I could tell the man lifted his legs high when walking because the distance between each footprint was wide but still within an average person’s walking range. Thus, I stopped feeling scared. I no longer saw him as a superhuman and figured he was likely just skilled in ancient martial arts.” Waylon locked eyes with Darius before continuing, “That’s all I know. As for the man’s third time attacking me, I don’t think there’s much to say. He thought he’d killed me, but I lay still on the ground for the longest time until I gradually regained consciousness. During that third time, I had no clue how he abducted me or how I survived. All I know is my body hasn’t been functioning well since that encounter.”Following that, his gaze shifted into the space around him, giving him a dull and forlorn expression.Unlike him, Darius frowned, feeling displeased with that information. Some time passed before he curtly waved in dismissal, saying, “Get out of here. You’re a free man starting today.”T

Ancipation and excitement radiated from Darius’ eyes just then. He could not wait to meet his arch-enemy.That did not go unnoticed by Bridget, who immediately eyed Darius with a curious gaze. While she wondered the reason behind his eager expression, Alicia, who stood beside her, suddenly spoke and clarified things for her. “He’s finally showing himself!” Alicia exclaimed, her fists coiling tautly. “Although I’ve just recently worked for you, Sir, I’ve heard about him countless times. That guy really bugs me! He’s like a creepy guy, manipulating others like they’re puppets and chess pieces. He makes them do his bidding while he hides comfortably in his fortress! Despite his cowardly nature, he keeps sending his minions to cause trouble to others’ lives!”Bridget looked at Alicia in shock, as the latter had effortlessly understood Darius’ sentiments—something she could not do.Meanwhile, Alicia blinked innocently before turning to meet Bridget’s gaze. Sincerity, fear, and confusion f

Even so, his sloppy appearance did not take away from his robust build, nor did it make his tightly clenched fist look any less intimidating. His fist swung in the air, igniting a gust of wind that blew throughout the yard, eventually spreading all over Umbrite Hotel’s main entrance.That was all Bridget heard—the wind. For the first time, she had an idea to gather her internal energy and form them into ear plugs, blocking off any sounds around her. That was what Bridget did. Because of that, she sat in the hotel’s backyard and could not hear Darius calling her name from the second floor.Not receiving a response, Darius let out a weak sigh before focusing on Bridget. Only then did he understand what she was doing. It also shocked him to learn about her actions; Although Darius had not paid much attention to Bridget’s cultivation of her internal energy and martial arts skills, Darius could still tell she had improved significantly. That was because he could see the state of Bridget’s

Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. It was mean of him, but his mood soared at their anger. They’d caused him far too much trouble. He crossed his legs at the knee and listened as their protests rose to a clamor.“Oh, my God. I know Darius is powerful, but does he know what he’s saying? Is he implying he’s stronger than three people combined? What a braggart. I want to be the first to challenge him! I’ll show him who’s boss!”“Fuck off and wait your turn! Don’t you know how many people got here before you? I should be the one to handle this! In the past, I’ve always dealt with those new joiners.”Bridget walked to Darius and stood beside him. When she heard what the people were saying, she frowned and looked at Darius. Then, she bent down and leaned close to him. “Mr. Reid?” He nodded and held a finger up. Bridget nodded and backed away, only turning to face the people outside when she was at the entrance. Her eyes were frosty as she said, “You two are the ones who were yapping aro