Once they were alone, Allison served Rebecca a slice of abalone, her favorite delicacy. “I’m heading to the Lloyd family’s house on Monday to tutor Kellan’s niece.” Allison’s brow furrowed with thought as she spoke. “Dealing with a child will be straightforward, but my mother’s whereabouts are tangled up with Kinslee, and that’s the real puzzle. Kinslee has Alzheimer’s and barely remembers anything. Plus, she’s in a nursing home that no one can pinpoint. I’m sure it’s heavily guarded. I’ll need to find a way to slip in unnoticed.”
“Is this going to be a tough nut for you to crack?” Rebecca wasn’t the slightest bit worried, offering Allison a piece of white truffle in return.
“With your talents, why not just dive back into the hacker world? You could easily connect with top-notch medical experts. Once you throw out a reward and get in touch with brain specialists, you can dig into the Lloyd family’s files and uncover all the internal intel you need.”
Allison considered it while savoring her dish. “True enough, but it isn’t quite that easy.”
He had thought about that route, but reviving the hacker world would demand both time and a fortune, and she would need to assemble a team.
“I’d need fifteen million dollars just to get the global systems operational. And that’s the simple part. What really worries me is the chance of my old enemies getting wind of it. If all the world’s hitmen organizations come knocking at once, things will spiral out of control. Right now, I just want a moment of peace. I’m weary of constant assassination attempts.”
Yet, reactivating the hacker world was unavoidable. After all, it was her master’s dying wish.
Rebecca shrugged. “You don’t have to sweat the cash. I can cover it, and you can use it however you want. Forget fifteen million; even a billion is a walk in the park.”
“You might be willing to hand it over, but I can’t accept it. If your dad gets wind of this, he’ll probably have a heart attack,” Allison joked, laughing.
“And really, the money is just a drop in the ocean. I’m going to be a tutor for the Lloyd family, right? A tutor of my caliber comes with a hefty price tag.” Allison shrugged. “I might as well snag some cash from Kellan. No harm in that.”
“But are you sure you can easily get fifteen million from him?” Rebecca chuckled.
“Don’t worry; the money will flow my way,” Allison said, winking.
“That’s good,” Rebecca teased, not pressing for more details. She had never been particularly money-minded anyway.
“Allison, let’s cut to the chase. If you’re going to be pursued by assassins, what can I do to lend a hand?”
“When the moment arrives, I’ll need your family’s muscle to tidy up any traces of me overseas. I’ll rely on you to tie up loose ends. I might be in the country, but I can’t cover every angle. Your family has the clout for that.”
Hearing she could be of assistance, Rebecca raised her glass eagerly. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything’s spotless! If you ever need anything else, just say the word. I only fear I won’t be able to help enough!” They clinked glasses, laughing, and Rebecca couldn’t help but reminisce. “When we first crossed paths, you were not this fearless. You were like a prickly hedgehog – sharp and standoffish, fierce and hard to approach.” Fate had a hand in it, after all.
That prickly version of Allison hadn’t hesitated to save her life. From that moment on, Rebecca had been at her side.
Allison felt a wave of nostalgia as she reflected on their journey. “I really was a wild child, adrift with no compass. If not for my master, I’d probably have rotted away on that deserted island.”
Sensing the shift in mood, Rebecca quickly pivoted with a smile. “By the way, you’ve always been drawn to extreme sports. The international parkour competition is coming up – it happens every five years. Maybe you should throw your hat in the ring and clear your head.”
“Good call. I’ll check it out,” Allison replied. She hadn’t had a real workout in ages, and the thought of the challenge sent a rush of excitement through her.
For some reason, Kellan popped into her mind – the man who pretended to be disabled, always lounging in that wheelchair. When they had faced assassins in Athton, he exuded that same dangerous aura.
But instead of intimidating her, it intrigued her – like an extreme sport. Allison found it fascinating.
Or perhaps it was that subtle sense of mutual attraction between two kindred spirits.
On a bridge near the Jasmine Restaurant, tensions were running high.
“Melany, please step down first. We need to talk this out,” Colton called out as he rushed to catch up with her, only to find her precariously perched on the edge of the bridge.
In her white dress, Melany’s eyes were puffy and sorrowful, her fragile form poised over the railing, the roaring river just a heartbeat away beneath her.
“Colton, ever since that perfume competition, it feels like your spark for me has dimmed. You don’t trust me anymore. You brushed off my stomach pain like it didn’t matter.”
Melany’s complexion was ghostly, as delicate as a butterfly ready to fall. “I’ve never confessed to being Scarlet Snake, and my championship was earned fairly. I just wanted to make you proud. Do you have any idea how much I wished I could be Scarlet Snake? I only want to support you, even if just a little. I am always willing to do that.”
Her voice trembled, thick with emotion, as though she were delivering her final words. “I became so consumed by Scarlet Snake’s perfumes that I lost myself in daydreams. I regret causing you to lose that partnership with the Everett Group. If only I had known Allison was Scarlet Snake, I would never have made such a foolish blunder.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she feigned wishing Colton well. “Back at the Jasmine Restaurant, what I said was true. If you truly love her, I can step aside. You are the only one I have ever loved, and I genuinely wish for your happiness.”
With that, Melany leaned even further forward.
“Please, just come down first!” Colton exclaimed, his anxiety palpable. The wind seemed ready to sweep her away, and it dawned on him that she had always acted out of love for him. Guilt washed over him like a tidal wave. “I don’t care about Allison. The reason why I wanted to partner with the Everett Group is that I hoped to elevate our company and impress your parents. Melany, everything I do is for you, solely for you!” But Melany appeared lost, her face as pale as a ghost.
“Colton, I am doing this for you too. Remember five years ago? I would have given my life for you. I cherish beauty, yet I even bore a scar on my back for you. So please, do not doubt me,” Melany pleaded, gripping the railing as despair etched itself into her features. “If not, I would rather die.”
Though Colton had overlooked her stomach pain at the restaurant to grab Allison’s hand, what tormented Melany more was whether she could ever fully regain his trust.
“Let us talk this out. Please, don’t do anything rash.” Colton’s heart felt like it was lodged in his throat. With Melany still teetering on the edge of the bridge, every slight movement tugged at his nerves.
Colton was overwhelmed by guilt as she evoked the incident that had intertwined their fates. “Five years ago, I was near death, unconscious. If you hadn’t come to my rescue, I wouldn’t be here now.”
That moment left a scar on Melany too, a painful reminder of her love for beauty. It gnawed at Colton, filling him with anguish and guilt.
Since that day, he had sworn to protect Melany at all costs. Colton could no longer bring himself to blame her or argue about who was right or wrong. After all, if she had not risked her life to save him, he would have been lost long ago.
“I may have doubted you, but leaving you was never an option. Do you know, during the years you were gone, I held onto your memory every midnight?” Colton’s eyes glistened as he spoke.
In that dark time, his situation had been dire, and he could barely recall the urgency of it all. The only image that lingered was of the girl who had carried him through shadowy alleys as they fled for their lives.
On the edge of death, the only person he had trusted was that young girl, a memory he cherished dearly.
Melany’s eyes sparkled briefly as she quickly strategized. The recent contest had marred her perfect image in Colton’s heart, but if there was a first mistake, surely there could be a second. If she wanted to reclaim his heart… Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she gazed at the rushing river below, and with a heavy heart, she declared, “Colton, I love you, and I am truly sorry for all of this. If I die, Allison will no longer blame you, and perhaps there will be a chance to fix everything.”
With that, she let go of the railing and plunged into the water. The splash echoed like a thunderclap, leaving Colton frozen in fear, utterly unprepared for her drastic action. Without a moment’s hesitation, he shed his jacket and dove in after her, both of them disappearing into the icy depths.
In that final instant before losing consciousness, Melany felt strong arms wrap around her.
She had won the gamble.
Colton would never question her again.
Melany thought that once she officially became Mrs. Stevens, she would make sure Allison could never look down on her again.
In the early hours at the Stevens’ villa, the family’s private doctor had been deep in slumber when Colton yanked him from bed to check on Melany. After a thorough examination, the doctor finally set down his stethoscope.
“Mr. Stevens, Miss Johnson is fine. She just inhaled some water and will wake up after a bit of rest.”
“That’s a relief,” Colton sighed, his tense body unwinding as he sank into a chair, weariness creeping over him. So much had transpired today, and his thoughts raced, desperate for a moment to catch up.
He gently tucked the blanket around Melany before stepping into the garden for some fresh air. However, just as he crossed the threshold, Lindy appeared, wine glass in hand, blocking his path.
“What’s going on here? Melany just returned, and already she’s stirred up quite a fuss in the middle of the night,” Lindy remarked, her expression still warm and motherly. Only Colton, who had known her for years, could detect the simmering anger beneath her calm facade.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.