Zoe eximed, "Landon! Where are you taking me? What else are you going to do to me?"


    Just moments ago, Zoe was still causing a racket. Now, she waspletely terrified. Yet, she


    remained stubborn and refused to beg for forgiveness. She shouted from behind Landon, "Have you


    forgotten the oath you pledged before Dad''s grave?


    "You said you would love and protect me all your life! Is this how you keep your promise to our dead


    father?"


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    Upon hearing that, Landon stopped in his tracks.


    A million thoughts bombarded his mind. He felt like his heart was sinking in quicksand; exhaustion


    gnawed at him from all the struggling he''d been forced to do.


    Slowly, with trembling hands, he unfurled his palms. These were the hands that once wove through his


    younger sister''s silky hair, hands that fed her, cradled her, and hoisted her high in the air. Hands that, in


    happier times, grasped hers as they raced through the park,ughter echoing in their wake.


    He was her older brother. Yet, he had taken on the role of a father from an early age. He did all he


    could to fill the void left behind by theirte father during her formative years.


    Yet, these same hands also harbored a simmering hatred for the family member who had shattered


    him. Now, with these very hands, he was severing the familial bond.


    A tear escaped and dropped onto his palm.


    "I vowed to love my younger sister. You, on the other hand, have been taken over by jealousy and


    desire. You''re nothing but a parasitic monster."


    With those final words, Landon walked away.


    Zoe''s heart plummeted to her stomach. Her expression was nk. It was as if her soul had left her


    body. Regret washed over her in a tidal wave. However, there was no turning back.


    Night had fallen by the time Landon walked out of the abandoned manor.


    Axel was leaning against the sports car''s hood and smoking a cigarette. Spotting Landon, he threw the


    cigarette at his feet and stomped it out.


    "Hey, Axel. You''re still here." Landon approached Axel. The former''s face was pale.


    "I didn''t dare leave, in case you did something rash. Jasper wanted me to keep an eye on you." Axel


    feigned relief. "Fortunately, you didn''t go overboard." "Were you worried that I''d kill her?" Landon shook


    his head and continued, "I won''t take her life. Jasper doesn''t want blood on my hands. I don''t want to


    disappoint him."


    Axel fixed his eyes on Landon, hesitant to speak.


    "Do you think it''s unreasonable how I treat my sister?" Landon''s voice wavered, his emotions barely


    contained.


    Axel crossed his arms and briefly pondered before responding, "Let me think about this from a different


    perspective. If Lyse were the victim, I would have been even more brutal than you. I''d kill her, and no


    one would be able to stop me."


    Landon lowered his head. He felt really tired. "Axel, I''m not sure why, but my heart still hurts, but I don''t


    regret it."


    Following Zoe''s abduction, the police conducted an exhaustive search throughout the night, but she


    remained elusive.


    The surveince camera at the scene had been hacked, and both officers on duty didn''t manage to get


    a good look at the abductor''s face before they were each injected with a tranquilizer.


    Zoe had vanished in in sight.


    The next day, an emergency board meeting was held at Harper Group. Unanimously, all board


    members voted for Landon to be officially promoted.


    He hadn''t even turned 30 and had already taken over the Harper Group and be the head of the


    Harper family. He was now the chairman of both thepany and its board of directors.


    Dressed impably in a ck suit, Landon upied the head of the conference table, receiving


    apuse and well wishes from the attendees. Though now perched atop the pinnacle of power, his


    expression remained neutral.


    Despite being the leader, Landon didn''t appear particrly ted. After all, he had never wanted any of


    this.


    Right at that moment, the meeting room door flung open.


    "I object!" Penelope burst in, her eyes aze with fury. She red and shouted angrily in front of all the


    board members. "Landon, you are such a cold-blooded and ruthless creature!


    "I am a major shareholder at Harper Group. I have shares on hand too! I disagree with you being the


    head of the family! You''re someone who even dared to harm your own sister! You''re immoral and


    selfseeking. What gives you the right to be in charge of Harper Group?"