"It''s not toote, you know," Marion said softly, his eyes filled with a tenderness that belied his fearsome reputation.


    To the world, Marion was a specter and a messenger from the shadows. But with Debra, he was different-quiet, sometimes yful, and unruly. He was cute and not scary at all.


    "Wait here for a moment," he said, disappearing downstairs.


    When he returned, he held a te with a cherry jam-filled cake. Its red center gleamed like a jewel.


    It was quite surprising that a man like Marion would craft something so delicate. She was touched.


    "Try it," Marion urged.


    Debra took a small bite. The vors exploded in her mouth. It was a dance of sweet and tart that lingered on her tongue.


    "It''s a shame you didn''t be a chef."


    "I used to be a chef."


    "I remember you mentioned being a barber too."


    "Yep."


    "Can you tell me more about your past?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.


    "Sure."


    Debra leaned in, eager to hear his story. She''d heard whispers from Randy and Erica, but Marion''s past was a tapestry woven with rumors and half-truths. She wanted to hear from him about the real version.


    She wanted to know how he managed to catch Shawn''s attention.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    She wondered how he had made a name for himself and earned respect abroad.


    She was also curious about why, despite being the heir, he had to endure so many hardships before finally being brought back to the Houston family by Caleb.


    These questions had lingered in Debra''s mind for a long time.


    "Let me think." Marion thought for a moment before recounting the past events.


    From as far back as he could remember, his mother had stilled one idea in him: revenge. She wanted the Houston family to pay for her misery.


    At first, his mother only took medicine. Later, she became an alcoholic and then a smoker. Eventually, smoking and drinking no longer satisfied her, so she turned to drugs. Eventually, in a fit of madness, she jumped off a building. Marion became an unacknowledged orphan, wandering abroad. He did whatever it took to survive.


    Shawn was not the kind of person who would normally look for a sessor in such a ce, But he needed someone fearless and able to handle dirty work.


    The Bernard family might have been a charitable organization on the surface, but behind the scenes, they ran a massive ck market operation.


    This kind of work was not suited for privileged young men. They needed someone from the slums, someone who knew how to fight and survive.


    Shawn found Marion when he was 16. Marion shed a lot of blood for the Bernard family, climbing the ranks until he became the head.


    Debra listened quietly, and he continued, "That''s what outsiders know about me."


    Debra blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean? Is it not the truth?"


    Marion tapped her forehead.


    "It''s half true and half false."


    "Such as?"


    "Such as my background."