Seeing the bullet wound from the day before, Joseph sighed, "Such a shame, she was a good kid."


    With a heavy heart, Joseph gently covered Sophie''s face with a nket and turned to James. "Sophie''s gone. The big families won''t let this slide. You''ve got to handle it." "How should I handle it?" James asked.


    "Burn her," Joseph replied, his voice cold and detached. "We need to keep Sophie''s death under wraps for now. Make sure no one finds out tonight."


    Taking Joseph''s instructions to heart, James walked over to the bed, pulled out a lighter, and set the curtains aze. In moments, the whole bed was engulfed in fire.


    As the mes surrounded the bed, Joseph finally turned away, feeling a grim sense of reassurance.


    The next morning, as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, Burke International''s funeral procession was already in motion. A group of people carried the coffin out of the Burke family''s gates. In the misty morning air, a sense of danger hung like a shadow. Before anyone could make sense of it, a bullet sliced through the chest of one of the pallbearers. Colby and his crew had already shown up.


    Faces turned pale with terror as the realization hit. "It''s Colby! Colby''s here!"


    Colby led his team forward, bullets raining down on the pallbearers like a relentless storm. The bodyguards from Burke International tried to push forward, but they were quickly taken down.


    Joseph had his preparations in ce. Soon, a swarm of men poured out from the courtyard, while gunfire continued to erupt from the other side.


    Caught in the crossfire, both sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle. From the fifth-floor window, Joseph watched the scene unfold. He knew that despite Colby''s manpower rhis own side had an abundance of firepower. Today, he was


    no


    u7


    determined that Colby would enter, but not leave.


    James, observing Colby''s reckless charge, couldn''t help but frown. "James, let''s head down," Joseph said, leading the way. Colby''s attack was relentless, and nobody wanted to die, which led to a tense standoff. James stepped out of the Burke family''s gates.


    In a sh, Colby raised his handgun and fired without hesitation. The bullet whizzed past Joseph''s ear, narrowly missing his forehead. Admiring Colby''s audacity, Joseph remarked, "You''re impressive, but there''s no need for you to go all out anymore."


    "Where is Sophie?" Colby''s voice was icy.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    "When your parents were brutally murdered, I never imagined the Costello family''s patriarch would be so farsighted, letting you slip through the cracks. Today, the four major families mean nothing to me. I''ve already got what I wanted, so why leave a loose end?" Joseph said, tossing a ring at Colby''s feet.


    The ring hit the ground with a clear, ringing sound. Colby stared at it, recognizing it instantly. It was the ring he had ced on Sophie''s finger on their wedding day.


    The ring was stained with blood, its


    dried surface still a shocking sight. At that moment, Colby''s heart clenched painfully, his chest


    Vol


    tightening as if gripped by an iron


    fist, making it hard to breathe


    Sophie was dead? No, she couldn''t be dead; it was impossible!