<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">At the Jacobs residence, Sheldon walked Yvette to her door, trying to think of a reason to follow her inside.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">But before he could speak, Yvette shut the door right in his face,pletely cutting him off. Sheldon clenched his back teeth so hard he nearly cracked them.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">This ungrateful woman… she’s already followed me all the way to Dungo Vige, so what’s she still putting on airs for? Let’s see if she’s still so cold tomorrow after I hit her with that binding love spell, he thought.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Trying to mask his frustration, Sheldon said cheerfully, “Well, Ms. Zeller, get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow, I’ll treat you to some Dungo Vige specialties.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Sheldon waited a while, and there was no response from inside. He knew she’d heard him, but he had no choice but to leave and head down to the basement to vent his desires on the women there.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the dead of night, when every household in the vige had turned off their lights and people were sound asleep, Yvette opened her eyes, instantly alert, her gaze sharp.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">She got up, dressed, pulled on a baseball cap to shield half her face, and slipped out the door. Just as she reached the courtyard of the residence, a patrol team passed by.</font></font>Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Swiftly, Yvette slipped behind a pir, merging seamlessly with the shadows. In the darkness, a faintly cold smile yed on her lips.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Yvette wondered, ‘A vige chief’s residence has this many well–trained guards? These people don’t seem like ordinary vigers from Dungo Vige.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">‘Each one carries a deadly aura. It’s likely they’ve all taken more than one life. The Jacobs family is… interesting!</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">Once the patrol moved on, Yvette stepped out from behind the pir, her destination set Holden’s study.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">In the study, lights burned brightly. Yvette walked to the blind spot by the window, her gaze sharpening. Inside, Holden was on the phone, his expression grave as he listened to the man on the other end.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">He spoke in a cold voice. “Mr. Miller, I’ve already sent you three groups. If this continues and they trace anything back to me, I’ll be in serious danger.”</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">The man on the other end replied, and Holden’s expression lightened considerably, though he insisted on tripling his price.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">After hanging up, Holden’s face grew dark again. The people from South East Aploth were demanding more and more, and he was barely keeping up with the supply. His only option was to elerate the cultivation of new poisonous insects.</font></font>
<font style="vertical-align: inherit;"><font style="vertical-align: inherit;">However, the poption in Dungo Vige was limited, and most of the blood had already been taken. If he kept this up, everyone in the vige would be at risk of dying, which would certainly raise suspicions.</font></font>
After a long moment, Holden stood, walked to his desk, and shifted an inconspicuous book gently to the left. The next second, the bookshelf moved aside automatically, revealing a hidden passage. Holden nced back at the doorway, then stepped inside.
Once he entered, the bookshelf closed behind him. From outside, Yvette observed the entire scene clearly. She hadn’t expected Bonnie’s hunch to be so urate.
There really was a secret underground chamber in Holden’s study. ‘What connection could the Dungo Vige chief possibly have with someone in South East Aploth?‘ Yvette wondered.
Yvette pulled her cap down a bit, memorizing the position of the book Holden had shifted, and then turned to leave. Along the way, she dodged two more patrol teams before making it back to her room undetected.
Upon entering. Yvette sensed a familiar presence in the room. Without a hint of surprise, she walked over to the table and took a seat, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
Her deep–set eyes were partially obscured by her longshes. She removed her cap, letting her long hair cascade down, revealing a face of striking beauty under the soft light.
Her slender wrist rested casually as she lifted the cup to her lips, faint, almost teasing smile ying on her mouth as she sipped her coffee.
Then, from the shadows, a man’s sigh broke the silence. “nning to leave me waiting here all night?” he said.
Yvette lifted her gazezily and saw the man emerge from behind the wardrobe. “I thought you liked hiding back there,” she casually.
Jeremiah, dressed all in ck, came forward. Since they’d been together, he had worn nearly the same color every day. His voice, low and maic, seemed to pull at her in the quiet of the night.
“I only like you,” Jeremiah said.
Yvette had long since gotten used to Jeremiah’s constant flow of sweet talk. He had perfected the art of pretending to be a fool while hiding his true strength, and Yvette knew she couldn’t afford to show any weakness.
Taking her time, Yvette poured another cup of coffee. Jeremiah walked over and effortlessly scooped her up, cing her on hisp, then brought the coffee to her lips.
“Find out anything?” asked Jeremiah.
Nestled in Jeremiah’s embrace, Yvette appeared small and delicate. She casually swung her feet and slowly spoke. “The vige chief, Holden, has something going on. There’s a secret room in this residence, right in Holden’s study.
“As for what’s inside, I guess we’ll have to go down and see for ourselves. There’s something dark being hidden in Dungo Vige. It’s definitely not something good.”
Jeremiah idly traced circles on Yvette’s soft fingers. His voice was low as he responded. “Come with me. Tomorrow night, let’se back and find out what Holden’s hiding.”
Yvette shook her head. “No, tomorrow I have something to discuss with Bonnie tomorrow.”
Jeremiah was surprised. He hadn’t expected Yvette to meet Bonnie so soon after arriving in Dungo Vige. His eyes narrowed, deep and intense.
Yvette’s refusal was final. When she said she wasn’t going, there was no changing her mind. “Alright, tomorrow night I’lle back. Once we figure out what’s going on in Dungo Vige we’ll take Bonnie with us and leave,” he said.
Yvette nodded. “Okay. You should go now.” Without hesitation, she slipped from hisp and stood up.
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow, lips pursed, standing up with her. He spoke casually. “What if I leave now and get caught by the patrol? What should I do? I’m a little scared.”
Jeremiah spoke the words with an air of nonchnce. “I’m really scared…”
Yvette stroked her chin thoughtfully, her striking face and clear, wild eyes conveying a mischievous gleam. She patted his shoulder confidently. “Don’t worry. If they catch you, I’ll definitelye to your rescue.”
Jeremiah paused for a moment, then asked helplessly, “Last question, who did youe to Dungo Vige with? A man or a woman?”
Yvette lifted her chin. “A man. It’s Holden’s son, Sheldon.”
Jeremiah smirked at her words, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. His cold, mockingugh sent a chill down her spine. “Take care of yourself.” With that, he turned and left.
Yvette watched him leave. ‘Is lie angry? What would an angry man do?‘ she wondered.
In the early hours of the morning, at the Jacobs residence, a furious shout from the east side of the house startled everyone at home. “Ah… I’ll kill you! Bastard!”
Then came Sheldon’s heart–wrenching cries. One by one, the lights in the Jacobs residence flickered on, except for Yvette’s room, which remained dark.
The entire night, the sounds of Sheldon’s shouting and cursing echoed from the east side of the house. The cries continued relentlessly, hour after hour, growing louder as the night wore on, until morning.
It was a sleepless night for the Jacobs family, except for Yvette, who slept soundly until dawn.
The next day, the Jacobs family servants gathered together, whispering about what had happened the night before.
“Did you hear Sheldon screamst night? What on earth happened? It sounded terrifying.”
“Yes, I heard it too. I saw Mr. Jacobs go into Sheldon’s yard, and he didn’te out until the early hours of the morning.”
“No, I saw something too. Someone carried out several basins of blood from Sheldon’s room. It was so horrifying.”
“Something serious must have happened. Dr. Hansen camest night. If it weren’t a big deal, Dr. Hansen wouldn’t havee.”
“I… I saw it… I saw Sheldon’s lower body was covered in blood.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could his lower body be covered in blood? Unless…”