“So, the man in black just now was acting on his own accord, Flynn’s initiative,” someone remarked.
“That bastard deserves to die. You’ve helped him so many times, and yet he treats you like this!” Kimber said indignantly.
Layla’s face showed a hint of coldness as she replied indifferently, “Flynn is nothing but a brute, a man of narrow mind.”
“When I called off our engagement, he must have harbored a lot of anger already. This time, after Braiden hurt Scarlet, Flynn thought I was involved too, so it’s not surprising he did what he did today.”
“Let’s just pretend none of this ever happened, as if I was part of the kidnapping of Rose.”
“After all, Flynn is stubborn; it’s hard to clear things up…”
Kimber said sympathetically, “Miss, you’ve done too much for Lilia. She almost fell into danger because of her. Was it worth it?”
“You’ve always been reluctant to get involved in Niarak affairs, yet you came for Lilia…”
“Lilia is my best friend, my childhood playmate. A little hardship for her sake is nothing,” Layla stopped Kimber from continuing, looking calmly at the approaching cityscape, her mind swirling with thoughts.
Before going to Slatin to meet with the head of the Wakasa conglomerate, she had gone back home.
The master of the Woods family did not know where Flynn had gone after being released from prison and asked her about Flynn again.
They wanted Layla to look for Flynn.
Layla agreed noncommittally, but her mind was filled with ripples.
She couldn’t understand why her father wanted her to find Flynn, why he wouldn’t let her call off the engagement.
Was it just because Flynn’s mother had once saved his life?
Wasn’t giving Flynn several billion dollars enough repayment? Did he have to endanger his daughter for a lifetime?
Now, she just wanted Flynn to hurry up and find a woman to marry, have a few children, so that she could go back and report to her father.
Just as Layla was feeling frustrated, Lilia called.
“Layla, a friend from the city office called me, saying Braiden might be dead.”
Her voice was filled with shock and disbelief.
“Yes, Cruz blew him into bits; even his eyeballs popped out…” Layla briefed Lilia about the incident, her expression usual, her eyes not showing much disturbance.
She had come to Niarak only to help Lilia. Whether or not Braiden was involved didn’t matter to her.
Because in Layla’s eyes, as long as she was there, Lilia would surely win.
Rose’s backing was Nathan, hardly a threat.
The investor from Wakasa had arrived in Niarak, bringing an investment of ten billion dollars.
She and Lilia running around for a few more days to gather a hundred billion wasn’t an issue.
A hundred billion, Nathan could never raise that amount.
Even Mr. Fletcher couldn’t manage it.
Thus, all these factors had little impact on what was to come; there was even a sense that with one less person involved, they could get a bigger share of the money after winning.
“Wasn’t Cruz helping Rose?” Lilia hadn’t quite processed this when another wave of shock hit her, leaving her completely stunned.
Braiden’s death was unexpected enough, but to think that Rose’s supporter wasn’t Cruz!
“So if it’s not Cruz, who is helping Rose?” Lilia took a deep breath of cold air, her scalp tingling and her mind turning to mush.
Her limbs felt cold, her heart thudded wildly, her eyes filled with unresolvable shock.
When Braiden mentioned that Maximo had invited thousands of experts to Niarak, Lilia thought Flynn was surely doomed.
Little did she expect, it would be Braiden who ended up dead, slain by the God of War.
Yves Yancey, the heavenly king, was also at the scene.
Three hours ago, she had spoken with Braiden, who exuded an air of levity in his words, as if he could effortlessly turn situations to ash.
He radiated an invincible confidence, clearly believing he held the winning hand, untouchable by anyone.
Unexpectedly, just a short while later, Braiden was killed.
He was beaten into a pulp, his eyes bursting out.
Who could have imagined that someone, who had been discussing the future just during the day, would turn into a cold corpse by night? No, not even a corpse, but rather a mass of mangled flesh-so tragic, so hard to accept…
Layla said calmly, “Nathan is Rose’s support.”
“Nathan?” Lilia paused again, incredulous.
Layla shared the details of her recent call with Madeline and her own analysis.
“No wonder, if it’s Nathan, then he poses no threat to us.”
“The Wakasa Corporation’s investment has been deposited; today, I approached several other investment firms. Upon hearing that we received an investment of ten billion dollars, they were eager to collaborate, and reaching a hundred billion dollars soon seems likely,” Lilia said confidently.
She knew of Layla’s capabilities; in Ostrad, aside from the super-dynasties or high-ranking officials like Yves Yancey, no one could shake Layla.
Moreover, although Braiden’s death was a bit shocking, it was only momentary.
It did not cause Lilia to become disheartened or sorrowful.
After all, following the collapse of Acebegron Clear Relief, Braiden’s role had become minimal.
Alive, Layla had to share some of the investments with him to alleviate the financial pressures of the Swanson’s Group.
Now that he was dead, it somewhat eased the pressure on Layla and Lilia.
The money gathered these past few days could be entirely directed against the Sharp’s Group.
“Be careful these days to avoid any mishaps; if it comes to that, move in with me,” Layla expressed her concerns.
Lilia took a deep breath and said, “You mean, today Braiden kidnapped Rose, and Flynn thinks I was involved and wants revenge?”
Layla’s face turned cold as she solemnly said, “Yes, Flynn’s assassin attacked me just now; you need to be cautious!”
After explaining what happened at Northview in detail to Lilia,
“What?!” Lilia stood up abruptly from her seat, furiously exclaiming,
“That bastard Flynn, he dares to target you too? He doesn’t want to live?”
But after saying this, she suddenly calmed down, realizing Flynn was reckless and dangerous, not to be underestimated.
She could indeed imagine him doing something drastic.
At this thought, Lilia felt a chill down her spine, fear evident on her face.
Flynn was skilled in martial arts and had long coveted her.
He had even repeatedly said he wanted her to kneel and beg pitifully on the bed.
What if Flynn came here?
She would likely suffer horribly.
And with Flynn’s physique and strength, Lilia dared not imagine him pinning her down, grinning maniacally as he forcefully took her virginity.
Too terrifying, too desperate!
With these thoughts, she shivered tremendously, instinctively crossing her legs, pulling her silk nightgown tighter around her, and fearfully glanced out the window.