Lacey Bennett cursed inwardly, quickly raising her hand to cover her chest. She had once secretly harbored a soft spot for him, but who would have thought he was such a scumbag?
Eating from one bowl while eyeing another, and now he had the audacity to turn his attention to her.
Kayden, however, paid no mind to Lacey Bennett’s reaction. He reached his hand toward her chest and brushed her hand aside.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, startled by the boldness of his action, especially in front of so many people. It completely shattered everyone’s sense of propriety.
But no one dared to speak up. Who knew if he was the one who had killed those people?
Lacey Bennett was only wearing a thin T-shirt, damp with sweat from the climb earlier. This left her neckline slightly open, revealing a third of the cleavage beneath.
“What’s that thing hanging around your neck?” Kayden asked, his tone curious as he stared at the pendant dangling from her chest.
Lacey gasped. It was her pendant.
Every time he saw her, his eyes seemed to linger on her chest, only for him to cleverly shift the topic, claiming he was looking at the pendant instead. Could it be that he was actually interested in her chest?
In Lacey’s eyes, Kayden was undoubtedly a scumbag. He was already holding one woman in his arms while leading another, and now he wanted to ogle her? Unbelievable.
It seemed he was the kind of man who wouldn’t refuse anyone. But did he think she was some easy woman?
The pendant around her neck was just an ordinary trinket, with no real value. Its material was old and worn, something her father had bought for $3, 000 on a whim. She thought it looked nice on him and had borrowed it to wear herself.
Who knew Kayden would now take an interest in this pendant?
He was someone who could casually acquire jewelry worth millions-how could he possibly care about a cheap trinket like hers?
There was no doubt about it. He was just using the pendant as an excuse to stare at her chest.
“Do you want me to give it to you?” Lacey snapped, taking off the pendant and handing it to Kayden.
Kayden took the pendant with a casual “hmm” and immediately brought it to his nose to sniff.
This act only reinforced Lacey’s suspicions. This guy wasn’t interested in the pendant-he wanted to smell her scent. What a shameless man. He was a scumbag, through and through.
Though she despised him, she had no choice but to hold back her anger for now. She still needed him to get them out of here.
“Let’s go,” Kayden said, pocketing the pendant before leading Lacey and the others down the mountain.
He arranged for a helicopter to transport them out and personally returned Lucy to the John family.
—
In just two short days, news of Kayden’s annihilation of The Nightshade had spread throughout Zlando’s upper echelons.
“Theo Remington, how exactly did you pull it off? The Nightshade is gone now.”
“From the tone of your voice, Lennart, are you accusing me?”
Lennart snorted. “What did Mr. Hathaway tell you? Didn’t he explicitly say you were to mediate the matter? Now the entire Nightshade has been wiped out, and we’ve done absolutely nothing. What is the meaning of this?”
“What will others think of us now?”
“Yes, Mr. Hathaway did tell me to mediate,” Theo replied sharply. “But what was I supposed to do when I couldn’t even locate them in three days? By the time I reached The Nightshade, there was nothing left but corpses!”
“Stop making excuses! You wanted this to happen!”
“Lennart, don’t slander me! The Nightshade’s destruction has nothing to do with you. They offended him, and they got what they deserved! But you-why are you so eager to defend The Nightshade? What’s your angle?”
Shane Hathaway sat in silence, his brows furrowed as he listened to the heated argument between the two men.
As the president of the Cultivator Associate, he oversaw the nation’s organization of cultivators. His abilities were a mystery. Though he appeared to be in his sixties, with a full head of black hair and a smooth face free of wrinkles, he was well over a hundred years old.
Yes, over a century old.
Shane had little desire to intervene in this matter. That man was a war hero who had contributed greatly to Seclela. If he wanted to destroy a Hermit sect, Shane saw no reason to get involved.
However, the man’s methods were excessive. Even though Seclela had the Cultivator Associate, he had acted without their permission, showing blatant disregard for their authority.
Although the Cultivator Associate was a secret organization that ordinary people and professions didn’t know about, Kayden should have been aware of its existence.
To make matters worse, Shane had learned that the annihilated Nightshade had ties to a powerful and legendary organization-Hellblazer.
Hellblazer, long considered a myth, seemed to have some connection to The Nightshade.
This revelation gave Shane a headache.
Though Hellblazer had been dormant for a century, its deep-rooted power was undeniable. On several occasions, it had saved Seclela from crises. Its track record far surpassed that of any one individual.
Hellblazer had defended Seclela for a millennium, maintaining its stability.
That man? At best, he was a military leader who protected its borders.
“Mr. Hathaway,” Lennart said passionately, “Theo Remington is clearly shielding that man. I believe he should be punished!”
Theo snorted. “Mr. Hathaway, I admit I didn’t handle this well. But if Lennart thinks he can do better, then let him take a crack at it!”
“Enough!” Shane raised his hand, cutting them both off.
With a sigh, he said, “Inform Godefroid. Tell him to speak with that man.”
Who?
Godefroid.
The name sent shockwaves through the room.
Godefroid? They were actually going to send Godefroid to negotiate? What was the president thinking?
Who was Godefroid?
In the Hermit world, Godefroid was a legend. He was one of the few in Seclela to reach the Legendary level. A prodigy, he had broken through to the Master level at the age of eighteen.
When he stood at the pinnacle of the world, shaking the entire Hermit realm, he suddenly disappeared.
For years, Seclela had only the tales of his genius, but no one had seen him.
Of course, the Cultivator Associate, being no ordinary organization, knew he existed and even where he was. Godefroid had been living in a secret realm guarded by the Cultivator Associate, though no one had ever met him face-to-face.
“Mr. Hathaway, I heard he stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs long ago. Besides, would he come out for something like this? He’s probably not interested,” someone argued.
Shane, however, was confident. “Oh, he’ll be interested. Once he hears that man’s name, he’ll come.”