The night was beautiful, a special night on the sea. The sky kissed the water and there was nothing in
between them. However, the stars seemed to be so far away and it was perhaps because of
desolation.
As Anne walked into the garden, she heard some voices cutting through the calmness of the night. She
wasn't interested in their business but the ringing voices were hard to ignore.
"Mom, go home. Don't look for him anymore. If you want to gamble outside, I will give you money but
don't look for that man. I won't let you see him." Kim's voice was firm and there was no room for
negotiation. He looked at her with a stern expression on his face.
The woman's voice became exceptionally sharp. "Shut up! You are just a bastard that I never wished
for. How can you say that to me? He is your father, the person I love the most." She pointed at him with
her hand trembling in anger. "You! You are the reason why he won't come back!"
As Anne heard those words, it suddenly occurred to her what Kim had said. This was probably the time
his mother was sober.
However, Anne felt that Kim's mother was indeed a fool. 'Her husband's infidelity was a fault of his own.
How could she blame it on the child?' she thought.
"Wake up from your delusions. Can't you see it? He has never loved you and he never will," Kim said
stubbornly. It was apparent in his voice that he already lost his hope on his so-called father.
A swift slapping sound was heard. The silence of the night made the sound particularly harsh.
"If you hadn't been involved in the underworld, your father wouldn't have feared you and would've
never left. It's all your fault. I hope you were never born!" The middle-aged woman spat her words to
her son like poison. At least to Anne's eyes, those words inflicted great pain to her child. The fact that
those words came from the mother who gave birth to him must've been heartbreaking.
"Don't you get it? If I weren't strong, we would have died a long time ago. Besides, you are the only one
who dares to hit me in this world," Kim reckoned, his voice low and emotionless.
"I think you are wrong. Don't blame your child for your troubles. If you don't want him, you should've
thought about it first before you brought him to this world. The child is a life, not a toy that you can do
anything you want to," Anne asserted in a cold voice, trying to educate Kim's mother.
Suddenly, the middle-aged woman shifted her gaze to Anne. Straightaway, Anne noticed the woman's
face. From her features, she could tell that she was beautiful.
Stubbornness flared in her teary eyes. Despite how cold she was to her child, Anne believed that she
really loved Kim's father.
"Who are you? Who do you think you are?" Kim's mother looked at Anne sharply from head to toes.
"You are soon to be a mother. Let me break this to you. That baby will ruin your life. You should get rid
of that," she snapped as she pointed her finger to Anne's baby bump. "Get an abortion. Giving birth to
a baby is a scourge." Kim's mother's voice was aggressive and her words were brutal. Anne didn't
expect her to be so irrational.
Anne felt the anger from the woman's eyes. She felt as though she angered a lion that would pounce
on her at any moment. Anne took a step back, feeling a little scared. However, suddenly Kim's mother
burst into tears.
"Kim, I'm sorry. It's my fault. I've hurt you." She sobbed as she covered her eyes with her hands, trying
to hide her face. She realized what great shame she had just mouthed off. "I'm not a good mother, but I
can't help it. I just love your father too much. Why did he do this to me? He told me before that he
wanted you to come more than anyone else. Why did he lock me up and took away my freedom, while
he is out there fooling around? Why?"
In an instant, the fierce lion turned into a fragile child. She was just standing there, crying her eyes out.
Seeing all of this, Anne understood that the woman in front of her had been through emotional abuse.
That woman broke down and couldn't think twice about her actions.
Kim looked away and said, "Take her away and take good care of her." His voice was as calm as the
wind on the sea that died down quietly.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have said that," Anne apologized, her voice low and regretful.
"What do you know?" Kim said sarcastically as he left. Anne stood there for a while, feeling the chill in
the night.
She had always thought that Kim was weird, but now she knew that everyone had a story of their own.
"Miss, are you alright?" A servant came up to help Anne.
Anne calmly asked, "Is this a common sight here?"
"No." The servant shook her head. "It's not like that. Madam will only be emotional occasionally.
Obviously, it's normal for her to cry in her situation. However, Mr. Kim feels that she is extremely in
pain. He'd rather be indifferent to her. In fact, Mr. Kim is not as bad as what others make him out to be.
He's just morose and withdrawn."
Anne could only believe half of the servant's words. What Kim had done was disdainful. No matter what
happened, it was no excuse to hurt others and ruin their families.
"I'm exhausted. I'll head inside," Anne sighed, with a weary expression painted on her face.
A City was rapidly changing. For a prosperous city, the rise and fall of companies were old news and
not many people would pay much attention to it.
Apart from Kevin's company, the M Group, and Feng Group, although other companies were well-
known, they would eventually go under.
The KIA Group, which used to be thriving, was now hollow. The building located in the center of the city
was just an empty space. It would soon be auctioned out, and the person with the highest bid would get
the right to use it.
At this time, Ryan was sitting in the office. The sofa and the table were cleaned out. He sat on the
ground of an empty room with a dull expression on his face.
"Why? Why did he knock me down so easily? Kim, why did you deceive me? I will not let this go. Just
wait and see, Kim. If I go down, I'm taking you with me." Ryan had nothing now. He had already lost
everything so he was not afraid of anything. He was now like a gambler who had lost all the money and
run out of options.
Just like a mad man, he decided to look for Kim himself and end his life. Then he could threaten Kevin
with Anne, who was Kevin's weakness. He had his plan laid out and he knew he would win this battle.
"This time, I won't fail again. You all just wait and see me rise up from the ashes of my company."
Clenching his fists, Ryan stood up and left the KIA Group with a renewed goal which was to get back at
the people who took all that he had.
On the island, the sky was clear blue, and the sea contrasted it with a deeper hue, giving off calming
energy for the people around.
In the middle of the villa, there was a huge garden on the terrace with a white table in it. There, Kim
was peacefully drinking his tea.
"Mr. Kim, Ryan's company has collapsed. What should we do? Should we come to his aid?" a man
asked after he came.
The peaceful day was ruined and a frown could be seen on Kim's face. He thought that Ryan was
foolish. It was beyond doubt that Kevin would take advantage of his company.
If he had come up with a good solution before he came back, things wouldn't have gone out of hand.
"Well, just help him out a little." He paused and clicked his tongue. "However, Ryan is like a wolf in
human skin. Save him first but don't bring him here. Arrange a place for him, in case he has other
thoughts." After having said that, Kim took a sip of water slowly. It was a wise decision because after
all, there were too many people who wanted him dead.
"Okay," the other man replied.
In AN Group.
On the broad sofa, Kevin was fast asleep. Although he slept soundly, dark circles were noticeable
under his eyes.
"Mr. Kevin, Ryan has gone to the airport. Should we stop him and teach him a lesson?" the private
detective proposed with his arms crossed.
Kevin slowly opened his eyes. He looked tired, nonetheless, his aura did not falter at all.
"There's no need for that. I am sure that he is going to get even with Kim this time. Let him go and tail
him. Only when he gets in touch with Kim can we know Anne's whereabouts."
As he mentioned Anne's name, a frown was drawn across his face. Apparently, he was worried sick
about her.
He just felt happy that he had taken Ryan down. But now the reality that Anne was still missing took
that smile away from his face. At the mention of Anne's name, Kevin had a lonely temperament all over
his body, and it was distressingly forlorn.
"Go on. Be sure to inform me immediately if you find anything about Anne."
After the private detective took his leave, Kevin let his guard down completely. With a cold expression
on his face, he pondered, 'Anne, where are you?'
Ever since Anne's disappearance, not a single day had passed that he wasn't worried about her. He
was terrified that she couldn't sleep well, couldn't eat well. She might get hurt and fall into a condition of
utter helplessness. He was even more anxious at the thought that she would be depressed when he
wasn't there by her side.
Ryan boarded the plane smoothly. As soon as he arrived at the capital of K Country, he was contacted
by Kim's men.
"Hello, President Ryan," the man greeted him in a deadpan tone.
"Don't bother calling me that. I'm no longer a president."
It was true, Ryan was not what he used to be anymore. Not just because he lost his company but
because he was not the same Ryan who used to be concerned about the law and fear that he would
lose to others. Now that he had nothing left, what else should he be afraid of?
He wanted everyone who had hurt him to pay the price. He was on his way to collect the payment.
"I don't think that's true. Our boss told us that you would make a comeback soon. As long as you trust
him, he will restore what's rightfully yours," the man blurted thoughtlessly.
"Send him my regards and appreciation." Ryan masked his doubt with a smile. He didn't believe in Kim
because his reputation was just horrible. He believed that Kim must be deceiving him, trying to stabilize
himself and acquire all the property of AN Group.
However, he too could play this game. Since Kim wanted to play, he would grant him his wish.
"Will do. Our boss has never treated anyone unfairly. I'll escort you out of here first. You can rest for a
few days. After you recuperate, we will make further plans."
Ryan was taken to a small secluded island in a lake.
There, on the island, was a villa. When Ryan caught a glimpse of the villa, a playful smile appeared on
his lips. He knew that Kim was there. It was said that Kim lived on an unknown island and only a few
people knew where it was.
'Kim's death is fast approaching. It's so close I can smell the blood he'll cry out of his eyes.' Ryan
thought viciously as they went closer to the villa.
"Is this the residence of Mr. Kim?" Ryan sounded respectful, but in his head, he meant something else.
The man noticed that something was off. He looked at Ryan, trying to figure out what it was but he
didn't know what was running on his mind. "Let's go in and have a look," he suggested as he gestured
towards the villa.
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