As expected by Ryan, the island villa was deserted. At the sight of this, a bloodthirsty smile formed on
his lips. He was planning to take action later at night.
"Why are there so few people here?" asked Ryan casually.
"It's quiet here because our boss doesn't like to have too many people around," replied the man.
"I see. Anyway, I want to see Kim," requested Ryan.
For a second, the man's expression changed but it returned to normal as soon as it showed. "Our boss
has something important to do. He hasn't come back yet," the man answered after a moment.
"When will he come back? I have something very important to discuss with him." Ryan tried his best to
suppress his emotions, but the man in front of him was not convinced.
"Probably at twelve o'clock in the midnight," answered the man.
Ryan smiled at his words. Like the soft breeze at night, he said in a very low voice, "I see."
"Excuse me, but I have to go first. Mr. Kin doesn't like it when others loiter around here."
"Sure. Go ahead."
As the night fell, the scorching sun was replaced by the mystique moon. One of Anne's most favorite
pastimes was cooling herself in the breeze in the open air.
She had not seen Kim for days since the last time she saw him with his mother.
At this time, she was learning about the place. Stroking her round belly, she thought that she must
leave before the baby was born.
"Miss, these are the fruits you requested," said the servant as she offered her a fruit plate.
"Please put it on the table. May I ask, have you ever left this place since you came here?" Anne asked
curiously.
"Well, we had been trained and instructed by Mr. Kim to follow him until we die. To answer your
question, yes, I have. He allows us to go out once every two months." When the servant spoke, her
voice was indifferent as though she had been accustomed to this kind of life.
"I see. Well, I've been here for a long time. Is it time for you to go out?" asked Anne again.
"In three days' time. Is there anything you want, Miss? I can buy it for you." The servant was
considerate to Anne's needs. However, uncertainty was apparent in Anne's eyes.
"I'll think about it for now. Could you come to my room when you're leaving? I'll tell you what I want by
then," said Anne slowly.
The servant nodded in agreement.
When the servant was gone, Anne was left in the garden alone. The moon overhead cast a faint light,
illuminating the place. As Anne looked at the distant sky, melancholy dawned on her.
Counting the days, Anne had been staying here for a week. She had no idea how anxious Kevin felt
while she was gone.
She wanted to run to Kevin and tell him everything, but there was nothing she could do right now. At
that moment, she stretched out her hand in air. The jade bracelet tied around her wrist came into view.
It was specifically designed for her family of four.
Seeing this, Anne reminisced the time when she was still with Kevin. She was aware that it was
impossible to see him. Soon, the baby in her womb was about to be born. Because of this, pregnancy
exhausted her more than ever. Leaning against the lounge chair, she eventually fell asleep.
The gentle breeze of the night blew the hem of her dress, making her look like a beauty who sang
enchantingly at the sea.
Kim arrived at that exact moment. Seeing that Anne's hands were on her belly to protect it while she
was asleep, he wondered how a weak woman like her could have so much perseverance. Was it
because there was life in her belly?
"Why are you here?" Anne suddenly woke up. Seeing Kim, she subconsciously held her belly more
protectively.
When Kim noticed her reaction, a frown appeared on his face. It seemed that Anne was afraid of him.
"I just came to warn you not to show up in front of my mother again," he said coldly.
Up until now, he could not forgive Anne for saying something that hurt his mother.
"Why? Your mother is sick. You should do whatever it takes for her to be treated. She needs a
psychologist," retorted Anne.
"There's no need for that. If her condition can be cured, she would have been cured a long time ago,"
answered Kim in a pensive manner. The thing was, his mother would never recover from her condition
because she did not want to.
"You don't want your mother to suffer, do you? People need to see the reality clearly. It's all your
father's fault anyway. He didn't want your mother to give up. What he needs to do is say something to
make your mother give in, then everything will be fine in the end," said Anne with a solemn expression
on her face.
She and Kim were not friends at all. The only reason why they were not enemies was because Kim did
not hurt her.
As Kim heard this, a cold sneer appeared on his lips. "You live so happy a life, so you don't even know
how shameless he is. He will never let my mother give up. He needs her to threaten me to get
whatever the hell he wants."
"You see, not everyone is happy. Your mother can't control her emotions as she's immersed in the fear
of losing the one she loves. My mother was not with my father yet she remained strong. She even
taught me how to properly behave. Besides, this is your mother's problem. Why are you bearing the
weight of their conflict on your shoulders?"
"Shut up!" All of a sudden, Kim strangled Anne, making her speechless and breathless.
Her eyes were wide open in shock and her hands were on her belly, protecting it from any possible
harm.
At the sight of this, Kim frowned and let go of her at once.
"You know nothing." Those were his last words before he left the garden.
Anne was left alone, coughing and gasping for breath. It took her a long time before she finally
recovered. Looking at the direction where Kim had left, she felt fear for the first time.
She saw how terrible Kim could be. He was moody and his mind was a little distorted.
For these reasons, Anne decided to stay away from him as far as possible. She wanted to live safe and
not die in the hands of this unprincipled man.
Outside the French window in the empty living room, the cold night could be observed.
The twinkling stars and the vast sea could be seen, but Kim remained blind to their beauty. In his mind,
those sceneries, despite beautiful and breathtaking, could not sate his desires.
"What's the matter?" Kim asked on the phone.
He sneered upon hearing the voice from the other end of the line. "Does he really want to court death?"
He had never been wrong in judging people. His judgment had not let him down, not even once.
"Yes, Mr. Kim. What should we do?"
"When he's about to take action, tell him the truth. You don't have to kill him. After all, he will only be left
with two choices. It's either he ends his own life, or he decides to cooperate with me sincerely," replied
Kim indifferently.
He did not want to do anything to Ryan. Ryan was cruel, but he was also stupid. He would be of great
help to Kim if he agreed to work for him.
"Yes, sir." The moment Kim got the answer, he hung up the call.
It was now deep into the night. The dark clouds slowly rolled in the sky, making the stars appear dim.
In the AN Group.
The CEO's office was ghost-quiet. Kevin was inside.
"Mr. Kevin, I got some news," said the private detective excitedly as soon as he came in.
Hearing this, Kevin stood up abruptly. The excitement in his heart could not be restrained.
"Tell me!"
"We have found out that Ryan was taken to a small island in a remote lake in K Country. Most probably,
there is a villa owned by Kim."
Kevin's eyes narrowed as he heard the detective's report. Although he wanted to see Anne right away,
he knew he should not act rashly for the sake of her safety.
"No, Anne shouldn't be there," said Kevin affirmatively.
"Why?" The private detective could not understand why Kevin was so sure about his conclusion.
"First of all, Kim is meticulous in everything. Nobody knows where he lives after he became famous.
And now, because of Ryan, his address suddenly resurfaced. Don't you think it's strange?"
The detective thought that Kevin's analysis made sense. "What should we do then?"
"Let's wait and see," answered Kevin, his eyes lowered to the ground.
He still had a long way to go to find his wife. Although he was extremely anxious, there was nothing he
could do except to calm himself down.
Kevin did not believe that Kim trusted Ryan so easily. If his guess was right, that place was only a test
for Ryan.
He had no idea where Ryan was taken. What he wanted to know right now was where the person who
took Ryan would meet Kim.
At twelve o'clock in the midnight, the K Country was still covered in snow. The lake was covered with a
thin layer of ice. Moreover, the coos of the crows could be heard from time to time. These things gave
people an impression of desolation.
Sitting in the dark, Ryan gazed at the world outside that was covered in white. In his hand was a loaded
pistol.
The sound of the door being pushed from outside could be heard. As he heard this, the corner of his
mouth curled into a sneer.
'Kim, you're finally here,' he thought to himself.
He must take revenge on Kim and make him have a taste of his own medicine.
Opening the door, he saw a tall silhouette in the darkness and he fired at it directly.
The gunshot broke the silence of the night. To his surprise, the person who was hit did not fall.
At the same time, the light was on.
All the lights emitted intense light and heat, making Ryan unable to open his eyes.
Albeit with difficulty, it took him a while before he was able to open his eyes. Unfortunately, the person
standing in front of him was not Kim.
"How could it be you?" he asked in disbelief.
"Your plan failed. Our boss didn't believe you. You didn't expect this to happen, did you?" After the man
finished speaking, he took Ryan forcibly.
"Fuck off! Where is Kim? I want to see him!" said Ryan while resisting.
At the back of his mind, he thought that his death was about to come. He felt aggrieved because he
was not able to do what he wanted to do before his death.
"Our boss gave you two choices. First, you'll be left to fend for yourself as he will never help you again.
Second, follow him wholeheartedly and he will not treat you unfairly." The man's tone was dead
serious. What he said just now was exactly what Kim had asked to tell Ryan.
Ryan was silent for a moment, weighing in his choices. Suddenly, a sneer appeared on his face and he
answered, "The second one."
"It seems that you're quite smart. If you follow us, our boss will treat you just as he promised,"
reassured the man.
Still with the sneer, Ryan asked, "Do you think I have a third choice?"
"I don't think so. Let's go."
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