Charlene's face turned pale with fear when she heard what Daniel said.

She struggled desperately, but Daniel, filled with nothing but resentment toward both her and Jennifer, pinned her down without hesitation.

Just then, his phone rang. He temporarily let go of Charlene and picked up the phone. Glancing at the screen, he saw that it was a call from Laila. 

When he answered, her anxious and trembling voice came through. 

She stammered nervously, "M-Mr. Ashcroft, something terrible has happened. Someone abducted Mr. Fuentes. They've taken him to a warehouse on the outskirts. I followed them in my car but didn't know what to do…"

"What? Mr. Fuentes has been captured?" Daniel's heart sank.

He immediately stopped what he was doing, momentarily ignoring Charlene. Sensing her chance, she quickly scrambled away, retreating toward her room.

Daniel urgently replied, "Ms. Ballard, send me t

As Charlene stepped outside, she didn't see any trace of Daniel. She opened the front door, only to find Jennifer banging on it frantically.

The moment Jennifer saw Charlene, she grabbed her by the arm. Frustrated, she asked, "Charlene, be honest with me—are you secretly involved in something illegal?"

"What? No! Absolutely not!" Charlene waved her hands nervously, her heart pounding with unease. Fear crept into her thoughts. She dreaded the possibility of Jennifer finding out about her relationship with Daniel.

With a skeptical snort, Jennifer strode into the house. "Don't lie to me! We're best friends. Even if you've done something wrong, you should tell me so we can figure it out together. But if you keep it from me... 

"Where's Daniel? Daniel, come out here!"

Striding into the living room, she began calling for him.

Charlene, still flustered, quickly said, "Jennifer, calm down.

Sergio was no stranger to violence. With a simple wave of his hand, two of his men pulled out knives and charged forward.

Terrified, Scarlet screamed, too scared to witness the bloody scene about to unfold. But in the next moment, two crisp sounds echoed through the room.

The two men who had rushed at Daniel were sent flying, each receiving a brutal slap across the face. Their heads cracked open instantly.

Two loud thuds echoed as they hit the ground, motionless.

They were dead.

The sudden brutality stunned Sergio. He was a ruthless man, but this… was something else entirely. Daniel had killed two of his men without hesitation. His expression was calm, and his gaze was steady, as though he had just swatted a couple of flies.

Who was this young man? How could he kill so easily without batting an eye?

Scarlet shrieked again, overwhelmed with fear, before retching violently.

Daniel shot her a glance, his tone laced with irritation. "Get out."

She turned and bolted out of the room without hesitation, still gagging as she fled.

Daniel then turned back toward Sergio, his gaze icy and cold as death.

Sergio swallowed hard. Gritting his teeth, he smiled and said, "Sir, you're something else. I respect you! Let's not escalate this any further. I'll take the loss today—we can even be friends."

Daniel's voice remained indifferent, but his words carried a deadly weight. "You think you can just walk away after trying to kill me? I live by one rule—leave no loose ends."

With that, he stepped forward and, with a single slap, shattered Sergio's skull.

The other henchmen tried to flee, but Daniel kicked over a table, sending knives, forks, and bottles hurtling like deadly projectiles. Each hit its mark, lodging themselves deep in the necks of the fleeing men.

Five years of living in the cultivation world had hardened Daniel's heart into cold steel. Mercy was a liability in a world where the weak were prey to the strong.

Just then, Ishaan hurried into the room with a group of men, only to freeze at the gruesome scene before him.

After a brief pause, he quickly recovered, a flattering smile appearing on his face. "Mr. Ashcroft, rest assured. I'll take care of everything here. Sergio was a regular troublemaker, and more importantly, he was Zak's lackey. Getting rid of him is a service to the people."

Daniel glanced at Ishaan but didn't bother explaining himself.

Carrying the unconscious Charlene, he left Sakuna Bar without a word.

…

Once they reached Charlene's villa, Charlene suddenly began retching violently again. Disgusted, Daniel carried her into the bathroom.

In a matter of seconds, he stripped her bare and dumped her into the temperature-controlled bathtub.

Scoffing, he muttered, "Not only is she as venomous as a snake and shamelessly promiscuous, but she even associates with trash like Sergio. A woman's beauty means nothing when it hides such an ugly soul."

Daniel gave her a cold glance and turned to leave. "Stay in there until you sober up."

Charlene, still dazed, reached out feebly. Feeling unbearably hot, she clawed at her chest, leaving bloody marks in her desperation.

Daniel frowned, shaking his head. "Look at you! So eager for attention. It's hard to believe you were a virgin this morning."

He no longer paid any attention to Charlene. Though she was undeniably beautiful, she left him feeling cold and disappointed.

With no place to stay for the time being, Daniel sat cross-legged in the living room and quietly began to cultivate.

Five years of cultivation in a harsh world and surviving countless deadly encounters had forged his will into something unbreakable.

Killing Sergio and his men was just another mundane task for him. In this world, power and influence were everything, while strength was the only path forward.

With his eyes closed, Daniel took deep breaths, focusing entirely on his practice.

…

The morning light streamed through the windows the following day, casting a gentle glow over the bathroom.

Charlene slowly regained consciousness, blinking her eyes blearily. Shaking off the lingering dizziness, she froze, startled to find herself naked in the bathtub.

"H-How did I end up here?"

Staggering to her feet, she caught sight of herself in the mirror, her delicate features pale but still breathtaking. However, her chest bore several deep red scratches, stark against her fair skin.

"Who… Who did this to me?" she muttered, eyes wide with fury.

Memories of the previous night came rushing back. She recalled seeing Daniel just before she lost consciousness.

Her expression turned livid. It must have been that scoundrel Daniel! He must have stripped her naked and dumped her in the bathtub. Moreover, he must have taken advantage of her while she was unconscious and tormented her so cruelly.

What a bastard! 

Charlene was livid. She never expected him to be so shameless.

"You bastard!"

She yanked open the bathroom door, intending to head upstairs for a change of clothes, only to spot Daniel sitting calmly in the living room.

"Daniel! You shameless jerk! You call yourself a man?" she shrieked, fury blazing in her eyes.

Daniel opened his eyes, and his initial reaction was one of admiration. Soaked from a night in the bath, Charlene was like a vision come to life, her beauty rivaling that of a goddess.

But his admiration quickly turned to anger.

She had no sense of gratitude. After everything he did to save her, she dared hurl insults at him first thing in the morning.

"You wicked woman, watch your mouth!" he snapped, his voice cold.

But Charlene was beyond reason. Lunging at him, she grabbed a fistful of his hair. "You conniving scumbag and despicable pervert! No wonder Jennifer always treated you like a dog. You're not a man—you're an animal!"

She thought that the scratches on her chest were his doing. One after another, they were shocking to behold.  

What she never imagined was that those marks were entirely the result of her being drugged. Unable to control herself, she had scratched herself in a dazed state.

Daniel's temper flared.

"Fine. You think I'm no man? You think I'm a busybody meddling where I shouldn't? I'll show you what happens when I stop being nice!"

With a swift movement, he grabbed her, pulling her onto the couch.

She tried clawing at him, yanking his hair. But moments later, her struggles subsided, and her curses turned to silence.

Meanwhile, her phone began to buzz incessantly with incoming calls.

Still groggy, Charlene grabbed the phone. One glance at the screen made her panic.

It was Jennifer calling via video chat.

Charlene didn't dare to answer. Terrified, she quickly tossed the phone aside. There was no way she could let Jennifer see her like this.

Daniel noticed and sneered. "Why don't you answer it? You should let your dear friend see this wonderful scene. Let her see who you really are."

"Bastard!" Charlene didn't dare argue further.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Jennifer stared at her phone, visibly annoyed. She had only called to check Daniel's well-being, yet Charlene had hung up.

"What's wrong with her? I lent her my dog, and now, she won't answer my calls! Don't tell me… she really beat Daniel to death?"

An inexplicable pang of concern tugged at her heart.

Standing up abruptly, she glanced around her lavish home—a home she owed entirely to her title as Daniel's wife.

Without the marriage, the Walsh family would've never seized so much wealth. Without Daniel, Jennifer wouldn't be living in this mansion. He had been by her side for three years, cooking, cleaning, and putting up with her. He wasn't so bad, after all. He was certainly better than an actual dog.

My goodness! What if Charlene really killed him? He was still her husband on paper. Charlene couldn't have been that harsh to him, could she? 

Damn it! Jennifer had to go and check it out.

She suddenly realized that she actually cared quite a bit about whether Daniel lived or died.

She quickly changed clothes, grabbed her keys, and drove straight to Stellar Heights. Standing outside Charlene's villa, she rang the doorbell repeatedly, her voice urgent.

"Charlene! Open the door! Hurry up and open it!"

Inside, Charlene snapped back to her senses, startled by Jennifer's sudden arrival.

Terrified, she turned to Daniel. "Jennifer's here!"

Daniel chuckled coldly. "Perfect. Let's invite her in. I thought it was about time you two vicious best friends got a good look."

Charlene's face turned pale with fear when she heard what Daniel said.

She struggled desperately, but Daniel, filled with nothing but resentment toward both her and Jennifer, pinned her down without hesitation.

Just then, his phone rang. He temporarily let go of Charlene and picked up the phone. Glancing at the screen, he saw that it was a call from Laila. 

When he answered, her anxious and trembling voice came through. 

She stammered nervously, "M-Mr. Ashcroft, something terrible has happened. Someone abducted Mr. Fuentes. They've taken him to a warehouse on the outskirts. I followed them in my car but didn't know what to do…"

"What? Mr. Fuentes has been captured?" Daniel's heart sank.

He immediately stopped what he was doing, momentarily ignoring Charlene. Sensing her chance, she quickly scrambled away, retreating toward her room.

Daniel urgently replied, "Ms. Ballard, send me the location. I'll be there right away!"

Hanging up, he swiftly put on his clothes and dashed out of

Chapter 9