Elijah couldn't help but ask. A flicker of unreadable emotion passed through his father's eyes before he spoke in a low voice.
"The boss recently took over a human organ deal in the States. We couldn't get enough kidneys in Italy, so I came back."
Hearing his father's words, Elijah understood the situation. An uncontrollable flash of hatred lit up his eyes. Though he held little pity for life, he loathed his father for having his hands stained with blood in such a manner.
"I see."
His voice turned cold. His father, already used to this, took off his coat and went upstairs to rest.
When Liam Williams saw William Thompson in prison, it was a surprise.
"You want to help me? Why?"
When Daniel Taylor said he had found someone to take William's place in prison and secured a more powerful lawyer for him, William—always cunning and suspicious—showed no gratitude. Instead, he eyed the young man before him warily, a hint of confusion in his gaze.
"It's simple. I don't want to make Liam's life too easy. Don't you want to destroy his Pinnacle Corporation? Spending over twenty years in prison before you succeed must be unbearable. So I'm giving you a chance."
Daniel spoke bluntly to William.
"You hate Liam?"
William asked slowly.
"I want his woman."
That was Daniel's most direct answer. William couldn't help but laugh. He never expected someone from the Taylor family to be so obsessed with a woman. Rare.
But he didn't care. All he cared about was getting out. His feud with Liam was far from over.
"Alright, as long as you give me a chance to make a comeback. I won't let this go to waste."
"I hope so."
The two men exchanged glances and laughed, both hiding calculations behind their eyes.
"A centipede dies but never falls. It infuriates me. He actually found someone to take his place in prison. Is that substitute so desperate for money? If he came to me, I'd pay him double, just to keep that villain William behind bars."
In the tea room, Emma Johnson scrolled through her phone, watching the news that William Thompson had been wrongfully released from prison. She was furious. This was the perfect example of a villain living a thousand years. But Liam said it was just a dying struggle, nothing to worry about.
She didn't agree. For someone like William, who stopped at nothing, he was the most dangerous kind of enemy.
"What's wrong with you, Emilia? You've been sitting there in a daze since we got here. Are you worried about debt collectors at home again?"
Emma looked at Emilia Clark, who hadn't touched a drop of coffee in her cup. She seemed lost in thought, not even responding to what Emma had just said. Emma asked with concern.
"Ah, Emma, what did you say just now?"
"Nothing much. I was just asking if everything's okay. Is there trouble at home?"
Emma repeated herself. Emilia shook her head.
"It's fine. Nothing at home."
"Then why are you so spaced out? Are you having trouble at work? If something's really bothering you, tell me. I'll find a way to help."
"Nothing, Emma. Maybe I didn't sleep well last night, so I'm a bit distracted today."
"Well, take the afternoon off and go rest. I'll talk to Liam for you."
Emma said to her with concern.
"It's okay. I can't sleep even if I go home."
Emilia declined Emma's kindness. As they left the tea room, Emilia watched Emma's retreating back with complicated eyes. She kept replaying the conversation she had yesterday with the middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses. A trace of turmoil flickered in her gaze.
Is the boss finally going to get tough?
Well, it had come to this. Thinking about how the boss had saved her life, she had no other choice but to obey.
So, Emma, don't blame me.
As the elevator doors slid open, Emilia's wavering eyes finally hardened with resolve.
"Missing persons?"
On Sunday, when Emma went to see Mia Lewis at her home, Olivia Davis told her and Mia about the recent panic over missing persons.
"Yeah, in just two weeks, over a dozen people have disappeared. That's one person every day. So far, the police have only found five, and they're all corpses. And every single one had their kidneys removed. It's terrifying."
Olivia described it vividly, like a horror novel. Mia clung to Emma's arm, trembling.
"It seems we should be careful about going to remote places. I wonder when the police will solve this case."
After listening to Olivia, Emma felt a chill run down her spine. She had only heard such sensational stories when she was a child, but back then, only three people had died—far fewer than today.
And the deaths back then happened near her own home. Elijah was still young at the time, probably scared. For an entire month, he was pale and often woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Later, his mother took pity on him and brought him home. Emma stayed with him every day to cheer him up, slowly helping him recover.
When she drove back to Sunrise Manor, the TV in the living room was playing the same news. The servants were gathered in front of it, talking.
"Ma'am, you're back."
Charlotte was the first to spot Emma. She quickly took her bag and coat. Emma nodded to her and sat down on the sofa to watch the news.
The news was doing a detailed report. The reporter's expression was serious as she reminded viewers of all the precautions to take when going out recently. She even suggested not going out after 9 p.m.
Emma was watching when suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder. Startled, she couldn't help but scream and jumped up from the sofa.
"What's wrong? It's me."
Liam's voice rang out in the living room. Emma patted her racing heart and glared at him.
"Can't you just walk over normally? Why do you have to scare me like that?"
Seeing Emma's pale face, Liam was initially puzzled about what had happened to her. But when he saw the news on TV, it all became clear.