Bobby said fearlessly, “James, you son of a b*tch, you’re a sinner. You better kneel to me right now! Or
else, Thea is going to die.”
James glared at Bobby. “Never. A man never easily gets on his knees. How could I kneel to ab* stard
like you?
“Thea used to be my wife, but we’re already married. You’re a fool to use her to threaten me.”
“Slash her.”
Bobby ordered through the phone. Cansington, a construction site.
Thea was tied to a chair. The place was heavily guarded by men dressed in black. One of them held a
sharp dagger against Thea’s face. When he received the order, he immediately slashed the dagger
across her face. A bloody wound instantly appeared on Thea’s left cheek as the knife swiped across
her face. Blood began to drip down her cheek, staining her white dress red. She felt severe pain in her
face but could only whimper since her mouth was covered.
Thea struggled to free herself but was to no avail.
Bobby held the phone and shook it in front of James as he said with a smile, “Since I can’t threaten you
with her, then I’ll just kill her. It’s a pity for such a beautiful woman to die.” James glanced at him
indifferently. “What the hell do you want?”
“I want you to kneel,” Bobby laughed. “You can kill her. However, I assure you that I’ll kill you too.”
James was unfaltering.
Even though he still cared about Thea, he knew that he absolutely could not compromise right now.
He knew that Bobby would seize his weakness and continue to threaten him if he compromised, putting
himself in a passive position. Therefore, he had to pretend not to care.
In fact, he was panicking in his heart but could not show it on his face.
Bobby frowned.
From his investigations, James supposedly cared a lot about her. Yet, he was not threatened at all
He thought about it briefly and said, “James, I won’t make it hard for you and Thea. You return the thing
that belongs to the Cadens, and I’ll let her go. What do you say?”.
“The thing? Is there anything I have right now that belongs to the Cadens?” James glared at him and
asked.
“Why’re you still pretending to be stupid? I’m talking about the chest unearthed from the ancient tomb
of the Prince of Orchid Mountain that has contents related to my family heirloom, the Moonlit Flowers
on Cliffside’s Edge. Don’t try to deceive me by saying it’s not with you.”
James glanced at the Emperor.
The Emperor shrugged and said, “I didn’t say anything, James. The Cadens’ power extends far beyond
your imagination. The Cadens are the leaders of the Ancient Four and have intelligence networks
throughout the globe. It’s easy for them to find out such things.”
“It’s in a safe in the House of Royals.”
James took a deep breath.
There was nothing in the chest unearthed from the ancient tomb of the Prince of Orchid Mountain but
an ancient scroll. It only had eighteen figures with some acupuncture and meridian markings on it.
James had already memorized them.
Thus, it did not matter if he gave it to Bobby. Bobby called and said, “Quickly head to the House of
Royals and open up the safe.” After giving the order, he hung up the phone. James stared at him
coldly. Bobby glared at him in return.
The Emperor stepped forward and tried to ease up the atmosphere.
He said with a smile, “What are you guys going? You’re family! Come sit down and have a cup of tea.”
Bobby smirked and turned, walking toward the gazebo. Then, he sat down.
James also walked over and sat opposite him.
Cynthia came over and sat beside James.
The four sat down together, but no one spoke, making the atmosphere tense. The Emperor said
smilingly, “James, I don’t know about the Cadens’ affairs back then, but I’ve heard a few rumors here
and there. It was indeed your grandfather that betrayed the family. He stole the Moonlit Flowers on
Cliffside’s Edge and escaped from the Capital. The Ancient Four had rules stipulated ever since the
generation that served the Prince of Orchid Mountain. Anyone that violated the rules was to die.”
James knew very little of the Ancient Four,
“What does the Ancient Four have to do with the Prince of Orchid Mountain, and how are the things
unearthed from the ancient tomb of the Prince of Orchid Mountain have to do with the paintings handed
down in the Cadens for a thousand years?”
“About that…” The Emperor was taken aback by his questions. Then, he explained, “I actually don’t
know much about this stuff. I only heard a little from the elders in my family. The Ancient Four used to
be officials that served the Prince of Orchid Mountain a thousand years ago.”
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