The lofty Howel castle hid its shapes in the moving think mist.

There were too many clouds for morning glow to penetrate. One could vaguely see the towering roof.

The crimson roses grew at the feet of the castle. In full blossom, they even grew along the steel grey walls.

In the castle, Evan stumbled up the stairs to reach the top floor at the help's guidance.

The top floor was guarded by mobile security, unlike the silence downstairs.

Every time Evan passed a door, the detector would scan his body. Every time he entered, he had to remove his watch.

Evan sneered with arrogance. In his mind, his grandfather was nothing but a chicken who put his life above everything else. He arranged the tight security of where he lived. More ironically, he couldn't even trust his own grandson. He had to pass the security check too.

Lucien opened the last door. Before entering, Evan was scanned again.

It was a huge room with the living room, bedroom, and study in one.

It had all kinds of antiques. The room looked grandeur and spectacular because of the high roof.

In the room, there was one bodyguard every three meters. Mr. Howel was by the French window with an easel in front of him. Not far away was a birdcage made of iron. An eagle was inside and stared at Evan sharply.

Lucien didn't bother Mr. Howel. He stopped Evan.

"Master, please wait for a second."

Evan frowned. He could see Mr. Howel painting the eagle from his perspective.

The eagle was standing on the holder with its head held up high. The cage was only half-finished.

Evan sneered.

"Do I have to wait until he's finished?"

"Master, Mr. Howel doesn't like to be bothered when he's painting. No one could defy him," Lucien reminded Evan, whispering.

The second Lucien finished talking, Mr. Howel put down the brushes. The maid immediately handed him over a sanitized cloth to wipe his hands.

"So I heard you're doing a hunger strike these days, are you?"

Evan was silent. He neither acknowledged nor denied.

Hum.

Mr. Howel sneered.

"If you want me to release Miss Peters, I suggest you change your attitude. You hurt Rebecca and make me look bad in front of Mrs. President. She wants an explanation from you. What you should do now is give her a proper one."

"I'll explain to Mrs. President personally. I need you to release Avery now."

"You are in no position to bargain with me. I'll put her here until she gives birth."

"Release her!" Evan roared like an enraged lion. If Mr. Howel decided to keep her until the baby was born, it would be the same as putting her in prison.

Avery hated most to be fettered. One of the reasons that Avery kept asking for a divorce in the past was Howel's house was a prison for her.

She could not get used to living here.

"I told you that you have no leverage to bargain with me. If you hear me, get out. After Rebecca is out of ICU, I'll send the driver to take you to the hospital."

"I'm not going until you let Avery go."

"This is an order. I'm not negotiating with you."

Evan turned over the glass table in front of the desk. The glass was broken into pieces because of the force and fell on the ground.

The security pulled out guns and pointed at Evan simultaneously. Their moves were in sync. This

was how they were trained. If danger, no matter how small it was, fell upon Mr. Howel, they would take action even if the threat came from his grandson.

Evan was not frightened at all. He bent over and picked up a piece of sawed broken glass. He placed it in the palm of his hands and fiddled with it. He threw it up, caught it, and twisted it.

Mr. Howel squinted. He made a gesture, and the bodyguards withdrew their guns.

"So you're not that hungry. You have the strength to turn over the table."

The broken glass piece with the size of a palm shined sharply. Evan had some drinks, but his head was very straight. He started walking, one step after another, towards Mr. Howel.

***

In a different room, Avery shook her head in distress and struggled to get up from the bed.

She just woke up from another nightmare. Recently, her headache got worse, and she kept having bad dreams. In her every dream, there was always someone who got hurt and even lied in a pool of blood.

This time, she dreamt of a woman in a white dress. She had a gunshot wound in her stomach. Blood kept bursting out from her stomach, drenching the white dress, turning it into blood red.

Then this woman fell on top of a man whose face Avery couldn't see. The man picked up the woman and took her away. Avery didn't know where.

Avery shook her head and looked around.

There was suddenly an indescribable sound in the empty room. It sounded like the electric curtain being pulled up or down.

Avery followed the sound. There was a giant screen being pulled down along the wall across the bed. She saw Evan on the screen!

She was familiar with the living room shown on the screen. It was the same as the one she was locked in when Mr. Howel met her in the name of Diana. She asked to see Mr. Howel and was taken to the room on the screen.

That room had a similar layout and decoration like the one Avery was in. Did this mean Evan was also in the castle?

Avery hurried to get down. She rushed to the screen with bare feet. It seemed as long as she was closer to it, she and Evan would get closer.

"Evan," Avery knew he couldn't hear it. But she called him subconsciously.

He was grabbing something. When Avery took a second look, her heart was fiercely clenched. It was a piece of broken glass.

There was tight security to get into Mr. Howel's room to make sure the visitor didn't carry any dangerous stuff.

But Evan was holding broken glass in his hand.

That was not right. Something was wrong.

Avery shook her head. Why would they make her watch this? What was their purpose?

Avery stepped back unconsciously. Mr. Howel was a scheming and careful person. Everything he did was to serve his own interests. He did this for a purpose.

As Avery wondered, Evan took the broken glass piece and came at Mr. Howel.

What did he want to do?

Did he want to assassinate Mr. Howel?

Peng!

Evan stopped. He covered his right arm with his left one.

Evan was shot. Avery covered her mouth with her hands in amazement. Did Mr. Hamiton shoot at him?

Blood came out from the bullet wound and kept dripping on the dark grey carpet.

As Evan approached, there were more shots fired.

"No!" Avery shouted out. She wanted to stop it, but she could do nothing!

Why was Mr. Howel so cruel and stone-hearted?

Evan was the only heir of the Howel family. Why would Mr. Howel do this to him?

Avery was in pieces. She cried out and fell on the carpet. Evan was half-kneeling on the carpet with blood all over his body.

She watched it all, but she was powerless to stop any of it.

Did Mr. Howel want to show her the way to defy him?

She saw it. She saw it all. Would he stop now?

Peng! Peng! Peng!

The guns kept firing, and the sound kept ringing around Avery's ears. She had no courage to watch it anymore. Sitting on the ground, she lowered her head, covered her ears. But the sound still found a way to come out of the screen and went into her ears.

Her pain was beyond description as each shot was fired.

Avery held herself up, looking for the remote to shut it.

From outside the window came the voice that brought her back to sanity...