Paige Summers sat in the car. Marcus Monroe, who was driving, glanced at her from time to time. Finally, he couldnât help but ask with an amused smile, "Looks like youâre very pleased with how that went. You havenât stopped smiling."
Paige Summers grinned, her eyes crinkling like a little fox that had just stolen a chicken. She wagged a finger. "Actually, thatâs not what Iâm happiest about. Itâs that I got to chew out that guy, Reid. It felt so good! You should have seen his faceâthe indignation, the fury. He looked like he wanted to lunge over and kill me right then and there, but he couldnât do a thing. He just had to grit his teeth and bear it. Luckily for me, heâs not a complete idiot. He knew I wasnât just spouting baseless accusations, or he never would have let me walk out of there so easily."
Marcus Monroe shook his head slightly. "You shouldnât have provoked him like that..." âIf he had lost his cool and tried to kill you, consequences be damned, you would have been in extreme danger on his turf!â
Paige Summers chuckled. "Donât worry, I donât have a death wish. I only dared to do it because I know how much he loves to act all calm and high-and-mighty. If I didnât push him like that, how could he feel like he was being put on the spot? Heâs probably thinking right now that Iâve already told the Mercer and Lowell Families. Maybe by tomorrow, all the Noble Houses will have heard the news, and heâs trying to figure out how to handle this and save face!"
Her words might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but she was about seventy or eighty percent right.
Sheldon Reid had always been conscious of his status and refused to stoop to dirty, underhanded tricks. Even if he occasionally engaged in some minor scheming, he considered it harmless.
For example, when he brought Nora Lowell before Wendy Lowell, he thought it would, at most, strike a nerve with Paige Summers. He hoped it would make her feel a sense of crisis, leading her to acknowledge Wendy Lowell and align with the Reid Family. He never intended to have her killed for refusing.
In some ways, he had his own strict code of conduct.
So, being misunderstood this time put him in an extremely foul mood.
He secretly decided to get to the bottom of it. If it really was one of his subordinates, he wanted to see who had such nerve!
And if he wanted to investigate the whole affair, how could it possibly be difficult?
Certain assassination organizations might claim to protect their clientsâ privacy, but when faced with the unyielding Military Command, would they really keep secrets for some irrelevant person?
Of course not.
Following the trail, the people Sheldon Reid dispatched quickly got to the bottom of things. The very next day, a complete file was sitting on his desk.
The file confirmed that the person who hired an assassin to kill Paige Summers was Woody Warren. It also mentioned Woodyâs relationship with Nora Lowell, noting that the two were in frequent contact. In the days just before the incident, Nora had even visited Woodyâs shop several times. To say Nora was unaware of the plot was absolutely impossible!
Sheldon Reidâs lips tightened. He knew Nora was not just aware of it; she was likely the one who orchestrated the assassination. He was well aware of the intense conflict between her and Paige Summers; otherwise, he wouldnât have thought to use Nora to provoke Paige in the first place.
He just hadnât expected Nora to have such audacity.
It wasnât just the assassination; the subsequent efforts to ruin Summers Armamentsâ reputation were her doing as well. Even now, people under her direction were still spreading rumors about the "vile practices" of Summers Armaments...
Sheldon Reid was not pleased. Not pleased at all.
Nora Lowell was supposed to be an obedient pawn.
To be under his protection yet act against his intentions was absolutely unforgivable!
âItâs time to teach her a lesson... That way, sheâll learn to do exactly as I say in the future.â
That afternoon, after finishing his official business, he had his men bring Nora Lowell to his office.
At this point, Nora Lowell was still unaware that her actions had been exposed.
Paige Summers was seriously injured, and Summers Armaments was being lambasted by the public, facing an unprecedented crisis. Nora, on the other hand, was in high spirits.
When she heard that Sheldon Reid wanted to see her, she assumed it was about Norgate and felt even more triumphant. Her already radiant face seemed to glow, and as she sat across from Sheldon, she deliberately exuded a powerful feminine charm.
This was an attitude she would never have taken in front of Shawn Monroe.
But Sheldon Reid was different.
In her eyes, Sheldon Reid undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle of all Superpower Users. He was the most exceptional man she had ever met!
She believed that women were, by nature, fickle.
Before a man who was her inferior, she could be as cold as ice. But when faced with such an overwhelmingly powerful man, it was only natural to show her tender side.
Deep down, she longed to be conquered. She yearned for a powerful man to dote on her, protect her, and treasure her.
She had once thought Shawn Monroe would be that man, but reality had proven otherwise.
The man before her, Sheldon Reid, matched her inner fantasy in every way, but would he treat her like a precious jewel?
...At least for now, it seemed unlikely.
Thus, it remained merely her own delusion.
However, the existence of this delusion was, in itself, extremely dangerous.
Because it destined her to be the weaker party in their relationship.
When Sheldon Reid slammed the stack of investigative files down in front of her, she had to use all her strength just to keep herself from trembling as she met his emotionless eyes.
Unfortunately, her voice still trembled slightly as she tried to defend herself. "That woman, Paige Summers, is dangerous. I admit I had my own selfish reasons for dealing with her, but... but doesnât this also solve a problem for you, sir? As long as sheâs dead, no one will covet the Reid Familyâs position anymore, I..."
Sheldon Reidâs expression grew even colder. She felt her muscles twitching faintly and found herself unable to continue.
Just then, Sheldon Reid spoke slowly. "As my subordinate, the first thing you should learn is to obey orders. Iâm sure your direct superior told you that."
Nora Lowell answered weakly, "Yes."
"Good. You have violated the most important rule. Do you believe you are still qualified to remain in the Operations Division?"
Nora Lowellâs eyes shot wide open.
âNo, no, is he going to kick me out?â
âBecause Iâm no longer useful to him?â
âAbsolutely not!â
âEven though Shawn Monroe hasnât shown up recently, she knew he wouldnât let her off the hook if he got the chance! For all she knew, he was lying in wait for her somewhere out there right now! And there were still those people around Paige Summers; she hadnât had the chance to crush them all yet. If they found out what sheâd done, they wouldnât spare her either!â
âFor her, staying here was the only safe option!â
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became. She could already picture the tragic fate that awaited her if she left Military Command!
How could she possibly bear it?!
Under Sheldon Reidâs immense mental pressure, she could no longer care about her pride. She abruptly stood up, threw herself at the manâs feet, and clung tightly to his knees.
"You... you canât do this! You promised to let me stay in the Operations Division! You promised to let me lead a team to Norgate! We had an agreement! You canât just erase all your promises with a single sentence!"
She was both terrified and agitated. Her face was flushed, and her eyes even began to well with tears. Her usually bright, confident face was filled with an unprecedented timidity!
A strange glint flashed in Sheldon Reidâs eyes, but on second thought, he continued to watch her coldly. He didnât brush her hands away, nor did he help her up, simply allowing her to remain in her debased posture.
"An agreement...? That sort of thing... I can acknowledge it, and naturally, I can deny it at any time. Did you really think that just because we had one, things couldnât change?"
Vaguely sensing a hidden meaning in his words, Nora Lowell calmed down slightly.
She subconsciously gazed up at him with her tear-glistened eyes, but her hands felt his leg stiffen ever so slightly at her touch...
A sudden idea sprang into her mind.
She tentatively moved her pale fingers upward, bit by bit, until they reached the space between the manâs legs.
Her delicate palm caressed him gently. A moment later, she felt a response there.
Sheldon Reid just sat there, watching her movements.
His face was completely expressionless.
But Nora Lowell could vaguely sense a trace of desire hidden deep in his eyes.
Her hand finally closed around the manâs belt buckle...