ra was feelingpletely overwhelmed. She quickly found the housekeeper in the garden, watering the nts, and after a quick word, she rushed back home.


    On her way, she shot off several messages to Z, but got no replies. Normally, he was quick on the draw with his responses.


    Back at home, ra couldn''t shake off her restlessness. She thought about trying her luck at that grand casino estate she''d heard whispers about. But just as she was about to step out, she bumped into Scarlette.


    Scarlette was looking stunning today, her hair styled in big, carefree waves, and a sleek little ck dress that highlighted her figure perfectly.


    ra''s eyes lit up briefly as she hit the elevator button, and they headed to the parking garage together.


    "Scarlette, are you on your way to a date?" ra teased.


    Scarlette tossed her burgundy hair with a yful grin. "Just out for some fun. Care to join?"


    "Where are we headed?"


    "The Nightfall."


    ra recognized the name. It was that sprawling estate she''d heard of, where gamblers spoke of it in whispers, calling it the Nightfall. For a ce that upied an entire hill, dripping in opulence, the name ''Nightfall'' seemed a bit ironic.


    Scarlette not only knew the ce but seemed to be quite the regr there.


    ra was nning to go anyway, so they decided to team up. As ra settled into the passenger seat of Scarlette''s car, she caught a hint of her perfume. It wasn''t a typical fragrance, and ra couldn''t quite pin down the brand, but its charm was like sugar melting into water, subtly filling the air with its sweet aroma.


    ra hadn''t been sleeping well and was starting to feel a bit sleepy when Scarlette broke the silence. "Do you know who runs the Nightfall?"


    ra perked up immediately; with her memory wiped clean, she knew nothing.


    Seeing ra''s puzzled look, Scarlette''s lips curled into a sly smile.


    "Word on the street is that the entire Nightfall is under his control. The lower levels are for the casual gamblers, but deeper inside, anything goes. The ce is crawling with top hackers and elite fighters, dabbling in every gray market trade. Loads of powerful families have tried to strike deals with the mysterious owner, but he''s never shown his face."


    ra straightened up. "No one knows who he is?"


    As they paused at a red light, Scarlette casually pulled out a cigarette, but thought better of it and put it away, respecting ra''s presence.


    "Nobody knows. Rumor has it he was once an undercover agent overseas. You know how our country is cautious about certain things, especially after so many people got tricked abroad. They desperately needed an informant to feed intel back home. He was the one they picked, on the condition that he could find someone he''s been searching for. The details he gave were sketchy, supposedly about a little girl who saved his life years ago, but with so many people in the country, who could tell who she was? Eventually, someone pulled a fast one, bringing forward a random sick girl to pose as her, and he bought it, treating her almost like a sister. But just a few years into his undercover stint, he got word that the girl''s illness had returned. He asked toe back, but the powers that be wouldn''t let him, as the operation was at a critical point."