"I understand," Israel said quietly.


    After hanging up, Aurora drove off in the opposite direction from Joshua. The Gardners were all maniacs. When ying such high-stakes games, it was best to keep a safe distance to avoid bing coteral damage.


    ...


    After being revived once again, Leonard finally decided to leave the hospital and recover in a more secure location. His whereabouts had beenpromised, and the hospital staff had been bought off. Staying any longer was a death sentence.


    In the car, Leonard''s already pale face waspletely devoid of color. Though his injuries weren''t life-threatening, the loss of his arm,bined with the repeated assassination attempts and emergency surgeries, had left him physically drained. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.


    Too much had happened recently. He still hadn''t figured out how to handle the stolen shipment from the Eder family. Dissent was brewing within The Lerman Group, with calls for his resignation. The humiliating photos of him had gone viral, with the public decrying his gruesome appearance, saying he was terrifying enough to make children cry and should stay out of the public eye. The constant attacks had worn him down. He no longer had the same stamina as before.


    Suddenly, the car lurched violently.


    Leonard''s eyes snapped open. "What was that?"


    The driver, a trusted subordinate who had been with him for years, was a highly skilled professional who had weathered countless storms. But now, a thinyer of sweat slicked his forehead.


    "Mr. Lerman, there''s a car behind us... it''s ramming us."


    Leonard had anticipated something like this. He wasn''t surprised. "Deal with them," he said coldly. "No mercy."


    The driver''s brow grew slicker with sweat. He nced at Leonard in the rearview mirror. "Mr. Lerman, perhaps you should... take a look at the car behind us."


    set


    Leonard cast a casual nce over his shoulder. The moment he saw the familiar lines of Dawnlight, his expression changed dramatically. Auroras par was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of custom engineering. Its performance was unmatched, and its tires and windows were bulletproof, crafted from the most advanced materials avable.


    And right now, it was trying to run him off the road. For a split second, Leonard''s


    famously unppable mind wentpletely nk.


    As if sensing his shock, the driver''s side window of Dawnlight rolled down, revealing a devastatingly handsome face. The man gave him a.casual gesture, a wild, arrogant smile ying on his lips.


    The next second-*BAM!*


    His car was mmed again. Leonard''s own vehicle was heavily armored, built for security over speed. If it hadn''t been, the impact would have been catastrophic Even so, the force of the collision on the highway sent them swerving violently. The driver''s skifpwas the only thing that kept them from flipping over as he wrestled the car back under control.


    In that moment, Joshua pulled Dawnlight up alongside them.


    "You''re leaving the hospital so soon, Mr. Lerman? And trying to slip out quietly,


    too. Were you worried someone might see you in this condition?"<fna505> Readplete version only at find·novel</fna505>