Elvis felt his heart shred into pieces, his fingers trembling as he painstakingly typed out his response, hitting send after several attempts:


    "Elsie, please, where are you?!"


    No reply came for what felt like an eternity.


    Refusing to give up, his eyes reddened and grew moist, he sent message after frantic message:


    "Elsie! Talk to me! I know you''re there!"


    "How can you just decide to vanish, Elsie? Do you think you can just cut me off like that?!"


    "Elsie, you''re my everything!"


    "Elsie, I love you... do you love me? Say something! Please!"


    With thest message sent, a response came quickly.


    Cold words that stabbed at his heart, ruthlessly twisting and tearing:


    "I think, that wasn''t love. You were just a ray of light in my dark world, showing me what brightness looked like. You were just a feeling I''ve never had before. Love doesn''t disappear. But feelings do. Elvis, I don''t have those feelings for you anymore. This is all I can do. If you truly love me, you won''t try to find me. I want to live quietly in some corner of the world."


    ...


    The usually bustling and glittering Velvet Haven was closed tonight, silent as a grave. A sense of impending doom hung heavy in the air, affecting everyone associated with the Chambers Group.


    "Mr. Chambers, everything is ready. You can leave Elmsworth at any time," Harvey said, standing on the balcony, looking at Avery ying with a parrot, his heart heavy. "The shellpany we set up in Helgen has absorbed the Chambers Group''s shares and gained enough control. Even if you''re not in Elmsworth, you can still pull the strings of the Chambers Group. Even if we abandon everything and start a new capital firm here in Elmsworth, bing the shadowy boss behind the scenes and making aeback, it''s only a matter of time. It''s just a shame about everything you''ve worked so hard for..."


    "Thank you for your efforts." Avery''s expression was unreadable, his face pale, shadowed, ghostlike. He unlocked the shackles from the parrot''s legs, setting it free into the night sky, watching it take flight even though he knew it couldn''t go far:


    "But what meaning does apany without the Chambers Group name have for me?"


    Just then, Harvey''s phone rang. He answered, his face darkening, brows furrowed.


    "Mr. Chambers, the mission failed. The hitman was caught on the spot."


    Avery adjusted his sses, his eyes deep and fathomless.


    "Also... our mole in the police department has been suspended and is under investigation."


    Harvey clenched his teeth in frustration, "That mole, only Wayne knew his identity. It seems he''s been turned against us! He''spletely betrayed you!"