Remy trudged toward the wreckage with two subordinates at his side, footsteps heavy. The scene of the car ident was nothing short of gruesome.


    The ck sedan had overturned. The two men in ck seated in the front were crushed beyond recognition, as was the woman in the back. Remy slowed, then stopped abruptly a few steps away. It felt as though an invisible weight had pinned his legs in ce, refusing to let him move forward.


    "Go check the situation first. Both of you."


    He struggled to keep his voice steady, but the faint tremor betrayed the fear coiling inside him.


    "Understood, Remy," the two subordinates replied, rushing ahead.


    Remy sucked in deep breaths, exhaling clouds of white mist into the cold air. His face was pale beneath its usual severity. His fingers shook violently. Even when he clenched them into fists, the trembling would not stop. His temples throbbed again, sharp and relentless, like icy needles stabbing into his skull.


    Only a few minutes passed, yet it felt like an eternity. The waiting was pure torture.


    "Remy!" one of his subordinates shouted. "Both men are dead. Do you want toe take a look?"


    The drone still hovered overhead like a silent phantom. Remy knew he couldn''t dy any longer. He forced himself forward, one step at a time.


    The drone followed, clinging to him like a shadow.


    One of the bodyguards in the front seat waspletely disfigured, blood soaking his head from the impact. The other had been impaled through the chest by a steel rod.


    Remy broke out in a cold sweat at the sight. The world around him dulled, sounds blurring together as his blood ran cold.


    He took two more steps.


    At that moment, a slender, blood-smeared hand slipped limply from the rear window. Remy''s chest constricted. He rushed forward and dropped to one knee, his eyes reddening with unshed tears. At a single nce, he recognized it.


    It was Winston''s second wife, Mandy. The woman who always called him Damien. The woman whose eyes welled with tears every time she saw him. The woman who had shown him nothing but unconditional kindness.


    Her fingers curled tightly around a tinum ne, its icy sheen stark against the blood coating it.


    Breathing heavily, Remy reached out with a trembling hand and gently pulled the ne from her grasp.


    Suddenly, her finger twitched.


    It was so faint it could have been missed entirely. Remy''s eyes flew open, his heart skipping violently.


    She was alive. She was alive!


    Shock, disbelief, and overwhelming joy surged through him all at once. His chest heaved as emotions crashed together, forming a thick lump in his throat. His vision blurred as tears welled up.


    Then, distant police sirens pierced the air.


    "Oh no, the cops are here!" one subordinate cried urgently. "Remy, we need to leave now!"


    "That''s strange," the other muttered. "Why did the police arrive so suddenly?"


    velmet


    "Ms. Gillis said this woman holds significant status," the first replied grimly. "She''s Mr. Taylor''s second wife and the current chairman of Lovce Group. If anything happened to her, of course, it would be discovered immediately. There might even be a GPS tracker in the car."


    "Hurry up. Let''s go, Remy!"


    Remy''s heart pounded so violently it felt as though it might burst from his chest. His fingers shook


    uncontrobly as he tightened his


    grip around the bloodstained.


    ne


    In the end, he cast Mandy onest, lingering look before standing and fleeing with his subordinates.


    The drone remained suspended in the air for a moment longer, then followed them away.


    The instant Remy disappeared, Mandy''s eyshes fluttered.


    Blood trickled down her face as she parted her cracked lips, forcing out a faint whisper.


    "D-D-Damien..."


    Remy clutched the ne tightly, not daring to look at it the entire journey back.


    By the time he returned to theboratory base, his mind felt hollow.


    "Is that woman really dead?"


    Remy stopped short.


    Sheryl''s mocking voice rang out from behind him, instantly igniting his rage.


    "I don''t know," he replied stiffly. "Probably. I didn''t get the chance to confirm before the police arrived."


    Sheryl clicked her tongue. "What a pity. Still, it is rather odd. The police showed up at the perfect moment."


    With her hands sped behind her back, she circled him slowly before stopping in front of him. Her gaze was cold and venomous as it swept over his expressionless face.


    "You didn''t tip off the authorities yourself, did you?"