Debra found itughable.


    They called themselves the great minds of this era aftermitting all those vile acts. They were no heroes of humanity.


    They weren''t saving the world. They were just securing their wealth and power.


    "By the way, how is Michael doing?" she asked, changing the subject.


    "His injuries aren''t too bad. With some rest, he''ll recover in a few days. I''ll have the butler take you to him," Bert replied.


    With many questions to ask Michael, she followed the butler to a corner room on the second floor. She pushed open the door and saw Michael lying in bed.


    "Knew you''de today," he smiled.


    "And you''re stillughing? You look like hell." Debra sat down beside him. "How are you feeling?"


    "I''ll live."


    "Who attacked you?"<fn42ec> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on </fn42ec>


    "A man in a ck cloak and a mask."


    "The Illuminati?"


    "Given your descriptions, I believe he''s one of them."


    "Why did he attack you?"


    "I turned him down." He ced a ck envelope in her hand. "They left this at my hotel room door. Matches the mark you were investigating."


    Inside the envelope was a simple invitation. It weed Michael to join their ranks, iming the Illuminati was an ancient, powerful organization that could help him reach the top. At the bottom was an official seal.


    But what stood out the most was a small card inside. A website address was printed on it.


    "I checked it out," Michael said. "It led to their internal portal. All I could do was respond. I clicked ''no''." Debra frowned. "Are you an idiot? You should''ve clicked ''yes''. Then you wouldn''t be in this mess."


    "You think it''s that easy to join them?" Michael chuckled. "Saying yes would''ve been the real trap. That''s a hole you''d never crawl out of."


    "Well, you''re not in a great spot now, either." Her tone grew serious. "The Illuminati destroys people who refuse them. They''ve already started spreading rumors, iming you''re involved in illegal trade. Do you know what that means? If they push this charge through, you''ll spend the rest of your life behind bars."


    "I know," he smiled, patting her hand. "But I''m not scared, not with you backing me up. Don''t be upset. I''m fine."


    "We''ve done damage control, but this is going to hurt your career."


    "I''m innocent, so it doesn''t bother me. You, on the other hand, yed the Illuminati like a fiddle. They won''t let you go that easily."