After her phone finished booting up, Hazel Sinclair picked it up. She had just unlocked it when she saw a message from her landlord.
[Landlord: Hello. I’ve decided not to rent the apartment to you any longer. Please move out by tomorrow.]
[Landlord: I’ve sent you a transfer for 4500.]
[Landlord: That’s your security deposit. Please move out as soon as you can.]
Confused after reading the messages, Hazel Sinclair typed out a question.
[Hazel Sinclair: Why aren’t you renting to me anymore? I’ve only been here for two weeks.]
[Landlord: I heard about what happened with you all last night. That Owen Shaw has powerful backers, and I can’t afford to offend him.]
Hazel Sinclair understood immediately. His people were starting to put pressure on them.
Hazel Sinclair sighed as she read the message. ’Looks like we have no choice but to move out.’
[Hazel Sinclair: Understood. We’ll be out tomorrow. Sorry for the trouble.]
[Landlord: Thank you for your cooperation.]
After ending the chat, Hazel Sinclair threw her arms around Leon Sterling and cried out, "Leon, the landlord is making us move out by tomorrow!"
"Where are we going to stay?" Hazel Sinclair fretted.
"A hotel," Leon Sterling replied with two words after listening to her.
As he spoke, he was already searching for nearby hotels on his phone.
Hazel sighed. "Alright, I guess a hotel is our only option."
After selecting a hotel, Leon Sterling booked a room for a week. When he was finished, he patted Hazel Sinclair’s shoulder and said, "Alright, let’s go pack our things."
"Okay."
Thankfully, they didn’t have much stuff. Clothes and shoes made up the bulk of it, leaving only some toiletries and kitchen spices.
Leon Sterling planned to use up the leftover ingredients in the fridge for dinner that night.
During dinner, Leon Sterling looked at her and asked, "You recorded a video yesterday, didn’t you?"
"I did," Hazel Sinclair confirmed with a nod.
"Good. Send it to me," Leon Sterling said, nodding.
’Wyatt Wallace will need evidence for the lawsuit, and this video is the perfect proof.’
"Sure," Hazel Sinclair agreed. ’Since Leon said he could handle it, I’ll let him take full responsibility. I just hope he can really solve this.’
’If it doesn’t work out, we can just flee back to Veridia overnight.’
’Life is so much better in Veridia. We have connections, we have resources.’
Hazel Sinclair made up her mind. When she got back, she was going to grovel and shamelessly cling to her powerful friends.
’As long as I’m latched onto someone powerful enough, no one will dare to mess with me again.’
Lost in thought, Hazel Sinclair couldn’t help but remark, "It really is better in Veridia."
"All those connections and resources."
Leon Sterling watched her and said with a small smile, "Then don’t just run off next time. At least tell me first."
"Okay."
Not long after dinner, there was a knock at the door.
After last night’s ordeal, Hazel Sinclair was jumpy at any knock on the door. She shot to her feet and headed straight for the kitchen, shouting, "Where’s my knife?!"
Watching her, Leon Sterling gave a doting smile, then got up to open the door. Wyatt Wallace was standing outside.
He had a black canvas bag slung over his shoulder and was dressed in a suit and sunglasses. Spotting Leon, Wyatt Wallace smiled and said, "Good evening."
Noticing Leon Sterling’s injuries, he raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down before remarking, "Tsk, tsk. Looks like you got hurt pretty badly."
Just then, Evelyn Kendrick, Simon Sinclair, Silas Hawthorne, and Liam Lancaster slowly came into view behind him. Seeing the four of them, Leon Sterling’s gaze fell on Liam Lancaster for a moment before he asked, "What are you all doing here?"
"I’ll take those bastards on!" Hazel Sinclair yelled, charging out of the kitchen with a paring knife in hand.
Hearing her voice, Evelyn Kendrick pushed past Leon Sterling at the doorway and stepped inside.
Spotting the paring knife in Hazel’s hand, Evelyn Kendrick crossed her arms and asked with a sneer, "Are you planning on fighting us to the death?"
Hazel Sinclair froze when she saw her, asking blankly, "What are you guys doing here?"
Simon Sinclair came in next. Seeing Hazel standing there, alive and well, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Then, just like Evelyn, he crossed his arms and asked sarcastically, "So, was faking your death by jumping into the sea fun?"
Faced with the question, Hazel Sinclair could only offer an awkward laugh. "Heh... heh..."
As Liam Lancaster walked in, Leon Sterling followed close behind, his eyes fixed on him.
"Hazel, you’re really alive! You scared the hell out of me," Liam Lancaster exclaimed. He instinctively moved to hug her but was stopped short when Leon Sterling grabbed him by the collar. "She’s my wife," Leon warned coldly. "Who said you could touch her?"
With his collar in Leon’s grip, Liam couldn’t get to Hazel. He shot Leon an infuriated look and yelled, "So what if she’s your wife? People get divorced all the time!"
"The moment Hazel divorces you, I’m going to pursue her."
Liam Lancaster glanced at Leon’s injuries and scoffed. "In your state? You think you can protect Hazel?"
"Just divorce her already, you useless bastard," Liam added with utter contempt.
Hearing this, Leon Sterling’s eyes narrowed. He stared at Liam coldly and said with chilling seriousness, "Divorce? In your fucking dreams."
"You can spend the rest of your life watching Hazel and me live happily ever after."
Seeing the two of them about to fight, Hazel Sinclair stepped in with an awkward laugh, trying to play peacemaker. "Okay, you two, stop fighting."
"So, are you going to divorce me?" Leon Sterling’s gaze immediately snapped to her.
Liam Lancaster also stared at her. "Are you going to divorce him?"
The other four watched the scene unfold, saying nothing. They were all waiting for Hazel Sinclair’s answer.
Hazel Sinclair just kept up her awkward laugh, unsure of what to say. It was Simon Sinclair who broke the silence, egging her on, "Well? Are you going to divorce him or not?"
"I’m not..." Hazel Sinclair mumbled.
Hearing her answer, Leon Sterling turned to Liam Lancaster triumphantly. "You hear that? My wife isn’t divorcing me."
"Hmph. Just because she won’t now doesn’t mean she won’t in the future," Liam retorted stubbornly.
Leon Sterling released him and walked over to Hazel’s side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Keep dreaming," he said, in a clear display of ownership. "Hazel and I are a legally married couple."
"Are we going to deal with the problem, or not?" Wyatt Wallace finally interjected.
He was already seated on the sofa with his laptop open and files laid out, looking ready to get down to business.
"Yes," Leon Sterling answered, pulling Hazel toward the sofa.
Evelyn Kendrick and Simon Sinclair followed them. Once they were all seated, Evelyn was the first to speak.
"Why did you choose to fake your death by jumping into the sea?"
"Why did you hide it from us when you got into trouble?" Simon Sinclair asked immediately after.
"I wanted to make Vincent Hawthorne pay. He’s too powerful, and I was afraid of dragging you all into it," Hazel replied.
"So you planned to handle it all by yourself?" Simon continued. "How noble of you."
"Heh, I try to keep a low profile," Hazel said, recognizing his sarcastic tone and offering a weak smile in return.
Evelyn Kendrick couldn’t stand her dismissive attitude. She walked over, grabbed Hazel by the shoulders, and stared into her eyes, her voice cold. "Hazel Sinclair, you listen to me. I forbid you to die."
"You’re my rival, after all."