Chapter 6: If You Don't Want Her to Die, Then Shut Up!

Christian Yale gave a dry laugh. "Margot, come on. Don't mess with me. Bernice is a celebrity. She's like some fairy from the heavens. Who am I supposed to be? Why would she ever look twice at a nobody like me?" "Hee-hee-hee~" Margot Good laughed so hard her shoulders shook. "Silly boy. Who told you to charge the beauty's gates all by yourself?" She leaned in, eyes glittering. "You've got me, don't you? I'll make an opening for you." Christian fell silent. It was an impossible job, and the risk was way too high. He did not want to wade into this mess. "Of course, you can refuse. But…" Seeing his hesitation, Margot Good's voice turned cold in an instant. "If you refuse, what happened in the car that night… Wilder will find out soon." "You tell me." Her smile sharpened. "Do you think he'll believe you forced me, or that I pushed you down first?" Christian's heart dropped like a stone. The thing he feared most had finally been dragged into the open. Even if he had been the one coerced, would Wilder Zuniga believe him? The moment he pictured Wilder's ruthless methods, a chill crawled up his spine… Then another thought followed. He had the Dominion Inheritance. He might not be helpless anymore. Besides… Elliot Casson and Abby Heyland had teamed up to set him up. That debt had to be paid back. And Elliot was Wilder's godson. Sooner or later, Christian would end up facing Wilder head-on. Running and compromising never solved anything. Then… He would replace him. Only by standing high enough could he take control of his own fate. No one would dare betray him, and he could protect everyone he wanted to protect. Once the idea surfaced, it spread through him like wild grass. Watching the tension in Christian's profile, Margot Good tossed out her final bait. "Don't be so nervous, little man." She smiled lazily. "Be good, do this for me, and when it's done, that CEO everyone worships will be in your hands. And I…" She leaned close to his ear, her breath warm and fragrant. "I'll be yours too." "Of course," she added, voice turning coaxing again, "you don't have to decide right away. Come with me somewhere first. Meet that stunning beauty in person." "Who knows? Maybe once you see her, you'll start thinking differently." Christian drew a deep breath. Then he suddenly leaned in, slid an arm around Margot Good's waist, and pulled her closer against him. "Margot, if you want me to do your dirty work, help me with something first." She jolted at the sudden move, then her lips curved upward. As expected… No one escaped her charm. "Oh?" she murmured. "Let's hear it." "I'm divorcing my ex-wife. There's a twenty-nine-day cooling-off period." Christian's tone was blunt. "Can you get rid of it?" Margot Good chuckled. "That's nothing." She did not even ask a single question. She simply took out her phone, dialed a number, and gave a few calm instructions right in front of him. Less than five minutes later, Christian's screen lit up with a text message. [Dear Mr. Christian Yale, your divorce application with Abby Heyland has passed review. The procedure has been completed. Please bring your ID to the Civil Affairs Bureau in the coming days to collect your divorce certificate. We wish you a pleasant life!] Christian stared at the message, his pupils tightening. Was this the power of Wilder Zuniga's woman? No. This was the power of authority… Margot Good put her phone away and casually smoothed the collar he had wrinkled. "Well, little man? Can you seriously consider my proposal now?" "Let me meet her first." Christian still did not give a direct answer. Margot Good did not mind. She gave him an address. "Supremo Courtyard." Christian turned the wheel, and the Porsche merged into traffic. Supremo Courtyard was one of Valia's most exclusive villa districts, famous for extreme privacy and lavish amenities. The residents were either rich or powerful, often both. After a strict security check, the car entered the neighborhood and finally stopped in front of a standalone villa. "We're here. Get out and come in with me." Margot Good crooked a finger and pushed the door open first. Christian followed. The moment he stepped into the living room, a burst of women's laughter and splashing water came from beyond the glass doors leading to the backyard. Margot Good was already heading out. When Christian followed, the backyard opened up before him. Several girls in skimpy bikinis laughed and teased one another by the pool. In the water, only one figure moved, sleek and sinuous, gliding alone like a mermaid. Christian had barely come to a stop. Splash! The figure broke the surface, whipping back her wet hair and scattering a spray of glittering droplets. She was stunning. A delicate, oval face, willow brows, beauty with a dangerous edge. She embodied seductive without being cheap, every movement carrying a cool, alluring poise. If this had been the age of King Zhou, she would have been Su Daji. What made the blood rush even harder was this… She wore a swimsuit made of little more than two pale, moon-white leaf-shaped pieces and a tiny arrow-shaped strip, barely covering her curves. Snowy skin beaded with water, droplets rolling down and splashing on the poolside, as if a mermaid had just come ashore. Christian froze. He recognized her at once. Bernice Warth, the star who had swept the country, then turned around and became a female CEO. In person, she was far more vivid than any screen could capture, and far more soul-stealing. Margot Good greeted them with a laugh. "Having fun, girls?" The women by the pool turned together. A chestnut-haired girl blinked. "Margot, where'd you hook this little man from? He's pretty cute." Margot Good flicked her hair, all charm. "Hook? Don't talk nonsense. He's my distant cousin. I brought him out to see the world." "Your cousin?" Another girl in a leopard-print bikini pushed her chest out. "If he's your cousin, you can totally introduce him to us properly. Big sis here promises to give him… a real eye-opener." Christian rubbed the bridge of his nose. Had he wandered into a spider demon's lair? "You little she-demons, don't scare my cousin." Margot Good scolded with a laugh. Just then, Bernice stepped lightly onto the deck and spoke in a cool voice. "Enough. Stop messing around. Margot, go change." Margot Good nodded and winked at Christian. "Stay here. I'll go put on a swimsuit and come right back." With that, she swayed into the villa, leaving Christian standing there alone. Christian stood awkwardly, unsure whether to stay or make an excuse to leave, but the bikini girls had already giggled and surrounded him like he was a new toy. The chestnut-haired girl reached out and poked his chest. "Oh? Cousin's got a nice body. Want to get in the water and play with us for a bit?" The leopard-print girl was even bolder, pressing in close. "Yeah~" "Standing there all by yourself is boring." Her voice turned syrupy. "Big sis can teach you how to swim, okay?" Boxed in from all sides, even Christian's composure wavered. His hands did not know where to go. Then a cold, clear voice cut through. "That's enough. Stop teasing him." It was Bernice. A towel wrapped around her tempting body, she used another towel to dry her wet hair. "He's someone Margot brought. Don't go too far." The girls dispersed with awkward smiles. Christian let out a breath and shot Bernice a grateful look. Bernice seemed not to notice. But her hands, mid-motion in her hair, suddenly stopped. Then her body swayed. The towel slipped. Under everyone's shocked gaze, she collapsed limply onto a nearby lounge chair. "Bernice!" "Bernice! What's wrong?!" The girls panicked, faces draining as they rushed in. Christian's brows knitted tight. He pushed into the crowd at once, caught Bernice's wrist, and placed two fingers on her pulse. In an instant, the medical Inheritance surged through his mind. Her skin was cool and slick beneath his fingertips, but what truly alarmed him was the pulse. It was wrong, deeply wrong… No time to think. He braced one hand against her shoulder. With the other, he formed two fingers like a blade, found the spot, and pressed straight onto the acupoint over her heart on the left side of her chest. Then he released his qi. "What are you doing?!" "You bastard! Where are you touching? Let go of Bernice!" "You disgusting pervert! Are you looking to die?!" The girls erupted, furious and terrified, shouting over one another. Who was Bernice? How could a strange man be allowed to lay hands on her? Christian pressed his lips together and kept channeling qi. "If you don't want her to die, then shut up!" "Die?" the chestnut-haired girl snapped, livid. "How dare you curse Bernice! You're just making excuses to grope her!" One of the girls had already pulled out her phone, ready to call security. Christian cut in, voice like ice. "This isn't ordinary fainting. It's Corpse-like Syncope." "She's conscious. She can hear everything we're saying. Her body just can't move, and she can't speak." "If you interfere and her qi mechanism goes into reversal, she won't just lie there like a corpse." "A corpse at least ends it cleanly. She'll lose control of her bladder and bowels first, then die slowly." The girls stared at one another, then let out disbelieving laughs. What kind of illness was that supposed to be? To them, it was obvious. Christian had been caught taking advantage, and he had cooked up a ridiculous lie on the spot.