Alvin Morgan quickly noticed something was wrong with Aurora Sinclair.

He didn’t care if anyone nearby saw and directly grabbed her hand, which was growing cold.

Aurora Sinclair’s body seemed to be trembling. He could clearly hear her teeth chattering and couldn’t help but lean close to her ear to whisper, "What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well again?"

But Aurora Sinclair’s eyes were locked on the stage. Her blood felt like a roaring beast about to burst from her veins, and her muscles were rigid. The Power within her was on the verge of erupting, aimed straight at the man on stage.

"Manager, Cecelia isn’t feeling well. I’m going to take her to a Martial Healer..."

Only then did the people nearby realize something was wrong with Aurora Sinclair’s expression, and they quickly cleared a path for the two to leave.

Alvin Morgan firmly pulled her along, and they quickly left the circular plaza, heading toward the residential area.

"What in the world is wrong?"

Trembling, Aurora Sinclair looked into Alvin Morgan’s eyes. Her voice was laced with an infinite chill, like a frozen pond in the dead of winter.

"He’s... the one who injured me all those years ago!"

Alvin Morgan froze. His gaze shot to Aurora Sinclair’s arm, and his throat felt tight. He immediately pulled her into his arms.

He no longer cared if anyone saw them. All he could think about was protecting the girl in his arms.

She was only sixteen when she met that man.

"Don’t be afraid, I’m here," Alvin Morgan whispered, his voice a constant comfort in her ear. It was like a cello’s serenade, carrying a reassuring strength.

But Alvin Morgan’s gaze was bone-chillingly cold. ’I can’t believe Linden Grant is part of The Shadow.’

Snake, spider, scorpion...

’Could it be The Five Venoms?’

***

Linden Grant’s appearance shattered Alvin Morgan’s original plan, forcing them to readjust.

During the three-day summary conference, the branch office, being an overseas division, received significant attention from the group’s leadership.

In particular, both Victor Trent and Linden Grant attended the branch manager’s debriefing.

This was the second time Aurora Sinclair had been so close to Linden Grant.

’Compared to years ago, his strength seems to have advanced even further. He’s likely already broken through to the Great Martial King Realm.’

’Her original plan with Alvin Morgan was to retrieve the Young Family Notes from the Young Family. But now, it seemed the notes might not be with the Young Family at all, but in his possession.’

’It won’t be easy to take something from a master at the Great Martial King Realm.’

’Although her true strength has broken through to the Martial Lord level, that’s only achievable in a burst of power. Normally, her strength can only be maintained at the Advanced Level of Great Martial King, which means she could probably fight him to a draw.’

’But defeating him and taking the object won’t be easy.’

’Who knew the Trent Family was so full of hidden masters.’

After the meeting, Miss Sterling suddenly stopped Aurora Sinclair, Shauna, and June.

"The three of you, go to my room and get our rehearsal props. We’ll practice again after the departmental breakout session."

It was lunchtime, and every division and department had a scheduled time to eat. They only had a thirty-minute window, but now they had to go fetch props.

After leaving the conference area, Shauna complained, "The administration department has more than a dozen people, but they treat the three of us like their personal gofers every day."

"What can we do? We’re receptionists!"

"What’s wrong with being a receptionist? Does that mean we have to be the errand girls?"

"Quiet down, someone might hear you. If we hurry, we should still make it back in time for lunch..."

The residential area was quiet, with almost no one around.

As a director-level manager, Miss Sterling had a private room.

They opened the door. The room was the same size as their standard room, but it faced the ocean and was filled with light.

Shauna loved sunny rooms like this—bright, airy, and pleasant to look at. The room she was staying in, however, was on the shaded side and never saw the sun.

"Shauna, the director’s computer is still on," June said suddenly, looking at the desktop and then at Shauna, who was standing by the window.

Shauna immediately spun around. A glint in her eye, she said, "Perfect. Let’s check our performance review scores for this month."

"My thoughts exactly."

Aurora Sinclair stood behind them, holding a paper bag filled with rehearsal props.

"How did I get a B? That old witch is going to dock my pay," Shauna grumbled, her face falling.

June laughed. "Well, you’re always clocking in at the last possible second. The old witch hates it when people are late or leave early."

"What’s mine?" Aurora Sinclair asked, leaning over.

"Yours is... an A." Shauna was a little jealous, her tone turning sour. "The old witch rarely gives interns an A. Looks like she really favors you."

Aurora Sinclair nodded.

Just as June was about to close the spreadsheet, a notification for a newly received email popped up on the screen.

The subject line was in English, and Aurora Sinclair immediately stopped June from closing the program.

With a quick movement, she clicked the email open and began to read.

"Hey, you can’t just read the director’s emails."

"It’s fine..."

Aurora Sinclair scanned the email, ten lines at a glance, memorizing its entire contents before marking it as unread.

June asked, "What did it say?"

"I didn’t really understand it. There was a lot of technical jargon," Aurora Sinclair said, shaking her head.

Shauna rolled her eyes. "Let’s go already! We’ve wasted so much time. My lunch is probably all gone by now."

On the way back, Aurora Sinclair casually slipped one hand into her pocket and typed a message on her phone without looking:

[April 10th, Victor Trent will visit The Yamada Clan in Niphoria.]

***

As the annual gala performance began, Alvin Morgan finally saw Aurora Sinclair’s costume.

She had been so secretive about it, refusing to let him see it beforehand.

Now, seeing it, Alvin Morgan couldn’t help but chuckle. There on stage was Aurora Sinclair, dressed in a large, tree-like costume, standing in a corner as part of the set. The rope in her hand was now green, resembling a vine.

’She really is the ultimate background character!’

Alvin Morgan raised his phone, snapped another crystal-clear picture of her, and saved it to a private album with the caption: Even as a tree, my wife is the cutest tree there is.

The gala performance started at 1:30 PM and lasted for a full eight hours. By the time it was over, everyone was famished.

Just as Alvin Morgan was about to take Aurora Sinclair to dinner, a man in a suit suddenly blocked her path.

"Miss, Mr. Grant is looking for you."

A flicker of shock crossed Aurora Sinclair’s eyes. Suppressing the strange feeling that rose within her, she asked blankly, "Why is he looking for me?"

"I don’t know the reason. All I know is that Mr. Grant wants to see you."

Alvin Morgan’s heart tightened. He stepped slightly in the way. "She needs to check in with her supervisor first."

The man in the suit led Aurora Sinclair to a private room in an upscale restaurant.

The sound of men’s laughter could be heard from within, even before they reached the door.

The man in the suit pushed the door open, revealing Linden Grant, Victor Trent, and Drake Trent all inside.

When Drake Trent saw her, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

The man in the suit bowed respectfully to each of the three men. "Mr. Grant, I’ve brought her."

Aurora Sinclair kept her head down, biting her lip as she timidly glanced at the men in the room. She nodded in greeting, putting on a display of fear.

Linden Grant smiled. "Don’t be nervous, young lady. I heard my godson accidentally injured you, so I invited you here specifically to check your pulse."

Aurora Sinclair’s heart leaped. ’Have I been discovered?’