Ethan Barnes suddenly stopped, and his trusted aide immediately asked, "King Hayden, what’s wrong?"

In the past five years, Ethan Barnes had developed an extremely keen sense of smell, almost a gifted ability to perceive events before they happen, so his men quickly became vigilant and scanned the surroundings.

Ethan Barnes didn’t speak; he just sniffed the air, like a police dog searching for a familiar scent.

"King Hayden..."

"Shut your mouth!" Ethan Barnes impatiently snapped.

His aide immediately shut up and dared not speak again.

Ethan Barnes sniffed the air again and then strode into the hotel lobby. He wouldn’t mistake the scent; it was that fragrance, the clean and sweet body aroma of a young girl, slightly resembling the scent of gardenias.

This scent had lingered in his mind for five years, had haunted his dreams for five years, and he had searched for it all around for five years.

But for five years, there was no news.

Now, he suddenly smelled the scent.

Ethan Barnes walked to the elevator, and the scent inside was even stronger, as if... she had just been here.

Ethan Barnes followed the scent out of the hotel’s back door and onto the bustling street.

The street was full of young couples, and as he looked down, there were many young and beautiful girls. Ethan Barnes’ hands hung at his sides, and his eagle-like sharp and gloomy eyes scanned across the street one by one.

He was searching for that familiar figure in the vast sea of people.

Didn’t find it.

At this moment, on the opposite side of the street, Celeste Linden stood quietly under the street lamp, waiting for her husband Dominic Reynolds’s car.

Soon, a luxury car sped over and stopped, and the young, tall, and handsome Dominic got out of the car, gentlemanly and thoughtfully opened the passenger door, "Dear wife, please get in the car."

Celeste Linden smiled slightly and got into the passenger seat.

Dominic helped Celeste Linden fasten her seatbelt and then returned to the driver’s seat, "Honey, have you had dinner?"

Celeste Linden shook her head, "Not yet. I rushed out the clothing design drafts for Aurelia Fashion Week today; it’s a bit tiring."

Dominic took a soft blanket and covered Celeste Linden, "Wife, why is your body so cold?"

Celeste Linden’s body was very cold, devoid of warmth.

Celeste Linden leaned herself into the passenger seat and curled herself in the blanket. She rubbed her cheeks against the soft and warm blanket, greedily savoring this warmth, "Is it? Maybe the weather is cold, and I didn’t wear enough clothes."

Celeste Linden closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with the lingering images she had just seen of that devil.

Five years passed, and she thought she had forgotten, but just one glimpse of his back easily evoked all her unbearable and dark past.

It turned out she hadn’t forgotten anything.

"Wife, what do you want to eat for dinner? Shall I take you to have a feast?"

"No need, let’s eat at home."

"Okay, I’ll cook for you when we get back, promise to fill you up."

The luxury car sped away.

At this moment, Ethan Barnes felt as if something had just touched his heart. He looked up and gazed across the street.

But the luxury car had just driven off and disappeared from view at that very second, so he didn’t see anything.

Just a second too late, they missed each other.

She wasn’t there.

Could his sense be wrong?

Ethan Barnes stood under the streetlamp with a changeable mood, sure he wouldn’t misidentify this scent, yet he didn’t find her.

Every time it’s like this, at the moment he thinks he will find her, he realizes that it’s just his illusion. She vanished five years ago as if she evaporated into thin air.

Celeste Linden!

He chewed on the name in his heart, his throat up and down as he let out a sinister low laugh similar to a wild beast’s.

Time is long, I have all the time to take my time with you. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Unless you die, otherwise I’ll find you even to the ends of the earth!

...

Ethan Barnes got into the camouflaged Jeep, lazily chewing gum in the passenger seat, and the trusted aide asked, "King Hayden, which room are you staying in tonight?"

The aide brought up several cards with names like Sea Hibiscus Room, Cherry Blossom Room, Rose Room, Lily Room.

It was widely known that Ethan Barnes’s estate housed a powerful harem, teeming with beauties, every kind imaginable.

These beauties had their own rooms, named after their personalities. Every night, Ethan Barnes would flip the cards, and whoever’s card was revealed would be favored by him.

Ethan Barnes chewed his gum, lazily looking out the window, feeling uninspired, not even glancing at the cards.

The aide spoke excitably,

"Boss, isn’t the beauty from the Rose Room the most passionately alluring? I see she’s always eager to cling to you, preventing you from favoring someone else."

"You mean the beauty from the Rose Room? I’ve seen her once, indeed she’s beautiful, with top-notch looks."

"Boss, how does the beauty from the Rose Room serve you, tell us brothers about it."

These aides were all brothers who had fought life and death with Ethan Barnes. Having spent long periods in the camp, they naturally saw few women, even though Ethan Barnes often brought them out to enjoy themselves, they still easily got excited.

Ethan Barnes squinted his eyes and lazily said, "You guys like her huh, then tonight I’ll grant her to you, take her for fun."

Woah.

The aides immediately cheered, Ethan Barnes was always generous, even sharing his women with his brothers.

"Alright, thanks boss." They were eager to go back.

That was when the Jeep made a turn, and Ethan Barnes lazily raised his eyes, suddenly spotting a painting exhibit.

This gallery had hung up an Autumn Picture by angel as its golden signboard, instantly catching Ethan Barnes’s eye.

"Stop the car!" Ethan Barnes commanded with two words.

A piercing screech of brakes was heard, and several Jeeps came to a halt one by one.

Ethan Barnes opened the passenger door and jumped out, he approached the Autumn Picture and reached out to touch it.

At that moment, the staff quickly came out to stop him, "Sir, this painting is a non-sale item, only for viewing, please don’t touch..."

Before the words were finished, the aide came over and directly pushed the staff aside, "How dare you speak like this, do you have a bear’s heart and leopard’s guts to speak like that? It’s just a painting, if we fancy it, we’ll take it regardless of whether it’s for sale or not."

The staff, faced with such momentum, were weak at the knees, "Sir... We are just following the rules of procedure..."

"Cut the bullshit, do you know whose turf you’re on, this is..."

Then Ethan Barnes spoke up, "Be civilized, why act like a thug?"

The aide sheepishly scratched his head, "Boss, look at this..."

Ethan Barnes looked at the staff, the crew-cut handsome and wickedly charming man displayed quite a friendly and polite smile, "Don’t be afraid, I am not a bad guy."

"Sir, this picture..."

Zzt.

Ethan Barnes reached out and pulled forcefully, directly tearing angel’s signature off the Autumn Picture, then discarded the painting at his feet, stomping on it like trash, still smiling, "Don’t be afraid, just tell me who this angel is, where they are now, and I’m not a bad guy."