"Swish," the sound of something slicing through the air reached her ears. As she barely managed to lift her eyelids, her peripheral vision caught something swiftly flashing by. Before she could discern it clearly, she felt an icy coldness brushing past the tip of her nose. At the same time, there was a soft thud on the ground. The fierce gusts of wind, the swirling fallen leaves, the sparse hum of voices. For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. Helena Wills remained in a rigid state for a full ten seconds before feeling the sensations throughout her body gradually returning. Her hand was hers, her foot was hers, her breathing was hers. Equally, the fear and terror that shook her to her core were still hers. She lay sprawled on the ground, within her field of vision was a knife with a chromed blade, unreflective, exuding a cold and menacing aura. The tip was embedded in the ground, mere inches from her. Even a slight deviation, and she could well be teetering on the edge of death. "Relax, it’s a law-abiding society, I don’t kill people." The voice drifted over, lazy and casual. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N()velFire.net It sounded comforting, but to Helena Wills, it was an undeniable threat. Helena lay still, but her eyes moved, glancing upwards at Nora Scott, who maintained her arrogant posture. Then, she saw Nora’s thin lips move, her smile growing increasingly soft and sinister as she casually added, "However, drawing a bit of your blood is still possible." Nonchalant, calm and collected. Yet it exuded an unshakable confidence. She smiled brilliantly and dazzlingly, but the oppressive feeling she imparted surpassed that of any brutish thug. Helena opened her mouth, but no sound came out, as if every word was stuck in her throat, forcibly suppressed by fear. Having struggled outside for many years, Helena had met many people, but everyone wore masks, spoke and acted with courtesy. Even the most sinister individuals schemed behind others’ backs. She had never encountered such a person— Simple, direct, straightforward. Blaring malice and targeting. Yet, precisely for this reason, she found it terrifying beyond measure... This horrifying woman might actually mean it when she talked about drawing blood, she could very well approach with a knife to do it. After issuing the warning, Nora Scott paid her no further heed. She raised an eyebrow at Pedro Langley on the opposite side and signaled to start another game. From beginning to end, Pedro Langley remained utterly composed, as if watching a play. Even when Nora Scott threw the dagger, he didn’t blink an eye. He leisurely peeled a section of orange to eat and said, "I’ll give you a rook and a knight." Nora Scott chuckled, "Do I even need your concessions?" Pedro Langley replied, "Don’t forget you still have to call me Master." Damned, just because I learned chess from him, he’s getting all smug! On one side, Nora and Pedro played chess leisurely, eating oranges, warming by the fire. On the other side, Helena lay on the ground in a disheveled state, unable to rise for a long time. It wasn’t that Helena didn’t want to get up; her hands and feet were limp, and her entire body ached from the fall. She simply couldn’t stand. On top of that, with Nora’s recent intimidation, Helena was half scared to death, trembling uncontrollably. Helena finally gritted her teeth and slowly got up. After a moment of internal struggle, she dared not confront Nora, clinging to her muddy self, dragging her weakened body step by step to the store next door. After quite a while, she finally gathered the strength to tidy herself up. The driver was quick in his tasks. Just as Helena managed to get herself in order, the driver returned. With the driver present, Helena felt a bit more confident, but it took her some time to build up the nerve to approach Nora again. "The money has already been transferred to him, give me the golden cicada." Without looking up, Nora Scott pulled a brocade box from her pocket and tossed it to Helena. Helena hurriedly caught it. Opening the brocade box, she examined it closely but couldn’t determine its authenticity. Having just made a chess move, Nora lazily glanced in her direction, a casual smile playing on her lips. Helena’s heart jolted. She whispered to the driver, then quickly turned to leave. The pain in her body persisted, especially in her knees. Helena walked slowly at first, hiding her limp. But as soon as she sped up, her limp became apparent. She didn’t want to linger a moment longer and hurriedly got into the car. Her departure seemed like a frightened escape. Watching her swaying back fade into the distance, the smile on Nora’s lips gradually disappeared, leaving a coldness in her eyes. Using a rook to take Nora’s knight, Pedro Langley asked casually, "You made preparations in advance?"