On the second floor.
A black, narrow leather belt hugged Orianna’s slender waist, accentuating her slender waist, long legs and her sexy figure.
Orianna stood by the window, the dark Mediterranean behind her.
The sea breeze blew in wantonly and the tassels on Orianna’s dress swayed slightly with the wind.
A few seconds later, footsteps approached.
Orianna instinctively stood up and looked in the direction of the footsteps.
Edward walked over barefooted on the wooden tile floor.
A pair of loose black pants draped over Edward’s strong, narrow waist. He was wearing a shirt with all the buttons undone, revealing his muscular body.
Edward was over 60 years old but had the physique of a 40 year old muscular man.
Even his face looked very young.
Edward had an extraordinary bearing and handsome features. He looked elegant in thick glasses, but this was all a facade.
The real him killed without batting an eyelid and treated human life like grass.
Orianna lowered her head slightly and called out, “Father.” Her tone sounded very respectful, but her eyes were very cold.
Edward smiled and pointed at the stool in front of Orianna. “Dear Anna, sit.”
Edward had a total of four children. His eldest son Sicilio was the child of Edward and his lover, Jiang Shiyu.
Han Zhan and Aaron were both children of Edward and his lover.
Only Orianna’s identity was the most prominent. She was the child born from Edward’s marriage with the eldest daughter of another family.
Legally, Orianna was Edward’s true successor.
But the law was weak in Edward’s eyes. It was just a rule set by a minority of elites.
The ordinary players who participated in the game had to respect the rules of the game, while the players behind the game had control over life and death.
In the past, Edward and Orianna were very close. At that time, Orianna respected and loved her father very much. It was only after Edward personally killed the man she loved that the relationship between the father and daughter was completely severed.
Orianna sat down and crossed her legs. She straightened her back, looking very demure and elegant.
Edward smiled at her. “You’ve been very busy and rarely came back.”
Orianna said, “My research institute has been very busy recently.”
Orianna was an expert in biology and specialized in cloning technology and genetics.
Orianna’s mother had passed away 20 years ago due to an illness and had left behind a large inheritance for her. With that inheritance, Orianna had built a secret research institute for cloning on a small island in the east of Katnia.
Orianna was a genius in biology. She graduated from university at the age of 17 and specialized in cloning technology. From 17 to 30 years old, Orianna had spent the entire 13 years in the research institute, repeating her boring research life.
Edward trusted Orianna very much, not because he wanted her to be his successor, but because of her talent in biology.
He hoped that Orianna could clone a healthy, brand new Jiang Shiyu who only had him in her life!
Hearing Orianna’s reply, Edward suppressed his unhappiness. “How’s the research progress?”
Orianna smiled and asked, “Father, are you free tomorrow? I will bring you to see my results.”
Hearing this, Edward’s hand trembled slightly.
He frowned and looked at Orianna.
Staring at Orianna’s confident expression, a bold thought surfaced in Edward’s mind. “Anna, did you… succeed?”
Under Edward’s anxious gaze, Orianna said in a relaxed tone, “Tomorrow, that child will be born.”
Edward’s eyes widened in shock.
“Father.” Orianna’s red lips curled up. She said, “Father, isn’t it what you want to let her see you from the moment she was born and treat you as her one and only?”
Edward’s heartbeat quickened.
He asked again, “You really succeeded?”
Orianna nodded. “So far, it seems like it succeeded.”
Orianna told Edward, “I used Jiang Shiyu’s hair to cultivate more than 20 embryos, but only three survived.”
“I transferred them to the surrogate mother. One of them suffered a natural miscarriage, while the other died six months later in the womb.”
“Only this one survived.”
After saying that, Orianna calmly admired Edward’s reaction.
Edward was indeed agitated by this exciting news. He slapped his thigh and said excitedly, “Alright, I will go with you tomorrow to take a look!”
He couldn’t wait to meet that child.
This time, he must keep that child by his side and not allow her to have anyone but him in her heart!
Orianna picked up her diamond handbag from the table and stood up gracefully.
“In that case, Father, please follow me to the research institute tomorrow morning. I will go and rest first. Goodnight, Father.” Orianna bid Edward goodnight and left on her high heels without looking back.
Orianna reached the first floor and saw Sicilio waiting there. She stopped and stared at him. “I heard that Father has a woman in custody.”
She used the word “custody” to describe Edward and Song Ci’s relationship.
Not wanting to reveal more to Orianna, Sicilio led his subordinates past her and went upstairs.
Orianna gazed across the hall on the first floor, past the pool, and onto the stormy sea beyond the metal fence.
She suddenly smiled.
–
Sicilio handed the thing to Edward.
Edward checked the goods and confirmed that they were indeed pure. He looked up and glanced at the two tall men behind Sicilio.
Sicilio noticed Edward’s gaze and waved at Carl and the rest. “Go down and wait for me.”
The two of them went downstairs quietly.
Downstairs, the man called Mond took out two cigarettes. He handed one to Carl and bit the other.
Rubbing his pants, he couldn’t find a lighter. Mond lifted his chin at Carl and said, “Give me a fire.”
Carl searched every pocket in his body. Finally, he said, “I don’t have it.”
“What’s the matter? An old smoker has no lighter!” Mond muttered something and said, “I’ll go and get a lighter.”
Mond ran to his other colleagues for a lighter, leaving Carl standing alone in the yard on the first floor.
He turned and stared at the light on the second floor of the house next door.
Carl walked under a tree, reached out, plucked a green leaf, and placed it on the ground.
Breaking a numbing thorn, Carl squatted down and used his left hand to pinch the thorn boringly on the leaves.
Mond returned with a lighter and saw Carl squatting under a tree, playing with leaves in boredom. He walked over, squatted down, and helped Carl light the cigarette.
Carl took a drag on his cigarette.
Mond stared at the messy little pinpricks on the leaves. “Was that chick hot last night?” he said.
Last night, Carl had texted him to tell him that he had met a hot chick and would be spending the night on the beach and not coming back.
Mond winked at Carl. “How is it? How spicy?”
Carl threw away the spike in his hand, picked up the leaf, and twirled it casually, as if he didn’t want to say anything.
Mond bumped Carl’s shoulder again. “Why? You still can’t bear to share it with me?”
Only then did Carl say, “Hot. I feel hot just thinking about it.”
“Wow!”
Mond said, “Is she as hot as our boss’s ex-girlfriend?”
Carl said, “The type is different.”
“That’s true.”
Downstairs, the two bodyguards were chatting about romantic matters.
Upstairs, Edward sent the unrelated away before asking Sicilio, “Have you seen Orianna?”
“I bumped into her downstairs.”
Nodding, Edward said, “Orianna told me today that her research has succeeded.”
Sicilio was slightly surprised.
When they met outside the house, Orianna had said that her research had failed.
She lied?
“That child will be born tomorrow,” Edward told Sicilio. “I will visit that child tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?”
Sicilio shook his head on the spot. “No.”
Staring at his father’s agitated face and risking angering Edward, Sicilio splashed cold water on his head. “Father, that woman is already dead.”
The excitement on Edward’s face faded slightly.
He looked at Sicilio with dark eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
Sicilio could feel Edward’s anger and knew that if he continued speaking, he would most likely trigger Edward’s killing intent.
But there were some things Sicilio had to say as a son.
“No matter how similar that child is to that woman, she is still a separate entity. Although they have the same DNA and look, that child is not her.”
“After she is born, as she grows older, she will develop her own consciousness and become the owner of her soul.”
“Father, you know very well that that child is just a substitute, a fake.”
“She doesn’t even have Jiang Shiyu’s memories!”
To love someone was to love their soul.
If that person had changed her soul, even if she looked similar, would you still love her?
Sicilio’s words hammered into Edward’s chest, shattering his hopes and passion.
Edward’s expression darkened. His tone turned dangerous and threatening. “Sicilio, are you lecturing me?”
Of the four children, Sicilio was the bravest.
Although he knew that he had successfully displeased his father, Sicilio remained unyielding. “Good medicine is bitter. Listen if you like, but don’t court death!”
If you die, you deserve it!
Sicilio got up and left.
Edward stared at the child’s departing back, slightly angry but also proud.
This was why he liked Sicilio.
Sicilio was a wake-up call. While everyone was flattering Edward, only Sicilio would calmly point out his faults.
He could always drag Edward back to earth before he went to hell.
The next morning, Edward got up early and went to the island research institute with Orianna to visit his child.
Every day, Freya had to feed Coco.
She had to feed it twice a day on time.
Once at 8.30am in the morning and another at 6.30pm in the evening.
Coco would eat a strong sheep or a 200 pound pig every day.
If one wasn’t rich, one really couldn’t afford Coco.
Song Ci took the new bottle and followed Freya to the metal fence.
She wasn’t sure if the drifting bottle would be discovered, but Song Ci wouldn’t give up so easily. She insisted on throwing two drifting bottles every day. There would always be a few that would be washed away along with the sea.
As long as someone picked up a drift bottle, her persistence would be worth it.
Freya opened the metal fence and threw the half of the pork into the sea with Song Ci. Song Ci still felt her scalp tingle when she saw COCO eat the pork in a few bites.
She felt hopeless at the thought that she might one day become Coco’s food.
If only she could poison Coco to death.
Of course, Song Ci could only secretly think of this because she couldn’t get any poison.
Song Ci shook her head regretfully and closed the metal gate with Freya.
“Freya, I want to walk on my own. Don’t worry about me.”
“Alright, Ms. Song.”
Freya pushed the food cart away.
ong Ci was strolling around the metal fence, admiring the sunrise and thinking of Han Zhan.
On the way back to the building, Song Ci saw the man beside Sicilio. That tall man was standing under a tree smoking. It looked like it was his break.
Song Ci walked past that person without looking sideways.
Walking past the man and walking two meters forward, Song Ci’s knee was suddenly hit by something.
“Ah!”
She squatted down in pain.
Carl walked over in time and helped Song Ci up considerately. Coincidentally, when Carl bent over to help her up, his fingers just happened to slide across the skin of Song Ci’s left shoulder.
Realizing that there was something buried in Song Ci’s left shoulder, Carl’s gaze changed slightly.
He helped Song Ci up and asked politely and distantly, “Ms. Song, are you alright?”
Song Ci felt embarrassed and blushed slightly.
“I’m fine!”
Song Ci stomped her feet and walked into the house.
Walking to the entrance of the small building, she saw Sicilio standing not far away, staring at her. Song Ci pouted at Sicilio and complained. “Sicilio, did your bodyguard purposely take advantage of me?”
Sicilio glanced at Carl, who had his brows lowered. He said, “He was helping you just now.”
Song Ci said, “Who knows if he is taking the opportunity to please me?”
Sicilio glanced at Song Ci’s face and sneered. “Little sweetheart, you are rather thick-skinned.”
Song Ci glared at Sicilio before entering the house.
Returning to the house, Song Ci calmly ate her breakfast, rubbed her stomach, got up, and went to the toilet.
After closing the toilet door, Song Ci sat on the toilet bowl. After confirming that there were no surveillance cameras in the toilet, Song Ci opened her clenched left hand.
She was holding a leaf in her left palm.
About 20 minutes ago, when Carl was helping her up, he stuffed a leaf into her palm.
Song Ci flattened the leaf and saw that something had pierced countless small holes in it. Those small holes were pieced together to form two words:
Baby Ci.
Song Ci’s heart skipped a beat.
Han Zhan!
Song Ci stood up from the toilet bowl.
She instinctively wanted to rush out, grab Carl’s collar, and ask him where this leaf came from.
But she controlled herself.
She couldn’t alert him.
Song Ci touched her shoulder. On the first night she arrived here, Edward had someone plant a tracking device under her skin.
No matter where Song Ci went or what she said to others, she would be detected by the bug.
Song Ci recalled that when Carl helped her up just now, his fingers seemed to be touching her shoulder.
Did Carl know that there was a bug in my body?
Carl…
Song Ci had met Carl twice before. He should be Sicilio’s trusted aide and always followed him around.
But the previous few times, Carl had never dared to look at her in a overboard manner.
After all, she, Song Ci, was a woman whom Edward captured. Those who didn’t know the truth would think that Song Ci was a lover whom Edward snatched away by force.
But last night, Carl actually dared to look at her with such a bold and passionate gaze.
Something is very off!
Could it be…
Song Ci quickly thought of another possibility.
In order to verify her own guess, Song Ci decided to test Carl.
Song Ci squatted in the toilet for a while before leaving.
Song Ci changed into a halter dress and arrived at Sicilio’s house in cold slippers.
Sicilio came downstairs and was slightly surprised to see Song Ci in his living room.
“What are you doing here?”
Song Ci said, “I want to watch a movie, but Edward forbids me from going online.”
Song Ci took out her tablet and said, “My tablet can only play standalone games. Can you download a few movies for my tablet?”
This request was not overboard.
Sicilio took her tablet and said to Carl, who was sitting on the sofa watching television, “Carl, go download a few movies for her.”
Carl took the tablet and asked Song Ci, “Miss Song, what do you want to see?”
Song Ci said, “I saw a movie in the past. There was a child and an old man in it. I forgot what their names were. It looks like a British movie. Carl, can you help me download a few British movies?”
Carl glanced at her. “Okay.”
Carl went back to his room to download the movie, and he came out after around 20 minutes.
He handed the tablet to Song Ci and said, “I just downloaded a few movies. Take a look.”
Song Ci reached out to catch the tablet. At this moment, Sicilio suddenly reached out to take it.
“Let me see.” He took the tablet and sat down on the sofa. After flipping through it for a while and making sure there was nothing fishy, he returned the tablet to Song Ci.
Song Ci carried the tablet and left.
On the way home, she thought: Sicilio is really cautious.
She returned home and opened the video. There were several British movies in the video.
Amongst the messy movies, Song Ci saw a movie called “Heidi and Grandpa.”
Two years ago, when Song Ci and Han Zhan went on a trip to the Changbai Mountains, she had watched “Heidi and Grandpa” in a hotel. It was a German movie and also Song Ci’s favorite movie.
But just now, Song Ci pretended not to remember the name of the movie and purposely said that the German movie was a British movie.
And among the British movies that Carl had downloaded, there was a German movie.
Is this a coincidence?
Song Ci didn’t believe that this was a coincidence.
A voice in her heart was shouting:
Carl is Han Zhan!
