After several days of torrential rain, the city H was enveloped in floods.
Countless roads in the mountainous region had been blocked, cutting off all the traffic.
Inside a private clinic, Liliana Nash lay on the sick bed.
She looked frail in her oversized hospital gown. Her pale arm dangled, revealing deep cuts on her wrist.
The doctor jabbed a needle into her hand indelicately, "Liliana, savor your final moments."
The icy liquid entered her body, prompting Liliana to curl her lips in a cold, mocking smile.
This day has finally come.
The sound of footsteps approached from the door, and a girl in a matching hospital gown appeared in her blurry vision.
"Lili, Lili, are you okay?" The girl with teary eyes, tried to control her quivering lips as she looked at Liliana.
Her face portrayed worry, but her hands were pressing forcefully on Liliana's wounded wrist.
Her nails dug in, causing blood to gush out.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." The girl apologized while shaking her head, but made no move to release her grasp.
"Really?" Liliana rasped out, her hoarse voice sending chills down the spine, "So... ripping my heart apart... that was not intentional either?"
"What's with your attitude!" A man suddenly came over, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the girl's fingers, a distressed expression on his face, "How filthy, didn’t I tell you not to touch her!"
"Quentin... It saddens me to see her like this... Maybe... we should reconsider..." Tears began to stream down the girl's face like a broken dam.
"No, everything in the operating room is ready, it has to be today!" Quentin Brown stated firmly, discarding his blood-stained handkerchief into the medical waste bin.
The smile on Liliana's face became increasingly cold and beautiful as she turned to look at the two people standing at the bedside.
One was her own older sister, the other was the man she had loved deeply and thought she would spend her entire life with.
Their mother desired a boy for her second child, but at her seven-month prenatal checkup, they discovered it was a girl. The depression resulted in the mother's extreme physical weakness and the removal of her uterus during the difficult birth.
From that moment on, Liliana became the thorn in her mother's side and an object of resentment for the whole family.
Thus, whether she was bullied, belittled, or even abducted, they turned a blind eye.
It wasn't until Tanya Nash was diagnosed with a heart condition that her mother brought her back home.
And the one and only man she loved deeply, ended up getting involved with Tanya, confining her in the basement for as long as four years.
Now, Tanya's heart couldn't hold out any longer.
They brought her to this isolated remote place. Quentin wanted to perform the surgery himself to transplant Liliana's heart to Tanya.
"Quentin, can I have a word with Lili Lili alone... please?" Tanya pleaded with innocent and vulnerable eyes.
"Then I'll go prepare, remember, don't touch her again." Quentin's gaze fell gently on Liliana before it turned into disgust.
The infirmary door closed, and along with it, Tanya's feigned sorrow.
"Liliana, if you have any last wishes, let me know and I'll see if I can help fulfill them?" Tanya crossed her arms, her face full of smug satisfaction.
"Quentin and you..." Liliana struggled, "...when did it start?"
"Hehe," sneered Tanya, "You really thought Quentin liked you? He was with you just to ensure that when I need it, you have a healthy heart."
"You…" Liliana was filled with rage, struggling to lift her head.
So, Quentin taught her to take care of her health using his professional knowledge, not because he loved her, but because he wanted her heart.
"Let me tell you another secret, so that when you die, you'll know why!"
Liliana saw Tanya's bloodshot eyes as she leaned closer, the maliciousness in her eyes overflowing.
"Truth is, I don't have congenital heart disease. My heart was damaged because of drug overdose. Did you know? After taking those drugs, it feels like I'm riding the clouds and mists."
"Despicable!" Liliana reached out to grab Tanya's collar.
Tanya swiftly, and harshly, stepped on her oxygen tube.
Liliana's face turned red due to lack of oxygen, her outstretched hand quickly grabbed her own throat, "Tanya... Even if I become a ghost... I won't... Let you go!"
"Sadly, I think you'll only end up as a lonely, wandering ghost." Tanya picked up a syringe in one hand and grabbed an IV dripper in the other, "Liliana, you go..."
Just as she was about to say 'die', the door was suddenly kicked open.
A tall shadow rushed in like lightning, knocking the syringe away and shielding Liliana behind him.
Liliana finally caught her breath, staring at the man in front of her in shock.
Derek Carlson?
The man who's always against her, who wishes nothing but death on her?
He controls the economic lifeline of H City, is at the helm of Apex Corporation, and is the youngest man on Forbes wealth list.
He is a prince charming in the hearts of thousands of women, he stands unreachable, and he is the focus of everybody's attention…
Why would he appear in this barren and insignificant place?
Before Liliana could figure it out, Derek was already starting to pull out the monitoring wires attached to her.
Seeing everything from the control room, Quentin hurried over, suppressing the raging anger in his heart.
"Mr. Carlson, this is an internal matter of our family."
"She is not a member of the Nash family." Derek threw the wires on the ground, grabbed Liliana's collar and lifted her up, "She is my enemy."
Quentin swallowed and said, "Since both you and my aunt hate Liliana, wouldn't it be better for me to help you get rid of the thorn in your side? After all, you…"
"You’re not worthy." Derek sneered coldly.
"..." Quentin stiffened.
There’s an old saying in H City, that it’s better to fight against the Hell King than cross the Sky Hawk.
The Sky Hawk in reference is Derek.
Nobody knows how capable he is, nor how many connections he has, but both the underworld and the legitimate world fear him.
Quentin is also afraid.
But on second thought, no matter how impressive Derek might be, he was alone in Quentin’s territory and thus, shouldn’t pose much of a threat.
Of course, it would be best if he could avoid angering Derek.
"Mr. Carlson, if you want my medical achievements, I'm willing to offer them freely. But, please leave Liliana alone. She's a crucial subject of my experiment."
"An experiment?" Derek's cold black pupils sparked with a horrifying menace.
A bone-chilling current seemed to circle the room, carrying with it a terrifyingly oppressive force.
Quentin, startled, instantly stepped back and quickly picked up the walkie-talkie. "Get everybody to the observation room, now!"
He repeated this three times, but nobody responded.
"Speak up, you group of good-for-nothings!" Sweat coated Quentin's forehead and back, a sense of ill-omen creeping in.
During the distraction, Tanya managed to escape back to Quentin. Grasping his arm anxiously, she asked, "What's going on? Where is everyone?"
Finally, there was a response from the walkie-talkie - a series of static noises followed by a weak voice.
"…A man broke in...we're all...all..." Wiped out.
Quentin's eyes widened in horror. Derek had singlehandedly taken down over twenty men!
He is a doctor, able to save or kill lives with a scalpel. But fight... he is not capable.
Quentin signaled Tanya with his eyes, and they both turned around to run.
Suddenly, the room shook violently. Liliana almost fell from the bed but was firmly caught by Derek.
"Derek, I no longer have the strength to fight you. Please leave," Liliana said weakly, pushing against his shoulder.
Derek's deep eyes stared at Liliana. His voice was cold and sharp, "Liliana, if you wish to die, it can only be by my hands."