Glades Horne had not yet made his move, but those three young masters were already plotting to suppress Alvin Evans and use all their connections to ensure the Evans siblings would stay locked in prison. Even if they were released one day, they would spare no effort to continue oppressing them until they disappeared from their sight forever.

If we don't flex our muscles, they'll really take us for pushovers.

Julia Bluen leaned into Glades' embrace, her complexion still very pale, as scenes of what had happened to Adele Horne kept replaying in her mind. The young sister-in-law, a girl who had never been in love, had suffered such trauma. What would she do in the future? Knowing how proud she was, she would definitely not be able to bear this.

The more she thought about it, the more she blamed herself.

Inside the house, the serene atmosphere of the past had vanished, replaced by a palpable tension and worry.

Outside, the sun had already shifted towards the west, nearing evening.

RING, RING, RING...

Glades Horne's phone suddenly rang.

He immediately reached for it, only to find that Julia's hand was even faster. She quickly pulled out his phone and answered it, asking anxiously, "Is there news about Adele? Where is she? Is she hurt?"

She bombarded the caller with a series of questions.

The call was from Hansen Ruiz. He reported to Julia that they had located Adele Horne. The formidable security system had vanished ten minutes earlier, allowing his people to track down Adele's whereabouts—she was in the penthouse suite of the Emperor Hotel.

Upon getting news of Adele's location, Julia immediately shoved the phone back into Glades' hand, urging him, "Quick, go to the Emperor Hotel! Adele's there." After saying that, she stood up and attempted to leave, but a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck; Glades had knocked her out.

"Glades!"

Everyone exclaimed in shock, finding it hard to believe that Glades Horne, who doted on Julia to the skies, would knock her out.

Glades supported the limp Julia, ignoring his family's shocked cries, and ordered coldly, "Henry, Harry, James, you go to the Emperor Hotel first. Don't make too much of a scene and alarm the media; that would hurt Adele even more."

"Alright, we're on our way."

Without delaying another minute, the three young masters hurried out.

Glades Horne looked down at his unconscious wife, understanding her feelings. She was feeling too much guilt, worry, and agitation. He had no choice but to knock her out. Bending over, he picked up Julia, carrying her upstairs and back to their room.

A short while later, he descended the stairs and said solemnly to his family, "Take good care of Julia. I am going to pick up Adele. Just stay home and wait."

After saying this, he left the Main House with heavy yet urgent steps.

Two Bodyguards were already waiting by the car in the Courtyard.

When he saw the Bodyguards, Glades was also filled with self-reproach. Usually, he always had Bodyguards with him wherever he went. However, ever since marrying Julia, he had coveted their private time together and occasionally went out without them, thinking his own martial arts skills were enough to protect Julia. He hadn't anticipated that not bringing Bodyguards this time would coincide with Adele's predicament. If he had brought Bodyguards, perhaps Adele would not have been kidnapped and sold off.

"Young Master."

"To the Emperor Hotel."

Glades got into the backseat of the car and commanded in a low, cold voice.

Wade Coleman immediately started the engine and drove off.

The car sped away like the wind.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the Emperor Hotel.

Before Glades could get out of the car, he saw James Horne with a grim expression, his face a mask of controlled rage, carrying a disheveled Adele Horne out of the hotel. Adele was in tears, her face deathly pale. She had always been distant from her brother James, even resentful and disliking him, but at this moment, she clung tightly to James's neck, finding his embrace surprisingly warm and safe.

Henry Horne and Harry Horne followed. Disregarding the surprised looks from the many people in the hotel, they simply explained, "Our little sister was upset, ran here to drown her sorrows, and is now crying and refusing to go home."

People didn't question it too much, as Adele Horne's difficult temperament was well-known.

After the three young masters arrived on the scene and saw Adele's condition, they instantly understood what had happened, and their mood turned exceptionally grave and angry. However, besides their anger, they also noted the protection provided by the man who had ruined Adele's innocence. Even after leaving, he hadn't immediately deactivated the security system. As a result, no one outside—not even the hotel staff—was aware of what had happened to Adele. The system was only disabled ten minutes before they received the news, precisely because Adele had regained consciousness.

This man's actions intrigued the three brothers. To be capable of blocking their eldest brother as well as Ruiz's Assistant with only his own power, he must be an Emperor-level figure. The man was surely not a politician, but rather a Businessman or a member of the Mafia Society.

"Adele," Glades called out as he got out of the car and approached James.

Hearing her eldest brother's voice, Adele burst into even more intense sobs. She struggled and slid out of James's arms.

"Big Brother!" With just that cry, she threw herself into Glades' embrace.

Glades held his sister tightly, his heart aching with a bittersweet feeling. How many years had it been since he last held his sister like this?

"It's okay, it's all right now," he said in a hoarse voice. Then he bent down, picked up Adele, placed her in his car, and instructed them to head home immediately.

All the way, Adele lay tightly in her brother's arms, crying incessantly.

The incident had been too much of a shock for her.

She was only twenty-two, had never experienced a passionate love affair, and now she had lost her innocence, not even knowing to whom. With effort, she tried to recall the events. She remembered drinking the red wine Orlando Evans had poured for her, then starting to feel unbearably hot. Orlando had said she had a fever and helped her to a room to rest. She vaguely recalled seeing a man in the room, possibly Othiel Evans. She didn't remember anything after that.