Julia Bluen laughed as she explained to Anne Jones, "Miss Baxter is a woman."

Silvia Baxter also chuckled, playfully winking at Anne Jones, who became embarrassed and quickly left.

She knew it! Anne thought. Where would a man have skin so fair, handsome yet delicate? So, it was a woman.

Once Anne Jones left the office, Julia Bluen called out to Silvia Baxter again with a smile, "Miss Baxter, please have a seat."

Silvia Baxter handed the bouquet of lilies she had brought to Julia Bluen, smiling slyly at her as she said, "Miss Bluen, these flowers are for you. Wishing you eternal happiness."

Julia Bluen accepted the lilies and thanked her with a smile.

"Miss Baxter, what can I do for you?" Julia Bluen asked, gently placing the flowers on the coffee table.

Silvia Baxter gazed at her intently, her eyes filled with the same infatuation as before—a look that made it seem as if she wanted to swallow Julia Bluen whole. Her stare was so unwavering that, unable to help herself, Julia asked with a laugh, "Miss Baxter, is my face covered in freckles? Are you trying to count them?"

If Glades Horne were here, he'd definitely be consumed by jealousy and throw this Silvia Baxter out, Julia mused. Honestly, I really don't like the way Silvia Baxter looks at me, like I'm prey.

"Miss Bluen is truly beautiful!" Silvia Baxter praised her sincerely.

Everyone loves to hear compliments. Julia Bluen returned the sentiment, "Miss Baxter is also very beautiful, especially in that outfit—extremely dashing." And extremely delicate, like a bewitching creature, Julia thought. A perfectly beautiful woman, yet she insists on dressing so androgynously. She only voiced the first part of her assessment.

I really can't bring myself to like Silvia Baxter much, Julia conceded internally. I can only be polite on the surface.

"Do you like it?" Silvia Baxter gazed at her, asking with pleasure, as if her outfit was specifically for Julia Bluen. "Compared to your man at home, do you think I'm more handsome, or is he?"

What the hell? Julia wondered. Why ask something so suggestive?

"Glades, in my eyes, is the best and most handsome man in the world," Julia replied. "Miss Baxter, you are a woman. Why compare yourself to a man?"

Julia Bluen subtly reminded Silvia Baxter that they were both women and shouldn't flirt like this; moreover, she was a married woman. I seriously suspect Silvia Baxter thinks of herself as a man, Julia thought. But even if her mindset is that of a man, she physically isn't one!

Silvia Baxter just smiled and didn't say anything more that was suggestive.

At that moment, Anne Jones brought in a cup of coffee she had made for Silvia Baxter.

Julia Bluen was pregnant and wasn't drinking coffee these days.

Silvia Baxter thanked Anne Jones. After taking a few sips of coffee, her eyes twinkling, she said to Julia Bluen, "Miss Bluen, are you free? Let's have lunch together. I'm quite interested in the toys your company produces. We can discuss it, and perhaps I could become one of your clients."

She hasn't even seen our company's toys yet, Julia wondered. How can she already be interested? She always felt that Silvia Baxter was rather odd.

Thinking that the Baxter Family was also in business and quite successful, Julia Bluen considered that if Silvia Baxter were genuinely interested in toys, it might be worth discussing. So, Julia Bluen nodded and accepted Silvia Baxter's invitation.

「 」

At the far end of the wide concrete road in front of the Toy Industry Company, a black sedan was parked. Inside the car sat three men. One was driving, while the other two were in the backseat. The driver held a pair of binoculars, watching the entrance of the Toy Industry Company.

Not far from the sedan, a motorcycle with no license plates was also parked. The biker, dressed flashily and with a somewhat rakish air, wore black sunglasses and occasionally whistled, as if waiting for someone.

「A moment later,」 Silvia Baxter's flashy sports car was the first to emerge. She drove towards the sedan and motorcycle, quickly passing them.

Julia Bluen's car followed, with Wade Coleman driving, naturally.

Seeing her car pull out, the motorcycle suddenly roared to life. The man in sunglasses shot forward like a racer, the motorcycle streaking ahead with a WHOOSH, weaving hazardously from left to right.

It was unclear whether it was intentional or accidental, but the motorcycle headed straight for Julia Bluen's car.

"Wade Coleman, be careful!" Julia Bluen screamed.

Both Wade Coleman and the motorcycle rider braked hard. Due to the sudden stop, the man in sunglasses fell off his bike, and the motorcycle flipped in front of Julia Bluen's car, making it look as if her car had hit him.

Wade Coleman and Julia Bluen hurried out of the car.

They quickly walked over to the man in sunglasses. Wade Coleman squatted down, helped the man up, and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Is everything okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

The man in sunglasses kept wailing, blaming Wade Coleman, "How do you drive? Were you trying to kill me?"

Wade Coleman raised an eyebrow. Shouldn't I be the one asking him that? he thought.

The man in sunglasses had only suffered a minor scrape; it was nothing serious. With Wade Coleman's support, he stood up but immediately started clinging to Wade Coleman, relentlessly demanding money. It was clearly his fault, yet he was blaming Wade Coleman and demanding compensation. This was outright extortion!

Wade Coleman knew he was dealing with a scoundrel. He turned to look for Julia Bluen, but to his shock, she was nowhere to be seen. Her car was empty. Looking around, he realized with horror that the sedan previously parked nearby was also gone.

Wade Coleman immediately called Glades Horne, ignoring the relentless pestering of the man in sunglasses. Mrs. Horne is missing! Wade thought frantically. Is there anything more important than that?

Upon receiving Wade Coleman's call, Glades Horne bellowed into the phone, "Search! Search now! If Julia isn't found, I'll make your entire family pay with their lives!"

Damn it! Glades fumed internally. They got out of the car together, his wife disappeared, and Wade Coleman didn't even notice! What kind of bodyguard is he anyway?

Just after hanging up with Wade Coleman, Glades Horne received another call. It was from two covert Bodyguards assigned to Julia Bluen.

"Mr. Horne, Mrs. Horne has been knocked unconscious and taken away in a black sedan. The license plate has been removed; we can't see it. We've been following the car, but they have strong anti-tracking skills and are deliberately driving into heavy traffic. It's been tough to keep up. We're afraid of losing them. Mr. Horne, we're requesting backup. We're currently on XX Road..."

"Keep following! Keep up! If you dare lose them, I'll make your entire families pay with their lives! Damn it!" Glades Horne roared furiously.

Someone dared to kidnap my beloved wife! Which audacious bastard dared to kidnap my love?! Who dares to provoke me, of all people?! Did they take Julia for money, or is there some other scheme? Damn it! If Julia loses even a single strand of hair, I'll make them suffer a death with no burial!

Glades Horne was frantic with worry.

I'm so powerful, with so much wealth, and I've never encountered kidnappers before, he thought. Mainly because they're afraid of me; they wouldn't dare target me. Besides, I have excellent martial arts skills myself. A man feared even by the top bosses of the Mafia Society—who would dare to kidnap me or mine? Julia Bluen is my wife. Logically, no one should dare to kidnap her either. But now, someone has actually taken her. Julia is pregnant with our baby! Nothing must happen to her! Please, nothing!

"Ruiz, launch a citywide search," Glades Horne ordered, struggling to calm himself as he called Hansen Ruiz. "Don't let a single black sedan slip by. My wife has been taken in a black sedan without license plates. Two covert Bodyguards are in pursuit! Hurry! You must be quick!"

After the call, he began to mobilize all his connections.