"Carl! Where did you find the little girl?" a woman with curly blond hair asked as she curiously looked at the little girl's petite body.
Melissa stared at them with fearful expression. She didn't know how did they caught her as she only remembered that she was surrounded the moment she appeared here.
They tightly taped her mouth to prevent her from screaming or shouting as they feared that she will whine loudly like any other usual kids out there but they were surprised to see her eyes void of emotions like she's not afraid at all.
"Well, she delivered herself to us, Cassie" Carl shrugged as he lazily responded to Cassie.
Cassie furrowed her brows while looking at the little girl's shivering body.
"Boss, why are you looking for this little girl? There is nothing special about her" Cassie asked as she scrutinized Melissa and probed on her by reading Melissa's emotions and behavior.
Well, Melissa is now very quiet while staring at them without emotions. Carl sighed as he felt that the little girl is so unlucky to bump on to them.
"Yes, there's nothing special about her but her identity as Eron's daughter made her special" the boss nonchantly. He's already on his thirties like Erson.
Erson was his nemesis, as what he believed.
Cassie and Carl are both confused of their boss's words.
Carl cannot stop himself from asking despite of feeling scared from his boss.
"Why is she so special, Boss? We haven't seen or heard anything about the man named Erson but why are you so obsessed on his offspring, Boss?" Carl asked curiosly.
The boss or let's say his name Lando Lance is the second son of Master Lance and Madam Pennyson and second grandson of Old Master Lance.
His eyes stayed on the ceiling while he reminisced the past.
Erson. They didn't know his surname nor his origin. Everything about the young man was suspicious but he didn't do any harm to the family, except being the sole successor of Old Master Lance.
Even Lando's parents objected such will and voted on kicking out Erson since he didn't have blood relation with the Lance Family.
"Grandpa Lance adopted Erson when I was twenty years old. He found him unconscious outside our Blood Pearl Island with black and blue bruises on his body and deep cut on his forehead" Lando started sharing his past to his curious subordinates and he wholly trusts them.
"When Erson woke up, he only remembered his name as Erson. Grandpa Lance taught him our assassination technique and was shocked to discover that Erson was a talented man and decided to include his name in our family registry" Lando clenched his fist as he couldn't accept of what his Grandpa Lance did. He's biological grandson but why was Erson inherited his Grandpa's legacy? He doesn't understand until now.
" However, he disappeared for five years. We didn't have contact from him for five years and thought that he's dead but he appeared again during Grandpa's 73rd birthday celebration to offer himself and be filial as a son" when he heard about Erson's disappearance, he becomes the center of attention in upper social circle.
"When Grandpa Lance died due to hypoxaemia, Grandpa Lance's will stated that he will leave half of his legacy to Erson as he believed that Erson can lead the family despite of not being blood related" he was hopeful of being the sole heir of his Grandpa but the will wake him up from fantastical illusion.
"Unfortunately, the Lance Family opposed such will and rebelled against the main branch. If they do not kick Erson out of the family, they will collude with other family to rebel against the Lance Family" and he also becomes the central candidate of the heir position. This also made the other families fight against them in business. He doesn't know why the other families opposed his candidacy but he made sure to truly obtain that position.
"Erson voluntarily left the Lance Family and my elder brother, Kyle Lance become the family head of Lance Family. For fear of escalating inner conflict, Kyle commanded our forces to look for Erson and kill him." Kyle Lance is Lando's father. Although he was displeased but at least the position didn't hand on to the outsider of the family.
"Unfortunately, Erson died on the hands of good-for-nothing rich man and left a mother-daughter duo starved. You know the rest..."
Cassie and Carl were stunned to hear the story of Erson but they are more stunned to find out that Lando talked too much than before.
"So, what should we do, Boss?" Cassie asked as she doesn't know what to do anymore. Since the Old Master Lance favored the adopted son, she cannot directly opposed her boss's decision.
"Honestly, it should be good that Erson died but he left a legitimate child of his..." Lando smirked evilly as he looked at the wall clock of the room.
He hated Erson so much and instigated his blood relatives to kick Erson out of the Lance Family.
Cassie and Carl shivered as they looked at their boss with horror.
"We thought he's fond of Erson because of the way he talks about him but..." Carl widened his eyes as he somehow predicted his boss's actions behind the scenes.
As the only woman on her boss's group, she willingly served under her boss and thought that he's an upright man despite the illegal business of Lance Family.
However, her eyes shook as she couldn't believe of what she saw right now. Her boss... No, the man she love is like this.
Cassie wanted to talk about Lando's plan for Melissa but her eyes widened after hearing his words.
"We will offer her to the Dark Blood Island and let her feels the thrill of living hell" Lando said and laughed loudly.
While the three people talked about this and that, Melissa is still beside them. She heard everything about her stepfather's life. She put her head down and closed her eyes to remember her stepfather's words before he died.
"No matter what happened along the road of life, strength is the ultimate weapon for survival"
Melissa glinted as she looked at the three people in front of her.
"Someday, I must revenge wherever, whatever and whoever you are" she said inwardly and her vision blurred because of extreme mental exhaustion.
She fainted.