Chapter 1 The Young Man In The Basement

The dim, yellow light from the lamp overhead swung around, casting ominous shadows inside the cold basement.

A young man was lying on the ground, covered in blood. If it hadn't been for the subtle rise and fall of his chest, it would have been easy to assume that he was already good as dead.

The crisp sound of high heels clacking on the ground rang in the air. After which, a heavy iron door opened, making a harsh, creaking sound.

A man and a woman came in. The man was wearing a sharp and decent looking suit, his physique tall and rigid. The deep features in his face made him quite handsome. There was, however, a particular cruelty in his eyes. As he looked down on the nearly lifeless body on the ground, he sneered in disgust.

The woman, on the other hand, was wearing a white, strapless dress, paired with silver stilettos. Her clothes hugged her curvy figure nicely. Her delicate face was enhanced by the exquisite makeup she had on. However, the malice in her eyes inevitably reduced her beauty.

From the looks of it, the pair had just came in from a formal banquet.

"Mr. Darren, Miss Ashley," the doorman greeted with the utmost respect, following closely behind them.

"Has he said anything yet?" Darren Gu asked coldly.

The man shook his head. "No, sir. Wouldn't utter a single word."

"Do whatever it takes! There's no way he would be able to endure any more pain," Darren Gu ordered, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

Raising her head to look at Darren Gu, Ashley Rong smiled gently. The malice in her eyes earlier had all vanished.

"Darren, I want to have a few words with my brother," she crooned sweetly. "Can I have a minute alone with him?"

Darren Gu looked down at her and gently stroked her head. There was nothing Ashley Rong asked for that he would refuse.

"Okay, I'll wait for you outside. Be careful."

As soon as Darren Gu walked out of the room, Ashley Rong gave a quick wink to the other man. Immediately, he understood and followed Darren out.

There were only the two of them in the basement.

Slowly, the gentleness on her face faded away. As she looked down on the man on the ground, a sneer appeared on the corners of her mouth.

"My dearest brother," she said in a singsong voice. Coming closer to him, she deliberately stepped ruthlessly on his hand. "I'm here to see you and yet you can't even bring it upon yourself to greet me?"

A grunt softly erupted from the man's chest. His arm twitched in pain as Ashley pressed her heel harder against the back of his hand.

His long and thick eyelashes trembled slightly. Struggling to open his eyes, he saw his sister's face through his hazy sight.

After regaining consciousness, Albert Rong coughed heavily, fresh blood splattering against the concrete floor. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Ashley through his heavy eyelids.

It was obvious that Albert Rong was badly beaten up, but there was a still a strong will written all over his face. His eyes were piercing and sharp, as if he could easily see right through other people. Every time Ashley fell under his gaze, she couldn't help but feel that all her thoughts and emotions were impossible to hide.

With her lips curling up, she twisted her heel on his hand. However, Albert Rong kept his gaze as steady as ever, as if he wasn't feeling any pain.

"Brother?" "You're nothing but the daughter of your whore mother and her shameful client. I don't want anything to do with someone like you." Although Albert Rong's voice was hoarse and weak, his words hit Ashley with so much force.

He was still the head of the Rong family -- even though he was in such a horrible situation right now, there was no way he was going to give in.

Anger rose up in Ashley's face. All of this wouldn't have happened in the first place if he hadn't found out about her background. He had threatened to kick her out of the Rong family, and so she had no choice but to resort to violence.

It was all true. Her mother was a prostitute and she had no idea who her father was. There was no way she could be able to escape that fact. Albert now knew about her identity, and it was as if her pleasant disguise had been ripped off away from her, constantly reminding her that she was nothing more than a bastard child.

Clap!

All of a sudden, Ashley drew back her hand and slapped him right across the face, the sound reverberating across the cold room.

Albert took it without a single word or sound of complaint.

No one would dare to think of doing such a thing to him, and yet there Ashley was.

The corners of his lips curled up, and soon a low and hoarse laugh erupted from his chest.

"Are you angry because you're embarrassed? I have so many dirty photos of your mother with a lot of her clients. Do you think Darren will still marry you once he sees them?"

Ashley gritted her teeth, her beautiful face distorted with anger.

"Fuck you! Do you really think you're any better than I am? Look at you, all beaten up and locked up like a prisoner. How can you still be so arrogant?"

An evil smile appeared on his bloody face as Albert leaned against the wall, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well... That's because I have something you want."

Hearing this, Ashley's eyes widened in shock, her hands balling up into fists. "Where is it?"

The dark basement couldn't hide his haughty aura as he smile bemusedly at her.

There were a number of reasons why the Rong family had been around the Imperial City for over a century now. For one, all of the members of the family were undeniably talented. But, more importantly, they also possessed a mysterious rune manipulating skill.

As the head of the Rong family, Albert naturally inherited the rune manipulating skill. Even though he was truly a great and talented man, he did not expect that his younger sister wasn't actually the daughter of the Rong family. All those years, he had spoiled and doted on her wholeheartedly.

To add insult to the injury, Ashley betrayed him with his best friend, Darren.

All this was just for the rune manipulating skill.

"Just let it go, Ashley," Albert said hoarsely. "You will never get the rune manipulating skill. That black box you have is pointless. You can't open it if you don't have the key."

Ashley gritted her teeth and glared at him.

In the past few days, no matter how much they tortured him, Albert never told them anything. They searched everywhere, but could not find the legendary key to open the black box.

At this point, it was already useless to keep Albert alive.

Squinting her eyes at him, Ashley glowered at him coldly. Then, a sarcastic smile soon appeared on her lips.

"The Rong family is really something! That old bastard Jonathan and your short-lived parents all died because of the rune manipulating skill... But don't worry. It will be your turn soon."

Shock and anger washed over Albert's face, and Ashley couldn't help but smile wider with satisfaction.

"Did you...kill my grandfather and my parents?"

Albert clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring with anger.

Seeing him like an infuriated trapped beast, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Do you really not know anything, stupid? Well, you won't live long anyway. I'll just tell you everything! Your grandfather and your parents didn't die in a car accident at all. On your birthday, they rushed back from abroad. Luckily, I was able to tamper with their car." Ashley paused, sighed dramatically as she shook her head. "It's really too bad you weren't able to see how beautifully that car exploded..."

"You bitch!" By now, Albert was trembling with anger.

Was it true?

Did his family really die because of this woman in front of him?

For ten years, he had foolishly treated her like his own sister. And now...

"Don't worry, brother," Ashley snorted. "You'll meet them soon..."

Then she turned around and walked out.

If she couldn't get the secret of the rune manipulating skill, there was no way she could let Albert survive.