Chapter 461
Morris picked up his phone, but before he could unlock it, that detested female voice resurfaced in his mind.
For a brief moment, his mind went completely blank. His grip on the phone loosened, and it clattered onto the desk.
“Morris, Morris, I’m here. I’m here. Come, come to me! If you don’t, you’ll stop breathing. Come on, Morris, Morris.” The woman’s voice gradually disrupted Morris’s mind.
Morris felt as if he were trapped in a nightmare–a bottomless abyss. In the depths of that abyss, invisible hands relentlessly tightened around his throat, making it impossible to breathe.
And yet, that voice calling out to him felt like the only lifeline, the only way to escape the abyss and breathe freely again.
The voice persisted, growing more frequent. To his credit, Morris’s willpower was formidable. Even in this state, he struggled, fighting to escape the nightmare and return to reality
But it was clear he was reaching his limit. His breathing grew ragged, veins bulging on his forehead. Through it all, he kept muttering one name: “Cherise, Cherise, Cherise…”
On the outskirts of Betrico, within the expansive grounds of a luxurious estate, Yulia and her grandmother, Rita, sat in the garden.
On the table sat a brand–new bell, noticeably different from the one Garrick owned in the Hawkins residence. This one was a size larger, its golden surface gleaming with a sense of mystery and opulence.
Yulia glanced at the motionless bell and then turned to her grandmother. “Grandma, what’s going on? I remember Hannia succeeded quite easily last time.”
Rita nodded and said, “Morris is no ordinary man. He’s not just the head of the Chivers family and the CEO of both Syphonea Group and the Chivers Group.”
“Really? More hidden identities?” Yulia asked, her confusion evident.
Rita smirked, her sharp eyes glinting with insight. “He’s also the founder of the Dark Web Division.”
Yulia’s eyes widened in shock. She had never imagined that the legendary Dark Web Division had been created by Morris.
Rita, noting her granddaughter’s astonishment, said calmly, “So, do you really think a man who’s clawed his way through blood and carnage would succumb so easily to someone trying to manipulate his willpower?”
Yulia swallowed nervously, her voice faltering. “Then… maybe we should just give up. How could we possibly succeed?”
“We will succeed! I never fail,” Rita retorted, looking more serious. It made Yulia feel that her grandmother seemed far less gentle and elegant than she used to be.
Rita, realizing that her tone might have been overly stern, paused for a moment and softened her voice. “Yulia, as long as I am here, everything will be fine. Trust me, okay?”
Hearing this, Yulia felt a bit more reassured and nodded. Then, Rita picked up the golden bell and unfolded the white paper she had been clutching, which bore Morris’s birthdate.
She began murmuring an incantation–a string of incomprehensible terms. Once finished, she shook the bell toward the sky a few times and then toward the ground.
After completing the ritual, she set the bell back in place and said, “Let’s wait ten more minutes.”
10.25 Fri, Dec 2I
Chapter 461
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Meanwhile, Morris seemed to have managed to regain some composure. He picked up his phone again, intending to check with Cherise to see if something was wrong.
However, just as before, as he was about to make the call, the voice echoed again. This time, it was more frequent, and the suffocating sensation was more intense.
“Come, hurry, Morris! Morris, come to me now! If you don’t come, I’ll kill Cherise. I’ll kill Cherise.”
The mention of Cherise’s name struck a nerve. Morris shot to his feet, his eyes unfocused, a stark contrast to the sharp gaze he usually had. Slowly, he began walking out of his office.
Steven and Leo were still discussing wedding details with the three selected planners, so the only ones outside the office were a few ordinary employees.
When they saw Morris step out, they quickly stood and greeted him politely. Watching him head straight for the elevator and press the button to go down, none of them noticed anything unusual, assuming he was simply leaving the building on his own–a common occurrence.
The elevator ascended floor by floor, the numbers ticking upward until it arrived with a soft chime.
As the doors slid open, Morris hadn’t stepped inside yet when someone walked out. It was Truman.
The moment he saw Morris, he grabbed his hand without even checking on him and said, “Hey, you’re here! Great, I was looking for you. So, you’re planning a wedding, huh? I heard you had Leo and the others hire wedding planners.
“That won’t do! How can I let you foot the bill on such an important day? Let me handle it! I’ll make sure your wedding is flawless and leaves you absolutely amazed and thrilled!
“Hey, hey, hey, I’m not done yet! Where are you going? What’s with you? You’re just walking away without saying a word? That’s not like you at all!”
