Indeed, in the past, herself, Julian, and Zack would consistently congregate at Old Mr. Zheng's establishment for their evening meals. Zack had possessed an exceptional fondness for the dish, yet at this moment, while the scenery remained identical, the human element had been completely fractured—the individual who harbored the greatest love for this food was no longer among the living.

In absolute reality, Zack had already departed this world four years ago, implying that the peak period of raw, agonizing grief had theoretically transitioned into a dull ache.

However, from the exact moment she unearthed the reality that Zack's demise had been a premeditated act executed by Lyndsey, the dormant agony within her heart erupted with a multi-fold intensity, spiraling entirely out of control.

Discerning the precise shift in Chloe’s emotional state, Julian was capable of deducing the underlying catalyst with ease.

He poured a glass of warm water and positioned it gently before her hands: "I have consistently regarded Zack as my own blood brother, yet these intricate matters cannot be resolved through reckless haste. Since you have made the conscious decision to place your trust within my hands, do not permit your mind to be consumed by such dark thoughts. Simply focus on maintaining your own well-being and living your life to the fullest."

Chloe accepted the vessel of hot water, anchoring it within her palms as she absorbed the comforting warmth radiating from its surface.

Had it not been for Julian’s timely intervention, she would have truly found herself entirely stranded, lacking any conception of how to navigate this treacherous landscape.

Fixing her gaze upon Julian, she finally permitted a genuine, authentic smile to grace her features: "Julian, the statement I delivered to you this morning remains permanently valid."

As long as she could successfully execute her vengeance and secure absolute retribution for Zack's murder, she was fully prepared to perform any task and sacrifice any asset. Even if Julian required absolutely nothing in return, her pride refused to permit her to remain indebted to his grace without offering a corresponding contribution.

Julian’s movements faltered briefly, the smile upon his features taking on a slight touch of stiffness, yet his delivery remained perfectly level: "Let us focus on consuming the meal first."

...

As darkness fully enveloped the city, a high-end nightclub was operating at peak capacity, saturated with flashing neon lights and rivers of expensive alcohol. Countless men and women were swaying their bodies across the packed dance floor in strict synchronization with the booming bass.

Suddenly, a sharp wave of terrified shrieks erupted from the heart of the crowd.

"Whatever do you take yourself for, possessing the absolute audacity to lay your filthy hands upon my form!" The sharp exclamation was instantaneously followed by the resonant, stinging crack of a violent open-handed slap.

The chaotic, swaying mass of bodies plunged into absolute silence in a fraction of a second, every single gaze shifting in unison toward the center of the floor where Lyndsey was standing.

Positioned directly opposite her form was a middle-aged man adorned with a massive, ostentatious gold chain across his neck. The local denizens universally addressed him as Boss Lee; at this moment, he was cupping his smarting cheek, his features completely twisted by a wave of lethal malice as he stared down Lyndsey.

Having been subjected to a public physical assault before his entire crew, Boss Lee felt his street reputation disintegrate entirely. A murderous intensity flooded his gaze as he clamped his hand around Lyndsey's hair, forcefully dragging her toward the exit.

An intense wave of agony ripped through Lyndsey's skull, prompting her to immediately shriek toward the perimeter of the floor where her security detail was stationed: "Are you useless creatures entirely dead?!"

The two personal bodyguards finally snapped out of their stupor, mobilizing their forms to extract Lyndsey from Boss Lee's violent grip.

However, they had failed to anticipate the reality that an individual of Boss Lee's stature was by no means an easily intimidated target. In a fraction of a second, a dense cluster of his street subordinates swarmed forward to surround the security personnel.

Naturally, two pairs of fists were entirely incapable of repelling dozens of adversaries; ultimately, Lyndsey was forcefully dragged out into the dark alleyways adjacent to the establishment like a common animal.

Within the shadows of the street corner.

Boss Lee let out a low, ominous laugh, his expression dripping with pure contempt as he looked down at the disheveled woman: "In the past, you possessed the absolute protection of Eric Vance, permitting you to treat my authority as absolute nothingness. Yet at this moment, President Vance has personally issued a decree stating that you bear absolutely no correlation to his interests. Whatever gives you the impression that you can still display such arrogance before my face?"

Upon hearing the name of her former protector, a distinct tremor of intense panic rippled through Lyndsey's heart.

In the past, utilizing Eric's formidable corporate shadow, she had actively offended an immense number of local criminal elements. Now that Eric had entirely severed his ties with her existence, the number of factions seeking a violent reckoning had expanded exponentially. Although Isabella had deployed two professional bodyguards to secure her perimeter, she had managed to kick a completely immovable boulder on this evening.

She was an individual exceptionally adept at reading the power dynamics of a room; despite harboring a burning desire to see the man standing before her slaughtered instantly, her facial features meticulously contorted into a display of absolute, trembling terror.

Boss Lee casually brandished the smartphone resting within his palm, utilizing his free hand to ignite a cigarette: "Do not permit yourself to forget the precise digital content I recorded within this device during the era when you were nothing more than a low-life delinquent roaming the slums. If you still harbor a desire to maintain an existence within this city, deliver one million in liquidity into my hands immediately. Otherwise, I shall ensure your digital fame explodes across the network by tomorrow morning."

A sudden flash of lethal, venomous malice rippled through the depth of Lyndsey's eyes, yet her external demeanor remained entirely frantic and panicked: "I shall deliver it! I shall provide the funds immediately!"

Observing her execute such an instantaneous, compliant surrender, a wave of profound arrogance saturated Boss Lee's ego: "You have resided by Eric Vance's side for an eternity; the volume of personal wealth anchored within your accounts must be astronomical. Let us cut through the tedious negotiations and secure a definitive resolution: ten million. Deliver ten million into my possession, and the moment the funds clear, I shall delete the source files permanently, resolving this issue once and for all!"

These street-level extortionists were universally characterized by an absolute lack of baseline integrity. Having operated within those exact criminal elements during her youth, Lyndsey understood perfectly well that their greed was a bottomless pit; there was absolutely no scenario where they would honor a verbal agreement. Furthermore, ten million in capital was by no means a negligible sum!

She bit her lower lip with intense force: "Let us proceed in this manner: ten million is an exceptionally massive volume of liquidity. Permit me to return to my residence to assemble the necessary assets. Tomorrow—by tomorrow afternoon, I shall deliver the entirety of the funds into your hands!"

"Very well!" Boss Lee growled, a smug grin stretching across his features.

Chapter 24: Lawyer Vance

The following evening arrived with a brilliant display of city lights. The early winter air was biting, and following a massive snowfall, the entirety of the city was blanketed under a thick layer of pristine white.

Chloe sat inside the vehicle, staring blankly out the window. The scenery rushing past dissolved into brilliant, shimmering streaks of light mixed with the illuminated snowscape.

Julian, who was navigating the vehicle, cast a gentle glance toward her and spoke softly: "I will introduce someone to you at the charity gala shortly. Perhaps he can offer a completely different perspective regarding Zack's case."

Chloe collected her thoughts and turned to face Julian: "Are you referring to that Lawyer Vance you mentioned before? Has he returned to the country?"

Julian nodded: "He is a gold-medal defense attorney renowned both domestically and internationally. Not only is he exceptional at litigating court cases, but his investigative abilities are also remarkably formidable."

Chloe had heard Julian praise this Lawyer Vance on numerous occasions, yet because the man had been stationed overseas, she had never possessed the opportunity to meet him.

Hearing that he had finally returned and that an encounter was imminent on this evening, a fresh surge of hope erupted within her heart.

For someone to receive such absolute validation from Julian, he might truly possess unique methods of gathering evidence regarding Zack's tragedy all those years ago.

Before long, the vehicle arrived adjacent to a towering structure facing the sea. Directly ahead stood the grand building hosting the charity gala; because vehicles were prohibited from entering the immediate perimeter, attendees were required to park in the external lot.