Chapter 106 Turbulent Situation
Halfway through dinner, I got word that Brenda had successfully been rescued.
There was no attendant at that parking lot. When thick smoke started billowing from the car, a passerby called the police.
When Brenda was pulled out, she was barely alive. She probably won't be coming after us again for a while.
After dinner, Edgar went back to the police station to work overtime. I noticed that although he was ambitious and would do anything to get promoted, he seemed to genuinely love being a cop.
I walked out of the restaurant into the fully descended night. It was cold, with hardly any pedestrians on the street, just a few dim streetlights glowing.
Under a streetlight across from the restaurant sat a very familiar black car.
Lucas was leaning against the car door, one hand in his pocket, standing tall with a casual air.
The female waitress and other customers from the restaurant gathered excitedly at the entrance to look at him, guessing who he was and who he was waiting for.
"Ms. Sorelli!" Alfred called out happily.
Lucas snapped back to attention, his gaze falling directly on me.
The evening breeze lifted the hem of his coat, scattering the streetlight's shadow that cast a cloud-like gloom across his features.
I understood then—the sense of being watched in the parking lot wasn't my imagination. It really was him.
Those women looked at me with a mix of disappointment and curiosity, then dispersed after a moment.
"What are you doing here?" My tone was cold and hard. If you listened carefully, you could detect a hint of helplessness.
Lucas was true to his word—he really had been following me.
"I told you—I'll follow you, chase after you, wherever you go." Lucas pulled open the car door behind him, gesturing for me to get in. "Get in."
I looked at Adrian. He startled and quickly opened my car door. I got in, and just as Adrian was about to close the door, Lucas squeezed in.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" I couldn't help asking.
"How could that be? I'm very busy," Lucas said. "But to have more time to see you, I've had to work more efficiently and cut down on eating and sleeping."
He leaned closer, pointing at his eyes. "See? Bloodshot with dark circles."
Of course I saw them, along with his tired, hoarse voice.
"You don't have to do this at all," I said coldly. "Get out!"
"I will get out, but not now." Lucas took my right hand, spreading my fingers and gently massaging my palm.
"I asked Roger. He said your hand often feels sore and painful—it's one of the aftereffects. Massage can help relieve it. How's this pressure?"
During our three years of marriage, I had used these injured hands to cook and clean for him, managing everything at home, and he had never noticed anything wrong. Now, he carefully held my hand, attentively adjusting the pressure, patiently massaging it.
His fingertips brushed over the scars on my palm, full of tenderness and sympathy.
My heart skipped a beat, and I yanked my hand back.
"Have you been taking your medicine on time lately?" I asked irritably, not looking at him.
"I have, but the effects are just so-so." Lucas gave a self-mocking smile. "Taking a bunch of pills isn't as good as seeing you once."
"But I don't want to see you." I turned to look out the window. The reflection showed me that Lucas kept watching me.
"Seeing me makes you happy, but seeing you only reminds me of sad things. Have you considered my feelings?" I said.
Lucas was silent for a few seconds. "Is this why you banned me from Platinum Haven Hotel?"
I didn't deny it.
Lucas suddenly laughed softly. "Do you really not want to see me? Bella, you're running away. You still love me. You do want to see me."
I was almost laughing at his audacity.
But when I turned back, I saw a hint of uncertainty hidden deep in his eyes.
Lucas wasn't actually as confident as he appeared.
The words of denial rose to my lips but I swallowed them back. Instead, I asked him, "Have you found out where Amelia is?"
"Probably in the Chaotic Zone." Lucas frowned, not too satisfied with his own efficiency in finding people.
I wanted to tell him what Edgar had just said, but after hesitating, I didn't. Even if I didn't tell him, Lucas would surely find out anyway—he was the Kingpin of the North, well-informed. If I went out of my way to remind him, it would seem like I really cared about him.
When we reached my house, Lucas left tactfully. Throughout the ride, he hadn't mentioned Brenda at all, as if he hadn't seen my ruthless side. His visit seemed purely to keep me company on the way home.
I took out my phone to check unread messages.
Brian's assessment of Brenda was "those who deliberately harm others will ultimately suffer the consequences themselves," and he was glad Gale wasn't infatuated with her.
Gale had already arrived in Dawnharbor and would be staying there for a while.
Previously, we couldn't determine how much wealth the Gambino family had, or how much of it once belonged to the Sorelli family. My recent rampage had unexpectedly caused the Gambino family members to become very active—they wanted more money and bigger backers, which greatly helped Gale, who had been monitoring them all along.
The original plan was for Gale to go to Dawnharbor to concentrate his attack on the Gambino family's assets after the Starstream City mayoral election, but now was a rare opportunity with a clear situation, so Gale temporarily handed everything in Starstream City over to Brian and me.
Regarding what Edgar had mentioned, neither Gale nor Brian had any leads.
Although Gale had examined Santos's body before and noticed the pitted skin, he wasn't a medical examiner after all, and had assumed those marks were injuries Santos sustained before death.
As for Marcus, there was still no news. He was probably on a mission and couldn't check his phone.
I redeployed the security forces around me and at the hotel to guard against that killer of unknown identity.
By the end of the month, many young people from various gang families gradually arrived in Starstream City from Dawnharbor, seemingly confirming what Brenda had said—this place was about to become another Dawnharbor.
It was also around this time that the Valeri family was suddenly exposed as having a financial crisis.
It turned out that after Lucas announced he was cutting ties with the Valeri family, he had terminated all business dealings related to them.
Most people thought Lucas became Kingpin of the North mainly through the Valeri family's support, but now, with Lucas merely cutting off the money supply, the Valeri family couldn't make ends meet!
This proved that Lucas was more capable than those golden boys of Dawnharbor. Most of the gang heirs who came to Starstream City recently were coming for Lucas, wanting to test whether his abilities were as impressive as the rumors said.
So before spring even arrived in Starstream City, the city had already become lively.
And as the only girl in the Sorelli family and Lucas's former wife, I was equally the focus of attention.
Five days before February, Edgar came to see me again.
"Now everyone with any status in Starstream City knows about that psycho killer and is conducting massive searches in their own territories!" Edgar said, then gave me a meaningful look. "You can also go search the Chaotic Zone."
"There's a lead?" I asked with some surprise. "The killer is hiding in the Chaotic Zone?"
Edgar got a bit anxious. "Whether there's a lead or not, you can still go search! Search around, investigate, and who knows, maybe you'll find a lead."
The so-called search was actually about consolidating power.
With so many important figures arriving from Dawnharbor, the local forces in Starstream City were all on edge, desperately wanting to strengthen their power.
The Chaotic Zone had been even more dangerous than usual lately.
Edgar urged me, "Don't hesitate. You've secretly won over so many small gangs—you have a much bigger advantage than others! The sooner you bring the Chaotic Zone under your control, the better. Are you going to wait until right before the election to make your move?"
Since this concerned Edgar's promotion prospects, he was very invested.
I had to admit he was right. If everyone else was expanding their power while I stood still, the outcome would be obvious.
On the last day of January, I set out for the Chaotic Zone.