Chapter 279: A Dark and Windy Night, a Time for Murder and Arson

In his car, Zach Miller stared at the two people sprawled in his headlights, completely frozen in terror.

After leaving Vincent Holt’s place, the more he thought about it, the more he felt he’d been played. Vincent Holt had no intention of getting him a job.

In that case, he couldn’t just quit his job at The Lowell Group. He had to get HR to cancel his resignation.

At the very least, he couldn’t just walk away empty-handed. The company had to give him some financial compensation!

Fearing he’d run out of time if he delayed, he rushed over to The Lowell Group’s office building, hoping to talk to Caleb Lowell.

To his surprise, not only did Caleb refuse to see him, but he wasn’t even allowed through the company’s front doors.

The access on his employee badge had been revoked. When he called HR, they stated explicitly that there would be no compensation—not a single cent.

Just as Zach Miller was about to leave, by sheer coincidence, he saw Caleb Lowell emerging from the building.

He gripped the steering wheel, his eyes red with rage. ’These damn capitalists are all heartless. They’re just toying with me.’

Noticing Caleb Lowell’s quick pace, he grew anxious to stop him from leaving. Harboring the thought of giving him a little scare, he stomped on the accelerator and lurched forward.

He never expected that Caleb Lowell wouldn’t even try to dodge.

—

Caleb Lowell snapped back to his senses and scrambled to his feet to check on Luna Morgan, who was lying on the ground.

His heart clenched at the sight of her on the pavement. "Luna, are you okay?"

Luna Morgan gritted her teeth against the pain and pushed herself into a sitting position. "I’m fine. What about you, Mr. Lowell? Are you hurt?"

She frantically tried to check Caleb Lowell for injuries, but as soon as she attempted to stand, a sharp pain shot through her ankle, and she collapsed to her knees.

"Don’t move! I’ll call an ambulance right away!" Caleb Lowell helped her sit back down, then turned and roared at the receptionist who had run outside. "Call an ambulance! And the police!"

He snapped his head up, glaring at the car.

The headlights were too blinding for him to see the person inside. "Are you trying to commit murder?" he said coldly. "Get out of the car!"

Inside the car, Zach Miller shuddered, terrified by Caleb’s ferocious glare.

Before he even processed what was happening, he had already thrown the car in reverse, swerved toward another exit, and fled the scene.

It all happened so fast. Caleb Lowell couldn’t believe the driver’s audacity. ’A hit-and-run? They just fled the scene after all that?’

—

Jane Lancaster found out the very next morning that Luna Morgan had been injured saving Caleb Lowell.

The system was the one who proactively told her.

"Last night, Caleb Lowell dropped everything and stayed at the hospital with Luna Morgan," the system said, then paused. "After this, they’ll probably open up to each other and finally get together."

He had, in fact, given things a little nudge.

Luna Morgan had sought out Caleb Lowell on her own initiative because she had overheard a very important phone call in Sean Grant’s study.

The current crisis at The Lowell Group was Sean Grant’s doing. He and Caleb Lowell had met out of town and bonded over what seemed to be shared interests.

The warning Jane Lancaster had given Caleb during one of his business trips had been about Sean Grant, but Caleb clearly hadn’t taken it to heart.

After finding out that Sean Grant had opened a bar in the city, a depressed Caleb Lowell had gone there a few times to drink away his troubles.

Sean Grant came across as tolerant and magnanimous. He spoke with substance; he wasn’t some muscle-bound idiot.

The combination of his tough-guy exterior and elegant conversation gave him a "tiger sniffing a rose" kind of gentle refinement, so Caleb Lowell quite enjoyed this new friend’s company.

Over time, Caleb Lowell came to place his complete trust in this friend.

And once he had it, it was time for Sean Grant to begin his harvest.

He was a capitalist through and through; his elegant manner of speaking was just a facade to lure his prey.

Once his prey took the bait, he would bare his fangs and devour them, leaving nothing but bones behind.

He had used these tactics to swallow up and consume countless companies, building his initial fortune.

After hearing this shocking information, Luna Morgan waited for an opportunity, slipped into Sean Grant’s study, and stole crucial, confidential files to bring to Caleb Lowell.

She never expected to walk right into a scene like that.

"But Zach Miller trying to run down Caleb Lowell with his car—that was something I hadn’t anticipated," the Black-Haired Oracle added after a moment’s thought, feeling the need to explain.

’We will eventually meet in person,’ he thought. ’I don’t want her to have any misunderstandings about me.’

"Zach Miller?" Jane Lancaster paused, taken aback. She hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

"It’s still not clear what his motive was for trying to hit Caleb Lowell. After all, Caleb arranged a job for him. He should have seen him as a benefactor."

As a priest, he’d witnessed countless acts of kindness being repaid with malice, but he had never understood why.

The people of Aethelgard believe that good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished. Wielding Star Power, they sit on high, judging and punishing the wicked of the lesser worlds, ensuring justice is served and kindness is rewarded.

’But is that truly the only reason the people of Aethelgard do so?’

Jane Lancaster heard the confusion in the mechanical voice and sighed. "Oh, Sys, you have to understand, the human heart is the most unpredictable thing of all."

The Black-Haired Oracle lowered his gaze to her, countless thoughts swirling in his mind, before he let out a soft "mmhm."

Jane Lancaster said, "I’m not surprised at all, really. The male lead can only be saved by the kind, selfless female lead. They’re a match made in heaven, destined to be together."

She lowered her eyelids, concealing her true thoughts.

’So, Luna Morgan, did you get what you wanted? Are you happy?’

’She must be happy. The obstacle between them has finally vanished. The star-crossed lovers finally get their happy ending. I wonder how many people will be moved to tears.’

Jane Lancaster pushed those thoughts aside and began to get dressed.

"Now that Luna Morgan has stolen the confidential files, The Lowell Group’s crisis will probably be resolved soon. And the great villain, nursing a broken heart, will soon be fleeing to a foreign land."

She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "A dark and windy night... the perfect time for murder and mayhem. We need to hurry. We can’t let him leave the country with any regrets."

"You’re planning to move against Sean Grant tonight?" the Black-Haired Oracle asked, slightly taken aback.

"He’s screwed over so many people in this country, and now he thinks he can just take his massive fortune and leave, all sad and heartbroken? As if life is that easy."

"But with Luna Morgan stealing those files, Sean Grant is bound to be on high alert. He’s probably increased his security..."

Jane Lancaster cut in. "But that’s what I have you for, isn’t it, Sys? We were a great team last night—you hacked the cameras while I did the beatings. You’re so advanced, getting rid of a few bodyguards shouldn’t be hard for you. You can do it! I believe in you!"

The Black-Haired Oracle couldn’t help but chuckle, murmuring a soft, "Alright."

’He completely forgot how she used to mock him, saying his ’artificial intelligence’ was more like ’artificial idiocy’.’

There was still some time, so he pulled up the footage of Jane Lancaster beating people up the previous night and watched it quietly for a moment.

’It’s strange,’ he thought. ’Watching her fight like that... she just looks so spirited, so... cute.’ He couldn’t stop a laugh from escaping.

As he drew his gaze back, he inadvertently met the eyes of several white-robed attendants below.

THUD! The attendants immediately dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves on the floor and trembling uncontrollably.

They didn’t understand why the Lord Priest would make such a sound. Was he displeased with them?

"Lord Priest, we beg your forgiveness!"

The smile on the Black-Haired Oracle’s lips vanished instantly. He looked at the white-robed attendants, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Leave," he said coldly.

’The white-robed attendants in The Sanctum are always so meek and subservient,’ he mused. ’Nothing like her, so vibrant and temperamental.’

’When she comes to The Sanctum in the future, I’ll have to pick some more lively attendants to keep her company, so she doesn’t get bored.’