The Bigshot Married Himself to the Heiress

As dawn approached, Dan Taylor called over a few of his other friends.

These were night owls, with vibrant nightlife, so early in the day they were all still asleep. Each one cursed Dan Taylor after receiving his call.

Several friends arrived at Dan’s house and the irritation faded once they saw Adrian Desmond there.

Ward Penney asked, "Dan Taylor, what did you do to Adrian?"

Dan Taylor looked aggrieved, "What did I do? Why don’t you ask what Adrian did to me?"

"..."

"Adrian barged into my house in the middle of the night, and drank all the fine wine I’ve been saving for years... Do you know how much those wines are worth? No, this can’t be measured by money. Some of those bottles are impossible to buy."

Adrian had gotten much thinner, his eyes were puffy, and stubble had emerged on his chin... The last time Ward saw Adrian looking like this was years ago.

A few years back, Sienna Johnson ran off with her unborn child. Adrian was furious and swore that if he ever found Sienna, he would give her a good beating to teach her a lesson.

He spent several months searching in vain, and ended up drinking himself into a stupor so bad he landed in the hospital.

Mark asked, "Could it be that Sienna has run off again?"

Dan Taylor wasn’t sure either and said, "Sort of, anyway Sienna is lost again."

Trevor Harrington simply couldn’t believe his ears, "Is Sienna even a woman? She’s had four kids, says she’s leaving, and she leaves again? She doesn’t want Adrian anymore, and now she doesn’t want her four kids?"

The other men didn’t say anything, but they clearly shared the same sentiment.

Dan Taylor hurried to explain for Sienna, "It’s not what you think... This time Sienna didn’t leave by herself, she was abducted."

"Who can abduct someone from Adrian?"

"The Night Owl!"

When Dan Taylor spat out those two words, everyone fell silent. Thanks to Adrian, they all knew the Night Owl.

"Why would the Night Owl abduct Sienna?" Ward Penney asked.

"I don’t know..." Dan Taylor suddenly recalled what Adrian had said, and he didn’t dare repeat it, so he tactfully added,

"I think the Night Owl has a thing for Sienna."

Everyone’s jaws nearly dropped, "Are you serious?"

Dan Taylor remained silent.

Trevor Harrington remarked, "Sienna really is something, not only has Adrian completely fallen for her, she’s even got such a notorious figure drawn to her."

Dan Taylor chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. What’s so great about that woman anyway? She’s fierce, not gentle at all, and won’t even let Adrian take more wives..."

Adrian was awakened by the noise, the buzzing in his ears felt like a swarm of bees, and he slowly opened his eyes to see his friends.

"...If it were me, I’d have dumped Sienna already. A woman like her is just trouble..."

"Dan Taylor, I dare you to say that again!" Adrian sat up, narrowed his eyes at Dan, and his presence was so imposing that Dan felt diminished by comparison.

"Hehe, I was just joking, just joking... hehe..."

"How come you’re all here?"

His head ached; the hangover didn’t feel good, Adrian was still parched. He thought of Sienna. If she were here, she’d have prepared warm honey water for him, scolding him for drinking too much, and in a fit of annoyance would say: ’Go ahead, drink yourself to death, I’ll never care for you again.’

But next time, Sienna would take care of him again.

She’s just that kind of awkward woman.

Ward Penney said, "Edward said your woman is missing again, abducted by the Night Owl. What’s going on?"

"That’s about right."

"..."

"Is there water? I’m thirsty, preferably honey water," Adrian asked.

Dan Taylor said, "Honey water again? You’re getting more and more soft!"

"Do you believe I’ll beat you to death?"

Knowing Adrian was not to be trifled with, Dan wisely kept his mouth shut.

"So what’s the full story?" Trevor Harrington asked, "We all thought you were in Sileria City. When did you get back?"

The honey water was brought over. Adrian took it, sipped, and found the taste was not as good as Sienna’s, but he patiently finished it.

"Adrian, we’re asking you. If you still consider us friends, tell us what’s really going on!" said Trevor Harrington.

"The Night Owl likes Sienna, took advantage of my lapse and kidnapped her... I’ve been looking for her!" Adrian recapped briefly.

"How did Sienna end up attracting the Night Owl?"

Dan Taylor added, "I think he just saw how beautiful Sienna is. Whatever else you say, Sienna is really beautiful!"

Just after finishing, Dan Taylor was shot a lethal look from Adrian. Dan stepped back, trying to minimize his presence.

"Are there any leads now?"

"She might be in the Abyanabad Imperial Palace."

Ward Penney asked in shock, "How could she be in the Abyanabad Imperial Palace?"

"Because the Night Owl is there now, as the cousin of the young Sultan’s mother."

Dan Taylor said, "That’s quite a position."

The others hadn’t expected the Night Owl to have obtained such high status. They were no fools and quickly understood. The Night Owl was using the young Sultan as a puppet, making himself the real power. The Abyanabad royal family wielded significant influence, and with this title, the Night Owl could indeed run rampant in Abyanabad.

"Did your business failure have anything to do with the Night Owl?" Ward Penney asked.

"Yeah, it was the Night Owl!"

Everyone felt the daunting challenge at hand. Going against the Night Owl meant going against all of Abyanabad.

If they joined forces against a whole country, they might all end up doomed.

But Ward Penney still said, "If there’s anything you need me to help with..."

Adrian was well aware of the gravity of the situation and didn’t want to drag his friends into it.

"No, I can handle it."

Ward Penney remarked, "We’re friends. If you need us, tell us. We are not the kind to not stand by our friends."

Trevor Harrington also said, "Adrian, I feel the same way as Ward."

Dan Taylor wanted to suggest just getting a different wife, but knowing Adrian’s stubbornness, if he said that, Adrian might just take a knife to him.

Among his friends, he felt the least capable, so he wasn’t afraid of Adrian asking for help, still he added politely, "Yeah, Adrian, we’re all brothers here. If you need anything, just say it. If your brothers can help, we won’t hesitate."

"Actually, I do need your help with something..."

Dan Taylor: ...