Chapter 836

Long after midnight, Hamilton strolled into the hospital where Arthur was recovering.

Arthur couldn't stop shaking,still haunted by what he'd been through.

With a composed grace, Hamilton settled into the chair opposite of Arthur.

Without a word, Hamilton's secretary stepped forward, handing Arthur a sheet of paper and a check.

"I heard you sketched something the first time you laid eyes on Daniela," Hamilton said smoothly. "If youcan recreate that drawing right now, the check is yours."

Arthur shrank into his blanket, terror flashing in his éyes. "I don't know what you mean."

Presented with a choice, cash or life, the answer was clear. He wasn't about to risk his life for any amount of money.

He would never forget how Daniela's blade found its mark over and over, every slice sharp and deliberate while he was wide awake. That kind of pain was something he never wanted to relive.

Hamilton observed Arthur's panic, a chilling grin stretching across his face, his gleaming false teeth on display.

"Here's the deal-give me what I want, and you walk away with the money and a one-way ticket overseas.Refuse, and I'll toss you in with my crocodiles. Care to guess how long you'd last before you black out?"

As the threat lingered in the air, Hamilton's secretary pulled out a phone and played a clip.

A video began, on screen, crocodiles lunged at the camera, jaws snapping open wide, as if they could leap out at any second.

"I'll do it! Just don't hurt me!" Arthur said, his whole body trembling as he hurried to scatter black dots across the sheet of paper. "What do these black dots represent?" Hamilton asked.

Arthur gulped and replied, "Each one points to a particular characteristic, or maybe a vulnerability."

Hamilton pressed further. "And what are her weaknesses?"

"I'm not skilled enough to be sure. But from what I can make out, Daniela's weak spot has something to do with her mother's death. Your son, Damon, spent years training under Dr. Denton Guzman, the famous psychologist. If you give him this page, he'll know how to decode it."

Hamilton let out a frustrated sigh. "Absolutely useless."

Without wasting another second, he stood up and pulled out his phone, dialing Damon's number immediately.

He felt like the truth was just barely out of reach.

Meanwhile, Damon noticed the incoming call.

Right as he was about to pick up, Cedric grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside.

Damon shot Cedric a confused look. "What's going on? My father's calling me."

Cedric caught a glimpse of Damon's phone screen and nodded. "Yeah, I saw who's calling."

Damon paused before speaking. "If I don't pick up, my dad totally loses it."

He started to bring the phone up to his ear, but Cedric stepped in and blocked him.

Damon shot Cedric a confused look.

"Can you tell that Daniela is afraid of blood?" Cedric asked.

Damon shrugged. "Yes. My mentor is an internationally recognized psychologist. He taught me a few tricks most people can't pull off. Reading things like that? For me, it's almost second nature."

While he didn't care about much, Damon had a real talent for odd skills like this.

After a short pause, Cedric leaned in. "Do you know anything about Arthur?"

Damon smirked. "He's a nobody. Goes around pretending to be my teacher's student, but in reality,he just picked up some scraps and uses my teacher's reputation to scam people."

"So what could he actually figure out from that chart?" Cedric asked.

Damon scoffed, "Not a chance he'd spot her fear of blood."

In an instant, he understood the source of Cedric's concern.

With a wicked laugh, Damon teased, "Let me guess. You're worried my father might discover Daniela's weakness and use it against her, right?"

Cedric's expression hardened, shadows crossing his face as his eyes narrowed dangerously.

Damon continued, "The only people who can really decode that thing are my teacher and I. Cedric, are you about to beg me to keep this secret from my dad?"

Cedric let out a dry chuckle and slipped his hand into his pocket.

He took a deliberate step closer to Damon. "You want me to beg?"

His fingers brushed the handle of a fruit knife, sharp enough to end this conversation in an instant.

"How exactly do you want me to beg?" Cedric's voice dropped lower, tension building in his grip.

"Let me stay here for good. That's my price. If you agree, I'll keep this secret for a lifetime."

Cedric stared at him, caught off guard. "You're serious?"

"I am. I like it here," Damon replied, grinning. "I get to hang around my idol, and your cooking actually reminds me of home. Give me a permanent room, and your secret is safe with me."

Cedric blinked, surprised by the simplicity of Damon's request. "That's it?"

"That's all I want," Damon answered.

With that, Cedric finally let go of the knife and nodded. "Fine. You've got yourself a deal."

Totally unaware of how close he'd come to danger, Damon turned away to take his father's call. Meanwhile, Daniela lingered in the doorway, amusement dancing in her eyes as he gazed at Cedric."See?|told you-he's not that complicated."

Cedric replied, "That doesn't make me feel any better." Deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that only the dead could keep a secret.