The video didn't last long, as the men's unrestrained laughter disrupted Arabella's appetite.
She exhaled heavily through her nose, a mere grunt, but it was enough to send a chill down the spines of the men who had been laughing boisterously just moments ago. A cold sweat broke out on their brows, and, deeply unsettled, they all fell silent, too fearful to speak or act again.
Once the video was finished, Ivy's value was nearly depleted.
To Arabella, there was no need to make things difficult for someone on the brink of death.
She waved a hand, signaling Raven to take Ivy to the tent for some washing up and to tend to her wounds.
"Come have something to eat." Arabella waved a hamburger in her hand, inviting Ivy with a playful grin.
After this ordeal, Ivy was visibly drained.
In her life, he had never encountered a woman like this—one whose tone was so composed while committing evil, as if she were completely untroubled. Clearly, she had done so many wrongs that she had lost all sense of humanity. Yet she still maintained a semblance of civility, speaking and acting with an air of refinement, which only made her more chilling.
Her spirit numb, she sat at the table, slowly turning her face to gaze at the woman beside her, wanting to understand everything before succumbing to utter despair.
"Why? Why you do all of these to me?"
Arabella paused mid-bite, grinned, and asked, "You're Marcellus's fiancée?"
Ivy was completely stunned; after all, Marcellus's country was thousands of miles away from here, so if this was a grudge, it seemed far too distant to make sense.
Ivy scrutinized her carefully and tentatively asked, "Who are you, really?"
Arabella picked up a piece of fried chicken and handed it to Ivy, smiling as she said, "Eat. It's vacuum-packed, so the taste is a bit off."
Ivy took the food and silently began to eat.
She wanted to live; as long as there was a sliver of a chance, she would fight for it. Without food, she'd have no strength, and escape would be impossible.
Arabella naturally understood her intentions. She laughed silently, speaking in an appreciative tone, "That's the way. In the face of life and death, nothing matters. If it keeps you alive, even eating shit is fine."
Arabella's blunt and vulgar words made it difficult for Ivy to swallow the chicken.
She looked at the enigmatic woman before her with deep confusion and asked again, "Do you know Marcellus? Are you enemies?"
Arabella nodded amicably, then leaned closer to Ivy's ear and whispered, "If you really marry Marcellus, then we are family!"
Sharing a secret with someone bound to die carried a subtle, sharp thrill.
Seeing the look of disbelief on Ivy's face, Arabella delivered a chop to the back of her neck, causing her to slump over the table, unconscious.
Raven, quick to understand, dragged Ivy to a nearby tent and left her there.
"Has the video been sent to Quentin?"
Raven nodded, replying, "According to the plan, he won't pass the target location until after 7 PM."
Arabella checked her watch, then began to distribute tasks in a surprisingly pleasant tone.
"Raven, you take most of the people and set up an ambush along the route, cut off the pursuit."
"You-"
"Master Unknown, I'm here!" Watching Arabella point at him, the man beamed and approached with a broad smile.
After all, Arabella had many subordinates, each one skilled in their own right, and he wasn't the most outstanding among them. Now that she had pointed him for task, he was naturally thrilled.
He had no idea that Arabella, when dealing with useful people, would always act with a facade of kindness.
He also never imagined that this time, Arabella intended to use his life.
Arabella smiled as she patted his shoulder, casually stroking his head and speaking in a sweet voice, "You're getting stronger. Looks like I've raised you all well."
He beamed like a child, clearly delighted by the praise. He was a tall and burly man, with a booming voice: "I knew it back then, Master Unknown loves meat, so I stick with you to make sure there's meat to eat."
The group laughed loudly at his words. Amid the laughter, Arabella pointed to two men—the ones who had been assigned the task of filming the video earlier—and with a gesture, directed them to the unconscious Ivy.
"You three, keep circling with that woman. She's your hostage, so don't worry. Just send Quentin occasional updates, let him know his precious sister is still alive."
"Mission guaranteed!"
"After the real deal at seven tonight, head to the Port and wait. Make sure to finish off that woman while you're at it. Understood?"
"Understood, Master Unknown. We're experienced in this," the two men, who had previously worked as kidnappers, promised, thumping their chests.
"Good job."
With a calm expression, Arabella effectively signed these three men's death warrants, even warmly inviting them to eat and drink to their hearts' content.
She had a habit of never letting the doomed go hungry.
Long ago, she'd survived seven or eight days hanging from a flagpole, living only on rainwater. She knew that if one was about to die, it was best not to die hungry—it would be too unsightly.
After packing up, the group split into three teams and set off.
Arabella, part of the third team, only took Bramwell and two nimble subordinates.
She was the one truly targeting Quentin.
Killing Quentin alone wasn't difficult; the challenge lay in his reclusive lifestyle. With the Destiny members spread far and wide, any attempt on his life would prompt immediate, extensive support.
Moreover, Quentin's convoy always used decoys, with two look-alikes traveling alongside him. If an assassin failed to eliminate him the first time, there would be no second chance.
This was why Abyss had yet to take over the Destiny.
Quentin was single-handedly holding things together; once he died, the downfall would be inevitable.
She planned to use Ivy to throw Quentin into utter disarray.
When Quentin received the video, he reacted just as Arabella had expected. His heart pounded, blood rushed to his head, and his vision dimmed. From the moment he learned that his beloved sister had been kidnapped, he was thrown into a dazed state.
The security measures around Ivy were practically flawless.
Moreover, Kewa was the stronghold of the Destiny—Abyss's people wouldn't have had a chance to act.
But just at that moment, a group of mysterious bandits appeared. Their methods were masterful, their strikes ruthless, and their actions incredibly swift. With heavy firepower, they killed everyone in their party and, leading their group, quickly scaled the mountain, vanishing without a trace.
He was completely reckless now, intent on personally rescuing his sister.
While preparing for the rescue, he suppressed his anguish, managing to retain enough clarity to make careful arrangements.
First, he urgently sent someone to contact Marcellus, but Marcellus was away on a military exercise and couldn't be reached. Besides, the situation where Marcellus was already complex, and distant help couldn't solve the immediate crisis. Contacting him was merely for some psychological comfort.
Then he deployed all of Kewa's Destiny members, placing all exits and ports under strict surveillance.
Just then, the Kewa police chief arrived in person. News of Ivy's kidnapping couldn't be hidden, and Quentin hadn't planned on concealing it.
But his stance was clear.
He didn't want to use police resources, fearing it would be too ostentatious and might provoke the kidnappers, leading to dire consequences.
However, the police chief brought him shocking news.
A foreign police undercover agent had already sent intelligence when Ivy was kidnapped.
Since the undercover operation was classified, the police chief didn't know the exact details of the intelligence.
He only received orders from above to relay one sentence to Quentin.
"The kidnapper is Arabella!"
That simple sentence struck Quentin like a thunderbolt, shattering his soul from within.
At that moment, his previously unspoken suspicions were finally confirmed.
Arabella was after his life.
