She let out a cold laugh. "Grandfather? Are you kidding me? I don’t even have a mother, so where would I get a grandfather, let alone some marriage contract! Let me make one thing clear: there’s nothing between us but business. Are you going to leave or not?"

Zephyr Mercer hadn’t expected her to be so resolute, or for her attitude toward the Lowell Family to be so cold. He immediately grew indignant. "And after Aunt Cynthia worries about you day and night, and Grandpa Lowell sighs constantly over you... For you to say something like that is just too heartless! It’s not like they intentionally..."

He was in the middle of his impassioned speech when a powerful force suddenly struck from the side!

He threw up a hand to block Marcus Monroe’s fist, only to hear the man say coldly, "What she does is none of your business. If you don’t want to tarnish your Mercer Family’s reputation, you’d best go back where you came from!"

Zephyr Mercer ground his teeth, the sound grating. He was so angry he laughed. "It seems the Mercer Family has been too peaceful for too long. Is that why every Tom, Dick, and Harry thinks they can threaten one of us?"

With that, he suddenly threw a punch at Marcus Monroe’s abdomen!

His technique and footwork were incredibly fluid. Paige Summers watched for a moment before concluding, ’Even in my past life, he would’ve been considered an absolute master!’

Marcus Monroe could also see that Zephyr was remarkably skilled. ’It won’t be easy to win.’ Especially here, in Paige Summers’s apartment. His opponent could go all out, but he had to hold back. So, after a brief exchange, he traded one last punch and created some distance. "If you really want to settle this, let’s take it outside. We shouldn’t disturb her."

Zephyr Mercer snorted. "Fine by me. You pick the spot!"

Paige Summers, watching from the side, felt her lips twitch. Without any ceremony, she flicked a puff of powder toward Zephyr Mercer.

Zephyr Mercer’s attention was entirely on Marcus Monroe, wary of a surprise attack. He never imagined someone else would be the one to launch it. He’d barely taken two steps before he felt dizzy. ’I’ve been drugged,’ he thought, just before he collapsed to the floor.

Marcus Monroe narrowed his eyes. ’It’s been a while, and Paige’s methods have gotten even more refined.’ He had seen her use poisons before, but to incapacitate such a powerful opponent so discreetly... even he hadn’t seen that coming. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what expression to make.

Paige Summers just said, "Do me a favor and toss him in his car outside."

Marcus Monroe was silent for a moment before nodding and heading out.

Paige Summers thought for a moment, then took out her phone to call Wendy Lowell. "You should know Zephyr Mercer. I need you to send someone to the ground floor of my building to pick him up and take him home."

Wendy Lowell’s initial delight at the call instantly turned to alarm. "How is he at your building? What happened?"

"It’s nothing. He just fainted from anger," Paige Summers said languidly. "He showed up out of the blue, claiming we have a marriage contract. Naturally, I told him that’s impossible. My father doted on me when he was alive; there’s no way he would have given me away to another family without a word. Besides, now that he’s gone, I make my own decisions. I insisted it was all a misunderstanding, and I guess he couldn’t handle it, so he passed out."

On the other end of the line, the color drained from Wendy Lowell’s face. She understood Paige’s subtext perfectly. ’She’s completely rejecting the marriage the Lowell Family arranged for her! It also means... she has no intention of acknowledging me as her mother.’ She was both heartbroken and bewildered. After a long pause, she finally said with difficulty, "Paige, you... that boy, Zephyr Mercer, he’s a good kid..."

"Whether he’s a good kid or not has nothing to do with me! Just send someone quickly. I’m going to bed. He’s in a car downstairs, all by himself. If someone with ill intentions were to find him..."

"I’ll send someone right away!" Wendy Lowell said hastily, pushing all other thoughts aside. ’Zephyr Mercer is Mrs. Mercer’s favorite son. If anything were to actually happen to him, it would be a catastrophe!’

Satisfied, Paige Summers hung up the phone and sat in the living room to wait for Marcus Monroe to return.

Of course, Marcus Monroe wasn’t about to just dump the man in a car and leave it at that. He waited patiently until the people sent to retrieve Zephyr arrived before heading back upstairs. After all, he’d pieced together the man’s identity from the phone call. He had some knowledge of the Mercer Family’s standing from his early years; there was no need to make a mortal enemy of them unless it was absolutely necessary.

’Of course, that’s all contingent on that Mercer kid knowing what’s good for him and not bothering Paige again. If the Mercer Family wants to throw their weight around, I’m not afraid. Worst case, I’ll figure out a way to get Paige to come back to Southreach with me. If it really comes to that, I don’t mind risking it all.’

Having seen off his rival, his good mood returned, and he calmly made his way upstairs and into the apartment.

Paige Summers had so many questions for him. ’Why did you come to Central City? And all by yourself? Where are Martin Warren and the others? How have they been? What’s the situation in The Dead City?’ But the moment she saw him, the image of him holding her earlier flashed through her mind, and she was suddenly at a loss for words.

As if he could read her mind, Marcus Monroe smiled. "It’s getting late, I should be going. I’ll come back tomorrow. By the way, your injury... it’s minor, but you should still treat it. Need any help?"

Paige Summers shook her head, trying to clear the stray thoughts from her mind. "You already have a place to stay?"

"One was arranged for me when I entered the city, but I haven’t been over there yet."

Paige Summers hesitated for a moment. "Then you probably can’t move in right away. It hasn’t been cleaned. Why don’t you stay next door for now? Andy’s not here, so his room is empty."

Marcus Monroe agreed without a second’s hesitation. He would never admit that he’d had no intention of staying at the arranged place. From the very beginning, his plan had been to find a place nearby.

’Next door, though... that’s the perfect option!’

After getting him settled in, Paige Summers returned to her own room.

She never thought the issue with Zephyr Mercer would be resolved so easily. So, when someone showed up at her door the next day, she wasn’t surprised.

What did surprise her, however, was that her visitor wasn’t from the Mercer Family. It was someone from the Lowell Family named Wendell Lowell—supposedly, some kind of cousin.

The man was incredibly arrogant. When he saw that Paige Summers wasn’t even going to let him in, he flew into a rage. "I heard you refused to return to the Lowell Family and even offended Zephyr Mercer. You really don’t know your own limits! You..."

Paige Summers had no patience for his nonsense. Before he could finish speaking, she slammed the door shut. BANG. If Wendell Lowell hadn’t dodged back quickly, his nose would have been flattened.

Back in her room, she thought, ’No wonder the Summers Family was so determined to leave, even if it meant a total falling-out with the Lowells. With useless allies like that, staying in Central City would have been a death wish!’

On this point, however, she was actually mistaken about the Lowell Family.

The patriarch of the Lowell Family was Wendy Lowell’s father. With his only daughter already married off, he had to promote members from the family’s side branches to support the Lowells in the long run. Wendell Lowell was the descendant of one such promoted member. However, as the Lowell Family established a firm foothold in Central City, their status rose along with their close ties to the Mercer Family. A rising tide lifts all boats, and some members of the Lowell Family let it go to their heads.

As Elder Lowell grew older, some of these family members became more restless—and Wendell Lowell’s father was one of them. Wendell also had a younger sister who had been infatuated with Zephyr Mercer ever since they were children, always dreaming of marrying up. When they suddenly heard that Wendy Lowell had a daughter who was not only returning but was also Zephyr Mercer’s fiancée, the atmosphere in their household naturally soured.

This morning, Wendell Lowell had overheard his father talking about what happened yesterday, and he was instantly incensed.

The very thing his sister desperately wanted was being treated like garbage by this outsider. How could he possibly swallow that insult? And so, overestimating his own importance, he had shown up at her door intending to put Paige Summers in her place.

He hadn’t expected to be so thoroughly rebuffed before he even got a word in.

He wasn’t about to give up. Just as he was indignantly trying to decide what to do next, the door to the neighboring apartment opened.

Marcus Monroe emerged, having heard the commotion. Seeing that the man was stubbornly refusing to leave, he unceremoniously "showed" him out.

Faced with Marcus’s oppressive presence, Wendell Lowell was both furious and resentful. But he didn’t dare to actually start a fight, so he had no choice but to retreat in disgrace.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The very next day, Wendy Lowell arrived.