Vio Mansello’s permanent villa in Dubai is located on Palm Jumeirah.

The residences here are built to follow the natural contours of the land, with massive artificial islands shaped like palm trees that can even be seen from space.

Vio has no immediate neighbors, enjoying complete seclusion and tranquility.

The villa is surrounded by the sea on two sides and comes with its own stretch of white private beach.

A small private yacht slowly pulls up to the shore.

Vio steps off the boat, slips his hands into his pockets, and strolls lazily toward the villa in his slippers.

Tuxi follows closely behind, his eyes darting warily left and right.

Even though his own anti-sniper team and security guards are stationed all around, he still doesn’t feel completely safe.

The boss has never been one for social niceties—whomever he dislikes, he takes down, earning countless enemies and a lot of resentment, yet people can’t help but try to curry favor with him and can’t help but respect him.

Next door to Vio’s villa stands another building that looks strikingly similar, but in reality, it’s a prison—a living hell.

That’s where his rivals or hostages are usually held.

Once someone is locked up there, he’ll slowly torture them, pushing them to the brink of death, and only when he feels it’s no longer interesting will he finally put them out of their misery.

From afar, he spots a group of his men gathered at the entrance to his villa, frantically searching for something.

Tuxi’s normally cold and stern expression softens as soon as he catches sight of the boss, pouting indignantly and about to rush over.

Vio, growing impatient, kicks him before he can reach him, sending his slippers flying.

Tuxi has long since developed thick skin from being beaten by the boss; although this kick sends him sprawling to the ground, he doesn’t feel any pain at all—and in fact thinks the force was a bit too light this time.

After such a long separation, he bursts into tears of joy: “Boss! Kick me a few more times! I’ve missed you so much! The more you kick me, the closer I feel to you!”

The previously tense group of henchmen immediately burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, on the second-floor bedroom of this very villa, Qin Qinxi is hiding behind heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains.

She’s curled up there, trembling with fear as she listens to the commotion downstairs.

Just moments ago, in the underground dungeon next door,

the man who said he was going to kill her actually untied her first and even handed her back her phone, telling her to say goodbye to her family and leave a last message.

She knows that no matter how much she begs, this man will never let her go.

She can’t understand why the boss would want to kill her—there’s no grudge between them, and she even saved one of his men.

But she doesn’t have time to ponder it. Seeing that the man seems to feel guilty, she says she needs to use the restroom.

To her surprise, he actually agrees.

She quietly picks up a small piece of metal from behind her and hides it in the sleeve of her white coat.

She had planned to take advantage of the moment when he wasn’t paying attention and stab him in the neck, but as a doctor, she’s only ever saved lives—she just can’t bring herself to take one.

Fortunately, once she slips into the bathroom, she discovers that the window isn’t locked from the inside.

The windowsill is quite high, and after several failed attempts to grab onto it and climb up, she realizes she’s just thin enough to squeeze through.

Outside the bathroom window, there’s another villa right next door—the two buildings are practically connected.

She’s lucky that this window isn’t locked either.

Just as she’s hanging precariously, about to fall, she reaches out with all her might and manages to push the window open, then rolls and scrambles her way inside.

But now, she’s getting increasingly scared.

She hears someone downstairs shouting “Boss!”—in Mandarin.

Has the underworld boss who wanted to kill her returned? So… this is actually his home?

If she’s discovered, she’s sure to meet a gruesome end!

The more Qin Qinxi thinks about it, the more terrified she becomes, her whole body shaking like chaff in the wind. She clutches her mouth tightly, tears streaming down between her fingers and along the backs of her hands.

Downstairs, Vio is dead tired and too lazy to scold anyone. He shuffles lazily in his slippers, ready to open the door and head inside.

Suddenly, Tuxi remembers something and scrambles to his feet, calling out from behind the man: “Boss! The female doctor I brought back… she… escaped!”

End of Chapter 2: Chapter 2