Capital of Country Z.
Seraphina Redgrave curled up on the swinging chair on the second-floor balcony, swaying leisurely.
The sunlight poured into the courtyard, coating the hibiscus flowers in a pink and white hue with a golden edge, making them endlessly captivating.
She twirled her hair around her finger, gazing at the courtyard's beauty.
This was Hibiscus Garden.
After Ethan Sterling took her out of the restricted area, he kept her confined here. In this sprawling garden, it was just her and two maids residing.
The two maids were very ordinary, without combat skills or firearms, so on the first day she arrived, she thought about leaving, but the moment she stepped out of the garden gate, she was blocked by more than a dozen armed guards in black.
Thus, all she could do now was eat, sleep, and swing, pondering a way to escape.
She didn't come back here just to admire the flowers; having finally escaped the restricted area, she definitely planned to give the Redgrave Family a big surprise!
The swing swayed lightly outwards, as she propped her chin in a daze, but her attention was focused below.
Below the balcony, two maids trimming flower branches were chatting.
"Hey, do you know, the other day Little Hu accidentally spilled some soup on the floor while serving, and the Young Master kicked him into the hospital!"
"Is that even a big deal? Last time, the old master asked the Young Master for funding, and he was left outside for four hours before he could go in."
"Yeah, I think if it weren't for the blood relationship, who knows what the Young Master would do to the old master…"
Seraphina listened quietly. Perhaps because she was seen as mentally ill, the two maids never avoided discussing anything around her, and through their conversations, she had gained a general understanding of this Young Master Sterling.
His name was Ethan Sterling, only 24 years old, the leader of a top-tier national consortium.
Just last spring, he led an armed group into his father's office, personally knocking him off the pedestal, and took over all the Sterling Family's businesses himself.
He acted decisively and possessed tremendous courage, cleansing the internal affairs with ruthless methods, replacing the entire group of executives with his loyal followers.
Under his management, the Sterling Consortium gained an unshakable position domestically within just half a year.
Those who relied on this powerful entity profited immensely, but there were also many who hated and envied him.
Over the past year, the number of assassination attempts he faced was countless.
But as long as he found out who was behind them, he would repay the person a thousand times over with the same methods inflicted upon himself.
To say the least, he was a vengeful and ruthless person who could not tolerate any slight.
The level of fear he instilled was unimaginable to ordinary people.
"In that case, it's quite lucky for us to be assigned here."
One maid said gratefully, "Even though Miss has a mental illness, she just sits there quietly most of the time. As long as she isn't hungry or thirsty, we're fine."
"Yeah, serving her is easier than taking care of the cats and dogs at other master's houses."
The other nodded in agreement.
She raised her head, intending to check on Seraphina Redgrave, but suddenly felt a shadow above, as if someone had leapt from above.
But looking at the swing, there was no sign of Seraphina Redgrave.
"Ah!"
The two maids screamed simultaneously, quickly raising their hands to catch her.
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and two rows of people in black filed in, standing on either side of the path.
In the midst of everyone's attention, Ethan Sterling walked in, exuding an aura of deadly coldness.
However, after just a few steps, he suddenly felt darkness before his eyes.
The crowd immediately raised their guns, intending to protect him.
He instinctively stretched out his hand, catching the petite-bodied girl in his arms.