She was having this hunch, this bad feeling that somehow s.h.i.+ Fan Hai was related to it. She was not sure of it, but she felt this extreme guilt.

She paced back and forth in her apartment. She was engulfed with panic and guilt. She was biting her nails, her brows knitted together.

She fetched her phone then searched for Xue Jinxu's number. She stared at it for a long while.

She tried to dial it only to end the call before it gets answered. She cancelled the call immediately after dialing.

At last she made her resolve. She called Xue Jinxu.

After two rings, Xue Jinxu's voice was heard. "h.e.l.lo, Man Rui. You called?"

"Y-Yeah. Jinxu. I saw the news…" She trailed off, not knowing how to proceed. "I…" She gulped. Her eyes wavering with uncertainty.

'What should I do?'

"Jinxu, listen… Regarding the capsizing of the cruise s.h.i.+p… Do you… Have you… Have you identified the root cause? Are you okay?" She finished her incoherent thoughts.

"I'm fine Man Rui. There's been foul play. We knew the person behind, but there were several gaps that need to be filled in with information and other relevant verification first. It's complicated, Man Rui. That's the only thing I can share."

"I'm sorry Jinxu." She said almost a whisper. Her eyes filled with unshed tears.

'I'm feeling accountable for this. I have a feeling it's related to him.'

"I might… I might…" Before she could finish, she gasped.

The phone which was held by her left hand against her left ear was s.n.a.t.c.hed abruptly.

She turned around and saw the devil. "You might what?" He jeered. He had already ended the call, turned off the phone, and threw it onto the couch.

"Why are you here?" Teng Man Rui attacked him head-on with hostility. "Tell me. Are you the one responsible behind the cruise s.h.i.+p incident?"

"What cruise s.h.i.+p incident?" He was wearing his taunting smile again.

"Fan Hai." She warned, sternly looking at his brooding eyes.

His taunting smile faded. He fetched her hand that was gracefully resting on her side. "Man Rui. You don't have to concern yourself with matters such as these. It does not concern you at all." He said seriously.

"It doesn't concern me? My instincts tell me otherwise." She withdrew her hand from him, albeit unsuccessfully. His grip was tight, she was not able to free her hand.

"Why do I feel partially responsible for it?" She narrowed her eyes, and glared at the man. She wanted him to confess.

The man straightened his posture. His face was devoid of any gentleness. "Man Rui. I have asked you before to join my side. You refused. Now, I'm asking you again. What will your answer be? My answer will be dependent on yours, my queen." His eyes were full of darkness.

"Screw this, s.h.i.+ Fan Hai. If you want to go to h.e.l.l, go to h.e.l.l alone!"

"I'm not joining you. You should stop!"

"You want wealth? I'll give you my share of the inheritance. I'll give you all my fortune! Just stop!"

"Am I not enough for you? I am also from a good family. Our status is not that bad. Do I not suffice for you?"

The man was silent. His eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with darkness.

"s.h.i.+ Fan Hai! Ever since young, I'm the most sought-after maiden. I'm the number one elite, the number one female socialite. I'm at the top of the most wanted daughter-in-law of elders. Why can't I suffice?"

The man's eyes became a little bit gentler. No longer was it filled with darkness and unfathomable depth, rather, it was filled with anguish. His jaws clenched and all his muscled were tense.

In the end silence remained between them for a long long while.

"Man Rui. You know I love you, my queen. That will never change."

"But, I need more than you, more than our love. I need more than wealth. If I'm after wealth alone, I wouldn't have to look around me. My family can thrive luxuriously."

"Man Rui, I'm after power. I already told you. I want our family to be the best in Imperial. I want all the other families to bow to us."

"I need to conquer other weak empires. We need to be on top."

Teng Man Rui kept shaking her head. She was so furious at this man before him. He still had not confessed to the deed.

"Is that a confirmation of your involvement with the capsizing of the Xue's cruise s.h.i.+p?"

"Answer me!" She was scowling furiously at him. This woman was becoming more and more empowered to be against this man. She's trying so hard to set aside her deep sentiments for this man, for the sake of truth and justice.

"I told you as well that I don't need any of those bulls.h.i.+t."

"If you don't stop, you'll lose me, and that family you're talking about."

"Go ahead and be the most powerful man in Imperial. I won't join you."

"Instead, I will atone for your sins."

"If you cannot answer to your wrongdoings, I will."

The man stood ever so straighter. He tilted his chin forward, challenging the woman's statement. "What do you mean by that?"

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai grabbed the woman's frail arm in his strong grasp.

"Let me go!!" Teng Man Rui tried to break free. She struggled and struggled. She kicked the floor to acquire the necessary momentum to free herself, but still for naught.

"I said, what do you mean by that?" s.h.i.+ Fan Hai glared at her, unsmiling, his hand grasping her wrist was suspended in the air. The devil was too scary. Anyone who would be in Teng Man Rui's state would have cowered in fear already.

But not her. She knew this man too well.

"Nothing." Teng Man Rui whispered, lowering her gaze on the floor. However, there seemed to be a plan that's already forming inside her head.

Finally he freed her arm.

Teng Man Rui ma.s.saged the area where his grasp had been.

"You better know your place, Man Rui." He warned.

"And where is that? Where is my rightful place?" Teng Man Rui probed. She was trying to identify her place in his life. She had been trying to know her importance to him.

"Beside me, of course, my queen." He said, his gaudy taunting smile was back on his face.

"What if I refuse?"

"You can't leave my side. I will hunt you down." He clasped her cheeks with his hand firmly. They were glaring at each other.

Teng Man Rui forcefully slapped the arm of his hand which was grasping her cheeks. "You don't own me." She glared right through his brooding eyes.