"You hurt Debra twice. You think I''ll just let that slide?" Marion bellowed, firing a shot.

    Fermin didn''t dodge, and the bullet tore through his left shoulder. Blood sttered instantly.

    "Marion." Debra was taken aback.

    The air in the room became even more tense.

    "Fermin!" Liza rushed over.

    Panic spread across her face when she saw Fermin''s bleeding shoulder.

    Fermin endured the pain and forced a smile.

    "Don''t me me anymore, right?"

    "I..."

    His men moved quickly, as if they had expected this all along. They immediately stepped forward to treat his wound.

    "I still owe you a stab. We can settle that too," he said.

    "No." Liza shielded him with her body. "If you need to stab someone, stab me. I''ll pay it back for him."

    Debra hadn''te for revenge. She nced at Fermin, who remained

    nonchnt as his wound was being treated.

    His mental fortitude was sick.

    "This has nothing to do with you," Fermin said. "Go back."

    "No. I can''t let them hurt you again."

    "Don''t worry. They won''t be able to hurt me."

    His tone was rxed, but Marion and Debra knew he was speaking the truth.

    Just now, when Marion pulled out his gun, Fermin had already reacted. He could''ve dodged the bullet. But the second he saw Liza running toward him, he chose to stay still and take the hit.

    A calcted move to gain her sympathy.

    "I''m not that easy to kill. Go back," Fermin said. "I''lle see youter."

    But Liza refused to leave.

    Fermin winked at the butler, who quickly stepped forward. "Miss, pleasee with me."

    She wanted to argue, but Fermin shut her down with a nce. "If you keep this up, I''ll have to take you upstairs myself."

    Her eyes darted to his wound. She knew he meant what he said.

    Biting her lip, she walked away with the butler.

    Debra could tell Fermin truly cared about Liza. Keeping her by his side seemed like a wise decision.

    "I guess there''s nothing left for us to talk about today," Debra said. "Drake is one of ours. I''m not handing him over. As for the raw stone you mentioned, I don''t feel like giving it to you either. But if you''re willing to tell me its origins and usage, I might reconsider."

    Ferminughed, not falling for it, "It''s easy to get the answers. Join the Illuminati, and you''ll know the usage of the raw stones and the four gemstones. You won''t get anything out of me because I don''t share their goal. It wasn''t me who took Drake, and the raw stone is safer with me. It belongs to my family."