They had noticed the change in him, and her words began to erode the seeds of doubt that had already taken root. Nevertheless, the leader of Damon's men, stubborn and fierce with a long-standing grudge against Antonio, refused to relent. "Nonsense! We serve Lord Damon. Anyone who dares side with Antonio is a traitor!" the leader declared. The hesitation among Damon's guards was evident. Seeing their own men unsure whether to follow Damon's orders or heed Courtney's words created confusion within their ranks. "I don't know... he apologized in there, maybe it's time for a change," one of Damon's men said and walked over to Courtney's side. The leader was incensed by the decision. "You have chosen to die with those fools, then be my guest!" he roared. Courtney seized the moment to continue her plea for truce. "You've seen it yourselves!" she called out, stepping forward with courage. "Antonio is not the man he once was. He seeks peace, and he will lead you with honor. Damon has only brought chaos and division. Are you truly willing to die for a man who only cares about power?" More of Damon's guards hesitated, exchanging uncertain looks. To Courtney's surprise, some of them lowered their weapons slightly, no longer as eager to defend Damon. However, the leader of Damon's guard remained steadfast, his voice cold and sharp. "Antonio is a liar and a weakling. He will never be worthy of leading us! We are not slaves to him anymore. We don't fear him!" More men dropped their weapons. Courtney's once wet face began to brighten with tears of joy. "What are you fools doing? Surrendering to a bitch's manipulations? Do you think he would spare you for betraying him? Once his memory is restored, he will be the same man, and none of you fools who betrayed him will survive!" His words spurred a few men back into action. Courtney noticed, making her nervous. "Take her," the leader ordered. Damon's guards immediately surged forward. "Don't fight them, please, I will go willingly... we can't win this," she pleaded with Leonardo, who sighed and gave orders for the others to lower their weapons. "Stay safe," Leonardo whispered, his gaze tightening with anger as he tried to resist. "You too," Courtney replied as Damon's men roughly escorted her away. As she had said, she followed them willingly, knowing any resistance would only worsen the situation. Her thoughts raced as they led her deeper into the mansion, through dimly lit corridors that seemed to stretch endlessly. Eventually, they shoved her into a cold, dark room and slammed the door behind her. In the dim light, Courtney's eyes adjusted to the small, cramped space, and she saw two familiar figures huddled in the corner. Tears welled up in her eyes as she recognized them: Angela's sister, Kerry, and Doris— they looked so unrecognizable. As soon as they saw her, they rushed forward. "Courtney!" Doris cried out, wrapping her arms around her. Kerry joined them, and the three women embraced tightly, their tears flowing freely. "What happened? How did they get you?" "I came to the mansion to try my best to save Antonio. Sadly, it's not enough," she replied, then looked at their faces. "Where is Angela?" "They took her and separated us; we don't know," Kerry sobbed. "This is bad, it's all my fault. I led them to Angela's residence in Tokyo, Japan," Doris whispered between sobs. "Against your wishes, don't blame yourself, Doris," Courtney consoled her. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat. "No, don't tell ... they had Junior... the twins too," she whispered, her eyes wide with panic. Kerry shook her head. "They're safe. Before Damon's men found us, we made sure they were sent to Yuki's place. She'll take care of them. Thank God we followed our instincts." Courtney exhaled a shaky breath, relief washing over her. The thought of the children being safe was a small comfort amidst the chaos, but it was something to hold onto. "Antonio, do you think he will win?" Doris asked after a brief silence. "I... I don't know... I wish things would just miraculously go back to the way they were before, even if Antonio is his old self again... I don't want him to die. He is my only family... and..." Courtney replied, trying to be strong. The two women noticed and hugged her tightly. "You have us, Courtney, we are family too," Doris whispered. **** Damon underestimated Antonio. Unknown to him, Antonio was waiting for the perfect time to strike while he toyed with Angela. Antonio's mind raced on what to do, but he forced himself to remain still, keeping his expression blank. He had to play this carefully. He needed time. Antonio's fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms. He had to control his breathing, keep his expression neutral. He couldn't let Damon see that Damon's words were affecting him. But his blood was boiling, and his vision was tinged red with fury. Damon's smug expression had infuriated him; the contempt in his eyes fanned the flames of his anger. It was a risk, but his only chance. He had to find a way to protect Angela. Damon was right—he couldn't bear it anymore; he couldn't watch Damon with Angela as if she belonged to him. His cold eyes scanned the room, looking for anything he could use, any advantage he could find. Then, he saw the empty gun. He lunged for it, ignoring the pain in his jaw and the dizziness in his head from Damon's hit. Carefully, his hand moved subtly to his pocket, fingers brushing against the bullets he had managed to conceal earlier. He had played along, biding his time, waiting for the right moment. While his face remained expressionless, his eyes were fixed on Angela's teary face and the apologetic expression in her eyes, her sobs and pleas still echoing in his ears. He held himself back. He knew he had to be patient. His fingers closed around the metal as Damon continued thrusting between Angela's thighs, his senses partially overwhelmed by the pleasure of his actions.