Chapter 718

　　Third person's POV 　　The two children were a blend of their parents. The girl resembled Derek, while the boy took after Tabitha, which was quite different from their brother, Kyrian. 　　Derek thought to himself that if Kyrian knew he had two younger siblings, he would be thrilled. 　　But when he considered his relationship with Tabitha, he sighed deeply, filled with regret for his past actions. 　　At that moment, Alvin approached swiftly and reported, "Just received news from the island. Noah is taking Ayla away, and Lucian's direction also leads to the island. He plans to take Tabitha away." 　　Derek, with his hands behind his back and a furrowed brow, spoke with a melancholic expression, "Lucian intends to take more than just Ayla—Tabitha as well. She has always sought opportunities to leave me, and this presents her with an excellent chance." 　　"What should we do? Should we stop him now? Otherwise, with his capabilities, if he truly takes Tabitha away, it will be challenging for us to track them down," Alvin questioned. 　　Lucian lived in the shadows, with many covert channels that could make him vanish without a trace. 　　Derek was well aware of this and was internally conflicted. 　　He understood that he had caused Tabitha significant psychological trauma, which would take a long time to heal. 　　Forcing her back would only deepen her trauma and further deteriorate their already poor relationship. 　　However, letting her go was the limit of what Derek could bear. 　　Not seeing Tabitha, not knowing her safety, was a constant torment. 　　"Let her come back, but we cannot intervene directly," Derek said. 　　"Tabitha's mind is set. If we don't use force, what other options do we have?" Alvin asked. 　　"What does Tabitha care about the most?" Derek inquired. 　　Without hesitation, Alvin replied, "Ayla and Helios are her everything. It's too late to act on Tabitha herself, and we certainly can't consider kidnapping her. If that were to be exposed, Tabitha would be furious." 　　Derek shook his head and said, "No, there is another person, Gloria." 　　"Right, Tabitha has no family left, only Gloria as her best friend since Joanna's passing. For Tabitha, they are the most important people in her life!" 　　"Lately, she has been working hard for Gloria, which shows how important Gloria is to her," Alvin added, concerned. 　　"But I'm afraid Gloria may not cooperate. She's definitely on Tabitha's side." 　　"There are ways to handle non-cooperation," Derek's eyes flickered with a hint of menace. As long as it wasn't Tabitha, he was willing to harm anyone. 　　"Gloria has a strong personality, and if we don't handle this carefully, it might cause more trouble," Alvin warned. 　　"I know, which is why I will go personally," Derek decided. 　　Gloria was surprised to see Derek under such circumstances. 　　The moment she opened the door, her expression darkened, and she asked, "Why are you here? Has something happened to Tabitha?" 　　She didn't believe Derek had come to visit her. 　　"There has been an incident. Let's sit and talk," Derek suggested. 　　Gloria looked at him warily, her eyes full of suspicion, "Whatever you want to say, if it's about Tabitha, I won't help you." 　　"You are indeed a smart person," Derek said, taking out a check from his pocket. "I only need you to do one thing, and this money is yours." 　　"Ten million. Alpha Derek, you're really generous," Gloria remarked sarcastically. 　　"Name your price if it's not enough," Derek offered. 　　Gloria took the check with her fingertips and said disdainfully, "Alpha Derek, you really think highly of me, offering ten million for just one thing." 　　Derek knew she liked money, so he used the check to test her. 　　He wanted to see if, in Gloria's heart, Tabitha was worth ten million. 　　"I do love money, but I'm not the type to trade friendship for it. Find someone else. I can't help you," Gloria said, tearing the check into pieces right in front of Derek. 　　"I was right about you," Derek said. 　　Gloria looked at him questioningly and asked, "What do you mean?" 　　"I apologize. That was just a little joke. Knowing that you genuinely care for Tabitha, I can rest easy," Derek replied. 　　Gloria stared at him, puzzled, "What are you up to?" 　　Derek got straight to the point, "Tabitha wants to leave me." 　　Gloria retorted, "If it were me, I'd stay far away from you. You're like a demon." 　　Derek frowned and said, "I admit I've done many wrong things in the past. Now, I just want to make up for them and protect her, not out of possessiveness. Tabitha has a very powerful enemy outside." 　　Gloria pressed, "How powerful?" 　　Derek clenched his fists tightly and said, "So powerful that I haven't been able to find out their identity to this day. She has repeatedly hired assassins against Tabitha. On the night Tabitha gave birth prematurely over two years ago, she sent out hundreds of assassins, and Tabitha nearly died in the rain." 　　Tabitha had mentioned these events lightly, and Gloria was unaware of the specifics. 　　Hearing the truth from Derek, she was shocked, her eyes widening as she realized the numerous dangers Tabitha had faced during their two years of separation.