Brian Carter's yacht was prepared a week in advance, with crates of fresh ingredients and premium foreign wines flown in, crew members, private chefs, and waitstaff arriving one after another. As night fell, the band arrived to perform, along with more than a dozen models and internet celebrities to liven up the atmosphere.

Spring nights at sea are especially intoxicating.

Originally, Samuel Bennett was supposed to attend the party, but he stayed at the company for a meeting. During the day, the roundtable discussion was about the "disaster recovery system"—new requirements and new directions had come down from above, and all the major companies and vendors needed to promptly communicate and implement them.

He returned home close to midnight. Samuel Bennett usually lived alone in a hotel-style apartment, in a location where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Downstairs was packed with luxury boutiques, next door stood the skyscraper of the Ring Gold Center, and all around was always glittering with jewels and dazzling lights, as if such splendor could ward off loneliness.

After his bath, Samuel Bennett was half-naked, water droplets sliding down his well-defined muscles. He was in the habit of drinking a glass of ice water; cooling his body made him long for the covers, helping him sleep more soundly.

He figured there was no signal out at sea, so before resting he hadn’t received any news from Eleanor Parker about the contract being signed.

It wasn’t until the middle of the night that his phone suddenly started vibrating wildly.

Samuel Bennett woke up quickly. Anyone disturbing him at this hour wouldn’t be for a small matter. He answered directly, “What’s going on?”

An anxious voice came from the phone—it was his secretary: “Mr. Xiang, something’s happened. Brian Carter’s yacht exploded at sea!”

Like a bolt from the blue, Samuel Bennett was instantly wide awake, his heart sinking. “How are Henry Bennett’s people?”

The secretary said, “The details aren’t clear yet. Things are chaotic over at Yisi. I finally managed to reach the person in charge, and all I know is that the rescued have been sent to the hospital. I’m on my way there now!”

Samuel Bennett rolled out of bed, quickly weighing his options, and instructed, “Don’t negotiate with Yisi for now. First, confirm the safety of Eleanor Parker and the others.”

After hanging up, Samuel Bennett immediately got dressed and left.

The area in front of the hospital was packed tight, not a drop of rain or wind could get through. The search and rescue operation was still ongoing, ambulances shuttling back and forth, bringing in wave after wave of injured. The emergency center was in utter chaos.

Samuel Bennett wore a knee-length trench coat, his stride making the hem sway. His short hair was slightly tousled, but his expression remained calm throughout.

He checked the admission records at the front desk. Fortunately, all five of Eleanor Parker’s group had been rescued and were already receiving treatment.

One staff member was in the ICU, just out of emergency surgery; two were still unconscious but temporarily out of danger; the other two were not seriously hurt.

On the eighth floor, Eleanor Parker lay in bed receiving an IV, still shaken. He flinched at the sound of the door opening. The salary Henry Bennett offered was enough to make him utterly loyal, with no expectation of any personal concern, so seeing Samuel Bennett show up in the middle of the night was a surprise.

“Ah…” Eleanor Parker said, “Mr. Xiang, you came in person?”

Samuel Bennett checked on the others in turn. With one in critical condition and life or death uncertain, he was naturally in no good mood. He said, “You think I could sleep after this?”

Eleanor Parker looked disheveled. It was his first time on a luxury yacht, and he’d nearly lost his life… Everyone had been having a great time when suddenly a fire broke out at the stern, the flames quickly getting out of control. There weren’t enough lifeboats, everyone was in chaos, and luckily, most had managed to escape before the explosion.

Eleanor Parker sighed, “Before we left, I joked that if we delayed business, I’d jump into the sea. What a jinxed mouth I have.”

Samuel Bennett said, “You went on my behalf. Rest up. Without your silver tongue, the sales department would be half as effective.”

“You value me that much, then jumping into the sea was worth it.” Eleanor Parker struggled to sit up, pulling a briefcase from under his pillow. “No matter what, I didn’t fail tonight. The acquisition contract is all in here.”

Samuel Bennett took it with one hand and patted Eleanor Parker’s shoulder with the other.

Just then, the secretary hurried in. He hadn’t expected Samuel Bennett to come to the hospital and explained, “Mr. Xiang, the Yisi people are all on the ninth floor. Their manager wanted to get an update from me, so I was delayed.”

Samuel Bennett fixed his gaze on him and asked, “So, are you done talking?”

The secretary’s palms were sweating. “I’ll handle things here right away.”

Samuel Bennett said, “Contact the employees’ families, make sure the reassurance work is done well. Have the lawyer and the head of the security department come over to discuss compensation plans. Check the hospital’s facilities and the doctors’ qualifications. Get professional caregivers in place as soon as possible.”

The secretary nodded repeatedly, “Yes, I’ve got it.”

“No need for you to do it,” Samuel Bennett added. “Tell the assistant to take over. You’re off duty.”

The secretary blurted out, “Mr. Xiang, let me handle it!”

“Oh, by the way,” Samuel Bennett asked, “after talking with Yisi for so long, how’s it going upstairs?”

The secretary’s face turned awkward as he replied, “The doctor said Brian Carter probably won’t make it.”

From the moment he learned of the incident, Samuel Bennett’s first concern was his subordinates’ safety, then the acquisition contract. As for whether Brian Carter lived or died, he didn’t care at all.

Still, the two companies had a relationship, and out of courtesy, he had to pay a visit. After all, if the man died, he wouldn’t be able to avoid attending the funeral anyway.

Samuel Bennett went upstairs. The corridor outside the hospital room was packed with people—Yisi’s senior management and some of the Chu family’s relatives and elders. The legal team waited on standby in the lounge.

Everyone had been roused from sleep and looked weary. Samuel Bennett’s appearance stirred everyone’s nerves, and all eyes turned to him.

Without glancing sideways, Samuel Bennett walked straight to the door of the hospital room and knocked.