Sophia's lips curved slightly before pressing into a tight line. "That night I was feeling down and wandered into a bar by mistake. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I had no idea it was so strong. One glass and I was drunk." She hesitated. "If I'd been sober, I would never have..."

Ethan's jaw clenched.

He trusted Sophia, but he didn't trust Kyle.

Men understood men's desires best.

With the woman he loved lying vulnerable before him, what man could resist?

Rubbing his temples, he said, "Let's drop it."

"What about your father—"

"I threw the photos in his face." Ethan's laugh was cold. "He should know his limits."

Sophia shook her head inwardly. A stubborn old man like Victor would never admit defeat easily. This was no longer just personal—it was a clash between two social classes.

She said no more.

Words would only add to the burden.

Having barely slept the night before, Sophia's eyelids grew heavy as they talked. The moment her head touched the hospital cot, she was fast asleep.

When she woke again, the city lights glittered outside the window.

Her phone showed 9:20 p.m.

As she sat up, the phone rang abruptly.

"Kid!" Silas's voice crackled with excitement. "We've cracked two mechanisms—only one left!"

Sophia was instantly alert. "That fast?"

"Hahaha!" His booming laugh filled the line. "Breaking mechanisms is our specialty. The last one's a glutinous wall—we need your expertise."

"Should I bring a bulldozer?"

"Won't work!" Silas's tone turned grave. "That wall's built with glutinous rice mortar and egg whites—harder than concrete."

Sophia immediately contacted Vincent.

Her mentor provided a chemical formula... and instructions for making explosives.

At the words "high explosives," her fingers turned cold.

One misstep, and it would mean death or dismemberment.

She quickly scribbled down the list of reagents and sent her bodyguards to procure them.

"Uncle Silas, explosives are too dangerous—"

"Relax!" He laughed heartily. "I brought a demolition expert. Would I let you handle explosives?"

Late into the night, glassware clinked in the lab.

Sophia mixed the chemical solution according to the formula, working until 2 a.m.

Confirming Ethan was sound asleep, she took the solution to Phoenix Peak.

The chamber was in disarray.

The group stood before a gray-white wall.

Donning a mask and gloves, Sophia evenly brushed the solution onto the wall with a chemical applicator.

A faint sizzling sound arose.

An hour later, a bowl-sized hole had been eaten into the wall.

"Fall back!" Silas shouted.

The group retreated swiftly, leaving only Shane and the wrinkled old demolition expert.

Sophia clenched her fists at the chamber entrance.

"BOOM—!"

The earth-shaking blast left her ears ringing.

As the smoke cleared, a square meter-wide gap had been blown open in the glutinous wall.

Shane emerged, covered in dust, and nodded to his father.

"Farewell." Silas clasped his hands toward Felix before turning to leave with his children.

Sophia froze.

Even thieves had their code of honor.

Shouldering her toolkit, she followed Felix through the gap.

Dozens of ebony chests stood in neat rows.

When the lids were lifted—

A sea of gold and silver light burst forth!

Gold ingots piled like mountains; silver bars gleamed brilliantly.

Pearls and agates shimmered under the glow of luminous pearls.

Imperial porcelain glazed as if new; Tang and Song dynasty scrolls exuded elegance.

Most astonishing was the set of twelve "Seasons of Beauties" paintings—a similar work had fetched 300 million at auction last year!

Sophia's breath caught.

The Vanderbilt family... was sitting on a fortune rivaling nations!