*****Sarah, with her tender heart, nearly rushed forward to embrace the little girl—to reassure her that everything was okay and that no one here would punish her. But seeing Lola’s fragile state, she hesitated. Eventually, she glanced at Xavier with pleading eyes.“You brought her here, didn’t you? You should be able to calm her,” she urged anxiously, unable to bear seeing the pitiful child suffer any longer.Hearing this, Xavier could only let out a weary sigh before carefully nodding his head.“Little girl,” he called out gently. “Don’t you remember Uncle again?”“Huh?”Little Lola’s desperate apologies halted suddenly and she looked up, her brows knitting together in confusion.“Uncle?” She muttered innocently.In the following second, however, she blinked, recognition slowly dawning on her face.‘Isn’t this the nice uncle who had promised to save Little Lola from Father’s belt earlier?’ she wondered, her small hands nervously fidgeting, then she carefully opened her tin

*****“Don’t you forget that Project Echelon is something meticulously crafted by all our first-rank families’ ancestors—a mechanism designed to constantly fortify and strengthen our first-rank families alliances and consolidate our power. Do you comprehend the chaos your family will cause and face when the other first-rank families learn about what you’ve just done?” These words slithered from the elderly Ravencrest patriarch’s lips, his voice smooth but venomous, like a serpent coiled, ready to strike.They were currently seated inside an enormous living room, so vast it could rival a grand hall.Lavish and expensive chandeliers bathed the polished marble floors in golden light, yet the Ravencrest patriarch’s presence seemed to dim the room itself, his aura spreading through the space... cold, oppressive, and brimming with an unspoken level of malevolence.Across from this old man who appeared ready to erupt at any given moment was another elderly man, the Harrison family patria

*****Inside a grand dining room bathed in the cozy glow of the chandelier above.At this moment, its soft, amber light poured over the exclusive furniture and the ridiculously expensive table—an antique masterpiece crafted from rare timber and epoxy art, its polished surface not just reflecting the dishes laid upon it but also mirroring the grandeur of the massive dining room itself.A lavish banquet was spread across its surface: glistening roasted meats with juices pooling like liquid gold from them, steaming bowls of rich, aromatic soups, and delicate, buttery bread that seemed to be radiating warmth that defied the chill in the air.An assortment of colorful side dishes that filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma completed this perfect picture, making it resemble the feast of royalty.At this majestic table sat Xavier, his mother Sarah, and his father David, their gazes currently locked on the fragile figure opposite them—Little Lola.At present, the small girl sat rigid

*****Inside a moderately sized conference room—a not-so-big and not-so-small one, a group of high-ranking executives sat, their gazes fixed on a large screen, expressions frozen in disbelief and utter confusion.Pin-drop silence currently engulfed this conference room, thick and strong shock heavily etched across every face, showing that whatever they were presently witnessing had defied every logic and expectation.The screen eventually went dark, but even then, no one moved. They continued to stare blankly at it, all of them acting as if the images were still playing before their eyes, lost in a haze of disbelief.This stunned silence lingered until, abruptly:“That… that press conference we… we just saw,” the elderly man seated at the head of the table finally stuttered, his voice heavy with shock and incredulity.His words directly snapped the entire room out of their trance, and they all turned to him, their expressions mirroring the elderly man’s bewilderment.“Sir Pre—S

*****Inside the conference room of Crestline Insurance Group.“You… you… what have you done?”A middle-aged man in a sharp suit, who was always known to exude authority and confidence but now drenched in cold sweat, his face as pale as chalk, and his body trembling uncontrollably pointed his finger accusingly at another man, the company’s representative, who stood there looking like he had lost everything.The rest of the board members sat frozen in shock, their jaws slack, and their eyes wide with disbelief.Just some moments ago, they had been celebrating like the shareholders of Pinnacle Banking Corp, convinced that their company was on the brink of skyrocketing alongside Sky Group. But now… everything had crumbled.“How… how could you do this? Why?!” Crestline Insurance Group’s president roared desperately, his voice thick with rage and disbelief.“My instructions were crystal clear, to merely apply pressure on Sky Group, make them submit to Young Master Lucius’s demands.