As Richard and Edith engaged in small talk in the VIP room accorded to them, Maddie soon arrived, all smiles as she embraced Richard."I'm glad you could make it," Maddie remarked."I said I'd come and so I'm here, I'm all yours for the night," Richard replied.Maddie grinned. "I hope you won't take that back later when it's time to go on the walkway."Realizing what she meant, Richard could only awkwardly cough with Maddie chuckling at seeing her usually composed brother get flustered by her words."I'll be taking my leave now. Let me get prepared for the concert." Edith said as she got to her feet and excused herself.However, just as she got to the door and opened it, she was forced to stop as a man was already standing on the other end."Ah, hello, Ms. Edith, nice to make your acquaintance." The man remarked with Edith confusedly asking."Sorry, but who are you?""Ah yes, where are my manners?... My name is Ezekiel Stone, a major shareholder in Regale Fashion." The man introduced
Rising to his feet, Ezekiel began. "As the CEO of Regale Fashion, the company has experienced years of success, no doubt as a result of the connections I made and my amazing management skills. From a manager to a CEO, my story is great enough to have a movie written about me, don't you think so, Mr. Smith?" Richard suppressed his amusement as he nodded. "Indeed, it does."At this point, Ezekiel looked like a clown to him and since he wished to keep on playing, Richard decided to entertain him a bit longer."Exactly. So that means as long as Maddie works closely with me, I'd be able to make sure that her rise to the peak in the fashion world would be a seamless process with no problems whatsoever.""Hoh, but I don't think she needs your help though. I've seen Maddie's designs, they are capable of defining the fashion world in a few short years." Richard remarked confidently with Maddie blushing at the side.Though feeling bad at first, Richard helped her regain her confidence and was
Ezekiel stepped into the VIP room, expectant of receiving good news.Grinning widely, he addressed Richard. "Mr. Smith, I assure you, you won't regret this. As long as Maddie does what I say, there's no way she won't reach the top of the fashion world.""Is that so?""Of course!... All you have to do is transfer the money and we can get started. So, should I forward my account number?"Richard chuckled. "You know, Mr. Stone, I don't ever think I've seen such professional begging from a supposed upper-class member of society. Tell me, where do you take lessons?""What?""I mean, you hid it well but at the end of the day, we both know you are a professional beggar, right, Mr. Stone?""Know your limits, Mr. Smith. I can cancel this event at a moment's notice if I'm pushed too far so you'd best watch yourself.""I doubt it.""You underestimate what I'm capable of, Mr. Smith. I can cancel this event and even destroy Maddie's name in the fashion world to ensure she never finds her footing s
Richard had thought about it after Maddie requested him to join her modeling group for the event.To be honest, he had no skills when it came to modelling but he didn't want to end up putting Maddie in a tough spot by fumbling during the event.So he went ahead to purchase two skills from the Wish store in the black phone, [Fashionista] and [Runway King].Both would allow him to handle the situation properly while allowing him to even mentor the other models she'd brought so they don't mess up.This was why it looked like he was a top model from the moment he stepped into the showroom to get prepared.As Maddie watched him, she couldn't help but wonder how he was so talented.Meanwhile, Edith came in at that moment, quickly catching her attention."Oh my gosh, Edith, your performance was the bomb. You are meant for the stage." Maddie praised.Edith chuckled. "I did my best. I'm glad I got the crowd riled up though I'm worried it might not be good that I came since the crowd isn't as e
The men that grabbed Edith intended to take her out of the building to serve as collateral in case of any problems but it quickly became apparent that they couldn't do anything as the security around the Glass House was unusually tight."Boss, we can't leave. Security is blocking our way." One of the men said over the phone.[Damn it, just find a way and take her out of there!... That bastard Smith is watching after his sister so we can't attack immediately. We can't lose out on the second best]"I understand, sir but…"[Don't worry, everything will go as planned. Just make sure that no one finds Edith until we have secured The Smith girl. If not, we'd have to make do with her. understood?]"Yes sir."With that, the call ended and the man gestured for the other two with him to take Edith somewhere else.***Meanwhile, in the main hall, the event was going as planned with several people entranced by the unique display brought about by the models and Richard's amazing performance.Howev
"Who are you?" Richard inquired calmly.[You may call me Rat. I am the leader of the group currently gunning to make you pay for ruining our plans]"You will not get away with this."[Oh, but I will. Now then, enough about me. Let's talk about you, Mr. Smith, after all, you are the reason all this is happening]"What do you want?"[100 billion dollars as well as the death of General Watson. If you can't provide these two things by tomorrow morning, I won't hesitate to blow up the entire Glass House, killing everyone within and around it, do you understand?]"You want me to fund your terror acts?"[Say what you will but you have limited time, Mr. Smith. You'd best make quick use of it]With that, the call ended and Richard was left to his thoughts."Richard, is everything alright?" Edith worriedly asked, noticing the expression Richard held.Richard remained silent for a moment before replying. "Yeah… everything is just fine."Edith didn't know why but it seemed more like Richard was e
Up above the Glass House, a reporter helicopter hovered just out of sight as those within reported the situation in the area[Breaking news; The Glass House is under attack by terrorists with several dignitaries put in harm's way. Though no demands have been made, the terrorists have unleashed firearms on the people trapped in the building, giving them little opportunity to escape. So far, law enforcement has done little to repel the invaders though they have succeeded in disarming bombs that the terrorists had planned to use to threaten those in the Glass House. With little idea of how things are going to proceed, we can only hope that Intercity survives this disaster]Meanwhile, on the ground, the dignitaries and men of substance who were forced to stay in the Glass House began to complain."How long do we have to wait here?... What if those terrorists get tired of waiting and attack us?... Some are still even in the building right now!""What is the government doing with all our ta
Micky was left completely flustered.It was one bad news after another ever since the operation began.He hadn't thought much of it when he was sent to Intercity to ensure General Watson's death.He'd felt insulted. How could they send a great man like him to such a city?Regardless, he left and when he arrived in Intercity, he was met with the news that General Watson was still alive and Sage had been captured.Naturally, Micky didn't hesitate to bring out the bug guns to end the bastard that ruined their plans, after all, Intercity wasn't like those big cities with powerhouses in them.It was filled with fools who had no idea that they were frogs in a well.However, he quickly realized that not all of them were fools.No, Richard Smith was no fool.He gave him the greatest sense of danger apart from the General and now, he was coming for him.Micky contemplated running away but his pride prevented him from taking that step.Who was he?He was one of the ten terrorist leaders of the
Snorting derisively, Richard glanced at Queen Mother who was staring hatefully at him. “Due to your antiquated beliefs, you have allowed nonsense to remain, ensuring that progress is not made. Do you think that if this man rules, he would do a better job than his father?... I mean, at least the Emperor is sufficiently strong, but this fool?... Ah, well, what can I say?”Seeing as how everyone was silent, Richard continued. “My mother should have sat on that throne, she was the natural choice, but you all decided that because of her gender, she would not rule. Foolish. Too foolish. Now she lays dead, having tried her whole life to ensure that her family was safe and secure, a feeling she would have extended to everyone here had she remained.”The silence indeed deafening as no one knew what to say.The fact that Tabitha was dead was also quite shocking.“Regardless… I am here now and I plan to make changes. The first change I shall make as Crown Prince…”“You are not Crown Prince and w
Richard sat in his bedroom, already prepared for the bout that would bring everything to a natural conclusion.His expression is impassive, he sat before a mirror and wondered what he would do after he had won.It was a question he needed to answer before he could take the right to the Crown in good faith.He was no leader, so was he willing to become one all because he wished to avenge his mother?Letting out a sigh, he thought to call his beloveds only for someone to knock at his door.“Come in.” He calmly responded.Moments later, Gina entered alongside her father, Elder Wu, both of whom had their heads down as they found themselves unable to meet Richard's gaze.Seconds passed before Richard inquired. “Why are you here?”“... I… no, we are sorry, your highness. We were scared and…”“And so you decided as long as you survived, an innocent man paying the price would not be too bad.”“That…”“Sums it up nicely. If only you had stood your ground, I would have made sure you both got th
“Ahem, Princess Liliana.” An elder who could hardly control his curiosity any longer called out, drawing the attention of the first Princess. “Yes, elder?”“... Can you see me?” He inquired as it was common knowledge that the first princess had gone blind at some point as a result of her condition.Silence followed for a moment before the princess replied. “Of course, I can see you, older.”A flurry of gasps escaped the lips of everyone present as one exclaimed.“It's a miracle!”Soon enough, many more began to comment causing the hall to turn rowdy.“The princess is cured of her condition?... How is this possible?”“It makes no sense, the Princess couldn't have been healed just like that.”Just then, the Emperor erupted. “Silence!”Immediately, the hall went pin-drop quiet as everyone shifted their attention to the Emperor who had his eyes on Lily.“Are you truly cured, Liliana?” He inquired softly.Lily pursed her lips. “Yes… I am.”“But how?... Even your aunt Tabitha who was a pow
Eve could never have fathomed that Richard had anticipated her sabotage and carried out measures to make up for it.In her long life, she had never met someone who was able to match her cunning which was why even though Richard proved himself smart, she still considered herself superior.She had superior intellect, superior resources, and superior manpower and most importantly, Richard was on her home turf.There was no way he could pull a fast one on her yet here he was, doing exactly that.Her mind turned fast, trying to figure out how exactly she missed these drones but despite her efforts, she found herself pulling up repeated blanks with no end in sight.She'd made sure she destroyed all the drones after Richard had unceremoniously revealed that he had a network of drones currently spying on every portion of the capital.Of course, he hadn't said it outrightly but she had deduced it judging from what she had learned about his life so far.Which was why she had gotten her most tru
“It's not even been a week since he arrived yet he does something like this, so despicable.”“If he couldn't control himself, couldn't he have gotten a courtesan?... So cheap, utterly disgusting.”“I can't believe such a person is the Legacy. If he truly is the Legacy, he needs to have the Black Book stripped from him before he turns into a monster.”A lot of murmurs flew around amongst those Richard saw on his way to his destination, with many giving scathing remarks as they hurried past him.Whatever the first prince and Queen Mother were planning, its initial effect seemed to be quite good.They'd played an incredibly good card.Soon, he arrived at the courthouse where several elders both from the Right Hand and the Left Hands were gathered.Several looked upon Richard with scorn and absolute disgust with some even voicing their discontent.“I knew we should have never allowed him into the city. He looks like the textbook definition of a hooligan.”“To dare do such a thing and to E
Lily hadn't ever thought she'd be able to live a normal life again.From birth, she'd already been tagged as a child with little prospects and so was left to suffer alone for years.Few of her step-siblings ever showed any form of care, instead treating her as an opponent out of the race.That was the unfortunate thing.Every single member of the Royal family saw themselves as opponents to be defeated and not as a family.It was a situation born out of a desire to rule over millions.Very few were like Maverick, who didn't bother with anything and instead just tried to enjoy as much of their lives as they could.But here comes someone who has no connections to her, doing what no one else had ever deemed necessary to do.No, perhaps, she indeed had a connection to him.Hadn't he said it himself?... This was his attempt at finishing what his mother had started.Tears clouded Lily's eyes as she muttered softly. “Thank you.”Richard managed a smile as he reached out and cleaned a tear tha
The lady, having finished her heartfelt melody, took a deep breath before proceeding to empty her lungs, a look of satisfaction etched on her face.However, she soon paused with her expression shifting as she seemed to sense something, then she asked.“Who's there?” Her voice sounded hoarse, almost like it wasn't used as much as it was supposed to.Richard pondered on how best to respond before deciding to be straightforward.“My name is Richard Smith, I was attracted over by your zither playing. I must confess, it was incredible listening to you play, you are a genius.”The lady seemed to relax only for her expression to shift to curiosity as she inquired. “Smith?... You mean the man who claims to be the Legacy?”“I have been called that.”“I see, it would explain why I didn't detect you immediately. You carry a presence that despite being so immense, can be easily ignored… almost like a ghost.”Richard was unsure of how to respond and so, remarked. “Do you play this every night?”“
In a certain way, Richard had come to rely on the camouflaged drones as the best way to ensure he was never blindsided.If evidence couldn't be gotten from other sources, why not make your own?That was his understanding and so he didn't hesitate to apply it with necessary, hence the reason why he had already unleashed a good number of drones into the capital the night before.Ensuring they covered every corner of the city, nothing was happening in the capital Richard wasn't aware of.How he knew that Elder Wu wasn't doing as he had instructed and was instead meeting with his fellow Rights to discuss what he considered to be a potential disruption of the Order of the city.It seems he feared that Richard would cause chaos in his desire to get revenge.It was understandable why he would think that way but Richard was no madman and he had no desire to implicate innocents in his quest for justice for his mother.Regardless, that wasn't the point right now as he watched Prince Harry's exp
When was the last time he'd been so casually insulted that it felt like a compliment?Harry couldn't remember, perhaps because it had never happened.Those that had dared to look down on him had paid the price without question yet the man before him made him feel like that wouldn't be the case no matter what he did.Harry turned livid as he hated the fact that someone else, a nobody for that matter, would lead him to feel so wary.“How about we put that claim to the test then?” Harry inquired, unwilling to back down just like that.Richard raised a brow. “Wasn't this meant to be a party?”“Plans changed, let us compete. I believe it's a better way to decide if your words are true or you just have a big mouth, don't you agree?”“I see.”“Or perhaps, are you scared?” Harry asked in slight provocation.Richard shrugged. “Alright then, if you really wish to humiliate yourself, then sure, let's fight.”Harry snorted. “Good. We shall exchange three blows. Whoever can remain standing without