Diego had already gotten news on the Smith auction coming up in two days because Veronica had called him asking for his help.He'd never thought the day would come when the great Smiths would be brought down to such a level.He guessed it all had to do with their current situation where every family member was trying to kill each other.This made it easy to rip them apart and take them out one at a time.Before, Diego wouldn't have considered this but ever since George's unfortunate demise, the Smith family was left lacking.Miranda was still alive but due to her circumstances, it was difficult for her to make a difference.Of course, there was a time when the Smiths seemed to be on the rise because of Richard but that was quickly shot down with a ploy from Diego, using the hands of Veronica to bring Richard down, despite knowing that it would not bode well for the future of their family.'Human nature is such a fickle thing.' He thought to himself as he came down from his car, having
Richard returned to the meeting room after an hour, prepared to hear the responses of the stakeholders."I believe everyone has made their choices." Richard inquired casually.The stakeholders exchanged looks with one another before one of them asked."At what rate will the shares we own be sold?""The normal rate, of course," Richard replied. "Don't worry, I might want to change the hierarchy but I'm not a thief neither am I about to cheat you though you cheated us. The money you've spent will be reimbursed immediately.""Then I'll sell the shares." "Wonderful." Richard shifted his attention to the others as he inquired. "Anyone else?"There were still some amongst them who were unwilling to let go of the golden goose that was Serenity.Only they understood the profits they had enjoyed for a long time now.Just then, Mark got the courage to speak up. "What about the Grant family?... Though we do have shares in Serenity, our position can be seen as more like partners. I believe we do
"Haha, thank you, Mr. Rudiger, I'm glad you accepted my offer," Diego said as he sat across from a middle-aged man.Both were in a lounge, with an assortment of wine and food placed on the table before them.The one he called Mr. Rudiger was the owner of Golden Sparrow, the most prestigious news company in Intercity.Due to their prestige, only those with wealth and power could decide what was in the news and what wasn't.If they decided that something was unimportant, then there was no way anyone would hear of it.Grinning at having satisfied one of the big dogs in Intercity, Mr. Rudiger smiled. "I'm only doing what I can. You are the one that provided the news after all." "Regardless," Diego remarked with a smile, satisfied with the current state of things.Due to the scandal news going on about Serenity, their shares had already dropped by a whopping 10% in worth compared to the previous day.At this rate, the new owner would have no choice but to beg him for mercy.And the best p
Gloria didn't think it could be possible but it happened before her eyes, leaving her completely speechless.70% of Golden Sparrow shares were bought by a single man, an amount closing in on over a billion dollars and the man did it in a single day… no, a few hours.It was terrifying, to say the least.She'd never have thought the day would come when it would happen but with what's happened, she could only wonder if she could still keep her job at this rate.Most times when companies were bought by new owners, the old employees normally ended up fired or demoted.Along with Mr. Rudiger, she'd oppressed several people within the company and even caused the downfall of several good people just for an extra few bucks.If she ended up losing her position, would she be able to get any good job like this again?After having a taste of the good life, the mere thought of returning to the middle class terrified her.Taking a deep breath, she resigned herself to do what was necessary to get in
Rudiger was a man who had clawed his way from the bottom of the barrel to the top with nothing but his ability to bully the weak and fear the strong.His greatest accomplishment was getting into the good books of powerful families in Intercity who wished to be in control of the media and to be in charge of what was known by the populace.He worked with them to overthrow the former owner of Golden Sparrow and with that, he ended up becoming the new owner.Ever since then, he'd always dreaded losing what he'd gained because he knew what would happen to him if he lost it.Unfortunately, his worst nightmares were coming true before his eyes but he didn't want to give up yet.Which was why he'd rushed to meet with the new owner.If he could get in his good books, perhaps he could retain work as a General Manager.But imagine his disbelief when the person who stepped out of the car was Maria, the General Manager of Serenity, the same company Diego got him to slander.He trembled at that mom
There were several things Mark had done in his life that could be considered wasteful but losing an annual income of 400 million dollars was by far the greatest of them all.After losing Grant's family stake in Serenity, he didn't have the mind to return home for fear of getting into trouble and instead lodged in a hotel to pass the time.Unfortunately, he underestimated the capabilities of his family and his father in particular.Within a few hours, he'd been found and now he knelt before the domineering figure that was Jacob Grant, his father and head of GrantCo. His female companion had already been sent out and he was left with his father and two bodyguards that looked ready to pounce on him the moment his father said the word.Mark gulped as he waited patiently for his father to speak and finally, after an agonizing minute passed, Jacob spoke up."So you're telling me that you lost the stake we had in Serenity, a stake we've held onto since the company's inception. Is that corre
Diego returned home and without answering those that approached him, quickly made his way to his room before closing the door while informing the butler to forbid anyone from disturbing him.With that, he locked the door and moved to a shelf of books in the corner.He moved one of the books and the next moment, the shelf moved out of the way to reveal a secret room with screens.After entering, the shelf moved back into place and the room was immediately illuminated by red lights.Diego took his seat before turning on the monitors.Immediately, the five monitors turned on revealing the faces of other aged men with substance, one of which happened to be Jacob Grant.Each one of them were movers and shakers of Intercity.Though to the public eye, they were rivals and indeed, they were, they had long since realized that apart, it would be difficult to control the city as they wished so they decided to come together, forming an organization aptly called, Black Hand whose sole purpose was
Paul was one of the reporters Diego contacted to head over to Richards' conference to disrupt it.He'd been paid a substantial sum and he'd already given a promise that no matter what, the conference would end up with Richard losing out.But upon arrival, he found himself entranced by the ambiance of the hall and afterward, Richard's charisma left him unable to recall the lines he'd prepared.By the time he recovered, he realized that Richard was already done with the first portion of the conference, and by the looks of it, the scandal he was embroiled in would surely go away now.Paul grew frantic as he knew he had only one shot to ensure the conference ended on a bad note.Thankfully, Richard hadn't left yet and so, he spoke up."Mr. Smith, I have a question."Richard looked in his direction as he replied. "A moment please.""..." Though he didn't wish to, Paul found himself unable to do anything but listen and at that moment, he realized.He might have to refund the money he was gi
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