"Thank you, sir. I don't know what I would have done without you." Lauren praised Richard after she'd left the bank premises with him.Richard shook his head. "No need to thank me, I despise when those in power maltreat the vulnerable masses just because they can.""Very few men have the same mindset as you. Most would enjoy trampling on those lesser than them." Lauren spoke sincerely, clearly the incident caused her to see Richard as different from so many other billionaires that she'd come in contact with.Which was why she was currently considering something in her mind.There was a reason First City Bank wanted to get her husband's land by any means necessary.It was because, just adjacent to the apartment building he'd built, there was a gold mine that was worth at least 3 billion dollars.Unfortunately, her husband never had the chance or funds to mine the gold as most companies wished to cheat them whenever they heard about it.If they got their hands on it, it would be a windf
Richard Smith looked particularly dashing tonight as he stepped out of his estate dressed in a black suit with [Adam] activated.He walked over to the parking lot where a Bugatti Veyron was already waiting for him with a driver to boot.He'd asked Maria to get him a new car after the last one was totaled but he couldn't have imagined that she would get so extravagant.He could only accept her desire to please him as he got into the car and ordered the driver to head to Central Park.Maria had informed him beforehand that the popular songstress, Edith Selene, would be performing at the charity function and, instead of getting paid, she opted to perform for free as long as he listened to a request of hers.Based on what he'd dug up on her, Edith was an orphan with a good heart refusing several record labels all because she wanted to ensure the orphanage she'd come from wouldn't be destroyed.Intrigued by such a good woman, Richard looked forward to meeting with her.***The venue for th
Silence loomed at the event ground as everyone had their eyes on Richard.He had just arrived and was currently escorted by his driver who seemed to double as a bodyguard.Regarding everyone currently present with a disdainful gaze, Richard sauntered toward the stage with a few already murmuring amongst themselves."What is he doing here?""Didn't his company already send someone to attend in his place?""What's going to happen now?"Richard ignored the chatter and promptly got on stage to face the two men who had decided to turn his humble charity function into an avenue for disgusting men to reveal their degraded thoughts."You must be Larry Vaughn," Richard said to the first before turning to the second. "And you must be Reginald Collins." Both Larry and Reginald puffed up their shoulders as the former remarked."For Mr. Smith, the newest billionaire in town, to know us, then we must be quite popular." Reginald concurred as he added. "Well, it's only natural, after all, we are at
Matthew grew tense as he watched the waiter spill the drinks of Richard.The urge to scold the careless fool rose and he ended up swallowing it for fear of offending Richard.He'd already been told by his father to exercise restraint when in Richard's presence as the latter despised seeing common people get maltreated.Of course, considering the current situation, he was prepared to take the blame and apologize to Richard to prevent the situation from escalating.Just as he attempted to speak up, Steven beat him to it, lashing out like he was the one that was covered in wine."You bastard!... Can't you see where you are going?... How dare you spill your cheap wine on Mr. Smith's expensive suit?""Sir, I'm sorry, it was an honest mistake." The young man pleaded as he got on his knees."Shut up, what mistake?... You did it on purpose!... I'll have your job for this you moron!" With the escalation, several people had already been drawn over, watching the proceedings with interest.Ignor
"What do you mean Edith has been kidnapped?" Richard inquired wide-eyed.[Sir, that's the news going around right now. According to reports, they say that you were the last person seen with her]"Indeed, I was. She had gotten a ride with me and…" Richard trailed off as he realized that something was wrong.[Sir, please tell me where you dropped, Ms. Selene?]"... I dropped her off at her home. Maria, what's going on?"[Sir, I think you need to see for yourself. Check the news]Richard furrowed his brows but after a few seconds decided to do so.Turning on the TV in his room, he immediately froze as he saw the headline.{Breaking news; Ms. Edith Selene, popularly known as the Lady of the Lake has been missing with her current whereabouts unknown. Correspondence from those who have gotten in touch with her manager has sent across a rather harrowing video.}The newsroom switched to a video where Jared, Edith's manager was being interviewed by reporters.He was in tears as he spoke with t
Richard stepped out of the police station to find the place filled with reporters seeking to get a piece of the delicious scandal currently taking place.Ignoring them completely, he got to his car and quickly returned to his estate to figure out the best way to solve the problem.He knew that someone was trying to ruin his good name with this and for now, they seemed to be winning but there was no way he would allow them to enjoy this for very long.Once he got home, he first checked on Anna who seemed to have heard of the news and was just genuinely worried about him."If we can find her, maybe this whole thing will go away."Richard shook his head. "We can't just find her alone, else it would be like we were holding her hostage but after getting caught, we decided to release her.""Then?""So we have to help the police to ensure that I am absolved from all this.""I understand. But considering the cops have already searched everywhere and haven't found anything, how do you intend t
Officers Nathan and Hailey quickly stepped forward, both of them confused at the sudden call-up."Is there any problem sir?" Nathan inquired.Robert replied. "Is there something you are hiding from me?""Sir?""Tell me!""..." Nathan hesitated, clearly frightened by Robert's unusual intensity."Sir, I don't…""You and Officer Hailey were tasked with searching Ms. Edith's house for possible evidence. Did you do something to tamper with the evidence?""Sir, how can you accuse us like this?... Is it because of this man?... How can you believe the words of your men over a horrible man like him?" Hailey immediately remarked, drawing approving nods from the others.They weren't used to seeing their boss easily swayed by riches.Richard sneered as he stepped forward. "If you are so clean, hand over your phone and let me check its contents.""And why should I do that, criminal?... You should be behind bars for what you did." Hailey spat coldly as she glared at Richard.Richard remained unmove
Richard soon arrived at the airport with Robert and two other officers.Upon seeing Richard's smug face, Veronica immediately scowled as she got to her feet. "What the hell do you want with me, Richard?... If you think you can do anything you want just because I made the mistake of marrying your idiotic father, then you are mistaken!... I am no longer a Smith and I am leaving this city to start a new life in a different place, away from your disgusting hands."Richard chuckled as he remarked. "If one were to see you, they'd think you wouldn't have a hand in this but I guess I misunderstood you, Veronica. I gave you a chance, hopeful that you'd see the error of your ways and turn a new leaf but I guess I was wrong. Once a bitch, always a bitch.""How dare you!" Veronica could barely restrain herself from wanting to attack Richard but knowing it wouldn't solve anything, decided to get to the root of the matter.Just then, Gerald spoke up. "What's going on, Richard?... Are you the ones t
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