*****Everyone, except Xavier—who was clueless about the identity of the so-called Grandfather and granddaughter duo—was stunned upon hearing the reporter's words. They swiftly turned their attention to the young man on his knees, still gasping for breath, a clear indication that he had run over with all his strength. The workers then exchanged glances, their surprise evident.The following second, their eyes lit up with joy as though they had finally received a piece of good news after days of despair, leaving only the man who had almost captured Xavier grumpy and frustrated, wondering why the visitor had arrived at such an inconvenient time.Meanwhile, it took Bartholomew and Cornelius a moment longer to recover from their shock, and the instant they did, their faces became etched with shock, concern, and fear.“They didn’t inform me they were coming—what’s going on? Why are they suddenly here?” Bartholomew, who had been arrogant since his arrival, acting as though no one was a
*****David froze upon hearing Barth’s icy and abrupt threat—In the following moment, a powerful chill ran down his spine, but before he could react, Barth shifted to the back and the smile on his face brightened even more."How many times do I need to remind you to stop thanking me? I will always say this: your well-being as laborers is my top priority," he proclaimed loudly, as though wanting someone to overhear, and no sooner had he done this than a teasing voice echoed. "You are so considerate of your workers but neglected to extend the same care to yourself and your son, why?" This voice sounded like a beautiful tune at a single hearing, so pleasing to the ears that as soon as Cornelius, who like his father, hadn’t looked toward the entrance since the report was delivered, heard it, he blushed from head to toe. As for Berth, a shocked expression crossed his face, and he quickly turned around, gasping in disbelief. "Young Mistress, Sir Patriarch!" He exclaimed, appea
*****Staring at the unimaginable scene before them, the construction site fell into complete silence again, and this lasted for a while before Barth blinked his eyes thrice."I—this has to be a dream," he muttered in disbelief before pinching himself. But the moment he felt the sharp pain, it was as if a jolt of electricity shot through him.He trembled as he realized he wasn't dreaming, and in the next moment, he was consumed with anxiety."Sir—sir patriarch," he stammered, springing to his feet in a way that seemed to defy the laws of physics and scurried toward the old man, visibly terrified.“How—how can you be acquainted with a nobody like this?” He asked nervously, but immediately regretted his question, knowing he had crossed a line.As he had feared, the old man, who had been looking at Xavier with bright eyes and excitement, immediately grew furious and shot him a glare.“What do you mean?” He questioned darkly, making Barth instantly break out in a cold sweat.He un
*****‘Why—why is he asking an outsider such a question and not me, his project supervisor? Moreover, why is he being so respectful?’ Barth wondered in fear and upon guessing what the answers to his questions could be, his face turned pale."Sir—sir Patriarch, are you perhaps speaking to me?" he asked hopefully. But in the next moment, his hope was shattered as he saw the Old Man completely ignoring him as if he didn't feel his existence.Barth was enveloped in a wave of coldness.Meanwhile, David, who was the most stunned by the recent events—confused about how someone as powerful as the patriarch of the renowned Blackwood family would know and show respect to his son—forcefully shook his head to clear his confusion upon witnessing the lack of response Barth had just received.‘This must be a godsend chance for survival,’ he thought, his dead hope reawakening.Without hesitation, David rushed his frail body toward the old man, wanting to fall to his knees when Xavier, who saw t
***** Although the construction crew had always known that Barth was a tyrant—someone cruel enough to force mixed cement down a fellow human's throat, which almost ended his life—they had never thought he’d actually take a life, but yet, they couldn’t even dispute Elias’ words. Everyone stood in shock, their minds racing to grasp what Elias, a devoted worker and loyal supporter of Barth, meant and what had happened between the time he was away and now. It was the Old Master of the Blackwood family who finally managed to react after a moment. He trembled slightly with fury, almost suffering a heart attack, something that would have been unavoidable if not for Xavier’s earlier treatment. He was initially struggling with how to punish Barth because of his long service to him, even though he knew that Xavier was a valuable ally he needed to win over, but now... The old man inhaled deeply to steady his emotions before finally fixing his gaze on Elias, who was still shooting a
***** For a moment, the construction site was engulfed in a deafening, eerie silence that made it possible to hear the sound of an ant crawling by. This lasted for what felt like an eternity before the face of the old man, who hadn’t spoken since Elias began, turned pale. He trembled all over, took a deep breath, and looked at Elias with mixed emotions. “What happens next?” he asked Elias, understanding the question, took a moment to organize his jumbled thoughts before letting out a sigh and pointing at the books he was holding. “I was ordered to hide these records after I reported your arrival to him, but I decided to check their contents out of curiosity,” he explained with a self-deprecating smile. “Who would have guessed that not only has your family never owed its workers before, but it pays the highest in the labor market and even allocated a large sum for my father’s treatment years ago, only for everything to end up in this monster’s pockets!” he concluded, g
*****By the time the police arrived, Barth had already been battered until nearly all his teeth were knocked out, and most of the bones in his body were fractured.Although he was well aware of the fate that awaited him after his arrest—that he would likely spend the next chunk of his years in prison—Barth wasn’t afraid at all of the cop's arrival. Instead, he became excited and relieved, treating the officers like his rescuers.“Hurry up and arrest me, please!” he sobbed desperately, seeing the furious and hostile glares of the mob directed at him, looking as though they couldn't wait to pounce and continue hitting him.The officers were speechless at his reaction, but they still went ahead and detained the enormous figure who was now drenched in his own blood. Since Barth was too large, he occupied the entire back seat of one car, while Cornelius, who tried resisting arrest and didn’t want to be captured, was forcefully locked in the rear of another vehicle.…..One would t
*****"I'm so mad!" Cassandra, who had been trying her best to suppress her rage since Xavier’s earlier arrogant utterance finally snarled with anger.She had initially decided to ignore and forget about him for the sake of his father, but now... She was filled to the brim with wrath, trembling slightly and grinding her teeth together with loathing and fury as she continued to recall Xavier’s face and egotisms.Meanwhile, seated next to Cassandra in the car, the Patriarch of the Blackwood family, sensing his granddaughter's rage couldn't help but smile faintly."Why are you mad though?" he asked ignorantly, and Cassandra instantly grounded her teeth against each other.“It was that douchebag’s arrogance and shameless behavior! He makes me sick." She forced out."How dare he threaten to make my Blackwood family lose everything?!”“Who does he think he is?!" She began to rant as though she were a dam that had just been released, her hatred for Xavier intensifying with each incident sh