***** 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
*****While Xavier and his family of three were bounding together again after five years, a beautiful middle-aged woman in the living room of a villa was sharply scolding her husband without holding back."How is this fair, huh, tell me! How?!" she cried out pitifully.“Why is your family always determined to sacrifice our daughter’s life and happiness for their so-called greater good?""What is our crime anyway?” Her chest heaved and her eyes were filled with tears.“Why are they always so eager to use our only child as a pawn to secure a stronger alliance every time?!""That's not even it. Out of all the honorable men in this world, why that demon who is notorious for ruining women's lives?!" she yelled even more at the top of her lungs, her eyes turning bloodshot..“I…” Feeling his wife’s anguish, helplessness, unwillingness, and despair, Williams’ lips quivered.He wanted to say something, but Susan interrupted again, glaring fiercely at him. "This is your fault, you kno
*****“What’s going on?” Williams and Susan exchanged a perplexed gaze upon seeing Grace’s frantic demeanor.“Hope there is no problem?” Susan eventually inquired and just then, a relieved expression washed over Grace.“Yes, this is Grace,” she said composedly into the cell phone, acting as though she wasn’t the panicky one of a moment ago.Anyone hearing only her voice without seeing her right now might think she was composed and untroubled, but a single glance at her heaving chest would reveal it was merely a façade.The husband and wife duo who were intently studying her couldn’t help but exchange glances at this, after which they smiled wryly.‘Do we even ever truly know when our daughter is genuinely happy or upset?’ they thought in unison.Meanwhile, Grace, unaware of the thought going through her parents’ minds suddenly gasped, momentarily losing her composure to whatever the caller said.“You—you are available now?” She asked dumbly, truly surprised as she had just mad
*****Still in the VIP ward.Seated beside Laura on the bed, David who was still utterly confused glanced at his wife. “This jade beauty you wouldn’t stop talking about, how sure are you that something is really going on between her and our son though?” He asked seriously and Laura’s eyes lit up.“My womanly intuition,” she responded eagerly, throwing David off-guard.“You…”“You should know that my instincts are rarely ever wrong, right?” She inquired and David, who was on the verge of challenging her paused for a moment before finally nodding his head.“It would be a wonderful thing then,” he said after which he also became excited, his eyes brightening like those of his wife.“I thought I’d start searching for a wife for him after which I would give them the villa I was given today as their wedding present,” he mumbled with a sigh, his eyes filling with unshed tears, but just then, Laura, who heard what her husband just said stared blankly at him.“The Villa you were given?
*****Xavier’s eyes instantly rose upon hearing this remark while the inside of the huge, magnificent, and well-lit hall turned dead silent in an instant.Several things could cause discrimination in Riverton City and among them is being an ex-convict, a label akin to a blot on something already filthy to the citizens.Whether they were eating, conversing, walking, or drinking, everyone slowly turned their heads, glancing at the speaker—an averagely beautiful lady, who currently had her fingers interlaced with that of a short guy in an Armani suit as she stood, gaping in a particular direction with unmistakable disdain and loathing.“Bi—big sister, what—what did you just say?” A young boy of about four years old, who had just been boasting to his parents about how everyone in his class except himself was frightened when their teacher told them stories of how scary prisoners are, stammered in fear.Jennifer glanced at the boy before looking at everyone else and the instant she saw
*****The moment Xavier heard the pot-bellied manager’s order, his eyes lifted, and a faint, playful, cold grin spread across his lips.He initially wasn’t mad at all despite the crowd’s unreasonable hatred as he had already anticipated reactions like that before he left prison while for Jennifer, he was just more disappointed in himself for having been blind, but now…Watching the security guards approaching him to throw him out as ordered, he decided to act—when suddenly the elegant female manager, who hadn’t said much since her arrival stepped forward and blocked their path.Being the most beloved of all the restaurant workers, the security guards immediately stopped without hesitation. They even took a step back, and with that, Janet acknowledged them with a gentle nod before addressing the perplexed customers who were staring at her and murmuring.“Although I don’t know the reason behind your displeasure, I apologize,” she began, prompting the crowd to quiet down, after whic
*****The atmosphere in the conference room was so stifling at this moment, the tension so thick it was almost tangible, as every eye remained locked on Lucius. “He… he is really young master Lucius?” one of the representatives stuttered.“What’s he doing here?” Another murmured in a daze.“Wasn’t he the one who ordered our various companies to pressure Sky Group?”“Or… could he be here to finish them off?”Murmurs spread among the representatives, their confusion evident in their wary glances at Lucius, trying to decipher the reason behind Lucius’s presence.Grace, however, remained outwardly indifferent, though her heart churned with a mix of nervousness, confusion, and suspicion.‘What’s he doing here again?’ she wondered, her cold gaze on him. ‘Didn’t I already make it clear to him yesterday that I would never have anything to do with him again?’Finally, Mason.He still appeared utterly dumbfounded right now. His earlier fury completely vanished, replaced by an overwhe
*****The atmosphere in the conference room was so stifling at this moment, the tension so thick it was almost tangible, as every eye remained locked on Lucius. “He… he is really young master Lucius?” one of the representatives stuttered.“What’s he doing here?” Another murmured in a daze.“Wasn’t he the one who ordered our various companies to pressure Sky Group?”“Or… could he be here to finish them off?”Murmurs spread among the representatives, their confusion evident in their wary glances at Lucius, trying to decipher the reason behind Lucius’s presence.Grace, however, remained outwardly indifferent, though her heart churned with a mix of nervousness, confusion, and suspicion.‘What’s he doing here again?’ she wondered, her cold gaze on him. ‘Didn’t I already make it clear to him yesterday that I would never have anything to do with him again?’Finally, Mason.He still appeared utterly dumbfounded right now. His earlier fury completely vanished, replaced by an overwhe
*****The tension in the conference room was suffocating at this moment, a taut silence following Xavier's nonchalant words. “Again?” one of the representatives whispered, their astonishment breaking the stillness.Suppose the representatives had initially dismissed Xavier’s earlier remarks as a slip of the tongue or some misunderstanding, his repeated references to Grace as his wife left no room for doubt, the weight of this revelation, striking them like a tidal wave.Their eyes instinctively turned to Grace, knowing that if she had failed to hear Xavier before, she must have heard him clearly now. To their shock, however, her expression remained composed—eerily calm.This lack of denial instantly deepened the representatives’ confusion, and they exchanged dumbstruck glances, as though they’d just stumbled upon a secret capable of shaking the very foundations of the world.‘Grace is married?’ all thought in unison, their hearts pounding at this revelation.Mason, Honey, and
*****The conference room was still as death right now, the air heavy with tension.All eyes continued darting between Mason, who currently stood in stunned silence, acting as though he had just eaten a bunch of flies, and the handsome newcomer, who had just casually stridden in, exuding confidence, his easy demeanor somehow commanding attention.Different thoughts went through the representatives’ minds and their confusion cackled like static in the silence.This continued for what felt like an eternity until finally;“Hmph!” Honey broke the spell with a derisive snort.“What’s a nobody like you doing here?” Her voice dripped with disdain, fury, darkness, and coldness.“Huh…” The representatives blinked, stunned.‘Was he really not the powerful backer that brat had been arrogant about?’They thought, the realization hitting them like a punch.In the next instant, all their attention swung back to Mason, whose face was now a shade of crimson—embarrassment, anger, and disbeli
*****“So, President Mason, you said we only needed to wait a minute. It’s been almost three hours now since then. What exactly are we waiting for?” One of the representatives asked without standing up, now showing his complete disregard for Mason and the entire Sky group as a whole.While the question sounded as polite as possible, it was tinged with simmering frustration and unhappiness.They had thought that having been made to return to his senses, Mason would at least try to address them now, but contrary to their thoughts;Mason, slouched arrogantly in the president’s chair, shot the speaker a venomous glare, his irritation still lingering from his earlier defeat in the video game.“Then get the hell out of my company if you can’t wait again!” he snapped, his tone as sharp as broken glass.“This…” Everyone flinched, following which a stunned silence fell over the room, the representatives staring at Mason, their jaws slack with disbelief.“P-President Mason…” one of them
*****Back in Sky Group.“President Mason, what exactly are we waiting for?”The voice of Praise, one of the representatives suddenly cut through the heavy silence that had settled over the conference room like an oppressive fog, her question echoing what everyone in the room had been thinking for the past hour as their patience eroded like sand in an unforgiving tide.As soon as her voice sounded, all eyes immediately darted toward Mason, who had returned over an hour ago only to slump lazily in the president’s chair, hunched over his cell phone, completely absorbed in a video game.That’s right.One would have thought he would have addressed the room after his return, but no. As though he wasn’t the one they were waiting for, he had been frantically playing the video game since his return, his thumbs clicking rapidly across the screen of his cell phone, sweat glistening on his brow, as though he were locked in a life-or-death struggle in the virtual world.….“Die! Just die
*****”Young… young master,” a trembling voice abruptly broke the silence inside a lavish hotel room.The speaker was a flushed, naked woman who was currently sprawled across a king-sized bed, gazing up with watery eyes, her breath shallow and uneven.Perched on the edge of the bed, Lucius—equally unclothed—was just setting down his phone.His sharp, cold eyes immediately flicked toward the naked lady, and in the next instant, his expression darkened with unrestrained disgust.“Snap out of it already, you whore!” he barked, his voice cutting through the intimate atmosphere like a whip.“This…” The lady jolted as though slapped, the haze in her eyes dissipating like the wind.She stared at Mason in bewilderment, unsure how the man who had just shared a heated moment with her—whom they were just planning another round together could transform so quickly.She couldn’t react for a moment, but then recalling that this was how Lucius always turned cold and dismissive after getting wh
*****For a brief moment after Mason shattered the palpable tension in the room, silence reigned, everyone staring dazedly at him, frozen in disbelief.This stillness stretched on, only to be broken by the nervous shuffling of the representatives, who hastily wiped the beads of sweat from their brows, their gazes flitting nervously toward Grace, her earlier icy demeanor still fresh in their minds.‘As expected of the Ice Goddess,’ they thought uneasily, recalling the sheer weight of the presence she had released from a mere question alone.‘No wonder no one else from the company dared come, no matter what bonuses were promised,’ some of them thought, swallowing hard.Grace, meanwhile, sat motionless, her gaze fixated on Mason with a mixture of confusion and incredulity.She had been moments away from taking control of the situation, fully prepared to salvage what she could—even when she knew perfectly well that she’d ultimately lose the company to Mason.‘Why would he do that?’ th
***** At first, Grace had been deeply shaken by the coordinated actions of the partner companies, whose perfectly timed decisions to cut ties and demand repayment of debts seemed almost too calculated. The coincidence had been heavily weighing on her mind, and this was what she had been trying to process when Mason's sudden accusation hit her like a bolt of lightning. His words left her momentarily stunned. But as she regained her composure, her gaze fixed on Mason, her eyes narrowing, and her expression turning cold and resolute. “You… seriously believe I’d sabotage the company I’ve spent my life building?” she asked, her voice sharp and frosty, cutting through the charged silence like a blade. “What will a desperate witch not do?” A derisive snort responded, drawing everyone’s attention to the speaker, Honey, who was currently glaring venomously at Grace, her lips curling with spite. Grace’s brows immediately knitted with dissatisfaction. “What do you mean?” She ask