2025-01-22 18:00:04Haylee's eyes widened when she heard that Annabel was a senior director at the Prime Royale Bank. She quickly tried to compose herself, but her cheeks were flushed, and her palms were beginning to get sweaty.
Being ignored by Rachael made her even more jealous because the woman was so comfortable speaking with Annabel. She stared at Roman with narrowed eyes, waiting for him to look at her so she could give him a signal that they needed to talk.
Roman didn’t look at her though. His attention was focused on his conversation with Rachael after Annabel introduced him to her. Haylee’s grip on her wine glass tightened, but she had to force her grip to relax in order not to ruin her manicure.
She was having a weird achy feeling in her heart, and her chest seemed tighter, making it a bit hard to breathe. She couldn’t believe that she just divorced Roman, and he already found another woman better than her.
They moved into the main hall, and people immediately moved towards Hamilton and Haylee. Hamilton smiled widely at the attention. Everyone that tried to speak with him was being so nice, praising him on previous projects and smiling to try and gain his favour.
Some of them even tried to talk about their companies, hoping he would want to invest, but he just smirked arrogantly, using the opportunity to gloat, hoping that Roman was watching everything.
“Mr Hamilton, you have such good taste. So she finally divorced her good for nothing ex. I’ve been waiting for the day that happened.” One of the guests said, and even made a nasty look in Roman’s direction.
Everyone knew he used to be married to Haylee, and they were all wondering why he was there, dressed in designer brands.
“I’ve always known that I’ll end up with Haylee. Her past was just a phase, or should I say, an experiment. But even after divorcing him, he still followed her here, trying to win her back.” Hamilton told the crowd, and most of them turned to face Roman.
“How pathetic.”
“Don’t you have any shame?”
“He probably stole that suit he’s wearing.”
“Why are you stalking Haylee?”
“She’s way above your league.”
Roman heard the whispers and accusations, but he didn’t say a word. He just stood calmly beside Annabel and Rachael.
Rachael didn’t really understand what was going on, because she was usually too focused on her duties to keep up to date with all the gossip. But she trusted Annabel, and knew that Annabel wouldn’t bring a delinquent with her. So she had trust in Roman too, and remained with them.
“He’s here with me, so I suggest you all mind your business.” Annabel spoke up, and instead of stopping, more rumours began to spread.
“He must have seduced her.”
“He must be a con man, going after vulnerable rich women. First Haylee, now Annabel.”
“He must have used her to get an invite to this event.”
Annabel was about to give a harsh response, but Roman held her hand and calmed her down. He just whispered in her ears that fighting or arguing with them was just a waste of energy.
When they saw that Roman and Annabel were not reacting to their taunting words, they changed the topic of conversation.
“Have you heard what the most expensive item among the auction list is?”
“It’s definitely the engraved antique ring. It has this vintage, rustic vibe. And I heard it belongs to the president of the city’s largest business association. Imagine how much it will cost.”
“That’s true. The starting price is at twenty million dollars, and by the time bidding starts, it might get sold for up to eighty million, or more, depending on who wants it badly enough.”
“The ring is definitely going to be mine. I have a great interest in it.” Hamilton said with a broad smile.
He saw this as his opportunity to assert his dominance, and flaunt his wealth, because he knew only a few people would be interested in bidding too high for a ring. But he was hoping it would make him get a connection to the ring’s owner.
It was rumoured to belong to the richest family in the country. If he could become their business partner through purchasing the ring, then whatever money he spent would be returned tenfold through business profits.
Annabel scoffed and other guests, including Hamilton turned to face her.
“What? You don’t think I can afford it? I am a very rich man.” Hamilton replied arrogantly to try and impress her.
“Roman can afford to buy the auction house itself if he wanted.” She said with a smirk.
“I’m not interested in buying the whole auction house. I only want the ring, and I’ll get it.” Roman said as he casually put his hands in his pocket.
The guests began to laugh. Even Haylee chuckled, because she didn’t believe her ex-husband could possibly have that kind of money.
“Where would he get that kind of money? Unless you want to empty your whole accounts on his behalf?I believe you’re smarter than that. You deserve a man that will match your status and power.” Hamilton said to Annabel.
“He must be great in bed. That’s the only reason I can think of that would make a woman as intelligent as you to defend him, when he’s clearly a pauper.” Another guest whispered to his partner.
He didn’t want Annabel to hear his words, so he wouldn’t be blacklisted from the bank.
“Yeah. I’m sure she’s even the one who paid for everything he’s wearing. He’s just using her.” The man’s partner whispered back.
“I wonder what tricks you use to get rich women into your bed. It worked with Haylee, before she finally came to her senses and divorced you. Now you’re already playing another woman? You must really be desperate for money.” Hamilton spoke like he was concerned about Annabel, but it was just a sarcastic way to belittle Roman.
Roman just took Annabel’s hand and moved with her to a different part of the hall, while the others kept gossipping.
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THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE The Auction
Hamilton glared at Roman as he walked away. Did he think this was a joke? How dare he say he would bid for the ring? “Don’t listen to him, Hamilton. He’s just bluffing. He has no money to bid with. He’ll just embarrass himself.” One of his female admirers said to him.He smiled at her, realising she was right. There was no need to worry. They mingled for a little while before it was time to begin the auction.The first item on the list was a vase that was crafted by an artist who was late. It was among his final works before he passed away, and that made it valuable. About ten people bid on it before it was finally sold for eight hundred thousand dollars.Next was a pearl earring set that belonged to a matriarch of a foreign country, and had been recently acquired after being displayed in a museum for two years. Hamilton immediately saw a chance to flaunt his wealth, and bid for the earring.“The starting bid for the earrings is three hundred thousand dollars.” The auctioneer announ
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Highest Bid
Hamilton was pissed off because Roman dared to bid for the ring.“You’re being so confident because you have Miss Annabel seated beside you. Trying to take advantage of her will not work at this auction. You seem to be unaware of the rules, and that could get you in trouble.” He said to Roman.“Don’t act like you’re concerned for my well being.” Roman scoffed at Hamilton.“And he’s well aware of the rule that no one can pay on behalf of another person once they bid on an item. The person who pays must be the same person who bids. I gave him the list of rules before we came.” Annabel said with a smirk as she looked in Hamilton’s direction.“And does he know what will happen to him when he fails to pay for the item with such a high bid?” Hamilton asked.He didn’t get a response to his question because the auctioneer began to speak again.“Two hundred million, going once. Going twice,”“Two hundred and ten million.” Hamilton said as he raised his bidding pad.He immediately put his hand
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Blacklisted
This time, the reaction to Roman’s high bid was not silence. The whole room erupted in an uproar of voices, all trying to speak at the same time. Everyone wanted to find out what gave Roman the audacity to announce such a high bid. Hamilton sat back and gave up.“Five hundred million, going once. Going twice!” The auctioneer paused for a few seconds, then said, “Sold to Mr Roman. Congratulations, the ring is yours.”Suddenly, Hamilton smirked. He realised that he hadn’t lost. Roman fell for his trick. He almost let his pride make him forget his initial reason for raising the bid. He wanted to trap Roman into bidding more than he could handle, so Roman could get in trouble with the owner of the auction house. This was a win-win situation for him. He just had to stand back, and watch Roman face the consequences.“I can’t believe he made such a high bid.” Haylee said to herself with a frustrated sigh.But Hamilton heard her because they were seated so close together. He responded to her
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Young Master
Hamilton’s face turned ghastly pale as all the blood drained from his face. If his family was kicked out of the business association, it would be a big blow to their finances. And everyone would blame him for it.“Sir, forgive my offence. Whatever I did to offend you, please have mercy, sir.” Hamilton immediately dropped to his knees to beg.“You don’t even have an idea what you’re apologising for.” Kade said with a disgusted expression on his face as he stared down at Hamilton like he was an insignificant bug.“I must have spoken out of turn. Or maybe it’s something else. Whatever I did, sir, please forgive me. Spare my family. Please.”Kade just scoffed, and turned away to give the guards new orders.“Take him out of here. If he resists, then drag him out. I don’t care, as long as you get him out of my sight.”Hamilton moved forward on his knees and tried to grab Kade’s legs, but he was forcefully dragged away by the guards, while still screaming for mercy.They dumped him in the al
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE Merged Rings
Roman was a bit sceptical as he heard Kade call him young master. He had no idea what was going on, just like when that blonde woman came to give him the black card and the ring. He didn’t even know the blonde woman’s name because he had never bothered to ask, mainly due to the fact that he didn’t believe her back then. Now that her words have been proven to be true, he had no way of contacting her. Was this situation similar to that?Annabel on the other hand was shocked. She stared at Kade with wide eyes as she wondered why a man as powerful as him would be calling Kade young master, and even bowing. That was a deep sign of respect, and Kade wasn’t the kind of man to do something like that without a good reason. It seemed that Roman was more powerful than even she had estimated. “You seem shocked to hear me call you young master.” Kade said as he came closer.“Yes. Everyone seems to be afraid or intimidated by you. It’s normal for me to be a bit perplexed by your reaction and words
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE One Herb
“What makes you sure that my memories weren’t lost in an accident? That’s the most logical explanation for it.” Roman said to Kade. “Can what we just witnessed happen to the ring be explained logically?” Kade asked instead of responding to Roman’s question.Roman shook his head in response. “No it can’t. But there’s still no proof that my memory loss was caused by anything unnatural or magic related.”“The fact that you still can’t remember anything after this long is enough proof. Also, if your memory loss was caused by an accident, it would have been rectified as soon as you put on the merged ring. I’m sure you already feel physically stronger. Mentally, you’re also stronger, even though mental power cannot be as easily evaluated as physical power.”“You’re right. I do feel stronger physically. But that could just be adrenaline still coursing through my veins.”“We both know it’s not adrenaline. But my point is, if your memory loss had been caused by just an accident, by increasing
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE To The VIP Ward
The ride to the hospital where Annabel’s grandfather was hospitalised was silent. Roman was behind the steering wheel, because Annabel was in no state to drive, and he needed the action to keep him occupied. He had been confident enough to tell Annabel that he would be able to cure her grandfather, he was beginning to wonder if maybe he spoke too soon. He was new to the power and knowledge given to him by the ring. Wouldn’t it have been better for him to first test it out on a smaller level before attempting something of this magnitude?He had no idea what ailment her grandfather had, and according to her, several world renowned doctors had tried to diagnose him to no avail. No one would believe he could do it, especially since he didn’t have a medical degree.But as he stared at Annabel’s face, he realised that it didn’t matter if anyone else doubted him. She believed in him, and after all her help so far, he owed it to her to at least try. And he had no plans to fail, even though h
THE TRILLIONAIRE'S UNDERSTATED DOMINANCE His Diagnosis
“I have no need for tricks. I’m not a magician, nor am I a con man. I’m here to help.” Roman responded to Marren, who just scoffed in disbelief.Roman took a deep breath and accessed the ring’s medical knowledge, while staring at Marren with eyes tinged with the ring’s power. The diagnosis immediately filled his head, along with a few details he had noticed on his own. Marren was about to make another derogatory statement, but Roman interrupted him before he could say a word.“You’re sick, but you haven’t told anyone yet.”Marren paused as he heard this, but he refused to back down easily.“That is a very vague way of confirmation. I’ve coughed once or twice since you came into the room. Even an idiot can guess I’m not in the best of health.”“Your cough isn’t the problem, it’s just a symptom of the actual cause of your sickness. Your lungs have been weakened by years of chain smoking, and it’s beginning to affect your respiration rate. You can’t breathe in too deeply or it causes you
Latest Chapter
Check Mate
Roman sat at the head of the conference table. Kade was standing beside him, with his arms crossed. Roman's law enforcement contact across from them. He placed a thick folder on the table.“This,” the detective said, sliding it toward Roman, “is everything you need.”Roman flipped the folder open. Proof of bribe to a federal judge, and a recorded confession from one of the court clerks, who had overheard the exchange and agreed to testify.Kade let out a low whistle. “They’re done.”He shut the folder and leaned back in his chair. The Vaughn siblings had thrown every dirty trick at him—kidnapping, smear campaigns, bribery. But this was their sloppiest move yet. A bribe like this was career-ending, not just for them but for their high-priced attorney as well.Roman turned to his legal team. “File this with the court first thing in the morning. I want the case dismissed immediately. Then, set up a press conference.”A murmur of agreement swept through the room as his team got to work.
Their Move
Kade stood by the window, with his arms crossed tight. He had been pacing for the last twenty minutes. He was frustrated. Across the room, Roman sat behind the glass desk. He had helped Reginald get a place to stay safely some days ago, amidst the war with the Vaughns. He could not afford to put the old man in harm's way. “They must think I’m an idiot,” Roman finally said. Kade turned. “I don’t even know if they think at all. Paying off more people to try and discredit you and their father.”Roman’s lips twitched. “That would explain why they played their hand so recklessly.” He leaned back in his chair and exhaled. “How far along are we with the evidence?”Kade’s frustration faded. “Far enough to bury them.”He strode over to the desk, placing his phone down and tapping the screen. A grainy audio clip played—static-filled but clear enough to make out voices.“Yeah, I got the money. Look, I did what they said—went on camera, told the whole story. Man, that Roman guy didn’t even see
False Narrative
The morning after the attempted kidnapping, Roman sat in his hotel suite, looking angry. If he hadn’t been trained, if he hadn’t had the heightened reflexes that came with his martial arts experience, he could’ve been in a dark basement somewhere, tied to a chair, waiting for a ransom call to be made. Even without his memory, his muscles remembered what his mind could not.Across from him, Kade stood with his arms folded. “You should’ve called me the second it happened,” he said, his voice low.Roman exhaled slowly. “It was late. And I didn’t want you flying off the handle before I had a plan.”Kade’s jaw clenched. “You mean before I handled it the way I should have? Because if I had been there, those bastards wouldn’t have left in one piece.”Roman almost smiled at that. Almost. But there was nothing funny about the situation. This was a line crossed. The Vaughn siblings had just made things personal.“They’re desperate,” Roman said, leaning forward. “We already knew that. The court
Kidnap Attempt
Roman and Reginald stepped out of the courthouse, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the pavement. They had just finished the first court hearing. The session had been tense, with Gabriel Langston throwing every trick he had at them, but they had held their ground. Still, as they made their way toward the car, Roman could see the worry on Reginald’s face.“They’re relentless,” the old man muttered, shaking his head. “I knew my children were greedy, but the lengths they’re willing to go…”Roman placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “They’re desperate. And desperate people make mistakes. We just have to stay ahead of them.”Once they reached the hotel, Roman immediately called his legal team for a follow-up meeting. Walter Bishop, sat across from him in the hotel suite’s lounge, his briefcase open with notes scattered across the coffee table.“They’re pushing the psychiatric evaluation angle hard,” Walter began. “If we don’t counter it properly, the judge might be swa
Court House
“So,” Roman said, “the Vaughn kids are making their move. It only took a few days.”Walter looked up. “They’ve filed a formal complaint. They’re arguing that Reginald wasn’t of sound mind when he signed the deal. Similar to what we expected them to do. They want to discredit the contract.”Roman chuckled. “Desperate.”Reginald, sitting beside him, shook his head. “My children will do anything to get what they want.”Walter placed a file on the table. “Their main lawyer is Gabriel Langston. He’s not to be underestimated. Apart from him, there's a whole other team of hardened lawyers on their side. These ones usually fight dirty.”Roman’s expression darkened. “What’s our move?” he asked.Walter tapped the file. “We get ahead of them. We will arrange our own psychiatric evaluation for Reginald, proving he was in perfect health when he made the decision. And we keep things airtight. No leaks, no loose ends.”Roman nodded. “And if they go to the media?”“We counter with facts,” Walter said
A Favour Owed
The conference room had a cold efficiency to it. It was all polished wood, sleek black chairs, and a long glass table that reflected the glow of the lights on it. Roman sat at one end, calmly. Reginald sat beside him, looking slightly more tense, but there was a quiet steel in his eyes.Across from them sat Walter Bishop and his team, five of the best corporate lawyers in that country.Walter adjusted his tie before clearing his throat. “Gentlemen, let’s get straight to business.”A younger lawyer, a woman named Sienna Graves, leaned forward. “The Vaughns have filed a claim of coercion, and fraud against Mr Roman, and mental instability against Mr Vaughn.”Reginald let out a sharp laugh. “They’re calling me insane now?”Walter’s expression remained serious. “They don’t have proof, but they don’t need proof. They just need enough doubt to drag this case into the mud.”Roman exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “Classic distraction tactic. If they can’t win, they’ll make a mess.”
Lawyer Meetings
A few days after the incident with the Vaughn siblings, Roman decided it was time to go back to his country. He was packing his bags for his trip the next day. Little did he expect to be served that very day. Roman had barely zipped his suitcase when his phone buzzed.He glanced at the screen, expecting a message from Kade about finalizing his flight. Instead, he saw an email notification from an unknown legal firm. Frowning, he tapped it open. And then he laughed. Across the room, Reginald Vaughn looked up from his chair, confused.“What’s so funny?”Roman turned his phone around, holding it up for Reginald to see. “We’ve been served.”Reginald’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, reading the email. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his fingers tightened around the armrest of his chair. His first instinct was anger. His second was worry.“They’re actually taking us to court?”Roman tossed his phone onto the bed, still smirking as he sat down. “Looks like it. Seems like I have
Siblings Plot
Roman remained silent as he guided his car through the city streets. Beside him, Reginald Vaughn sat silently with his face turned toward the window. His eyes were fixed on nothing in particular. The old man looked hollow. Like someone who had finally let go of something heavy, only to realize he had nothing left to hold. Roman stole a glance at him before turning his focus back to the road.“They really would’ve torn you apart back there,” he finally said.Reginald let out a soft chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “You saw that, huh?”“Saw it? I was two seconds away from throwing one of them through the damn window.”That got a real laugh out of Reginald, though it was brief. He exhaled and rubbed his face. He looked very tired. “I knew they’d be angry. But I didn’t expect…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Actually, no. That’s a lie. I did expect it. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.”Roman didn't reply immediately. He understood that feeling all too well. Trusting pe
Sending Them Away
For a moment, there was silence. The Vaughn siblings stood frozen as their minds struggled to process the reality of what had just happened.Everything — the wealth, the power, the company they had never lifted a finger to build but were expecting to reap from — was gone. And the man now sitting across from their father, calm, composed, completely unbothered by their presence, had taken it all.Elliot was the first to recover from the shock. He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head as a sneer twisted his lips.“Unbelievable.” His voice was laced with mockery, but the underlying rage was impossible to miss. “This… this is crazy. It’s not right.”Damien scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know what I think?” He tilted his head at Roman, his eyes narrowing. “I think you’re nothing but a gold-digging bastard. You saw an old man who’s lost his edge, and you sunk your claws in, convincing him this was a ‘good deal.’”Celeste gave a slow, deliberate smirk, flipping her hair ove
