“All right, now. Let’s end this and get back to what we should do.” With that, Darius turned to head toward the Chamberlain family’s villa. Halfway to the estate, he heard a familiar voice cackling—it was one of the Chamberlain family members. His eyes narrowed to slits just then; Darius had expected this, but the fact that it happened caught his interest. He rushed ahead at once.That was when he heard Bridget chasing after him. Even so, he did not stop entirely for her; he only slowed down slightly.When Bridget caught up to him, her breathing became labored as she was worn out. She found it challenging to keep up with Darius’ speed walking now that his skills had grown. Although Bridget knew Darius had slowed down, Bridget still struggled to catch up.Right after she arrived behind Darius, the latter turned on his heel to examine her up close. That made her stiffen up at once. Hesitance and doubt swirled in her eyes as she met Darius’ gaze.“Your speedwalking isn’t up to par becau
Bridget’s eyes shot wide open in disbelief at what was happening now. She even caught a whiff of a pleasant cologne on Darius’ chest. The scent was woody but also fresh enough that it did not give her a headache. Instead, it made Bridget’s heart pound beneath her chest. Gulping, she decided to take a chance and rest her head on Darius’ shoulder.“I knew it,” Darius thought while cocking a brow. Then, he stated coldly, “I’m only doing this so we can get to the villa faster. You’ll still need to train your body and cultivation methods. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to leave you behind should this happen again.It pained Darius to say such harsh words to Bridget, but he found it necessary as he could not accept his bodyguard harboring inappropriate feelings toward him. After all, she was his subordinate and would work for him for the foreseeable future; there was no telling whether their work relationship would strengthen or weaken if she developed romantic feelings for him.Not a word ca
Everyone heard the crash, so their attention was on the man. It made the man turn to look at Darius, his chest rising and falling rapidly. There was no change in Darius’ expression, however. He tucked his hands into his pockets, saying, “I never planned to get even with you for your betrayal, but I’m curious—major, elite families have always monopolized all the resources and knowledge on cultivation. Considering that and how you were nothing more than a mere bodyguard before I arrived in Almiron City, why have you become so keen on achieving the enlightened stage as a martial artist?”While it sounded like Darius was genuinely curious, that could not be further from the truth; in fact, he flashed a cold smirk at the man, taunting the latter. Not a word came from Darius, yet the man could not stop trembling. He feared he would die at any moment just from Darius’ glares. Eventually, he gulped and willed himself to speak in a small voice. “I-I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
Darius cast a side-eyed stare at a man in the crowd. He soon clenched his jaw upon realizing how young the latter seemed; Darius could tell the man was roughly 30, younger than Liam Chamberlain, who looked at least 45. Keeping that thought to himself, Darius entered the living room and made himself comfortable on the couch. “We should discuss the Chamberlain family’s attitude and how I expect you guys to treat me from now onward.”He leaned into the couch, crossed his legs, and placed his hands on the armrest. Pride and arrogance exuded from Darius, making all the Chamberlain family members frown. Even so, Darius did not seem fazed and continued to stare calmly at Liam, adding, “I don’t know whether you still have any say over the Chamberlain family.”Liam shrugged, not appearing bothered by the comment. Darius could tell Liam was pleased from how he sat next to Darius and poured himself a cup of tea. After taking a sip, Liam parted his lips to speak. Darius remained patient this e
Darius turned to look at the door where Bridget stood and beckoned her over with a wave. She appeared beside him so swiftly that no one even saw her move. Darius smiled and looked at the elderly man, saying, “This gentleman tells me he’s kind and has never done anything to harm anyone; I’m surprised by him lying through his teeth.”Bridget smiled and looked at the elderly man as well, making him bristle. An ugly look crept onto his face, but he knew he couldn’t say anything in retort. Who knew whether Darius and Bridget would take his life? To the elderly man, the worst part about this was how he felt like Darius could see right through him whenever he laid his eyes on him—it made him feel utterly useless.He bit his lip while giving Darius a bitter look. He sensed the younger, 30-year-old man’s gaze on him, silently urging him to say something, but he also knew there was a high chance of him offending Darius if he were to utter a word. To make matters worse, he knew very well he co
Darius’ gaze turned laser-sharp at his words, and his face turned frosty as he got to his feet. He walked toward the 30-year-old man, who paled and trembled as Darius approached. He slapped his substitute on the shoulder, saying, “Why are you still standing there? As my substitute, you…” Before he could finish his sentence, Darius wrapped a hand around his neck, and he could no longer make a sound.All he could do was glare at Darius while kicking his legs in mid-air, trying to break free of Darius’ grip. He parted his lips and said with difficulty, “Do you know what you’re doing? I haven’t done anything wrong! What right do you have to treat me like this?”Darius frowned, looking impatient. “I thought I’d made myself clear—who are you, and where did you learn that insult from?”The 30-year-old man looked fearful at his words; he now knew what Darius’ issue was. He gulped and said, “If you let me go, I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”Darius curled his lip and looked at the
The man looked at Darius. Though he knew it was impossible, he still prayed Darius would let him off the hook. To his surprise, his prayers were answered! Darius put his hands behind his back and looked at the man calmly. “I had no intention of taking your life, just as you had no intention of taking mine. Something about you surprises me—you have plenty of misdeeds, but none of them have resulted in deaths. Because of that, I will let you leave this place alive. As for your broken rib…take it as me teaching you a lesson.”Darius turned to reveal the door behind him. Then, he kicked the man and said, “The door’s over there—make yourself scarce now. From now on, you have nothing to do with the Chamberlain family.”The man’s eyes widened in shock. Though he had nothing to do with the Chamberlain family in the first place, he was still surprised that Darius was willing to let him go. He staggered to his feet, making sure not to aggravate his injury.Darius had indeed broken his rib, but
Darius looked at Liam, suddenly curious to know how he would handle this. To his surprise, Liam’s face turned frosty at the elderly man’s words. “My father’s treated you equally well—no, better than you’ve treated me—since you were a child, yet you had no qualms about harming him when you found you had something to gain from doing so. How do you have the nerve to demand I repay your kindness?”Darius raised a brow and exhaled. “Alright, I’m not interested in getting involved in your internal strife, and I want answers. If you can’t tell me where that man learned those words, at least let me know how he found you guys or anything you know about him.” He put his hands into his pockets and walked to the window. At the same time, his gaze swept around as he took in the Chamberlain family’s villa.For some reason, the elderly man couldn’t help feeling uneasy. Still, he gritted his teeth and said, “Darius, you have many questions. I must admit they make sense, but you’re wasting your time