Darius said, "I thought you'd be terrified or something after hearing me say that, but you seem fine. Let me see—your eyes are darting around everywhere. Should I guess what's going through your mind?" He squatted beside Bennett and smiled coldly. "You don't look too happy. Based on my experience, you're probably trying to figure out who I am.It scared the hell out of Bennett. He looked at Darius and gulped, not understanding how Darius could tell what he'd been thinking earlier when he couldn't see his face. Fear washed over him when he met Darius' eyes; he regretted it almost instantly. However, Darius looked like he hadn't even noticed this. He stood up, stuck his hands in his pockets, and looked down at Bennett contemptuously. Bennett knew this meant Darius wanted to communicate with him—perhaps "communicate" was too mild a word. Deep down, Bennett knew Darius was giving him a chance to explain himself. He looked away. Before this, he thought Darius was mature and forward-thinki
Darius' actions made him seem like a jerk. A barrage of thoughts flashed through Bennett's mind, but he couldn't put any of them into words. He shuddered and looked up at Darius. "No, no. I'll do it myself.Darius raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No, I don't think you're the right guy for the job. It's better than I handle this." He put his hands behind his back and smiled. "I gave you more than enough time to show me your results, but they're obviously not up to par. I can't guarantee whether you'll continue wasting my time if I give you another chance, so after taking everything into consideration, I've concluded that it's better for me to handle this alone." He pulled his phone out to check Erin's latest email to him.After reading the email, Darius clucked his tongue and said, "Your salary's much higher than I expected. It just so happens that you own a business in an industry that I really need, so you should be proud that you have something useful to me." He put his phon
Darius looked at Bennett disdainfully while Bennett raised his head to look at Darius. As their gazes met, Bennett felt himself subconsciously tremble—once again, he felt like he was being sucked into a whirlpool. He'd never met anyone with such a gaze before; it made him feel like he was about to suffocate. Bennett averted his gaze and gasped for breath. A few seconds later, he forced out through gritted teeth, "We can work together; I'll bear the costs and give you all the profits, but I can't give the company to you."Darius raised an eyebrow and sighed. "I thought I'd made it clear that your film company is all I want. If you disagree, that means this negotiation has failed."They were so busy negotiating that none of them realized how stunned Iago was. Last night, he'd prepared for this moment by bugging the living room so he could hear everything that went on there. He didn't know how to feel—he knew his father didn't like him, but he didn't expect Bennett to be this biased. L
"Talk about me and Ursula, I mean." Iago shut his eyes as he spoke, looking pained.Bridget sighed and said comfortingly, "You don't need to put yourself under so much pressure. No matter what, there's no changing the fact that there's bad blood between Mr. Reid and Bennett. So, if you're against your father, that automatically makes you Mr. Reid's friend." Then, she turned to look out the window with a smile. She was in a good mood because she could sense that more and more people were gathering around Darius, which meant he was becoming increasingly influential. Bridget turned back to gaze at Iago gently. No matter what he was like or the circumstances under which he'd joined their side, she believed he would become Darius' loyal follower one day. Iago didn't know what Bridget was thinking, but he could feel his heart melting at the sight of her smile. His heart raced, and he returned her smile.The two people downstairs didn't know about the beautiful misunderstanding that had blo
Bennett looked horrified. "You managed to dig up so much information in such a short time? Don't tell me you've been out to get us right from the start!"Darius raised an eyebrow, looking scornful. "What does it matter? What are you gonna do to me?" He crossed his arms and leaned back.Bennett took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "I speak nothing but the truth." He placed a hand over his heart. "I swear on my life I'm not lying. The film company's shares only look like they belong to me."Darius sighed. "Well, tell me what's going on, then."Bennett lowered his hand and looked at Darius seriously. "The film company used to belong to my ex-wife, Iago's mother." Fire burned in his eyes as he snarled, "When she sensed she was about to die, she had a will done. It clearly stipulated that the shares would be under my name, but I wasn't allowed to sell them. In fact, only ten percent of the dividends go to me—the remainder goes to her son!" His nostrils flared, and he panted wit
"Because I don't know whether I should go along with you right now," said Bennett. Darius raised an eyebrow at this, making Bennett sigh in relief because he thought the former had acquiesced. At this thought, he looked around the living room, noticing that the rest of the house was silent. He gulped, then told himself that the film company was all Darius wanted. As long as he made things clear, Darius would probably let the matter slide. Bennett took a deep breath and said seriously, "I know what you want, but you should know that even if you do get Iago's permission, you won't be able to take the shares from me. The film company still won't end up in your hands."He paused, then forced out through gritted teeth, "Because his mother clearly stipulated in her will that she wanted me to hold the shares and own the company until Iago completed his education. Before that, he could only get his daily expenses from me. Upon completing his education, he would be able to get the right to ma
When he saw Darius standing before him and looking down at him, Bennett burst into derisive laughter. "Darius Reid, you look like an upstanding man, but the truth couldn't be any further. Everyone saw and heard how you harassed my daughter in public!"Darius raised an eyebrow, his gaze turning contemptuous. He stepped forward and crossed his arms, then looked at Bennett thoughtfully. Though he didn't say anything, it made Bennett nervous. Then, Darius smiled. "So, you're still grossly misinformed, huh? Did your daughter or your adopted child tell you that?"Bennett's eyes widened in shock. He knew Darius would only say these things if he knew them to be true. His breathing sped up as his gaze turned incredulous. Before this, he thought he'd grasped the whole truth, but Darius had easily made him doubt himself. Though Darius hadn't elaborated, Bennett sensed he could easily provide the evidence to back himself up. The look on Darius' face and how he carried himself told Bennett that e
"You may not realize this, but you look like a man pining for his lover. You've been waiting here for so long—isn't it obvious that Mr. Reid doesn't have any time to see you?"Bennett turned to see an icy, beautiful woman standing beside him. His heart sank as he looked at Bridget in surprise; this wasn't something he'd ever imagined happening. He was a trained martial artist and powerful enough that it was rare to find someone who could beat him, aside from professional bodyguards. Everyone he'd met told him the same, which gave him the impression that he was invincible. Now, however, a woman had appeared beside him, and he hadn't noticed her presence at all. This meant she was much stronger than him, which wasn't something he wanted to think about. His breathing sped up as he asked, "Who are you? When did you get here?" Bennett's gaze was wary as he sized Bridget up. Then, he looked into her eyes to see that he couldn't detect any traces of emotion in them—at least, he didn't have