"Bennett started harassing my mother from the moment they first met, making every other member of the Evans family mock and insult her for being shameless. When she was a freshman in university, Bennett's mother shoved her to the ground and stepped on her face in front of all her classmates. Later, my mother swore to cut ties with Bennett, even choosing to drop out of university to get away from him. Still, she failed, and Bennett locked her up in his home. She wanted to flee, and it was during one of these attempts that she met my father. Alas, money makes the world go round. Ultimately, she failed to escape from Ashweir City. I don't think I need to elaborate on what happened next—you're both intelligent enough to guess."Darius raised an eyebrow. Indeed, he could guess what had happened, but that didn't diminish the shock. He heard Erin gnashing her teeth through the speaker and shook his head helplessly. Though his tone was gentle, his words were cold and ruthless as he said, "Wha
Knowing it was abnormal, Erin wondered why Darius had reacted that way. On the other hand, the situation had already left Darius' mind by then. His focus was on his phone's chat box with a conversation between him and Hansley. Sighing, he typed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hansley, my mistake left you with no choice but to stay in the hotel for an extended period. I haven't been able to deal with your son's affairs, but perhaps we can meet to handle that issue now that I got discharged from the hospital. Are you free to do so?"After sending the message, Darius shut his eyes, leaned back into the chair, and awaited a response. He was so exhausted that he didn't bother looking at his phone. Little did Darius expect the screen to light up almost instantly, cutting his break short. He looked toward the desk, only for his brows to shoot upward in the next second. Darius couldn't believe that Hansley had texted him back in such a short time. Shock filled his mind as he picked up the phone and saw H
"I didn't have any other choice!" Tears gathered in Hansley's eyes as he spoke.Adversely, Darius remained calm like always. He crossed his arms while wordlessly staring at the former. That said, he no longer seemed curious; instead, there was a distant look in his eyes as if he had fallen into deep thought.Hansley noticed it but soon shifted his gaze away from Darius. Chills crawled into his heart as he lowered his head and took a deep breath. Only then did Hansley continue, "During the incident, I saw a man in black robes sneaking you out of the car. There were also other black-robed figures there, but I still followed the person that took you away, thinking I could save you since he would eventually be alone. What happened next shocked me; the man brought you to an orphanage without hurting you. He didn't leave a scar on you, which I didn't think was possible! Yet, it did. Because of that, I thought long and hard before deciding to conceal the truth."Not a flicker of emotion sho
Darius' mind was in disarray throughout that conversation. He knew Hansley had likely sided with the enemy. Still, he knew such a sudden switch couldn't have happened randomly. It was likely that things had strayed from his plans, meaning something had occurred in the hospital during his coma. Upon realizing that, he placed both hands on the keyboard and speedily typed something. The only person that could work faster than him was Erin, who had already sent a reply after receiving his instruction to investigate past happenings at the hospital."Apologies, sir, I knew about this long ago. I failed my job again by not informing you firsthand," she stated in her text before explaining the situation, "A figure in black robes entered Stephen's ward while you were unconscious. However, nothing mattered more than keeping you two safe at the time, so we set the matter aside when the figure didn't cause any trouble. We planned to deal with the matter later on but didn't have time to do so unt
Darius straightened his back, placed his hands behind his back, and gazed ahead calmly. He even spoke composedly. "There's no need for that because those people outside are a match for Bridget, even if they attack her all at once. Besides, we're in my villa, so Bridget isn't the only bodyguard on duty; Edward's here too."Hansley's pupils constricted in defeat as he met Darius' calm but confident stares. With a long exhale, he replied, "There's nothing much I can do to help you since that's the case. Nevertheless, I still want you to protect my son by keeping him with you. He's not a rotten egg—that, I'm sure. After all, I have faith in my and my wife's genes. Perhaps he's merely figuring out himself and bumped into the wrong influences along the way that caused him to end up how he is now. My heart aches at the thought of parting with my son. I also know it's irresponsible of me to entrust him to your care, but this is the best option for all of us."With that, he exhaled deeply, the
Even though Emerson's head hung low, Darius only needed a second to notice the former's grim expression. He placed his hands behind his back and maintained a stoic expression. "Why have you lowered your head, Emerson? If I were you, I'd raise my chin and face my future boss. After all, I'm the only one who can guide you toward a brighter future."That convinced Emerson to slowly lift his gaze to meet the former. Still, his voice sounded hoarse as he spoke. "I apologize. I was merely desperate to end the issue I'm currently facing. It torments me every second of the day."Darius nodded, sighed, and answered, "Very well. Since you've already started explaining things to me, I'd like to ask what's causing you so much stress?"Hansley could no longer stand the two's slow conversation, so his head shot upward to face Darius. His gaze hardened, but his lips thinned with hesitation.Upon sensing Hansley's stares, Darius turned to face the former but kept his hands against his lower back. On
After some time, Darius sighed and stated, "Many things are affecting the company now, so I don't wish to waste any time on both of your pathetic tantrums—" He lifted his gaze off the ground to meet Winston's eyes. "As for what Ursula told you, there's no need to believe a word she says because she's currently being held captive in my basement. I suggest you act on your urges if you have any now."Only after saying that did he speedwalk back to his villa. Once there, he locked himself inside his study, then sighed helplessly at the pile of urgent problems in the company that he needed to sort out. The irony was his progress in dealing with those things got interrupted by his future employee, Winston, and his father's ex-best friend, Hansley. Darius knew he shouldn't have allowed such an interference to occur. He took a deep breath, his features loosening into an exasperated expression. Sitting on a nearby chair, he crossed his legs and continued sighing. At the same time, his thought
Winston's gaze swept past Hansley before landing on Darius again. His eyes darkened with gravity as he declared, "I can help achieve Hansley's goal. I'm doing this to atone for the many awful things I did, especially since I continued my horrible ways after accepting your advice and offer to work in your company. I realize now how severe my mistakes are, and I'd like to make up for them.""Sure," replied Darius, who kept calm while slightly raising one brow. "I'll give you one last chance to prove yourself."He then pivoted on his heel to face a trembling Hansley. It was plain to see that the latter had reacted that way out of pure rage. Again, Darius sardonically lifted a brow but kept his tone neutral as he asked, "You seem bothered by this, Hansley."Hansley paused, inhaling deeply before lifting his gaze off the ground to meet Darius. With a nod, he said, "Yes—"He was about to elaborate on his reasons for refusing Winston's help when a clamoring erupted from the spot below the wi