The elevator doors slid shut, leaving Erin, Darius, and Iago alone. At this moment, Darius said, "Erin, I think you've more or less realized something's wrong with your body." He sighed.Erin's eyes turned red as she looked at him, saying shakily, "Sir, when did this happen? Why don't I know anything about this when all of you seem to be in on it?"Darius' heart sank when he met her gaze. He shook his head and said helplessly, "I don't know what to tell you, but I found out about this after our first big argument. I regret it now, but here's the reasoning for my decision—you're not a martial artist, so I didn't think you were capable of protecting yourself. Leaving you at West Atlantics Int'l's headquarters would've helped to keep you safe, but I realized I'd possibly made a mistake in this. That's why I showed up again."Erin clamped a hand over her mouth, trembling as her eyes turned bloodshot. Darius sighed and said, "I think you should calm down; panic isn't gonna get you anywhere
Only then did Iago realize there were name cards placed on the table. His face turned even redder as he hurried to his seat and sat down. Darius saw all of this and sighed but didn't say anything. When everyone had taken their seats, he said, "Today's acquisition was only possible because the managing director of the Evans Consortium, Mr. Iago Evans, pushed for it. Now, allow me to introduce myself again—my name's Darius Reid. You may already recognize my face, but I doubt you're aware of me being the chairman of the Evans Consortium's board of directors while also the president of West Atlantics Int'l."Everyone knew what this meant—Darius alone owned 90 percent of the wealth in Ashweir City. They were stunned by this; Darius waited until they'd recovered from their shock to continue, "I'm sure all of you here have your own opinions about how the company should proceed from here, but the Evans Consortium is gonna be one of West Atlantics Int'l's subsidiaries from today onward. I hop
"Your neighbors and some reporters have surrounded us because there aren't any walls around us anymore. They can clearly see everything that's happening here right now; I wanted to call you earlier to tell you not to return here. Either that or put on a disguise before coming here. Otherwise, the reporters are gonna have a field day when they see you, and that's gonna cause trouble for the Reid Consortium and West Atlantics Int'l."Darius' lips twitched at his words. He sighed and massaged a temple. Erin had followed him out of the conference room earlier and had heard everything. Her lips twitched as well; she bit them, then said cautiously, "Sir, I think you should still head back. We don't know how Bridget is doing, but things don't look good. Edward didn't say they were in danger, but Bridget's breathing is weak. If she continues like this, being exposed to the elements isn't gonna do her any good."Darius nodded and shut his eyes as he breathed deeply. "Yes, I have to go check on
"A car will drop by to pick me up soon, and I'll take it back to the company. If I were to show up with you, we'd be too huge of a target. People would immediately know who we are," said Erin.Darius frowned and shook his head, objecting to her suggestion without hesitation. "That's not happening. It's too dangerous to leave you waiting alone by the roadside. Look, I'll wait here with you. Bridget's matter is urgent, but delaying it for a few more minutes isn't gonna do much damage." He turned to the chauffeur and said, "Stop the car."The car slowly pulled over. Erin smiled helplessly, but there was no hiding her moved expression. She was about to say something when Darius' phone rang. He raised an eyebrow, unable to think of anyone who would call him at this moment. Something must've happened to Edward or Iago; it made his heart sink for a second. Then, it settled back in his chest when he saw who was calling, and he sighed in relief. "Grandpa, it's been long since you last called
"Hansley, you're great at finding excuses, whether in the past or now. Back then, you told me the same thing when I commanded you to get rid of Tristan and Diana Reid. Of course, you only said it when you failed to complete your mission," said the mysterious character frostily. "Now, you've once again proven to me that your existence is worthless." He sighed and stretched out his arms, which were covered by the sleeves of his black robe. He placed his hands on the desk before him and glared daggers at Hansley. "This is the second time you've ruined my plans, and I've run out of patience for you! If I were you, I'd make myself scarce immediately and think about how to complete my mission instead of standing there, looking like a fool. If you continue like this, I guarantee you'll be the first to die! And it'll happen before Darius'!"Hansley dropped his gaze to his feet and nodded. "Yes, sir. I promise I'll teach Darius a lesson this time!" He stepped back cautiously, trying not to ma
"How did you know I was here? You haven't answered me!" Hansley was so agitated that he reached out to grab Darius' arm without thinking; his nails dug into Darius' arm, making Darius frown and suck in a breath, looking irritated."What are you doing? You look like you've gone mad!" Darius sighed and said, "I think you need to calm down." He tried to wrest his arm out of Hansley's grip but didn't dare to use too much force because Hansley was still lying on the bed, looking weak. He scowled but didn't say anything else.Hansley took a few breaths as Darius said, "Before you left the other day, you told me you were gonna cause some trouble for those black-robed people, the ones who murdered my father. You also talked about the mysterious person behind Dream Investment Group. Then, you disappeared, and I couldn't find out about your whereabouts no matter how hard I tried. This morning, someone suddenly called me and told me you'd passed out by the roadside with your phone beside you. Th
Hansley gulped, looking helpless. "I know you won't believe me even if I say this, but I swear I'm telling the truth." He exhaled heavily and looked at Darius woefully. "I don't know why you refuse to believe me, Darius. I've basically poured my heart out to you, yet you've chosen not to trust me. I don't know what you think of me, nor do I know what else I can say. What else do you want to know? I don't have anything else to tell you, and I've lost everything."Hansley's eyes turned red as he looked Darius in the eye. "Yes, I did strike a deal with those nefarious characters, but only because I wanted you and my son to live comfortably for the rest of your lives! I didn't have any other choice!"Darius scoffed at this. He knew the truth was far from what Hansley had said. "I genuinely have no idea what you expect me to say in response. I thought I'd made myself clear." He tucked his hands into his pockets and shook his head. "I don't think there's any need for us to talk anymore." H
As for Darius himself, he'd removed his disguise while on the way to the hospital. After all, it wasn't necessary anymore. The other party already had everything in place and had appeared before him to set the plan in motion, waiting for him to walk into their trap. Since they'd already gone that far, Darius figured there was no reason for him to ruin their plans. He breathed deeply and smiled, then headed into the hospital calmly.To be honest, Darius had been surprised to see Hansley in the hospital, and unconscious, too. He hadn't lied to Hansley about his phone number being mentioned on Hansley's phone screen—that was genuine. It was just that Darius hadn't shown up at the hospital because someone had called him.Darius figured whoever was behind Hansley probably no longer trusted him because of how many times he'd slipped up so far. This thought made Darius snort as he leaned back and crossed his arms. On the one hand, the person behind Hansley wanted to use him to get at Darius.