Ethan's reverie was broken, and he looked to the side, right at the cell entrance, where the Old Man was.
The older man smiled broadly, thinking Ethan would be surprised and welcome him. Or at least ask about who he was. But it was unexpected. The man was indifferent, leaving him dumbfounded. "Hey, what the hell is that reaction of yours?"
"You really don't care about my presence?" The Old Man spoke again when he saw Ethan, who still did not respond. "Insubordinate grandson! You don't want to be free, huh? Do you want to stay locked up in this cursed room?"
Ethan's eyes widened when he heard the word 'grandson' come out of the Old Man.
He slowly turned his head and asked in surprise. "Grandson? Who are you referring to?"
The Old Man grunted and then stepped closer to the cell. "Of course you are. Who else is in this room but you?"
"But I'm not your grandson. You must be mistaken," Ethan said.
"How can you say that with confidence?" The Old Man glared fiercely as he banged his cane, making Ethan jump in surprise. "I'm your grandfather! The first person to hold you when you were born!"
"Sir, you really seem to have the wrong person. I have no family." Ethan said confidently.
His foster mother had always said that he was an abandoned child, one that she was forced to pick up out of pity. No one was expecting him. Or maybe there was no family left.
Seeing that the Old Man in front of him was still stubborn, Ethan stood up, walked over, and pointed at his face. "Look, our faces bear no resemblance whatsoever. You're the wrong person. Besides, you seem to be a rich man, while I was born into a simple family. I'm not your grandson."
The older man, about to get angry, immediately fell silent after hearing this. He looked at Ethan closely, then sighed softly. "You've suffered a lot."
"Well, I'll tell you. I am William Anthony Kinsey, your father's father. My coming here is to bring you back. I know you have many questions, but this is not the right place. You can ask them all when we get home," said Great Master Kinsey, who then stepped back as a policeman came to open the cell door that held Ethan.
Ethan was stunned. But then he turned around. "I don't believe it."
"I'm the boss and founder of the most powerful gangster in this country. Haven't you ever heard of Iron Fangs? Or Pinnacle Construction Company? If you come with me, then you will become its official successor. That way, you can take revenge on everyone who has hurt you. Don't you want that?"
The provocative words succeeded in making Ethan speechless. The turmoil of long pent-up anger and the overflow of revenge that wanted to be channeled dismissed all doubts in his heart. This was a great opportunity!
Pinnacle Company is the third largest construction company. Its leader was known for his mysteriousness and ruthlessness in conducting business. Everyone was subservient and avoided him greatly, trying to create distance to avoid making mistakes.
As he recalled, Celeste's family was eyeing this company to increase the value of their company. But, they didn't have any information and struggled to formulate a plan. And because of that, they gave up and moved on to Pulse Apparel and Skyline.
Ethan turned back around to look at Great Master Kinsey. "You promise?"
"Of course," replied Great Master Kinsey firmly.
With that, Ethan immediately stepped out, indicating that he would come with him. Of course, that made Great Master Kinsey's smile instantly broaden. The two of them walked hand in hand, leaving the police station.
Ethan no longer cared about whatever would happen in the future, as long as he could get his revenge, everything was worth it. Even if Great Master Kinsey ended up just lying to him, he didn't care either. He didn't have anything to defend in this world anyway.
The next day, a group of people came to the police station. They were Mr. Celeste's family.
"I'm sure he'll immediately prostrate himself to beg for mercy when he sees us meeting him. He's just a pathetic lowlife with no one by his side," said Mr. Celeste confidently.
Mrs. Celeste, who continued to stay by his side, snorted sarcastically. "But I won't forgive him easily. He must kiss my son-in-law's feet!"
"Yes! Lucas should be hospitalized for that. If he can't compensate him, he'll have to become his servant and take care of him until he recovers," Alvina argued passionately.
"Alvina's right. He must become Lucas's servant," continued Mrs. Celeste.
"Father, no matter how pathetic he is and how he pleads for release, please don't withdraw the suit. He must feel the consequences. At least, until we're completely divorced." Ariana said worriedly, making Mrs. Celeste immediately put her arms around her and rubbed her with great care.
Once in front of the desk of one of the police officers, Mr. Celeste immediately said his purpose haughtily. However, the policeman's reply left everyone dumbfounded.
"Already released? How come?" Of all those who felt surprised, Arian was the one who looked the most shocked. She rushed forward and stared at the policeman with wide, angry eyes. "No way! He's just a loser who has nothing. How can he be released that easily? Sir, he was so violent that his victim was rushed to the hospital! You must punish him severely!"
"But the evidence and witnesses state that he's innocent."
Ariana became so angry that she kicked the table. "What evidence and witnesses? He's guilty! Here, I'm the witness! You're a police officer, how can you be so gullible?"
"Miss, please watch your words!" The policeman instantly became angry and stood up. "We do this job professionally. All the evidence has been carefully examined, and nothing is wrong with it."
Seeing the heat, Mr. Celeste grabbed Ariana roughly by the arm, forcing her to back away. Ariana tried to break free, but Mr. Celeste gripped her arm so tightly that she winced in pain and finally stopped struggling.
Then Mr. Celeste looked at the police and smiled kindly. "Please forgive my daughter. She is like this because she is traumatized. Her husband was violent right in front of her eyes. As a young woman, she must be afraid to face him again."
"But she shouldn't look down on my work," the policeman said, glancing at Ariana with dislike.
Mr. Celeste could only continue to smile and nod. "I understand. It's my fault for spoiling her too much. I truly apologize."
"Oh yes, by the way, who released him?" asked Mrs. Celeste, trying to change the subject.
"That person claimed to be his grandfather," replied the police.
Once again, everyone was shocked.
How could that loser still have a grandfather? He was a beggar who only had an adopted mother and brother. But both of them were parasites who didn't want to lose. Someone couldn't show up and help him in a crisis like this. There must be a mistake!
"He must have hired someone! Yes! He must have paid someone to pretend to be his family!" Alvina exclaimed suddenly.
Suddenly, the police sighed softly, sat back down, and handed over a piece of paper with some pictures. "Before accusing him further, please take a look at this. Because the words you say can be a boomerang. It is possible that he will sue you for defamation."
Then, he flipped open his laptop and showed it to Celeste's family.
Everyone rushed over to get a better look. It was on-the-scene footage, but some earlier scenes had been cut, so they didn't see any heat.
But still, Ariana was in shock. She covered her mouth with wide eyes. Her legs felt so weak that she had to hold on to the side of the table.
Beside her, Alvina also looked shocked. She even stepped back until she bumped into another table and then crouched down weakly. "That can't be. Why are they on the same bed? And in that position, what were they doing?"
"This is one of the pieces of evidence we received. Mr. Celeste, I hope you can accept the facts and no longer act recklessly. After all, your family's good name could be tarnished," said the police officer who advised wholeheartedly.
Mr. Celeste's face became full of anger. His hands clenched into fists, and his jaw hardened. He no longer responded to the policeman's words and turned around, grabbed his two children, and dragged them out. Mrs. Celeste, who was already embarrassed, rushed after him with her hand on the side of her face, trying to cover it.
Arriving home, Mr. Celeste immediately released his anger and raged like crazy. No one dared to intervene. Even Ariana did not explain anything about the video footage and could only look down deeply.
"Damn it! Disgraceful! How embarrassing!" shouted Mr. Celeste, who then pulled off his tie that felt suffocating and then ruffled his waist.
But afterward, he shouted again and kicked a flower vase near the sofa.
"Argh! We should have checked the CCTV yesterday before sending him to prison! This is so embarrassing! Where do I put my face? That cop must be laughing at our stupidity right now!" The more he thought about the past few moments, Mr. Celeste's anger grew.
He felt like a stupid clown.
And it was all because of his loser son-in-law!
Mr. Celeste then turned his body around and strode quickly to the front of the table, glaring at his eldest child. "Explain everything!"
"Dad, I-""Are you having an affair?" Alvina's hands clenched into fists as she asked this—a question with an obvious answer.In the next second, she burst into tears. She wailed as she screamed, "No way! My fiancé loves me very much. He wouldn't disappoint me by playing with fire behind my back!""Sis, it must be you, right? You must be flirting with him!" Alvina turned around and attacked Ariana, knocking her to the side. She pulled at her hair with a cry that grew louder and louder. "My fiancé wouldn't have acted like that if you hadn't started it first! You're poison! You're a temptress!""Father, Mother, help! Alvina, don't act crazy! I'm your sister! Let me go! Let me explain everything!" Ariana tried to push Alvina away, but the girl's energy was so strong that the more she pushed, the stronger the pull on her hair became. "It hurts! Help! Mom, I can't stand it!"Mrs. Celeste gaped in dismay. She rushed over and tried to pull Alvina away. However, instead of succeeding, she cra
Then Ethan looked back at Grand Master Kinsey with an incredulous face. "Old man, so you don't trust me? Since yesterday, you've been talking about how much you care about me, but now you're acting as if I'm your new employee. How ridiculous!""I'm not doing this because I don't trust you. Ethan, you don't fully know about the intricacies of our family. I'm just anticipating that if one day you're faced with a lot of choices, you'll never have a dilemma. I just want to confirm your choice," explained Mr. Kinsey with great seriousness.Ethan slowly pursed his lips and was silent for a moment. Then he reached for a pen and placed his signature on the paper."You don't have to worry. My decision to follow you is absolute, no matter how long it takes. No one can interfere with it, let alone shake it," he said as he gently pushed the folder away."I'm a person who knows how to return favors, so I won't abandon you as long as you give me the strength to take revenge," he continued.His word
Suddenly, Ethan turned his head. He smiled slightly, making Ariana want to take another step, but Ethan's words made her freeze. "This is the first time you've called my name without emotion. Please don't put on that expression. You're making people misunderstand. They must think that you regret divorcing me.""I'm not filing for divorce. We're still husband and wife," Ariana said with a dim look in her eyes. "So, let's talk things through.""Oh yeah?" Ethan's tone sounded like he was mocking. "I'm afraid I won't.""Shit! Dad, why did you let him come back to our house? It's good that he left! Our house won't be stained anymore by losers like him! Look at his smug face! So disgusting!" Aiden, silent with his wife, cried out in disgust.Seeing Ethan made him think of the poop he'd thrown away but accidentally stepped on, making it stick to his precious shoes.However, no one paid any attention to Aiden's words.Even Mr. Celeste suddenly changed his expression and said falsely. "Ethan,
Two days later.The atmosphere in front of the court was bustling with news-hungry journalists. I don't know how they found out about this divorce, but it did manage to upset Celeste's family because it managed to attract one of the television stations and was aired live.To them, this was very inappropriate. Very embarrassing.However, the smoothness of the divorce proceedings made Mr. and Mrs. Celeste, who were on site, quickly brush off the annoyance. At least now, a fool like Ethan was no longer part of the family.As soon as the court doors opened, they stepped out with beaming faces."In the end, you're still eliminated. Ethan, what do you think? Don't you regret not getting a penny from me?" Ethan, who had just gotten up and was about to walk away, fell silent as soon as he heard Ariana's words spoken in a dismissive tone.Ariana also stood up, staring at Ethan's back with an arrogant smile. "Being able to marry me is an amazing thing. But you probably still don't believe it b
When Carver, who was on his way home, got this news, he was immediately worried.It was not easy to gain the trust of his family, especially with the fierce internal competition. If he couldn't make himself fly higher, he would forever remain someone else's foot soldier.He had been preparing for this for a long time and even continued to convince his family that he was capable, so they began to wait for his success.But after all this time, the results were the opposite of what he wanted."I can't just do nothing. The partnership has to happen," he muttered, wringing his hands restlessly.He cast his gaze out the window. His eyes twitched as his brain was forced to work quickly. "They're just saying that they haven't accepted it yet, right? At least I still have a chance."With that, he withdrew his gaze and commanded in a hurry, "Return to Zenith Corp!"The driver nodded obediently and turned the wheel quickly, not wanting to get angry after seeing his employer's unkind expression.M
"Why are you silent? I didn't invite you here to sit here and watch the food. Eat up, there's no need to feel awkward," Ethan said, chuckling softly as he looked at Hazel, who looked serious and sat up straight like an interview employee.However, the girl still didn't move. She kept looking straight at the food in front of her. Even if you look again, her sitting position looks uncomfortable because she only sits at the end of the chair."Hazel, let's eat!" Ethan, who couldn't stand it, unwrapped the tissue from Hazel's cutlery and offered it to her. "I'm very hungry, so don't make me delay any longer.""Sir." Of course, that made Hazel feel uncomfortable, and she immediately picked up her cutlery. But afterward, she returned it to its original place. "You can enjoy your lunch in peace. I will wait here without disturbing you."Hazel lifted her gaze and was met with Ethan's flat stare, making her sit up immediately. "Sorry, sir, I can't enjoy it. After all, you are my superior. It's v
"Grandpa?" After a moment's surprise, Ariana hurried over. "I have something important to ask you. So please answer honestly.""Everyone here works for me. My orders are absolute, and no one can influence them. Even if you're my granddaughter, you can't speak for them, let alone make decisions!" However, Grand Master Grant gave Ariana a sharp look and continued the previous topic. He was angered by Ariana's bullying of the butler, his confidant."Grandpa," Ariana muttered, not expecting his response."You're an adult, you should control your temper and not always bully others. This is different from your home. You can't act as you please," Grand Master Grant continued as he stepped over to the sofa and sat on it.Ariana was transfixed. She swallowed hard and then turned around, gave her grandfather a quizzical look, and stepped timidly closer. "I want to ask you something."Grand Master Grant didn't respond, making Ariana try to continue. "My divorce went well. But Ethan became differe
As Ethan had told Mr. Kinsey yesterday, today, the man in his formal attire visited an important client of Zenith Corp. And the first one was the Crown Reality company, Mr. Pedro.Ethan came alone without being accompanied by Hazel because he didn't want anyone to see them and expose his identity."Excuse me." Ethan approached the receptionist with a friendly smile."Yes. How can I help you?" The receptionist was no less friendly. Her smile grew wider at Ethan's handsome, beaming face."I'd like to see Mr. Pedro. Is he in place?" Ethan asked to the point."Are you Mr. Ethan?" However, the receptionist asked a question that made Ethan fall silent in confusion.Nonetheless, he nodded slowly."Then, please follow me!" The receptionist's smile grew even more graceful. She walked out of her place and behaved more politely as if treating an honored guest. "Mr. Pedro informed me that you were visiting, so I was asked to escort you to his room."Ethan gave her a surprised look. But when he re
"Yes, sir."Hazel and Elio's awkward exchanges instantly became serious."Mr. Ethan wants to talk," Elio said after connecting with his partner in the back car."We're ready to carry out orders!" They unitedly said firmly."Look behind you! Make sure if that car is following us or not!" Ethan ordered directly.The atmosphere became silent as they looked back. Hazel even narrowed her eyes as she looked at the rearview mirror, trying to focus. But instantly, her eyes widened in surprise."Sir, isn't that Miss Celeste's car?""Connect with the car in front!" Instead of answering, Ethan gave Elio another instruction, which he immediately carried out."Speed up the pace!" he ordered directly.The two people in the front car looked at each other, confused. While doing so, the man next to him checked something on his tablet and then whispered, "Someone is following us behind."Suddenly, the man driving turned his head in surprise for a moment before focusing on driving. "Is it necessary to t
The news of Pulse Apparel unilaterally terminating the partnership and even blocking Celeste's branch company instantly became a trending topic on social media.Since then, other companies have withdrawn one by one, making the downturn in Celeste's company very sharp.Reporters were busy looking for more information. Some of them who managed to get a brief interview even made it clear that they did not want to interfere in such matters. And because of that, they also switched to Zenith Corp, making the share price rise sharply.Netizens have noticed this discrepancy, and the situation is heating up.They clearly know how fierce the competition is right now. If they couldn't break free, then the entire Celeste family would fall to the ground.The online conversation continued, discussing how the Celeste Family had been behaving, especially Ethan and Ariana's marriage. Of course, the affair and some of the plans hatched by the father-daughter duo were the main topics.Some regretted the
"We can't just sit around waiting for the trial! Father, we must do everything possible to get my husband out! Our family is very powerful and has many great people. There's no way there's no way to turn this case around!" Mrs. Bernita, who was only wearing her nightgown with her hair tousled and her face without make-up, shouted excitedly in front of everyone who was discussing in the living room. "If you can't defend yourself, just say you were framed! Or maybe we'll just find a scapegoat! I believe that my husband couldn't have done that. Even if he did, that bastard Ethan provoked him!"Great Mistress Celeste closed her eyes to hold back her emotions at the sight of her current appearance."Ethan's evidence is so strong that it's hard to deny. Even the lawyer said it might be difficult to reverse the situation," Great Master Celeste said."Then just tell me about the previous matter!" Mrs. Bernita replied quickly. "He beat Lucas and didn't give Ariana a living. He's also planning
"I don't understand what you're talking about." Ariana turned her face away, reluctant to look at Ethan who looked intimidating."When you treated me badly and made me the family driver, I accepted it without protest. Every time you spoke, you insulted me and cornered me. I kept quiet and always obeyed whatever orders you gave me. No matter how hard it was for me to carry them out."Ethan pulled Ariana's face back to look at him. "I might have been able to ignore all those things, but, after all I did, why did you betray me?"Ariana snorted sarcastically and her gaze was filled with contempt. "You're just a substitute groom and we don't love each other, so why are you acting like you love me so much?""Love and betrayal are two different things. Wouldn't you betray me if I loved you?" Ethan asked back."Don't dream!" snapped Ariana who then chuckled softly. "You don't deserve to be my best man, even if you become the CEO of Zenith Corp. To me, you're still a poor loser!""So, that's w
Hazel looked at Ethan who was also staring at her expressionlessly. She put her phone away and said, "Miss Celeste would like to see you.""Let it go," Ethan replied briefly.Hazel nodded in understanding and went back to talking on her cell phone. "Mr. Ethan is in his office."After that, the call was unilaterally disconnected by Ariana. Hazel's expression looked annoyed, but a second later it returned to normal.Without changing his reclined seating position, Ethan said firmly. "Postpone all my schedules for the time being and you help me to guard this room. Don't let anyone interrupt, no matter how important the business is!""Yes." With that Hazel stepped out and stood in front of the room.Not long after that Ariana arrived along with Jade. The woman wearing her work clothes seemed to be in such a hurry that she didn't care about Hazel's presence and immediately entered Ethan's room.Jade was about to come in, but Hazel immediately held her back and pulled her away. Of course, sh
Facing back-to-back questions with demanding expressions like this clearly terrified Ariana.She had never faced anything like this before, especially when other reporters joined in with more pressing questions."Sorry, I don't understand what you're asking. Please don't discuss things that shouldn't be. I'm here to ask for your support for the slander that attacked my father," said Ariana, trying to calm down.But the people only intensified and were now even standing with their eyes wide with curiosity."Miss Ariana, how can you call it something it's not? This is your problem, and you can't run away from it.""Do you perhaps want to deny it?""Please give an explanation regarding the circulating video. Ms. Ariana, is that true? You had an affair but filed for divorce first?""Miss Ariana, do you really not know anything about Mr. Ethan's identity, who turned out to be the CEO of Zenith Corp? Is that also why you had an affair and divorced him because you thought he was poor?""Now
Just out of the meeting room and about to head to his room, Ethan was confronted with the sight of his employees busy talking about something while looking at their cell phones.His steps slowed down, and he watched them intently. They didn't even notice his presence and continued to gossip. But even so, their voices were so low that he couldn't hear anything.Suddenly, Ethan's expression became grim.Hazel, who realized that, rushed over to the group of employees and said loudly. "Did you guys come to the company just to gossip? It seems like you have too little work to have so much time for unimportant things like this!"Everyone was startled and turned their heads quickly. Instantly, they were wide-eyed at the sight of their expressionless boss.Fear began to fill everyone's hearts, and they looked down deeply, not daring to open their voices at all."If you don't want this job anymore, you should hand in your resignation letter," Hazel continued firmly. "That way, you can gossip a
"Mr. Leif, thank you for dinner and the chess game. I really enjoyed it," said Ethan who was near his car, facing Mr. Leif.Mr. Leif's wife wasn't allowed out because it was late, so she was afraid of the wind. Meanwhile, Hazel was already in the car after saying goodbye."I'm glad to hear that. I hope Mr. Ethan will still be willing to come to my house and do what we did earlier," said Mr. Leif who was still overwhelmed with happiness. "My wife loves a crowd and this is the first time we've had guests. You can see for yourself, that she is very enthusiastic about your presence.""Then I will often ask Hazel to accompany Madame." Ethan smiled slightly.He knew very well what Mr. Leif's wife was feeling. The difference was that she had a husband who loved her so much that her life in this big house was not so lonely."Thank you. I look forward to seeing her." The gleam in Mr. Leif's eyes grew brighter.But a moment later it turned serious with an expression that looked strained. "Mr. E
During the series of tests, Ethan was really paying close attention. Not because he wanted to choose a personal bodyguard more carefully, but because he felt a new spirit when he saw those who were so serious about the competition.Basically, the 20 men selected were the best in every aspect, so the tests were fierce.During the archery test, there were only three people who scored six and were eliminated right away.For now, the second test was to run through some obstacles."Is this all prepared by him?" asked Ethan as he looked at some media that was transported to the courtyard and placed where it should be."Yes, sir. The Chairman wants personal bodyguards who are tough and can deal with any situation. He doesn't want to be missed and end up with a loss," Hazel replied.Ethan nodded in understanding and looked at the participants who began to undergo the second test.However, his body immediately stiffened when he saw that it was Elio. The man passed all his hurdles with ease and