Scott turned to see Steve walking toward them, his face annoyed.
When Steve recognized the casually dressed man facing away from him as Scott, his expression immediately changed. His eyes widened, and his pupils dilated. Steve had been informed by Lombard that Scott was an extremely powerful man. If he offended Scott or made him uncomfortable, not only would his career as CEO of Dominion Group be over, but his life could be as well. Steve was about to greet Scott with a deep bow when Scott gave him a slight shake of his head. Steve understood. For reasons unknown, Scott didn’t want anyone to know the nature of their relationship. That explained why he was dressed so casually, even though he was at the Dominion Group office. “Mr. Steve!” Wayne called out, pushing Scott aside and stepping forward to approach Steve. Steve was a well-known businessman in Mildenbrough. Many people knew him, including job applicants like the bearded man. Then he added, "It looks like this woman applied for a job but had a rough interview. Her application was likely rejected, and I think that was the right decision. A whore clearly doesn’t deserve to be an employee at Dominion Group or work for you." Wayne grinned broadly, confident he had said what needed to be said. With this, Steve would surely throw Scott and Luisa out harshly. However, Steve glared at him in fury. Who the hell are you? he asked coldly. “I’m Wayne, Mr. Scott. Wayne Bottlehood. I’m one of the applicants for the project officer position here. My uncle, Oliver Bottlehood, works here as the Marketing Manager,” the bearded man replied. Steve glanced at Scott and the beautiful woman in a scarf standing beside him. He knew the beautiful woman was Luisa Grandier. The HR Manager who had just interviewed Luisa had sent him a photo of her. “What did you just call these two, Wayne Bottlehood?” Steve asked, turning his gaze back to Wayne. Wayne was slightly confused by Steve’s question but answered anyway, “One’s a bum, and the other’s a prostitute.” Thud! Suddenly, Steve delivered a hard punch to Wayne’s face. Caught completely off guard, Wayne was knocked to the ground, his nose bleeding. His friends behind him were shocked. They wanted to help him up but didn’t dare to move, especially with Steve standing right there. “How dare you say that! Get lost! Your application is rejected! And your uncle will be fired today as well!” Steve shouted, his eyes bulging with anger. “And while I’m at it,” he continued, glaring at Wayne before shifting his gaze to his friends, “we’ve decided to hire Luisa as our new project officer. All of you should leave. Take this insolent fool with you!” Wayne and his friends were stunned. They stared at Luisa in disbelief, then looked back at Steve. It was hard for them to process this shocking news, but it came directly from the CEO himself. “Luisa, you start working today. I want you to assist in organizing our tender auction this afternoon. The event begins in an hour, so prepare yourself,” Steve said, his gaze sharp as it landed on Luisa. Luisa’s eyes widened slightly, her mouth falling open a bit. Her job application was accepted? Is this really happening? But her interview earlier... She then looked at Scott, finding him smiling and nodding. "See? I told you they’d hire you. Congrats!" Scott said. Luisa took a deep breath. The news was so unexpected, she wasn’t ready. She needed time to accept this as reality. Then, she turned to Steve, bowed respectfully, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Steve, for entrusting me with this. But, to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m ready to handle such an important task on my first day..." At that moment, she felt a reassuring pat on her shoulder. She turned to see Scott nodding and smiling gently. “You can do this. Trust in your abilities. Okay?” he said. As if hypnotized, Luisa nodded. Scott’s smile widened, and Luisa felt something warm grow inside her. Seeing how Scott supported Luisa, Steve realized just how important she was to him. He knew he had to do whatever it took to make Luisa feel comfortable working at Dominion Group. He then turned his attention back to Wayne, who was still sitting on the floor, wiping the blood from his nose and mouth with a handkerchief. “Get out of my sight before I call security to drag you out!” Steve said coldly. “You too! Get lost! Take this fool with you!” he added, this time addressing Wayne’s friends. They quickly moved to help Wayne up and hurriedly escorted him out of the building. Wayne glanced back at Steve with a questioning look, but when Steve returned his gaze, Wayne quickly looked away. Now, only Scott and Luisa were left standing in front of Steve—the driver had already taken the black limousine to the designated CEO parking spot. “Scott, I think I need to go to the restroom for a moment,” Luisa said quietly. “Okay. I’ll wait here,” Scott replied. He could tell that Luisa was nervous about starting her new job in just an hour. Luisa excused herself and walked away briskly. As she disappeared down one of the hallways, Steve approached Scott. “Mr. Scott, there’s something I need to inform you about,” Steve said. Now that they were alone, he felt he had to show proper respect to Scott. “What is it?” Scott asked. “About half an hour ago, a representative from the Winterbourne family contacted me, asking me to convey their warm regards to you as the new owner of Dominion Group. They also extended an invitation to host you for lunch today. They wish to have a private conversation with you after the tender auction,” Steve explained. The Winterbourne family was one of the four most influential families in Mildenbrough. It was common for them to host important people who could potentially become their business partners. Scott knew this but wasn’t interested at all. “Tell them I don’t have time to meet. You can figure out the wording. I’m sure you know what to say,” Scott replied. “Understood, sir,” Steve responded. “Anything else?” “No, sir. That’s all. I apologize for interrupting your time.” “No problem.” At this point, Luisa reappeared, walking toward them. Steve took his leave, nodding at Scott before focusing on Luisa. “What were you two just talking about?” Luisa asked, curious. “Nothing, just some pleasantries,” Scott said, shaking his head. ... At the prestigious tender auction held on the second floor, about an hour later... Tables were neatly arranged, filled with people who exuded an air of elegance and sophistication. These attendees were all prominent businessmen from Mildenbrough, representing families ranging from the first-tier to the fourth-tier families in the city. The representatives of the first-tier families sat at the front tables: the Winterbournes, the Beaumonts, the Vanderhelms, the Ravenwoods. James and the Grandiers—Lisa, Daniel, Lucas, and Jacob—sat at the tables at the back. Lisa and James shared a table. Despite the large size of the round table, Lisa sat right next to James, clinging to him. Occasionally, she would deliberately press her chest against his arm, flashing that fake smile of hers. Her father had already reminded her to stay close to James so that he would fulfill his promises to them. At this point, the door at the back of the room opened, and two people entered—a man and a woman. Lisa and James turned to look at them, and their expressions immediately darkened. There was no mistaking it; the man was Scott. And the woman, despite her hastily wrapped scarf, was unmistakably Luisa. ‘How on earth is she here? Isn’t she supposed to be at the brothel?’ Lisa thought. She was just about to say something when James suddenly stood up and walked toward Scott and Luisa, blocking their path. Scott and Luisa stopped in their tracks. Luisa stepped back, hiding behind Scott, looking visibly frightened. "How dare you just barge in here. You know, Scott, this tender auction is for the elite. Commoners like you aren't welcome here," James said, lifting his chin and glaring at Scott with pure contempt. Scott merely smirked, raising his eyebrows as if daring James to insult him further. He then said, “Well, that’s the reason why I’m here.” “Tch! You’re probably here to apply for a janitor position, aren’t you? If that’s the case, head down to the basement. I hear that’s where they process applications for menial jobs like that. A lowly job like that suits you, Scott. Fits right in with that face of yours that reminds me of a toilet!” James sneered. Scott’s eyes twitched. He stepped forward, stopping just inches from James, leaving only a few centimeters between them. “You’re the one who should be cleaning toilets, James. Not just your face, but your hands are perfect for the job. How about we head to the restroom now? You clean the toilet, and I’ll record the whole thing on my phone,” Scott said with a mocking smile. James’ face turned beet red. He snorted like an angry bull and grabbed Scott’s shirt with his right hand. “Yesterday, you broke my fingers, and today you insult me. Are you ready to face the consequences?” James growled, glaring at Scott. ...“Get your hands off me!” Scott snapped, shaking off James’s grip on his shirt with a quick flick.“Ouch!”James yelped, shaking his right hand as if it were stinging. It seemed like Scott's shove had been gentle, yet James felt a sharp twinge in his hand.“You son of a bitch!” James spat.Scott took a step forward, ready to teach James a lesson, but suddenly Lisa splashed wine from her glass directly onto Scott's face.“Watch yourself, Scott! If you hurt James again, I swear I’ll never forgive you for as long as I live!” she exclaimed.Scott wiped the wine from his face with a handkerchief, slowly opening his eyes. He glared coldly at his former fiancée.“Do you think I care? Don’t get ahead of yourself, Lisa. Whether you’re in my life or not means nothing to me,” he said.Lisa's eyes widened in shock. Reflexively, she hurled her empty wine glass at Scott's face.Swoosh!Scott caught the glass effortlessly. Lisa was astonished. How could he move his hand that fast?Frustrated that her
"And by the way, the villas in the northern part of Oval Enclave are the cheapest among the hundreds of villas in that area. How funny that you brag about it. It just shows how low your standards are. Don’t you realize that?” Scott added, smirking.Lisa’s face flushed red. “Shut up, Scott! What do you know about the villas in Oval Enclave, huh? You might not even get a foot in the door!"“And stop pretending to be someone great! I know your past. You served in the military, but only as a guard for a general. That was your highest rank before you were dishonorably discharged for drinking and gambling.“I also know about the gifts Mr. Lombard brought yesterday. He did that because the general, your former boss, ordered him to, didn’t he? There’s no real connection between you and the general.“Oh, come on, Scott. I’ve done some research on you, and I found nothing special. You’re pathetic!” Scott furrowed his brow. Everything Lisa said matched the false information spread years ago to
Indeed, with Luisa bent over like that, Quint had a clear view of her cleavage.Luisa had a slim figure with ample breasts. It must be tempting for someone with a twisted mind like Quint's."Lift your head, beautiful," Quint said, still smiling with a sly grin.Slowly, with a tense face, Luisa straightened up. She glanced at Quint for only a moment before dropping her gaze to her shoes.“You want me to forgive the man behind you?” Quint asked.“Yes, Mr. Quint. Please forgive him just this once,” Luisa replied.“Well, if you want me to forgive him, you’ll have to sleep with me tonight. That’s your only chance,” Quint said.Luisa gasped again, stepping back in shock at Quint’s words. Fortunately, Scott was right behind her and caught her, his eyes locked onto Quint’s. “Get lost, or you'll regret it.” The people in the room were once again stunned. Earlier, they thought Scott was being disrespectful to Quint because he didn’t know who he was dealing with. But just now, when Scott sho
Everyone in the room, including Luisa, was stunned by what Scott had just done. How could he be this reckless? Didn’t he know by now that Quint was the son of the richest businessman in Mildenbrough? “Hey, you! Do you even realize what you’re doing? Drop that knife and let Quint go!” shouted the Beaumont family representative, his voice booming. “Are you insane? Let Quint go now or I’m calling the police!” the Vanderhelm family representative chimed in. Among all the top-tier families attending the auction, only the Ravenwood family’s representative didn’t pressure Scott to release Quint. In fact, a beautiful woman in their entourage seemed amused. Lisa, on the other hand, had been riding a wave of anxious thoughts since just a moment ago, when a gust of wind made her feel at ease for a brief second. Now, that unease was back, gnawing at her. What if Scott really did cut off Quint’s hand like he threatened? That would surely infuriate the Winterbourne family, right? And wouldn’
Scott glanced at the woman. She was with the Ravenwood family.Briton also turned to her, but his glare was full of rage.“This gentleman is innocent, Mr. Briton. Quint started this mess. He demanded the woman with this gentleman sleep with him. That alone is outrageous. No wonder this gentleman got angry,” the blonde woman said.Scott narrowed his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his face. He hadn’t expected anyone in the room to defend him and Luisa.Bang!Suddenly, Briton fired a shot into the air. The blonde woman flinched.“Stay out of my business, you little brat! If you stand up for the scum who cut off Quint’s hand, I’ll have my guards deal with you too!” Briton threatened.Francesca Ravenwood, the blonde woman, froze and took a step back. Was this really what Briton Winterbourne was like when enraged—ignoring anyone who dared speak and ready to crush anyone standing in his way? John Ravenwood, her father, rushed forward with a panicked expression. Standing beside Francesca,
Seeing Steve enter the room with a furious expression, Briton wasn’t worried—in fact, he smiled. He assumed Steve was on his side. After all, Winterbourne Group had maintained a strong partnership with Dominion Group for years, and Briton was certain that relationship still held strong. “What’s going on here? How could an auction that’s supposed to be classy and elegant turn into such a mess? Why is there a table flipped over? And what was that sound I heard earlier? A gunshot?” Steve demanded as he walked toward the crowd. The guests quickly made way for Steve. Even though he wasn’t from one of the wealthiest families in Mildenbrough, his position as CEO of Dominion Group commanded respect and fear from everyone in the city. Even the most powerful families in Mildenbrough wouldn’t dare cross him. The only exception was Briton. As the richest man in Mildenbrough, Briton never saw himself as beneath Steve. The only person he considered his equal was Dominion Group’s Chairman. “
Scott turned to her and said, "If the CEO of Dominion Group says so, then he must be here with us." Luisa covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes widening. "I... I’m embarrassed, Scott. That means he saw how people ridiculed and insulted me earlier," she said. Scott gave her a soft smile, his gaze warm and reassuring. "Don’t worry about that," he said. "Whatever those fools said about you, it doesn’t lessen your value in the eyes of the new chairman of Dominion Group. Trust me, okay?" Luisa nodded, still feeling unsure but choosing to believe Scott. After all, everything he had said so far had been spot on, including the prediction that Winterbourne Group would lose the bid for Dominion Group’s prestigious project. With Scott by her side, standing up for her like this, Luisa found herself feeling safe. While Luisa was calming down, Briton was growing increasingly anxious. After hearing Steve confirm that the new chairman of Dominion Group was indeed in the room, his eyes
Lisa was one of the curious ones. Threatened by the possibility of losing out on projects from James, she began considering an alternative approach: getting close to this new project director. Maybe she could use her seductive body to sway him/her in her favor.At this point, Steve locked eyes with Luisa and gave a single nod, a clear signal for her to step up to the podium.Luisa was stunned. She never expected the CEO to give her such an honorable spotlight. Was this normal? And wasn’t she still in the dark about who had won the Dominion Group’s project tender?“Go on, step up,” Scott urged gently, giving her a light push on the back.With hesitant steps, Luisa moved forward, her head still lowered, unsure of what she was supposed to say.Nearly everyone in the room, including Lisa, stared at her in shock. Then, almost by instinct, Lisa cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted:"Hey, you slut! Know your place and get out of here! You belong in some filthy brothel, not here!"Li
It took a few seconds for Lisa to regain her composure and finally dare to ask, "W-what do you mean, Dad?"Lisa's gaze at this time was a combination of confusion and anxiety. Her brothers also looked confused, although they didn't look anxious."Did you not hear my words clearly? I said starting today you are no longer part of this family. You are no longer my daughter," Daniel said.Lisa was no longer as stunned as before, but she was still very shocked. Her eyes blinked while her mouth was open. She couldn't believe her father was making such a painful decision for her, so quickly."B-but, Dad..."Before Lisa could finish what she wanted to say, Daniel suddenly stood up. With his gesture showing that he was the leader among them, he looked at each of his sons one by one and said,"I agree with you. We do have to formulate a plan to deal with this situation, but we'll talk about it tonight at home. Now let's just focus on our work tasks for the whole day. Imprint in your minds that
As agreed, Scott got out of the car not far from the Dominion Group office. He let Luisa drive his black McLaren, while he himself would take a taxi home later.On the sidewalk where people were passing by, Scott stood watching his black McLaren head towards and enter the Dominion Group office area. After making sure everything was safe, he turned his face, and also his body, towards the road. He felt like he was pretty hungry.Scott was about to look for a cafe or restaurant in the area through his phone, and it was only at this point that he realized his phone wasn't in his pants pocket.'Where's my phone? Did it fall in the car?' he thought.He tried to remember if maybe his phone had fallen out of his pants pocket while he was driving earlier, or when he got out of the car, but he couldn't get a clear picture of either.He then thought, maybe his phone was left at the motel, but he didn't remember if he had put his phone on the bedside table or in another place in the motel room h
Luisa was startled by Lisa's raspy voice, as if she had just been crying all night. But she was even more surprised by what Lisa said. Even though she didn't see Lisa's facial expression and the look in her eyes, she could feel the towering anger that was controlling Lisa.Hearing those words of threat made Luisa uncomfortable. Her hands suddenly trembled and her chest pounded. Finally, she decided to end the call. And, because she was worried that Lisa would call again, she decided to block Lisa's number.Right at that moment, Scott woke up. Slowly, his eyelids opened. Luisa quickly put Scott's phone on the floor, right next to Scott."Luisa? Why are you here?" Scott asked after blinking."Actually, I should be asking you that," Luisa said, smiling wryly. "Come on in. Continue your sleep inside."Luisa stood up first, gesturing for Scott to get up and follow her into the room.Scott quickly got to his feet, worried that Luisa would close the room door like a few hours ago. He looked
Olivia and her three sons were shocked by what Daniel did. They knew Daniel was temperamental and liked to be rough when he was angry, but they didn't expect him to go that far.After all, the one Daniel had just slapped was Lisa, his own daughter. And the slap he had just delivered was very hard. Lisa even tumbled off the sofa, falling under the table."You're not only useless but also stupid! And because of your stupidity, our family is now on the brink! What do you think will happen if we're all fired from Grandier Corp. and crossed out from the family lineage? Where will we get money from then? How can we meet our needs? Have you ever thought about that before executing this bad plan of yours?!"Daniel berated Lisa while leaning forward and yelling at her. His eyeballs looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.Lisa didn't give any response. She didn't even raise her head and was busy wiping the blood coming from a small cut on the corner of her lip. Her tears flowed
At Daniel's family residence...Almost an hour had passed since the news broadcast about the sudden press conference held by the Mildenbrough Police Department. Right now, all the family members were gathered in the living room. The atmosphere was tense.'This is bad! This is so fucking bad! What are we going to do now?"Daniel asked that question in a high tone, with a flushed face and wide eyes.No one dared to raise their face, let alone look at Daniel. Even his wife, Olivia, chose to remain silent and turn her face away.And among those people, Lisa was the most visibly tense and scared. It was only natural. The misleading rumor about Scott and everything related to him, which had caused a stir throughout the city in the last 24 hours, was her doing. So when the current situation became like this, the person most to blame was Lisa."Why are you just staying silent like fools! Say something, god damn it!" Daniel cursed, almost yelling.His wife and children flinched. But still, the
Scott sighed wearily. Problem after problem kept hitting him. The night seemed like it would be very long.Just as Scott was about to leave that room to follow Luisa, Anne suddenly grabbed his hand and held him back. Scott turned, finding Anne giving him a very serious look."Scott, there's no guarantee I'll give you another chance besides this. Are you sure you want to waste it?" Anne asked.Scott shook his hand that Anne was holding, then left without saying anything.Anne took a deep breath while watching Scott's back move away and finally disappear. As she exhaled, she vaguely heard the sound of a police siren."Scott Goodman. An interesting man. One day I will surely conquer you. We'll see," Anne muttered, smiling slyly.Meanwhile, on the second floor of the motel...Scott had just stepped on the last step of the stairs and he saw the door of the room he was staying in slammed shut.Scott quickly approached his room, trying to open the door, but it was locked.Knock! Knock!"Luis
The woman whose hands and feet were tied with ropes to the ends of the bed was Anne. Scott could recognize her that quickly because they had just met this morning."You bastard! You're pretty brave, huh? You think you can push me like that without facing the consequences?"The big-bodied man got to his feet. He snorted while showing off the muscles in his arms, chest, and stomach. It seemed that he was someone who trained in weightlifting quite intensely. Even his wide neck looked stiff and hard.Scott ignored his surprise at seeing Anne there for now. He focused his attention on the big-bodied man and prepared to land a punch on his face.Whoosh!Scott easily dodged the blow, then launched a counterattack, punching the big-bodied man right in the solar plexus."Argh!"The big-bodied man vomited blood, his eyes widened. A moment later, his eyelids closed and he collapsed. Just one punch from Scott was enough to knock him unconscious.Now Scott turned his eyes to the bed, finding Anne
Luisa came out of the bathroom, wearing a kimono-shaped towel that covered her body up to her thighs. While tying a small towel around her hair, she asked Scott, "What was that just now? I thought I heard a scream.""There was someone screaming," Scott said. "It seems like it's downstairs.""The room renter?""Could be."The woman's scream was heard again. This time it wasn't a scream, actually, it was more like a yell.Neither Scott nor Luisa could hear it clearly. They exchanged glances and seemed to be guessing what the woman was saying, who she was talking to.At this point, the woman screamed again, almost as loud and shrill as before. Scott reflexively stood up. His jaw tightened."Do you want to check downstairs?" Luisa asked.Scott looked at Luisa, asking, "May I?"Luisa rolled her eyes, but then nodded. "Go ahead," she said.Scott then left their room. Luisa sighed. She knew she couldn't stop someone like Scott from staying quiet and pretending not to know when something happ
At the Batalion I military headquarters, in the center of Mildenbrough... "With this, everything is done," Xavier said. He was in Zach's office. Almost an hour ago, it was Scott who stood there and talked to Zach. "Yes, everything is settled. Thanks for the help, buddy," Zach said. "No problem. But you're not lying to me, are you, Zach? Are you sure he's the long-lost War God?" Xavier asked. "Of course, buddy. I'm not lying to you. Scott Goodman is the War God." "You don't believe me?" "It's not that. It's just that I was actually hoping to meet and talk to him tonight, here, but you said he was taking care of something else." "It's a shame, but that's the way it is, buddy. I hope someday you can meet and talk, in a better situation." There was no response from Xavier. He still looked disappointed. After all, he was really hoping to have a private conversation with the legendary War God. "You don't know when he'll be here again? If I stay here tonight, can I meet hi