‘The chairman of Fantastic Group is here, and he wants to see me?’Tobias thought Peter was about to reject him, but after hearing the rest of his sentence, Tobias was stunned.After the shock passed, Tobias felt excited and overjoyed.This was the chairman of Fantastic Group, Somerland’s wealthiest man with a net worth of hundreds of billions!Yet this man had come to his hotel to meet him?How could Tobias remain calm?‘R-really?” Tobias asked.“Mhmm.”Peter smiled. “He’s actually met both you and Miss Payne before.”“Me?”Serena was stunned. She immediately tried to recall if she had met anyone with an extraordinary aura before.Tobias’ thoughts began to stray.It was no secret among the commercial circle that the chairman of Fantastic Group was a wealthy young man.Did this mysterious chairman set his eyes on Serena?If that is the case, the Paynes would flourish!Instantly, Tobias tapped Serena’s shoulder and said solemnly, “Freshen up and come with me to meet the c
‘From the Supreme Hall on the twenty-second floor to the Rhododendron Hall on the second floor?‘Within one minute?‘And he doesn’t like waiting?‘What’s that supposed to mean? Is he doing this on purpose?’Tobias walked out of the Supreme Hall with a huge frown on his face. He felt most uncomfortable about the last sentence, about not liking to wait. For some reason, it sounded familiar.Serena was still caught up in her excitement and turned to her dad when she saw him stand outside the door. “Come on, Dad! The chairman of Fantastic Group only gave us one minute!”“That’s not enough time if we want to take the elevator,” Tobias frowned.Serena did not take it to heart. “This is the chairman of Fantastic Group! He is the wealthiest man in Somerland, of course, his time would be precious!”Tobias felt enlightened.Indeed. For the chairman of Fantastic Group and Somerland’s wealthiest man, so what if he had a temper?He nodded. “You’re right, we don’t have much time! We have t
‘F-F-Fred Hoffman!’Tobias was stunned and Serena gasped in shock. Both their eyes were filled with disbelief when they saw Fred’s face.‘Weren’t they supposed to meet Fantastic Group’s chairman?‘Why is Fred here?’“What are you doing here, you brat?” Tobias roared, infuriated.He felt like he had been played.His respect and courtesy had been for the chairman of Fantastic Group, not Fred!Tobias said wretchedly, “Didn’t I call someone to keep a good eye on you? How did you get out?”“You mean them?” Fred asked calmly, pointing at the floor a short distance away.Tobias glanced over and his expression darkened at what he saw. Only now did he see that two men were lying unconscious on the ground. Specifically, they were the subordinates he had demanded to keep watch on Fred.“You brat…” Tobias shouted.Edwin scoffed, interrupting him. “How dare you! Who the h*ll do you think you are? How dare you scold our chairman? Are you asking to have your restaurant and hotel closed d
Tobias was not the only one who thought he was an idiot. So did Serena.Like her father, she also thought Fred was a presumptuous brat when she first saw him.Then, Fred’s stomp that shook the floor that day had her running out of the hotel room.Now that her father had returned, she thought he would be able to get rid of Fred. She would never have expected this man to appear before her and her father as the chairman of Fantastic Group.Now that she thought about it, Serena realized how ridiculous her thoughts had been before she walked through the doors.While the Paynes stood dazedly in place and at loss for what to do, Fred found a seat and sat down. With a smile, he said, “What’s this? I thought you wanted to discuss a partnership with me. I’m here now, aren’t I? Why aren’t you talking?”‘Partnership?’The Paynes were stunned. Tobias asked in confusion, “Y-you’re still willing to start a partnership with us?”“Business is business, everything else is everything else. You’ve
‘How does Fred know all this?‘And how is he so well aware of the details too?’The Paynes were frantic and could feel cold sweat trickling down their skin after hearing what Fred said.The reason behind the Halwarts' support was the Paynes' trump card to standing unwaveringly in San Hanna and their biggest secret.How could the Paynes not panic when Fred had just exposed them?“Just how much do you know?” Tobias asked, expression dark. “More than you can imagine.”Fred reached his hand out with a smile and Peter quickly placed a document he had presented onto an outstretched palm.“Tobias Payne, male, fifty-eight years old. Thirty years ago, you founded the Paynes Hotel thanks to your ex-wife’s family, the Halwarts. Unfortunately, your ex-wife passed away ten years ago, and the Halwarts stopped their support for you. Your incompetence then brought your business into peril.“Out of pure chance, the heir of the Halwarts family happened to catch sight of Opal Santos who had jus
“I-it’s not real! I-it can’t be real!”Tears welled in Opal’s eyes as she looked at Tobias and Serena. Sobbing, she said, “S-so all of this was a lie?”“Opal, he’s just spouting nonsense! We would never…” Serena was about to approach her.Opal immediately asked, “What about my mom, then? I know I don’t come back very often but… but I’ve never seen my mom this whole year! All I get are texts from her! B-bring her here and let me see her, and I’ll believe you!” “I…”Serena was at a loss. After all, how was he supposed to bring a dead woman here to meet Opal?Seeing how they were already exposed, Tobias pointed at Opal and shouted wretchedly, “Grab her! Don’t let her get away!”Opal staggered backward in terror, but many men in black showed themselves and blocked her exit the moment Tobias shouted. “W-what do you want?” Opal looked even more terrified now that her exit had been blocked off.Tobias had long dropped all pleasant pretenses and smirked. “What do I want? You heard
“The Chavezs don’t exist anymore? W-what do you mean?”Seconds ago, Tobias was still thinking that he could team up with the Chavezs to scare Fred off, but after hearing what Fred said, Tobias was confused.“Exactly what I said.”Fred smiled and lit a cigarette nonchalantly, “The news should be out by now.”‘News?‘Out by now?’Serena immediately pulled out her phone to search and her expression turned into franticness when she read the news. “H-How can this be? The Chavezs… they…”“What happened? Let me see.”Tobias was curious after seeing his daughter’s expression.He felt cold sweat trickle down his back at what he read and he looked terrified.On the screen was the news headline, and that huge font wrote:San Hanna Chavezs’ Residence Caving in After Its Foundation Collapsed, Leaving No Survivors. ‘Caving in?‘Foundation collapsed?’The more Tobias thought about it, the more terrified he felt. After all, there had been no earthquakes in San Hanna recently, so why wou
“She didn’t eat anything.” Fred shook his head helplessly.Ever since he brought Opal back from the Paynes Hotel, Fred had driven them back to Sea City and let her stay in his home for the time being.What happened had been too much of a shock for Opal. She was a cheerful and energetic lady, but now, she had locked herself in the room on the second floor. It had been around 24 hours since she had been seen.Iris was worried sick and immediately cooked some food for her. She had Fred bring it upstairs, but no matter how he knocked on the door, Opal refused to open it, let alone eat.“Sigh… She’s suffered too much.”Iris sighed. “We can only wait for her to come out of the room herself.”“Indeed.” Fred nodded.Opal had just found out that her stepfather and step-sister’s doting had been a lie the entire time, and that her mother had been killed long ago. No ordinary person could walk out of this unscathed, let alone Opal, a twenty-year-old college student.Fred sighed as well.H
Marciella walking away did not bode well with the giant snake. Marciella was its food! How could it accept that its food had escaped?Marciella had not moved far yet. She reluctantly looked back at Fred.She did not know how Fred would handle the River God. She could only hope Fred would be okay!When Fred saw that she had left, he geared up, rubbing his palms in glee. He had an eager look on his face, which confused the giant snake.It was the snake’s first time meeting a man like Fred!How strange indeed!At this time!Suddenly, Fred said with hostility etched on his face, "Hey, Big Snake, what are you going to do now?"The snake's attention was entirely focused on him, which seemed off to Fred."What I’m going to do?"The giant snake fixated its eyes on Fred. It felt that it could handle a human like Fred easily.“I’m going to kill you with one bite! How dare you look down on me like this!"The giant snake rushed toward Fred fiercely at a speed so fast that no one could
Fred was annoyed by the giant snake's arrogant tone. Fred squinted his eyes at the snake and asked in confusion, "Why are you making that face?"“Huh?"The giant snake was shocked. He thought that Fred would submit to him, but to his surprise, Fred was not shaken at all.The snake was about to lose his temper.“Dirty snake, haven't I made myself clear enough? I think you are probably sleep-talking if you want me to hand over my people to you..." Fred said impatiently.At this moment…Feeling that it was being ridiculed, the snake said suddenly, "You punk, this is the first time anyone spoke to me this way. What is your name?"“Me?"Fred was stunned subconsciously, not knowing what the snake wanted. Suddenly, he understood.“Did you want to know my name so you can remember me, bow down before me, and become my follower? Sure, I’ll give you that chance!"He was adding fuel to the fire. The giant snake almost spat out blood in anger!"What? You want me to follow an immature bei
Huh!?Putting aside Marciella, even Fred could not hide his shock as a giant snake appeared from under the water!A giant snake!How could it be!?Fred's eyes widened at the sheer size of the snake. "A Giant Snake… Is this the so-called River God?"Moreover, the size was humongous. The snake must be at least ten stories high!What a huge snake!Fred finally understood why he felt a powerful force under the water!There was a sharp glint in the giant snake’s eyes! That was the blinking light from time to time!"Who comes here? Are you from the village? Who do you plan to sacrifice to me this time?" As soon as the giant snake spoke, Fred realized that this was not the first time it had done this.The snake seemed familiar with the ritual process. Obviously, the villagers had witnessed this giant snake before. This was the meeting between the two sides! Fred felt uncomfortable at this. As for the giant snake, it felt bemused when it saw Fred. The snake had never seen Fred befo
Fred was going to risk it all to open this girl's eyes!The force from the punch was extraordinary! As soon as the tree was hit by the seismic fist, it fell immediately and the whole tree split neatly in two!Marciella was dumbfounded!Although she knew how powerful Fred was, to witness his power was a different thing entirely!"Master Fred, your power is insane!"Marciella could not help but applaud.Fred seemed indifferent, as though he had no feeling at all about this."Is it? Why do you think so?"He looked so indifferent.For Ancient Martial Arts, things did not get any simpler than this!"You’re so strong. Anyway, I don’t doubt you anymore..." Marciella sighed, suddenly feeling very sad. "This is the reward of being educated. If we were more knowledgeable, we wouldn’t be so clueless.”"Haha, if you can't solve your issues, your descendants can work harder," Fred said with a wink.Marciella said, "Mr. Fred, I needed to ask you something! What if our luck was changed ju
What Fred said aroused her curiosity."What does it look like when you offer a sacrifice?"Fred knew he could not speak of this matter. Sure enough, Marciella felt a little downcast after Fred said the words. She did not know why Fred would say such a thing. Suddenly, Fred felt bad about it.He coughed and said, "Don't think too much about it... I just want to find a clue. Maybe we could find a solution. Why does it never rain in your village?""Huh?"Marciella's eyes, which were still a little dejected, suddenly realized what was important and asked hurriedly, "Mr. Fred, are you saying that the reason why it never rains in our village is because someone is behind it?"Although Fred was unwilling to admit it, he could not help but nod. "Yes, this is exactly what you thought!""For real?!"Marciella felt hopeful again when she heard this. She said hastily, "The thing you asked about is pretty simple. You can just check out that place!""That place?"Fred turned around to see w
Marciella found herself nodding in agreement with Fred's harsh assessment. "You're spot on," she said. "That woman is nothing but vile!"Seeing Marciella's reaction, a rare smile crossed Fred's face as he nodded back. "Glad you see it my way," he said.What caught Fred off guard was the villagers' reaction. One by one, their faces turned ashen with despair.It seemed to them that nothing could be worse than the predicament they were facing. The absence of the witch spelled doom for the village—it was like their last shred of hope had vanished. They had all put their faith in her to charm the River God into blessing them with rain, which would have brought some peace to their troubled lives. However, now their chances seemed to have dried up just like their fields. Fred stood there, his face a mask of serenity amidst the chaos.In the moments that followed, the village chief was a picture of despair, his only option was to send everyone home while he racked his brain for a backup pl
"What?"Fred did not even have time to blink before the witch suddenly made a move.It was like a bomb went off.Kaboom!Then, she was dead!Fred dusted off his hands, even surprising himself with his lack of tolerance for the witch.Now, though, he had a real headache. He had planned to clear the air with the witch and lay out the past so everyone would know the full picture.He thought that might just turn things around.The situation changed when she vanished, and Fred's plans were completely derailed. Then again, changing the villagers' minds was not going to be a walk in the park anyway. They were pretty set in their ways, thanks to all the stuff they had been fed.As such, just talking it out might not cut it. Heck, it could even mess with history!With the witch out of the equation, Fred figured he might as well try a different tactic. Maybe if he took out the guy in the cloak and worked his own magic to bring some rain, it could save a lot of hassle. The more he thoug
"No way!"The witch bristled with defiance. She could not accept that she was no match for Fred.As she noticed Fred's focus was locked on her, a sly idea popped up in her mind.Before she could act on it, though, she found herself pinned against the wall by Fred in a flash...Her face contorted in disbelief. She was pinned so tightly that she could not even move!The witch was completely overpowered, her heart racing with panic.How could he be so much stronger than her?Fred, on the other hand, seemed unfazed."What's going through your head? You don't seriously think you can take me on, do you?" Fred asked, his voice laced with skepticism.The witch felt utterly trapped, as if at any second, Fred might just finish her off."Look, I messed up, okay? Can we not do this? I'm old, just a pile of brittle bones—I can't take this kind of rough treatment!" the witch pleaded with Fred, trying a new tactic to get through to him.Fred was not falling for it. He looked at her with a
"Heh, I caught on to you a while back, you know. You've been tailing me, and I'm pretty sure you're here for me. Plus, you don't have the look of someone from our village. That means you are an outsider, and I'm your target, right? Listen, man, we don't have any beef with each other, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"The witch had sensed the raw power rolling off Fred, and it was enough to send shivers down her spine!At that moment, she knew that challenging Fred was not going to be a walk in the park! If she had spotted him earlier in the forest, it would not have been good news for her. For starters, she had no clue how many tricks Fred had up his sleeve, and if he took her down, she and her buddy would be toast.However, the witch was not about to let Fred take her out without a fight! She racked her brain and finally settled on one strategy!She would try to sweet-talk him, hoping Fred would fall for her words just like everyone else, and fall into he