"Stop joking. Ms. Harmon is pursued by many outstanding people in the industry. How could I compare to them?" Cody shook his head. Even though he was flattered, he was self-aware. The gap between their social status was far too wide. "Cody, if you put your heart into it, you can achieve anything. No matter what, you should give it a try. What if you happen to be Ms. Harmon's type?" Harper encouraged him."Really?" Cody was somewhat uncertain."Why would I lie to you?" Then, Harper added, "Look at yourself. You're handsome, tall, poised, and charming. "Most importantly, you're skilled in medicine, attentive, and have great character. A man of your caliber is truly a rare find in this world!""Is that so?" Cody ran his fingers through his hair and straightened his tie. His confidence surged, and he looked delighted. After all, he considered himself an outstanding and nearly perfect man. He also had tremendous potential. It didn't seem too far-fetched to marry the granddau
"What? She's yours?" Both Cody and Harper exchanged puzzled glances when they heard that. They began to wonder if they had heard him wrongly.Natasha was, after all, a siren who ranked third in the Beauty Ranking. Besides, she was also the Duke of Lachshire's granddaughter. She was basically the dream of countless young men! How dare a poor loser like Dustin so shamelessly claim that she was his? Had he lost his mind?"Dustin. Are you … serious?" Cody probed."Of course," Dustin answered confidently. "Pfft!" Cody burst out laughing as though he'd just heard the greatest joke of the century. "Oh, Dustin! Do you even hear yourself? Did you just say that Ms. Harmon is yours? Hahaha!" Cody clutched his belly as he laughed with an exaggerated expression."Hmph! How shameless!" Harper folded her arms in front of her chest as she huffed. "Don't you have any self-awareness?"Don't go around thinking that your identity has changed just because you put on new clothes. A loser will alw
"Greetings, Ms. Harmon!""Hello, Ms. Harmon!"After a short moment of silence, the entire hall erupted in loud chatter. Everyone began crowding around Natasha to greet her.Those who could show up at the event were either high-ranking officials or top executives of major corporations. It was only natural that they knew Natasha's identity. There were even some who had attended the event for the sole purpose of sucking up and currying favor from her. "No need for formalities, everyone. Please make yourself comfortable."Natasha remained composed. She showed no reaction to the crowd, who flattered and fawned over her. Her alluring eyes swept across the hall as though searching for something."Cody, could that be Ms. Harmon?" Harper discreetly pointed at Natasha."She should be. I cannot think of anyone who has such captivating beauty apart from Ms. Harmon!"Cody's eyes were bright, his face flushed, and his heartbeat accelerated. He had seen many beautiful women, but never one
"I've missed you, dear!"Under the incredulous stares of the guests, Natasha jumped into Dustin's embrace and hugged him tightly. They truly looked like a pair of lovers who were finally reunited after having been apart for a very long time. They were both intimate and passionate.However, their bold actions had everyone staring and gaping in shock and disbelief.Cody and Harper, especially, stood frozen in place as though they'd been struck by lightning. They simply could not believe what they saw.What was going on? She was the chairperson of Dash Corporation and the woman who ranked third on the Beauty Ranking. And most importantly, she was the granddaughter of a duke!What the hell was happening? Why was she so eager to show affection toward a poor loser?Cody's hand was still extended, but without realizing it, he had already turned his head to stare at Dustin and Natasha. The smile on his face stiffened, and his emotions churned. He was shocked beyond belief. Could Du
The crowd exchanged bewildered looks and began to whisper among themselves when they heard what Natasha said."Who's Dustin Rhys? I've never heard of him before. Do we have such a person in Oakvale?""That's weird. As someone with wide connections, I've never heard of him before, either.""So, do you mean to say that he's not someone special? But why would Ms. Harmon be interested in someone like him?""Well, he does have decently good looks. Perhaps he's just one of those men who pleases women and makes them feel good so that he can mooch off them?"The influential elites whispered, all looking baffled.As people of the elite circle, they were always very well-informed. However, none of them had ever heard of the name Dustin Rhys. Thus, they deduced that he wasn't someone from their circle, nor was he anyone of importance.But what they did not understand was why the high and mighty Natasha would get involved with a small fry like him? Was it true love? Or was it just an infatu
The entire event hall became silent as the man in military uniform made his appearance. Everyone moved aside to make way for him and avoided him like the plague.After all, the young man was hot-tempered and unreasonable. He was known to have severe mood swings. He also had a strong background. It allowed him to throw his temper around without facing any repercussions. Thus, nobody dared to cross him.People normally kept their distance from him to avoid getting into any trouble."Cody, who's that? He looks impressive."Harper was both surprised and curious. The man must be a formidable character to be able to silence the whole event hall."If I'm not mistaken, he should be Dexter Fallon of the Fallon family!" Cody remarked as he narrowed his eyes ever so slightly."Dexter Fallon? You mean one of the four Chaos Demons?" Harper's eyes widened in disbelief."That's right. He's the one." Cody nodded. He dared not even look straight at Dexter and only stole a peek at him out of th
Dexter raised his hand midair, ready to strike Natasha. However, he forced back the urge to do so.Never had a woman ever dared to speak to him like that. Had he not had his considerations, he'd have had his way with her."Hey, rascal! Who are you to snatch my woman away from me? Do you wish to meet your maker so soon?" Dexter turned to Dustin and glared at him fiercely.He could not get rough with Natasha, but it would be easy for him to deal with a little boy toy. As long as he wasn't royalty or part of the four ancient houses, Dexter could do anything he liked to him. "It's common courtesy to tell the other party your name before asking for theirs," Dustin said casually."Hmph! You want to know who I am? Fine! I'll tell you!"Dexter shot him a vicious glare before saying, "Now, listen up, and listen well! I am Dexter Fallon of the Fallon family, one of the four ancient houses! I'm a Four-star Marshal, and they call me the Black Tornado!""Oh? So what?" Dustin responded imp
"Hahaha!" Dexter suddenly began laughing. It started as a soft laugh and gradually grew louder and more maniacal.The onlookers felt their skin crawl, and they reflexively moved away to distance themselves.Dexter was known to be very temperamental, with impulsive mood changes. When his signature laughter appeared, it meant there was bound to be blood soon."You're quite ballsy, aren't you, rascal?" After Dexter was done laughing, his expression instantly darkened."All these years, no one has ever dared to speak to me like that. Incompetent and incapable, you say? Very well, you shall pay for what you said today with your life!"As he spoke, his hand reached for the gun on his waist."Dexter! I'm warning you, you better not act rashly!" Natasha stepped in front of Dustin and shielded him. She continued frostily, "Dustin's mine. If you dare hurt him, I'll never let you off!""What?" Dexter frowned, his expression turning from bad to worse. "Natasha Harmon, do you know what y
At the Ballard estate, Dustin was warmly welcomed to stay after dinner. This was the first time Natasha had brought her boyfriend home, so the Ballards made a big deal of it.Simon personally accompanied the young couple and invited them to the study to chat over tea. With his sharp eye, Simon could tell Dustin was no ordinary martial artist. His manners, speech, and broad knowledge set him apart from most people."Dustin, I fully support your relationship with Natasha. Your background or status doesn't matter. What matters most is that you two are happy together." Simon paused and said earnestly, "I want you to understand that she's been pampered all her life and hasn't faced much hardship. Now that she's with you, I hope you'll take good care of her.""Don't worry, Mr. Ballard. I would never let her down," Dustin replied sincerely.Though they had known each other for some time and hadn't yet taken their relationship to the next level, they had already made their feelings clear
After hearing Nathaniel's words, Tristan's expression darkened. His brow furrowed as he sank into deep thought.It seemed he had underestimated the situation. He had assumed it was just a simple rivalry between brothers; he hadn't anticipated Seamus seizing the chance to further his own agenda.Seamus already wielded considerable influence. Under the guise of supporting Matthias' ascension to the throne, he had been forming alliances and recruiting talents. His influence had grown to rival the royal family's.If Seamus really supported Matthias' ascension, he'd overshadow the king, and no one would be able to stop him. The worst-case scenario would be Seamus using Matthias as a puppet to overthrow the House of Linsor."Nathaniel, is everything you said true?" Tristan frowned."Absolutely. Every word," Nathaniel replied solemnly. "Of course, if you don't believe me, you can send someone to investigate.""I believe you. But… taking down Seamus won't be easy. Do you have a plan?" Tr
An hour later, Nathaniel quietly entered a private mansion wearing a disguise.Inside the living room, Tristan had already prepared tea and refreshments. He looked as if he had been waiting for a long time."Sorry to have kept you waiting, Tristan." Nathaniel took off his coat and walked forward with a smile."No need to apologize. I'm happy that you made the effort to arrange this. A few extra minutes are nothing, especially since it's rare for us to meet." Tristan gestured for him to sit while he poured two cups of tea and handed one to his brother.Nathaniel accepted the cup and discreetly set it aside. Whenever he was out, he was always cautious about food and drink—this wariness had become second nature."You asked to meet me on short notice. Is this about official matters or something personal?" Tristan took a sip from his cup and got straight to the point."Both," Nathaniel replied, still smiling."Oh?" Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it, then.""Given how things
In another luxurious mansion in the Inner City, a female spy dressed in black, cloaked in a hood, was reporting the results of her investigation to Nathaniel."Your Highness, the Moseys have been particularly active recently and are rallying allies. Many of the eight great families and other influential factions have already allied with them. If left unchecked, they'll pose a serious threat to us," she said, kneeling with her head lowered slightly."So the Moseys are backing Matthias, huh?" Nathaniel sat quietly, his expression unreadable."The Moseys have grand ambitions. While they claim to support Prince Matthias, they're merely setting him up as a puppet to rise to power and expand their own influence," she revealed.She had been infiltrating the Moseys' mansion for years and had gained a deep understanding of their operations, from the smallest details to the key players.Though Seamus appeared as a benevolent philanthropist, it was all a façade. Behind closed doors, he was r
That night, two young men sat playing chess inside a secluded mansion in the Inner City. On the left was Anders, who had visited the Ballard estate earlier. Across from him sat Matthias, a broad-shouldered man dressed in richly adorned robes.The game was intense, with fast moves followed by moments of deep thought. About ten minutes later, Anders finally conceded defeat."Anders, you've really improved since we last played. You almost had me there," Matthias said, stroking his beard in mild surprise."You flatter me, Your Highness. My chess skills are nothing compared to yours. If you hadn't gone easy on me, I wouldn't have lasted half as long," Anders replied with a modest smile."You're as smooth with words as ever." Matthias let out a hearty laugh with a look of smug satisfaction. Winning was in his nature—whether in war or on the chessboard, defeat was not an option."Well, we've eaten, and we've played. Let's get to business." With a wave of his hand, he signaled his men t
"Honestly, we shouldn't waste time debating who's better suited to be king. We just need to figure out who's most likely to take the throne," Jensen said matter-of-factly.As a businessman, he only cared about maximizing profit. To him, it didn't matter who sat on the throne but who had the best odds. He felt that backing that person would be the wisest choice."Who's most likely depends on who has the strongest backing," Jonathan said thoughtfully."Oh, right! I forgot to ask—who are the Moseys supporting?" Jovian asked, smacking his forehead. They'd been discussing this for so long but still hadn't figured out where the Moseys stood."My guess is Prince Nathaniel." Jensen narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the situation. "He's close to Anders. With his immense potential and the king's favor, the Moseys might see him as their best bet.""Anders' personal ties can't speak for the entire Mosey family," Jovian countered, shaking his head. "Family interests outweigh personal relationsh
Even without the king's involvement, the ambitious individuals would tear the Ballard family apart and leave nothing behind.If Simon chose the right side and it prevailed, his family could enjoy a century of stability and prosperity. But if he backed the wrong prince, everything could fall apart in a single night.At that moment, he didn't know what to choose. This was a critical decision—one mistake and the entire family could be ruined."Regarding this matter, I need to think it over carefully. I can't give you an answer just yet," Simon said. He knew the stakes were too high. A single misstep could lead to disaster, so he had to be cautious."I understand," Anders replied with a faint smile. "This isn't an easy decision. Still, I hope Your Lordship can decide soon.""Your Lordship, the forces seeking a marriage alliance with the Mosey family aren't limited to your family alone," Zack added coolly. "Don't think you can afford to wait for the highest bidder. Time is running out,
"In response to Your Lordship's question, this marriage alliance between our two families isn't my decision alone—it's also my godfather's and the entire Mosey family's," Anders said with a smile."According to the established rules, marriages between royal bloodlines are forbidden. Have you forgotten?" Simon replied coolly. "Sticking to outdated rules only holds us back," Anders said, shaking his head with a smile.He continued, "Right now, Dragonmarsh is going through a turbulent time—internally and externally. I've also heard the king's health is deteriorating. There are rumors he plans to name a successor and step down soon."With that, Oakvale will likely be in turmoil. When that happens, all the powerful families—the four ancient houses, the eight great families, and other factions—will be dragged into the chaos."That's why I'm hoping our families can form a marriage alliance to navigate the coming crisis together."Simon remained calm and said, "It's natural for the king
"Dad, what do you think?" Jonathan asked, turning to Simon."A guest has arrived, so we can't be rude. Invite them to the living room so we can discuss things properly," Simon replied calmly.Anders represented the Mosey family, and regardless of his intentions, Simon couldn't simply turn him away. As for the proposed marriage alliance, it was a matter that required thorough consideration."Understood," the butler replied promptly before leaving."Go on with your meal. I'm going to meet with Anders," Simon said, excusing himself from the table.Jonathan, Jensen, and Jovian exchanged glances and, without hesitation, followed their father. They were curious to see what the Mosey family had in mind."Alright, let them handle it. Let's focus on our meal," Gemma Letcher, Natasha's grandmother, said with a smile and signaled everyone to continue eating.…Three minutes later, in the Ballard family's living room, Simon sat at the head of the table near the entrance. Jonathan and his b