[20]

"I asked the head chef to prepare your favorite breakfast, Damian," Rebecca said with a smile as he arrived. The man just stared straight ahead with no expression at all, including to the dishes that were already served.

"Hudson," Damian called to his mother's assistant, who was always close by. Sometimes Damian had to be patient with Hera Sawyer's demanding ways.

"Yes, sir." Hudson soon came over. He handed the perfectly pressed black blazer to its owner. "Your car is all ready to go, but I think it would be best if you went first. I'm sure Mrs. Hera is looking forward to this rare opportunity."

Damian shot Hudson a sardonic look, which was met with a submissive gaze from the mother's assistant.

"Darling," Rebecca called out again. She knew her husband had ignored her, but she wasn't going to give up. When was the last time Damian was going to be back at the house? She decided not to miss this chance to spend a little more time with Damian.

"What Hudson said is true, Damian." Hera spoke up this time. The middle-aged woman had been keeping an eye on her son's behavior ever since. Since Damian showed up last night, Hera's been feeling a bit dizzy and confused about what he is up to. And his words, which were clearly full of secrets, also seemed to threaten Leonard Sawyer.

Hera is happy, really. What Damian did make Leonard's figure no longer talk much, but what is Damian really planning? Doesn't he know that following his father and husband's wishes is important?

"You might want to eat something before you get poisoned by your beloved nicotine again." Hera picked up the glass of juice she usually had.

Damian let out a soft sigh. "Okay." The only thing he could not say no to was what his mother wanted. He quickly sat down and asked one of the waiters to bring him something to eat. But before anyone could say anything, Damian made a gesture. "Let me be clear: there's no reason to worry, and you don't need to find out what I'm doing."

The man with slightly curly black hair looked at Hera and Rebecca in turn, giving them a sharp, affirmative look. "Don't even think about getting in the way of what I'm planning. Got it?"

"You can't stop me from doing this, Damian!" Hera said firmly. She was not happy about her son giving her so many rules. "You don't think I'm, your mother is worried about you, do you?"

"As long as I'm around, I can overcome any obstacle, Mom." Damian replied with ease.

"Do you think your life is just a game?" Hera was feeling a bit dizzy from Damian. "At the very least, I should know what you meant last night. I would especially like to know more about the bloodline, Damian.

What you said is important. Leonard will not stay silent on this, and we all know Rebecca isn't pregnant with your child yet!"

Damian picked up one of the sandwiches on his plate. He ate his sandwich, but it seemed like he needed the energy to face the day. He recalled that he had two places to go before heading home.

Meanwhile, Rebecca was trembling in her seat. Her face fell as she remembered last night's conversation. She could not ignore the fact that Damian had said it because the man sitting next to her was not the type of person who made idle threats.

"I'll be having kids soon," Damian replied with a smile. "Until then, I'll keep it under wraps. You guys just go about your usual activities without drawing too much public attention. I'll have Victor set up a schedule of business meetings that I can attend alone without Rebecca."

"But, Damian," Rebecca interjected, her tone hopeful. She lifted her face, her eyes glazed over. "Am I not allowed to know who that woman is?"

Damian gave Rebecca a sarcastic look and said, "Keep your boundaries, Rebecca. I've already given you a heads-up. Don't make me say it again."

Hera was taken aback and looked at her son with a look of disbelief. "You... had another woman? To have your child?"

"Is there any need for me to spell this out?" Damian wrapped up his breakfast meeting. "I think I've said enough here. You can draw your own conclusions about what I did.

"You can't just talk to your parents like that, Damian!" Hera said firmly. "Don't leave until you explain what you just said!"

Damian let out a soft sigh, rubbing the corner of his lips in case there were any food crumbs left. He did not like getting dirty, and he hated it when something got on him. "I'll get the heir to the Sawyer empire. There is no need to worry about the woman who will bring the offspring to you.

I know more about people's backgrounds than you do."

Hera clenched her fists in frustration. Sometimes her son would make decisions without talking to her first.

"The will only asked me to have offspring. It does not matter which woman, right?" Damian gave a little grin. "That means my offspring don't have to come from my wife's womb. I'm sorry if you're offended, Rebecca. But the reality is that it's not possible for you to conceive my offspring."

Rebecca was so upset that she started crying without even trying to stop them.

"I just want you to accept my decision. Do not interfere with anything I do. Take it easy because this is how it should be. In a way, having my own offspring will put a stop to Leonard's activities. Naturally, you're in a very comfortable and safe position. Right?"

Damian took a slow sip of espresso. The coffee had a bitter, slightly sour taste. He took a moment to enjoy the taste of the espresso he loved, closing his eyes as he did so.

"I won't repeat what I said this morning, Mom. Do not make me lose my cool. You're with me, right?" Damian asked, setting down his coffee cup and keeping his gaze fixed on the two women of different ages sitting in front of him. "I'll go first."

Damian excused himself from the meeting. He felt like he'd explained everything that needed to be said. In fact, Damian felt like he'd already gone on about this quite a bit. He didn't usually talk like that, but with Leonard and the transfer of power, there was no way he could avoid going into detail.

This was about everything his grandfather and father had fought for. Damian wasn't going to let that opportunity slip away or be controlled by someone as cunning as Leonard Sawyer.

His white sports car was already cruising down the quiet streets and heading towards Hillarious University, where he belonged. It was the one place in his life where he could relax and unwind. The foundation was the only legacy left by his father, Russel Sawyer. It specialized in education from the lowest level to producing the best graduates in the country.

Damian wasn't interested in getting involved in the day-to-day management of the Foundation, but he did put one really talented and reliable person in charge of Hillarious: Victor Wyatt. The light-brown-haired man was the perfect choice for managing such a large foundation and handling matters related to outstanding students. Most of them work for Damian at his company, in roles that match their skills.

The car's audio system displayed an incoming call indicator. Damian simply put the device to his ear and swiped the green icon on the screen. The car wasn't slowing down just because he got a call from... "If you're only calling to say how much fun you had last night, I don't need an explanation."

On the other end, Victor laughed with satisfaction. "Our big boss still wants to sharpen his guns?"

Damian didn't say anything.

"Alright, Damian, you're being pretty quiet. But I've got what we need. I've asked Marcus's closest colleagues to take the next step. Relax. I just asked Marcus to sit tight in Catterpilar's room office."

"Good." That was all Damian had to say on the matter.

"Do you want to stop by?" Victor asked. "I've got some important info I think you'll want to know."

"I'm on my way to see Hilarious, Asshole!" If Damian hadn't remembered how important Victor was as one of his confidants, he would have kicked out and bannedished this annoying man a long time ago.

Meanwhile, Victor was laughing again. "Oh, one more thing you should know. I've taken care of the Ashton family's issues. If you get an odd financial report because I spent a lot of money, you can blame that old bastard who likes to gamble and get drunk!"

"Does that include the items that are already up for auction?" Damian gently tapped the brake lever because a big red light started flashing in front of him, warning him to stop at the next intersection. He didn't want to cause any trouble by running the red light.

"Take it easy. Everything's back to normal. That even includes Miya's favorite car."

"That's good."

"But I'm curious, is that the extent of the issue between you and Miya?"

Damian took action in response to the question. He swiped at the red icon on the screen without saying goodbye to the person he was talking to on the phone. Damian thought to himself, "This is useless." He drove back to his vehicle quietly, his hands quickly searching for the contact he needed.

Marcus Whitney.

"I was just about to give you a call, Damian," the voice on the other end said with a lot of enthusiasm. As usual, Marcus had plenty of energy, no matter what was going on around him. He could be in a great mood one minute and suddenly not in the mood to do anything because of a small mistake he'd made.

Damian understood a man whose moods could sometimes be unpredictable could be extremely reliable in certain situations. Like right now.

"Did you do what Victor wanted?"

"My team will be there in ten minutes. I'm keeping an eye on things from a distance."

"You're not at Catterpillar?" Damian asked, sounding annoyed. From the reflection in the center mirror, it was clear that he was frowning. He was looking ready to take on anyone who was bothering him.

"After Kenzo's passing?" Marcus let out a chuckle. "I'm fine, Damian. Take it easy. Your friend doesn't die easily."

"Damn it, Marcus! I need to talk to you without you being alarmed.” Damian turned the wheel toward a tall gate with a black wolf emblem in the center. The bright yellow color was a distinctive feature of the crest, which belonged to Supreme Ruler Damian Sawyer.

"I'll see you at Hillarious in thirty minutes, Marcus. If not, you know what'll happen." He ended the call rather abruptly. Damian had to be very patient when dealing with Victor and Marcus. He didn't stay in the car long after he got to the main gate. He pulled up right in front of the main lobby of the Hillarious building.

Victor was waiting for him with his trademark wide grin.

"You look like you've just skinned someone, Damian." Victor laughs at Damian's arrival.

"One of the two people I'd love to skin without waste is you, Victor. Just get ready."

"You're terrible." Victor laughed at that. "Let's get to your office. It'd be better if you were there rather than wandering around the building. Your vibe is a bit too negative. It might upset my students."

Damian decided to give Victor a good kick rather than put up with his careless remarks.

Meanwhile, in another part of the building, there was a garden with lots of colorful flowers. A blonde-haired girl sat there, cool, peaceful, and reassuring, with her cell phone never far from her hand. She often looked over at the gate, which was close to the park where she'd spent the morning.

It was already ten o'clock on her cell phone. It was too late in the day to be considered morning.

"What did you think would happen, Miya? Is Damian coming?" she asked, in a tone that was both soft and dismissive. "There's no way he'll be back in a hurry. Who are you to be seen all the time anyway?" That question also made Miya realize what her role was in this house.

"Never mind, I'd better ask the head chef to teach me to cook. It's better than just hanging around here without doing anything."

Miya didn't realize someone was watching her. They were recording everything she did to make a report to someone else who had more power and influence in this house.

[Desi: Ms. Miya was waiting for you. But I can't say anything other than you're busy taking care of business. I am attaching Miss Miya's activities this morning.]