However, ten years ago, Matthias was told that Dexter fell ill and died."Uncle Wyatt, Dexter," Matthias whispered to himself.He felt a wave of regret, wishing he had understood more when he was younger. He would never have allowed Oswald and Wyatt to use Dexter as his stand-in.Dexter had not died from illness, as everyone believed. Ten years ago, Wyatt had arranged for Dexter to take Matthias' place. In a sense, Matthias owed his life to Wyatt, who had sacrificed his own son to save him.Alpha drove them to a bustling market area. As evening fell, a middle-aged couple served customers at their barbecue stand. The man tended the grill while the woman handled the customers.Matthias and Alpha quietly approached the stand.The woman, Elizabeth Holt, greeted them warmly, "What would you like, gentlemen? Feel free to order anything."She glanced at their clean, expensive-looking clothes, wondering why such well-to-do men would eat at a humble place like this. Nonetheless, they wer
Clinton's men smashed everything in sight."Clinton, please don't wreck this place! I know I messed up, but if you destroy my stand, I won't be able to make money to pay you!" Wyatt pleaded desperately, crawling toward Clinton despite having just been slapped to the ground.Clinton spat contemptuously and sneered at Wyatt. "Why should I care? You brought this onto yourself. We're trashing your stand today, and if you still can't pay up tomorrow, who knows? I might sell your daughter off.""No! Please, Clinton, I'm begging you. Noelle's still young—she's only in college. If you've got a problem, take it out on me. Leave her out of it," Wyatt begged, his face paled with fear.Clinton grinned wickedly and said, "College girls fetch a good price, you know. Noelle is gorgeous, and I bet I can get top dollar for her if you hand her to me."Meanwhile, Elizabeth was trying to stop Clinton's men from wrecking everything, but a young guy with dyed blond hair, Ethan, kicked her to the ground
Clinton was confident in his powerful connections, believing that even if that young man were from some influential family, he had picked the wrong fight and better be ready to lose both legs.He smirked and said in a mocking tone, "Wyatt, why do you put yourself through this? The Lowell family offered you a butler position several times. If you'd accepted, you wouldn't be in this mess now.""Please, Clinton," Wyatt begged on his knees. "I know I messed up. Just let the young man go; he's not involved in this."He ignored Clinton's mention of the Lowell family because that was never an option for him. Instead, he just felt terrible for dragging that stranger into his troubles."Oh, Wyatt, you can't even help yourself, and you're worried about others? Think about what's going to happen to Noelle tonight! As for this clueless kid, you'll be watching him beg for mercy soon enough."Clinton laughed and pulled up a chair, ready to enjoy the show. He could already picture the young man
Matthias was like a madman, grabbing Clinton's hair and shoving his face into the floor. Within seconds, Clinton's face was a bloody mess."Stop! Please stop! I'm sorry! I was wrong!" Clinton begged, truly frightened by Matthias.Matthias released Clinton and glared at him.As Clinton tried to stand, Matthias barked, "On your knees when you speak to me!"Clinton's knees hit the ground with a thud. He looked up at Matthias fearfully and shouted, "I'm sorry, sir. I was wrong!"Matthias stared coldly at him. He gestured at Wyatt and Elizabeth, commanding, "Apologize to them!"The couple stood beside Matthias, stunned by the scene before them. They looked at Matthias in confusion, unsure why that stranger was helping them."I'm so sorry!" Clinton turned to the couple, his voice filled with apparent sincerity. "Mr. Armstrong, I'm at fault. I'm sorry!"Despite his words, a glint of malice flashed in Clinton's eyes. Being forced to apologize to someone like Wyatt was utterly humiliati
'You saved me once. From now on, I'll protect you for life!' Matthias silently vowed.Alpha led Wyatt and Elizabeth away. As they left, the couple cast worried and guilty glances at Matthias, murmuring about how they had dragged that young man into their mess.Once they were gone, Matthias turned to Clinton, radiating an intense aura of menace.Meanwhile, a crowd had gathered around the food stand—all Clinton's men. They clutched various weapons, glaring at Matthias as if he were already dead.Clinton crawled backward until he reached his men, then stood up. His face twisted with rage, and he finally regained his confidence. He had the strength in numbers and refused to believe Matthias could defeat them all."Now, try repeating what you said earlier!"I don't care who you are. Today, I'm teaching you a lesson! Get him! Don't kill him—just cripple him!"A roar went up from over a hundred voices. "Yes, Clinton!"The mob surged toward Matthias, but he remained unfazed. He turned
Matthias clenched his fists, overwhelmed with the urge to kill, as he listened to Clinton's shocking revelation.When Wyatt left the Lowell family, Oswald's presence allowed him and his family to live a relatively comfortable life. However, after Oswald's death, the Lowell family tried to bring Wyatt back. He refused.From that point on, the Lowells sabotaged everything Wyatt attempted. He lost his job, and his elderly father was supposedly accidentally killed during a morning walk by someone the Lowells had hired. They also ruined every business venture Wyatt started.As a result, the family's life spiraled downward.All of that was orchestrated on a whim by a young Lowell—Barry, Roland's second son. He was a typical spoiled rich kid who threw his weight around in Reirmunt, abusing the Lowell family's power."Take me to Barry," Matthias uttered coldly."What?" Clinton was stunned when he heard Matthias' request but quickly shook his head. His face was pale as he begged, "Please,
Even though Barry was only Roland's son with no chance of inheriting the Lowell family leadership, the resources at his disposal were enough to make lesser families drool."Barry, I have a favor to ask. The Reilley family wants to expand into Havenwood's financial sector, but it's the Grahams' territory. We'd face pushback if we moved in without support," Jeremy Reilley, Demetrius's son, said.The Graham family was similar in strength to the Reilley family.Barry shrugged nonchalantly. "The Grahams? No big deal. I'll make a call and sort it out."Jeremy's face lit up with excitement. "Thank you, Barry! This is a huge help to the Reilley family."He could not wait to tell Stuart, who would probably be ecstatic.Barry smirked and asked, "By the way, Jeremy. I heard some young hotshot barged into your place today and made the Reilley family submit to him. Pretty pathetic for a so-called elite family of Reirmunt, don't you think?"Jeremy's face flushed with embarrassment, and he fel
After dismissing Matthias, Barry turned his attention back to his companions. To him, Matthias was just a minor nuisance. Hence, he only asked Matthias to kneel. He would deal with him later."So you're Barry Lowell," Matthias growled, his expression icy.Jeremy jumped in, eager to impress Barry. "How dare you! Barry told you to kneel outside. Who do you think you are to speak to him?"Unless Matthias had a death wish, Jeremy doubted that Matthias would do anything with Barry present. Yet, with just a single icy glare from Matthias, Jeremy shrank back, remembering Matthias' display of strength at the Reilley estate all too well."Shut up if you want to live. I'm here for Barry," Matthias said flatly.Barry finally looked at Matthias and said, "You're here for me? Do you want to die in my hands, or are you here because you want to be one of my people? After your stunt at the Reilleys', I might just consider it. However, you chose the wrong way to approach me."Barry glanced at Cli