An elderly gentleman dressed in a tuxedo and leaning on a cane, slowly walked into the room.Upon seeing the elder, George rushed forward and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Earl, l, these are the two individuals who claim that even Mr. Sirius should respect them."Earl scrutinized Vivianne and Frederick. The man was ordinary-looking, and the woman, aside from her beauty, had nothing particularly remarkable about her. He shook his head dismissively and smirked.Sensing Earl's gaze, Vivianne instinctively took two steps back. It was an aura of authority that made her feel suffocated.She carefully examined Earl. The tuxedo he wore was a custom-made piece from Joavil Tuxedo, a brand that was extremely difficult to acquire, even with wealth. It was a true symbol of status!Her own father only had two sets, which he rarely wore, saving them for her wedding day. The cane in his hand, adorned with an egg-sized ruby, was worth a fortune. Was this the legendary member of the Monroe family? Eve
Earl observed Frederick from afar.Despite scrutinizing him, he couldn't see anything particularly noteworthy about him. Nevertheless, he decided to probe cautiously, "Young man, are you acquainted with Mr. Sirius?"Frederick shook his head slightly; he didn't know Mr. Sirius personally. Their only interaction had been an unexpected phone call from him. "I'm not familiar with Mr. Sirius, and Gerard is the only member of the Monroe family I know."Wade laughed out loud from the side. "Still boasting, huh? You don't even know Mr. Sirius; why would he respect you? And who is this Gerard Monroe? Who knows, who or what is this Gerard anyway?"Just as Wade finished speaking, George, who had always doted on him, suddenly slapped Wade across his cheek.Wade's face had already been injured repeatedly, and though George's slap wasn't as forceful as Frederick's or Tyger's, it still stung enough to make him wince."Uncle George, why did you hit me?" he complained.George glared, winking fra
Grace and Wade exchanged triumphant grins upon hearing Earl's declaration. When the Monroe family promised bankruptcy within three days, it was a death sentence. Once the statement was issued, no one in the province would dare risk the Monroe family's wrath to save the insignificant Danbury family. The slightest pressure from the Monroes would reduce the Danbury family to rubble.Priscilla felt a pang of sympathy. "Frederick, just kneel and apologize. Why drag the Danbury family into this because of you?"Frederick scoffed at Priscilla's words. "I have knelt only to the heavens. An old man like him expects the same? Nonsense! Priscilla, after three years of marriage, you still misunderstand my spirit." Priscilla was taken aback by Frederick's words. He had always been humble and polite, but beneath that exterior lay an unyielding pride.However, in the face of the Monroe family, all pride would eventually lead to a broken and shattered end.Priscilla shook her head helplessly.
Earl's expression was unusually serious as he pulled a red, gold-embossed invitation from his jacket and walked shakily over to Vivianne."Ms. Danbury, this is from Mr. Sirius."Earl had only known to deliver the invitation to Vivianne Danbury, without knowing her appearance, which had led to the confusion.A thrill of excitement coursed through Vivianne as she accepted the invitation. She unfolded the card with trembling hands and saw her name emblazoned across the page."See, I told you!"Triumph flashed in her eyes as she glanced at George. "Didn't you promise to kneel if I had an invitation?"George swallowed hard, now cautious not to offend Vivianne further, but kneeling was out of the question.He stammered, "It was a joke, you can't take it seriously.""You!" Vivianne's face darkened, but there was little she could do.At that moment, Frederick stepped forward. "So, your repeated demands for Vivianne to kneel were also a joke?"George was momentarily speechless and poi
Earl's eyes widened in disbelief. "You... want me to kneel?""I told you there'd be consequences for demanding me to kneel," Frederick replied, his voice glacial.Earl's jaw clenched. His glare was searing. "Do you understand the name I bear? I am a Monroe! Have you considered the repercussions?" Vivianne tugged Frederick's sleeve. "Frederick, perhaps reconsider..."Although Frederick was a lifesaver to the Monroe family head, the Monroe family valued honor above all. This humiliation would invite not just resentment, but potential retaliation.Frederick shook his head. "He crossed my line. This is his own doing."Understanding the futility of further defiance, Earl shifted tactics. He said softly, "Young man, I misjudged you. Please accept my apology. If I truly kneel on behalf of the Monroe family, it won't bode well for you either."Earl was cunning and shrewd. He began with a deferential bow and addressed Frederick as a "young man,". It was a seemingly respectful shift.
"He's not going to go crazy and kill us all, is he?" Wade sweated profusely.The possibility seemed all too real. He hissed to Grace, "We need to run!"Wade ignored the oblivious George and tried to run away, but Frederick stopped him."What... What are you going to do?" Wade asked fearfully, backing away.Frederick replied calmly, "Do you think you weren't included when I said 'you all' just now?"Wade explained frantically, "Earl insulted you and made you kneel, but I didn't make you kneel."Frederick nodded slightly. "That's true, you didn't make me kneel."Wade had just breathed a sigh of relief when Frederick pulled Vivianne out."But you insulted Vivianne repeatedly. Insulting her is like insulting me."Hearing Frederick's words, Vivianne's face flushed red, and she buried her head in her hands.Priscilla's expression changed drastically. Was Vivianne that important to Frederick now?Wade was speechless, trembling as he pointed at Frederick. "You... you..."Frederick
Priscilla's expression changed dramatically. "What? Why should I kneel too? Grace, get up! We're leaving. Let's see what he dares to do!"Priscilla pulled Grace, who was still visibly frightened and trembling, along.Priscilla held her head high and glared at Frederick, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Perhaps seeing Frederick's constant protection of Vivianne had wounded her.Frederick glanced at Priscilla and turned to leave. Despite their divorce, he didn't want their relationship to completely crumble.It was Priscilla who consistently misunderstood him. Besides, she hadn't said anything truly insulting toward him or Vivianne.The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief after seeing Frederick leave.Grace patted her chest, visibly shaken. "Prissy, don't let a person like him get to you. I was really afraid he'd lose control.""How dare he think of hitting me!" Priscilla retorted, her eyes still red.She stormed out of the private room, with Grace trailing behind."P
Vivianne assumed Frederick only wanted to leave this place of sadness because of his divorce.It proved that he held no true place for her in his heart; otherwise, he wouldn't abandon her so abruptly."We've reached the place. You can leave now," Vivianne said coldly after dropping Frederick off at the hilltop mansion.Frederick nodded and exited the car before walking toward the mansion. His mind was consumed with the impending journey to Valyr City and confronting the York family. He paid no attention to Vivianne. Her eyes were already welling up with tears.Watching Frederick disappear into the villa, Vivianne slammed her fists on the steering wheel as she cursed him."He never cared about me. Just go, and don't come back!"Tears streamed down her face and fell onto the steering wheel. No longer able to contain herself, Vivianne slumped over and sobbed uncontrollably.…At the Miller mansion, Priscilla sifted through her wardrobe. With the auction approaching, she needed t
Mary's case was the most severe, while Ivan's symptoms were the mildest, and Frederick could roughly deduce the sequence of transmissions among them. It was clear that Mary infected Nigel, who then passed it to Kimberly, then finally passed it to Ivan. Frederick also saw that Ivan was actually a decent person who unfortunately ended up being betrayed and infected. However, Nigel was primarily worried that Ivan might start trusting Frederick, as he wanted Ivan to believe in his capabilities to carry out his plan.Originally, he intended for Mary to insult Frederick for being poor and unskilled, but she ended up attacking him for having an unpleasant odor, which backfired when Frederick exposed her for contracting syphilis. Now, Nigel had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, he then said to Frederick, "Hehe, Frederick. We all know Ivy is a director, what exactly do you do to be worthy of her?"Nigel assumed that Frederick was just a low-level salesperson, something
Hearing Frederick's words, Kimberly jumped with joy and stopped crying. While wiping her tears, she pointed at Mary, laughing and said, "You're covered in syphilis, yet you're making fun of me.""Slut, I wonder how many people you've slept with!" After being pointed and insulted, Mary was furious and she was ready to fight Kimberly. "You bitch! I am going to teach you a lesson!" At this moment, Nigel felt terrible. If Mary was diseased, he'd be the first victim. He grabbed Mary and shouted, "Bitch, let me teach you a lesson first. Now I know why you always wanted the lights off! I thought you were shy, but you just didn't want me to find out."In a fit of anger, Nigel slapped Mary hard across the face. Just as Mary was about to explain, she was interrupted by another slap. Holding her face, she yelled angrily, "Nigel, how dare you hit me?! Do you want me to expose all your little schemes and tricks?"Nigel froze in horror; if Mary exposed him, it would have been disastrous.
Kimberly heard her laughter, and body odor had always been a sensitive issue for her; a wound she'd tried to cover up over the years. For Frederick to bring it up in front of everyone felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yet what hurt even more was Mary's laughter; as a fellow woman, it felt like salt to the wound, then roasting it. Kimberly was furious, pointed at Mary and said, "What are you laughing at? Do you want me to come over there and shut you up?"Mary felt wronged, she had only let out a reflexive laugh, but now Kimberly's anger was directed at her. "Did I laugh at you? What proof do you have that I laughed at you?""You're the one with body odor, yet you're taking it out on others. You're such an unreasonable woman!"Kimberly grew even angrier after hearing Mary's retort. "You're the one with body odor, your whole family has it!" "Look at what you're wearing, it's like you just threw on two pillowcases. You're a shameless woman, just trying to show off t
When everyone heard Ivy's words, they laughed even more. Her words effectively confirmed that Frederick did indeed have an unpleasant odor. It wasn't entirely her fault as Kimberly's words had been a bit of a trap. "Haha, if you smell, just take a shower and don't embarrass yourself here.""With all that cheap stuff on, no wonder he has a smell."Hearing this, Frederick simply gave a slight smile and then asked Mary and Kimberly, "Are two really that fragrant?"Mary and Kimberly lifted their heads proudly after hearing Frederick's words. "Why don't you ask everyone here, ask them if we smell good or not?""Exactly, go ahead and ask."Both of them considered themselves beautiful, and of course, they would smell pleasant. The men around them quickly chimed in, especially those eager to admire Mary, who was dressed in a way that gave them a bit of eye candy. "Of course, they smell good. How could these two beautiful ladies not smell good?""Hehe, Frederick with his cheap, th
In a hidden corner, Nigel said to Mary, "Damn it, that bumpkin Frederick keeps stealing my spotlight. I am worried that our plan won't go well later.""You should help me humiliate him properly, and Ivan's girlfriend will back you up."Mary pursed her lips and said to Nigel, "Every time something comes up, you just ask me to handle it. My bag hasn't been bought yet, and you've lost 300 thousand dollars"Although Nigel was annoyed by Mary hitting a sore spot, he kept his tone calm and replied, "Help me humiliate Frederick and talk him down in front of Ivan. After that, leave the rest to me. Once it's done, I'll get you more than one bag, I could get you ten bags and it wouldn't be a problem. I don't care about that small amount of money. You saw that Porsche just now, right? I wouldn't mind burning it if I had to." Hearing this, Mary was delighted and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, babe." She hadn't realized that Nigel was so wealthy and even had a Porsche. Up until th
Knowing Martin as someone who knew a lot about wood, everyone immediately looked as though they were ready for a good show. They were convinced that the Saint George statue couldn’t possibly be made of anything valuable.Martin let out a strange exclamation. "What the hell!"Kimberly, thinking that Martin was angry, quickly said, "Mr. Lawson, tell us what’s so disastrous about this wood. Are you saying it’s just a piece of junk?"Contrary to expectations, Martin replied angrily, "I’m saying that whoever preserved this Saint George statue was a jerk. This is genuine sandalwood, and yet it’s completely neglected, covered in dust."Most of the group had no idea what sandalwood was worth, but judging by the name alone, it sounded impressive.Kimberly asked curiously, "Mr. Lawson, are you saying this is really antique wood?"Martin examined the statue carefully, scrutinizing every detail. "Judging by the texture, this carving must have been made at least 150 years ago."Everyone was
"The Saint George statue was indeed a fitting choice for a karaoke." Nigel chuckled, turning to Ivy.“Why didn’t you just go on Amazon and buy a new one for a few dozen bucks? This one is obviously second-hand. Or was it picked up from some junk stall?”Frederick heard Nigel’s mockery and nodded in agreement, a faint smile on his lips. “You’re not wrong. This statue actually was picked up from a street stall.”“At the Treasure Hall in the antique trade market, no less. And yes, it’s an antique.”The truth was, the statue was from the Victorian era. Even the owner of Treasure Hall, Dominic, had recognized its age but dismissed it as worthless, tossing it onto a stall outside.Frederick had picked it up casually, thinking it would come in handy one day, and now it was the perfect gift for Ivan.Hearing this, Nigel burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “An antique? Treasure Hall? You’re really trying to fool us.”Kimberly chimed in, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she glance
The group’s attention was fully captured by Frederick’s words, their eyes all on him. Nigel, knowing that Kimberly had informed Ivy at the last minute and that she likely didn’t have a gift, sneered at Frederick."Well, if you’ve got a gift, go ahead and show it.""Considering Ivy and Kimberly’s relationship, the gift should be pretty decent, right?"Everyone was now staring at Frederick with anticipation, curious to see what kind of gift he could produce.Ivy, on the other hand, was completely flustered. She hadn’t handed any gift to Frederick, though she understood he was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But wasn’t this making things even more awkward?Nigel continued to press him, "Where’s the gift? Come on, take it out already.""After all this time, you still can’t take it out. Don’t tell me you don’t even have one."Frederick glanced at Nigel with a calm smile. "Oh? Are you planning to bet 300 grand with me again?"Nigel froze. There was no way he had another 300 t
Ivan was deeply moved, feeling as though all the unpleasantness from their school days had been swept away. A sense of childhood nostalgia, unique to old classmates, welled up within him.The crowd continued to shower Nigel with praise, giving him thumbs up one after another."A gift worth 10 grand is no small amount. Nigel is truly generous.""That’s right. These days, even classmates hesitate to prepare gifts, but Nigel has shown such generosity.."Most of the attendees had come because of their connection with Kimberly. Each had prepared gifts with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars. Compared to Nigel’s grandiose gift worth 10 thousand, their contributions paled in comparison.Hearing the compliments, Nigel waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty. "It’s nothing, really. After all, Ivan and I are good friends from way back."Then, Nigel’s expression shifted slightly as he added, "Speaking of good friends, I’m sure it’s not just me and Ivan here who share a special b