"Joe." Protective of his daughter, Callum stood in front of Joseph. "I'll find out what happened. Besides, Chloe is my daughter too. I won't let anything happen to her."Joseph ignored Callum and kept staring at Ophelia as the latter shuddered."You better hope so. You know that I always mean my words when it comes to Chloe. No one is allowed to harm her."If anything happened to Chloe, Callum would lose more than a daughter. This realization made his brows furrow. He was certain that Joseph would be outraged and cut all ties with him. But Joseph could not be blamed since Ophelia was the one at fault here. "Dad! Why do you bow down to him? Chloe being missing has nothing to do with us, and I'm hurt." Ophelia grabbed Callum's arm in bewilderment.She could not understand why Callum was being so polite to Joseph. She thought they should be fearless since there was no evidence against them. And seemed to care that she was hurt."Shut up!" the frustrated Callum admonished her.Ophe
To keep herself safe, Frieda rarely stepped outside after moving into the Whitman family home. She spent her days gardening instead. She was a reserved person and would not go out unless for something urgent.What Vince learned sent a chill down his spine. With trembling fingers, he called the few men who were responsible for protecting Frieda.Ring, ring, ring…No one picked up his calls.'Damn it! Something must’ve happened to Frieda!'Vince felt his legs threatening to give way. He knew he had messed up. "Sir, I...I'm sorry. I didn't ask before sending some people out."Joseph's blood ran cold. He clenched his jaw to calm down, trying to quickly come up with a resolution. He closed his eyes and said, "Let's split up. Take some men with you to look for my mother. I'll go find Chloe.""Sir, will you be okay on your own?" "It's none of your concern." Vince steeled himself and turned around to head back to the Whitman family home.Joseph stopped him, saying, "Keep an eye on
Chloe felt a chill course through her body. She gathered all her energy and dashed into a nearby children's play yacht. The footsteps tailing her sounded like just one person's, but she could not risk it.Holding her breath, she curled up and listened carefully. Her heart pounded and her head throbbed. Everything was a blur. All she could remember from before blacking out was Ophelia screaming while running away.Who had drugged her? Who set her free? Where was she now?Chloe’s mind buzzed with questions but no answers came.Crunch.The person stepped on some dried leaves. The sound seemed so near that it sent chills down her spine.Chloe grabbed a sharp rock and held on to it tightly. Hugging her trembling self, she prepared to defend herself if she had to. The footsteps stopped nearby, but all she could do was pray she would not be discovered. The steps got closer and stopped right beside her. She held her breath, covering her mouth with her hands.The next second, a pale face
Joseph clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to punch Noah. He removed his coat and draped it over Chloe. "Let's get you home."Still confused, Chloe followed Joseph like a robot. Neither of them noticed Noah's enigmatic smile."Joseph! Let go of Coco right now!"Leaning on his purple cane, Desmond came hobbling toward them. He quivered with each step, and his aging face was a mask of deep disapproval.Joseph did not let go of Chloe's hand. Though he stood tall, he said in a non-confrontational tone, "Mr. Desmond, there are some things I'd prefer not to discuss here. You may not have grasped the full picture yet.""Save your explanations. We will settle our own family matters at home. Coco is now married to Noah, so let her go," Desmond spoke with authority, and his expression was stern and unyielding."Do you realize that Noah orchestrated everything?" Joseph's eyes were ice-cold. As the wind tossed his hair, he said, "If you take Chloe back, you’d be bringing her into the li
Xavia screamed as she clutched her head, "Have you gone mad, Noah?!”"You’re the mad one here," he said, leaning in to grasp her chin. "You hurt Coco."Given that Ophelia had rushed to report the incident and Otto seemed against harming Chloe, it had to be Xavia's doing."I was just going along with your plan. How could Chloe escape from kidnappers without getting hurt? A few injuries make it more believable. What sort of a man are you to admonish me after using me?" Xavia retorted, visibly angered by the sudden assault."Do you take me for a fool? I had instructed you not to touch her since the beginning. Did you miss that part?" Noah dragged a chair over, looming over her as he spoke. His long lashes threw tiny shadows on his prominent nose."Otto implicitly agreed to this. Why don't you take it up with him instead? What kind of man are you to pick on a woman?" Xavia's forehead was wet with blood, making her look pitiable.Rage built up inside of her. 'If Chloe had died, you'd
Though the timing was not ideal, it really did not matter.Fear, anxiety, loss of prestige...At this moment, Xavia was crumbling. She knew all too well what she was about to face. She feared humiliation far more than physical pain."No! You can't do this to me! I'm carrying Ken's child!""Do you think Kenneth knows you have a five-year-old, mentally challenged daughter? Maybe your genes are the issue here." Noah casually tore through Xavia’s shields, his eyes briefly settling on her slightly rounded stomach.Eustace had done some digging and found that he was perfectly healthy. It was likely that the issue with his and Xavia’s daughter came from the latter’s genes. That meant Xavia and Kenneth’s unborn child could be mentally challenged too, something that the royal family would never tolerate.This struck a nerve with Xavia. She already knew the problem was her genes. She bit her lip, unable to admit the truth. "Eustace is just bitter because he can't have me. That child has no
"Sir, isn’t this too reckless? As soon as Frieda is taken away, Imperium springs into action. What if it's a trap?" Vince was not scared of dying, but he was concerned for Joseph’s safety.Joseph had rescued Vince after the latter escaped from an orphanage, which had been a cover for a child trafficking ring. Vince’s physical strength and adeptness at handling chores made the orphanage director reluctant to lose such a valuable laborer, allowing Vince to narrowly escape with his life. However, life after the escape had been wretched, marked by inconsistent meals and hardship. At the height of his adolescence, Vince stood at 1.8 meters tall and was severely underweight, weighing in at just 48 kilograms. He was a walking skeleton. Without Joseph's intervention, Vince would not be living the life he had today.Joseph had given Vince a new life, and he owed everything to him. Joseph, on the other hand, had a completely different status in life. Destined to lead, he carried the future of
“I can set you free and get the best medical experts in the country to treat your daughter," Joseph offered, "All you need to do is seek out Desmond and reveal everything Noah ordered you to do today."Eustace shook his head, his expression blank. "No, I won’t trust you."At the same time, he prayed, ‘Aggie’s been healthy for over a year. Aside from her struggles when it comes to learning, she's now like any other kid. She'll be fine. Aggie will be fine…'Now in his mid-thirties, Eustace’s eyes were bloodshot and he sported a scruffy beard. He looked utterly drained, but within that exhaustion was a spark of enduring hope for his little girl.Joseph signaled the guards at the door to keep an eye on Eustace. His sliver of sympathy for the man came from his own position as a dad.*The Whitman family home was abuzz with activity all night. Even Lucas, who was not part of Imperium, had his hands full. Under Joseph’s prolonged absence, Fairlight and the Whitman Group were in need of