"Yes, we were all shocked at the time!" Catherine said in a somewhat traumatized manner. "Since we're going to be much more well-off financially in the future, we should hire some more bodyguards for our family. We can't compromise on our safety just to save some extra money!"Stanley agreed. "Well, if this trend continued, then we might become a second-tier family in less than two years! Once that happens, we'd need a few more elite fighters to take charge. As it stands, there aren't any such people in our family at all!""Severin's extraordinary skills came in really handy today. We'd be in big trouble if not for that!" The old lady then raised her glass and said, "Let's have a toast, everyone! Regardless of what happens, the Shanahans will have a bright future ahead!""Cheers!" Everyone stood up and raised their glasses.Selene raised her fruit glass too and yelled 'cheers' like an adult too."Oh, you!" Severin could not help but look at his daughter and kiss her chubby cheeks.
Severin practically facepalmed. 'Medical box?' The Dracodeus Ring that he wore was a storage item that could hold a lot of things, and there was no need for him to carry a medical box around.Such paraphernalia were known only to the strongest people who had reached high levels of attainment. One could not expect a rich kid like Stanley to have seen such a treasure when all he knew was to eat, drink, and frolic with women all day long.However, Severin could not help but smile when he realized that it would be a great chance to mess with him. "Are you sure? It's not a problem for you to tag along, but my medical box is a little heavy, and I'm worried you won't be able to lift it!""Who are you kidding? I'm a strong man, so of course I can carry it!" Stanley could not help but laugh. "Do you think I'm not strong enough just because I come from a rich family? I'm a man, after all, and even though I haven't done much physical work before, a medical box shouldn't pose a big problem for
It was Claude's first time dealing with Zachariah, and he was caught a little off guard when Zachariah saw through his intentions. There was clearly more than meets the eye to Zachariah's rise to power.Claude smiled. "Haha, you're right! We're afraid, but I believe that you're just as afraid as we are. I'll just get to the point then. I hope that Brookbourn Mansion will lend us a helping hand if Draco Hall somehow decides to attack us, and we'll help as well if they target Brookbourn Mansion. How does that sound?"Zachariah pondered over that proposal and said, "I trust that they won't act recklessly. After all, I know that Draco Hall only took over the Cedar Gang because they had no choice. Furthermore, we from Brookbourn Mansion would rather not make any deals with underground forces.""Haha, are you sure about that? If my Emerald Cloud Gang disappears suddenly one day, Brookbourn Mansion will become the next target. Though councils similar to Brookbourn Mansion in other cities m
As soon as Claude and the others left, Zachariah and several of the Ballards' elders fell silent in the room.After some time had passed, a middle-aged woman said to Zachariah, "Sir, I think Claude has a point. We need to be wary of Draco Hall!"Zachariah nodded. "Indeed, we do, but I'm afraid that we shouldn't mess with Draco Hall. If Brookbourn Mansion joins hands with underground forces like the Emerald Cloud Gang in dealing with Draco Hall, our reputation and image would be tarnished if word gets out! Moreover, Draco Hall did not commence any further action after absorbing the Cedar Gang."The middle-aged woman thought over Zachariah's words and said, "Sir, the upper-class families hand over ten percent of their income to us every year, don't they? How about we raise that by double? The councils in other cities mostly request a twenty percent contribution from the upper-class families, and this makes us seem a little too merciful.""I agree, sir! We might have a wealth of funds
"Yeah, Dad! He's a talented guy! Leave this to me. I'll find a way to make him the head of our bodyguards or something like that. We can offer him a high salary!" Sheila said with an innocent grin.Zachariah responded with a chuckle. "Hehe, you have a crush on him, don't you?"Sheila's cheeks turned red right away, but she still said coyly, "Nonsense, Dad! I just feel like making friends with him after he saved me. I think he's a really interesting person too, since he refused to accept my money after I saved him!"After saying that, Sheila frowned, turned around, and put her hands behind her back before saying confidently, "More importantly, he doesn't ogle me at all even though I'm a beautiful woman! It's the first I've ever met a man like that!"Zachariah was well aware that the precursor to falling in love with someone was showing an interest in them.He frowned, looked earnestly at Sheila, and said, "I'll admit that he looks like a very decent guy, but if you don't have a cru
It was due to Zachariah's old age—leading to his weak physical condition and waning fertility—that he doted on Sheila even more. It therefore came as a huge surprise to Sheila that her father would even consider marrying her off to a family in Riverson.Zachariah said, "Riverson is a big place, with an area that is more than twice as large as Brookbourn. The grass there is greener, and their first-tier families are even stronger than Brookbourn Mansion. Your life will forever be free of worry if you could get married to a family there." After a brief pause, he added, "And that's not considered far by most standards. Riverson is only an hour or two away from here by car, and we also have lots of properties and villas there. If you move there, you can come back to visit me any time. More importantly, our assets will be better utilized and developed if you marry there!"Sheila smiled coldly. "What do you mean by that, Dad? Are you using my marriage as a means to bring you more benefits?
The middle-aged woman nodded. "Indeed. He ruined our plan, and killing him is the right thing to do. I didn't expect Fifth Elder to fail in doing so!""Let me go this time," said a bald man. Standing at a height of six feet, his arms looked like dragons because of his bulging arm muscles and he had a rather gruff voice as he spoke."Since you're a level seven grandmaster, I believe that you won't face too big of a problem if you went, Fourth Elder!" Tharran looked at the bald man and felt that he was a good candidate indeed. After some more thought, he said to the bald man, "However, I think it's better for you to bring a few grandmaster-level protectors with you as well!"The bald man nodded. "Sure. There's strength in numbers, and our opponent will have to divide his attention when fighting. This will be a big advantage for us! I'll choose five of our guardians to join me, and I, Janvar Runge, will be the one to decapitate Severin's head!""It's settled then. The expenses you inc
"I'm sorry, honey. A big chunk of the responsibility falls on me for what happened that night, because I slept with you knowing that I might be apprehended the next day after smashing the bottle over Easton's head. I didn't think you'd pregnant after that, and I never thought that it'd bring you so much pain and suffering!" Severin held Diane's hand, and said sincerely, "Don't worry. I'll try my best to make it up to you!"Diane smiled and said, "I still hated you when you were released, but everything that happened in the past few days has shown me that you're a good person, while Lucy and Easton are anything but. Perhaps this is what they call fate."Severin digested her words and asked again, "Do you still blame me now?"Diane shook her head. "I don't blame you anymore, because you've proven yourself as a good father and a good husband. I can see that you're a capable and responsible man instead of a useless good-for-nothing. I'm very satisfied with that!" After saying that, Dian