Whitney was thunderstruck as she exclaimed, "Canceled? What happened?""I don't know. I just heard the news. They claimed that our application was not in compliance with the proper procedures," Mabel reported."Try to find out what's going on."Whitney was panicking.The sudden loss of the guaranteed spot was a great blow to Frostwave Corporation!Whitney went to great lengths to get it. She had to rely on a lot of her connections and resources, as well as spend a ton of money.They had even prepared all the promotional activities related to their participation in the competition.Even if they were kicked out now, it would be a loss of over ten million dollars!Plus, without the guaranteed spot in the city-level competition, their promotions for the Goldcrow pill would not be as effective!Mabel made calls to everyone she could think of, but no one knew what had happened."What should we do now, Ms. Sutton? It looks like it was the Griffin family's doing."Whitney was frowni
"Really?" Whitney exclaimed. She was already beside herself with worry.Fergus nodded and said confidently, "My dad has some connections with the Griffin family. As long as he puts in a word for you, I'm sure it won't be a problem to get you the guaranteed spot in the city-level competition.""Please do, Mr. Cobb. As long as you resolve this issue for me, I'll be forever indebted to you," Whitney said urgently as she clutched Fergus' arm.Fergus declared, "Of course. I'll call my dad right away."He walked off to the side. The call lasted quite some time, but when he came back, his expression was a little grim."How did it go, Mr. Cobb?" Whitney frantically asked.Fergus scratched his head awkwardly.His father had berated him and called him a lust-driven braggart who was blindly showing off in an attempt to woo a woman. He also refused to help out with getting a guaranteed spot in the city-level competition.Just then, Mabel got a call. When she answered it, she was so happy t
Sebastian was the reason why Frostwave Corporation got a guaranteed spot in the city-level competition?The moment he said that, everyone froze in confusion and disbelief."You're so shameless, Sebastian. I can't believe you had the nerve to say that!" Mabel scoffed disdainfully.She eyed Sebastian in contempt.Fergus almost laughed until his sides hurt. "You sure know how to flatter yourself, Sebastian! You'll never be able to accomplish what I can get done with a single call! If that upsets you, well, here's a word of advice—suck it up!"Sebastian cocked an eyebrow and retorted with an icy gaze, "It's not always that easy to steal credit for something. Careful, or it might end up backfiring on you.""What do you mean by that, huh? Who else should get the credit, if not me? Don't tell me it's you!" Fergus growled in fury with a stormy expression.Mabel piped up, "You're just jealous, Sebastian! Mr. Cobb is way more capable than you are! Is it so hard for you to admit it?"Frow
"Next, let's invite Frostwave Corporation to present their newest product, the Goldcrow pill! I'm sure everyone has heard about it. It's said to be a groundbreaking medicine that can treat all illnesses!"A round of applause, please, as we invite Ms. Whitney Sutton, the CEO of Frostwave Corporation, to come up on stage!"A round of applause rang out."It's our turn, Ms. Sutton," Mabel said in excitement.Whitney took a deep breath and stood up.She saw the spotlights on the stage and heard the thunderous applause.Tonight, she would be embarking on her first step to becoming the queen of Steinberg's business world.She would be officially bidding goodbye to the past and ushering in a new future.After exhaling, Whitney's gaze fell on Sebastian, who was still chatting with ease in the corner.Once again, she reminded herself that after tonight, she and Sebastian would belong to two entirely different worlds. She would tower far above him.She would become a household name in S
Everyone in the hall was thunderstruck.In an instant, all eyes turned toward the corner where Sebastian sat.Their gazes varied between shock, doubt, fury, disdain, and revelry.Who was he?What gave him the nerve to say something like that during such an important occasion? Did he have a death wish?Even Rosalie shrank back timidly. She did not like the feeling of being stared at by so many people.She crept nearer to Sebastian and tugged on his shirt while muttering, "Watch what you say, Dr. Ballard. That's Mr. Whitaker Senior. He's from the state capital. Even my family, the Griffins, have to treat him with respect …"Meanwhile, Isabel, who was standing beside Nathan, immediately recognized Sebastian.Her eyes flickered in bewilderment.What was he doing here?She too, thought it was brave of him to say such a thing in front of Nathan.Isabel frowned as she tried to find a way to excuse Sebastian's actions.Meanwhile, after hearing what Sebastian said, Whitney was stunn
Everyone in the hall started murmuring among themselves.When they heard Whitney mentioning the divorce, they realized that Sebastian was once her husband.They knew her husband. He was the one who founded Frostwave Corporation three years ago and became known as the talented entrepreneur who was the most capable young man in Steinberg.But two years ago, he started retreating from Steinberg's business world. No one ever spoke of him again. If Whitney had not brought it up, they would not have even recognized him.It was rumored that Sebastian, the previous CEO of Frostwave Corporation, became obsessed with the mystical arts. He had abandoned the company and started a small shop doing fortune telling and geomancy readings instead. The crowd figured the rumors were true after all.Most of the people present knew about Sebastian's past fame.But now, he seemed like an entirely different person.He was an aimless loser who spoke irresponsibly to sway the crowd.By now, everyone
Everyone inside the hall fixed their eyes on Nathan. They wanted to see his reaction after eating the Goldcrow pill.Isabel also crouched down and asked in concern, "How do you feel, Grandpa?"Nathan smiled faintly and said, "I think it worked. My body feels a lot lighter, and my chest feels less stuffy. The persistent pain is gone too, and my mind feels clearer. The Goldcrow pill is indeed effective."As soon as he said that, all the guests became agitated!The Goldcrow pill was a miracle cure!Now that even Nathan had voiced his support for it, the pill would certainly have a huge impact on Steinberg's pharmaceutical industry!After hearing Nathan's words, Whitney's heart settled back in place. She exhaled in relief.Thanks to this event, the Goldcrow pill had made its mark!Whitney was starting to imagine what it would be like when Frostwave Corporation became the top pharmaceutical industry in Steinberg.Mabel was also thrilled. Her eyes were filled with pride."We did it
Mabel hastily helped Whitney up from the floor as she cried out, "W-What should we do now Ms. Sutton? If something happens to Mr. Whitaker Senior, we're done for! It'll all be over for us …"Someone from the crowd cried out, "Sebastian was right …"Sebastian?Upon hearing his name, Whitney froze and stared out the entrance."Ms. Sutton, I'm sure Sebastian's behind this! He's the one who gave me the formula. He did it on purpose. He wants to harm you and the entire Frostwave Corporation!" Mabel declared in fury. After realizing the situation, she quickly shoved all the blame onto Sebastian without mentioning all of his repeated warnings."Is it really him?" Whitney said hesitantly.Based on her understanding of him, she thought that even though they were divorced, he would not do this to hurt her.She believed that even though he had become something of a loser in the last two years, he was still a decent person."Ms. Sutton, how can you still trust that bastard at a time like t
Kayden watched Sebastian walk off and gritted his teeth. "Sebastian Ballard! If you dare to return to Acorn City, I'll make sure you die a horrible death!""Mr. Berkeley, there's no need to get yourself worked up over someone like that. Violet said that she would help you deal with him, didn't she?" Candy said icily. Kayden huffed angrily and hurried back to the car. Colton and Jayden followed hastily. …After they entered the forest, Scott led Sebastian to a hill. He pointed at the paw prints on the ground and said, "Look, Mr. Ballard!"Sebastian didn't look in the direction that Scott was pointing at. Instead, he focused warily on the sounds around them. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept over them, bringing the pungent smell of blood. The leaves in the forest rustled noisily as they were battered by the wind."It's coming!" Sebastian said calmly.Scott jumped in fright and hastily retreated behind Sebastian. Cohen looked warily around them. There was an old saying which sai
Scott seemed used to it and didn't even look up. As he ate, he said to Sebastian, "Mr. Ballard, don't be surprised. This is a common occurrence!"Sebastian glanced at him and took another large bite of beef. He smiled and said, "You're alone here. Aren't you afraid?""Afraid? Is there any use in being afraid?" Scott asked. "To be honest, I've been transferred here for almost three months, and no one's come to replace me yet. They told me at the beginning that we'd be changed once a month!"Then, he turned and gave Cohen a meaningful look."Someone will come and replace you next month," Cohen said, although it was obviously an empty promise.At that moment, a black SUV drove into Flemin Village and headed straight toward the villas.At the entrance to the neighborhood where the villas were, a few young men and women got out of the car. One of the young women was supporting a young man, who was limping. They walked toward the villas. Among the young men and women, a few of them w
In the process of the investigation, the police had discovered that some of the houses in the village still had their lights on and that there was still food cooking on the stoves. However, the people in the houses seemed to have all disappeared into thin air.From then on, Flemin Village had become a deserted place that no one dared to live in.As for the villas, no one knew when they had been built, nor did anyone know who the owners of the villas were. However, the sound of ghostly wails and screams could often be heard inside. Even the deacons from the local Martial Arts Court wouldn't go near them if they could help it. It was rumored that all the wronged spirits of the villagers were in those villas. Someone had once looked in the windows of the villas in the middle of the night, and they had been filled with fearful human faces. However, during the day, the villas were unusually quiet. There was no sign of human activity in any of them."Mr. Gabbard, you seem to be ve
However, Kayden's rage was futile. Even the deacons beside him advised him in low voices not to try and issue a challenge. Otherwise, he was sure to end up in an even worse state.After settling the bill, the deacons helped Kayden into the elevator.Kayden was badly injured. Not only was he now disfigured, but he also had fractures of varying degrees in his shoulders and ribs. When he was brought to the hospital, despite being given three times the usual dose of anesthetic, he still let out bloodcurdling yells from inside the operating room. Amidst his screams, he swore inwardly that he would use all the connections of the Berkeleys to crush Sebastian completely!…Back at the restaurant, Candy sneered as her gaze swept over Sebastian. She had been with Kayden the entire time. Beating up Kayden was different from destroying the Lynches. The Lynches were also an elite martial arts family in Acorn City, but their status couldn't be compared to the Berkeleys at all.The Berke
"Mr. Berkeley, is it? It doesn't matter whether you're an heir, all adults must take responsibility for their words and actions," Sebastian said icily."Kill him!" Kayden shouted.He was convulsing with pain. Although the wounds on his shoulders weren't fatal, it was also the spot on the body with the least amount of flesh and the thinnest skin.Sebastian had pieced through his bones with that move, and it wasn't the kind of pain that an ordinary person could withstand. It was surprising that Kayden hadn't fainted from the pain.A few deacons from the Martial Arts Court immediately rushed in Sebastian's direction, but they were sent packing faster than they had come. One of the deacons was sent sailing through the air in Kayden's direction and landed heavily on top of him. In less than ten seconds, all five of the deacons were sprawled out on the floor, writhing. Kayden was pinned below the first deacon, unable to move at all. Sebastian stood up and walked slowly over to him.
Kayden might seem generous, but anyone could tell that he had been targeting Sebastian since coming in."Well! After all my years in Acorn City, this is the first time someone has refused to let me pick up the tab! You're pretty bold, aren't you?"Kayden went over to Sebastian's table and pulled up a chair, staring scornfully at him."You're just as bold." Sebastian put his knife and fork down and glanced fleetingly at Kayden."Want to know something, brat? There was once a very arrogant young guy who offended me with what he said. He's currently still in the ICU!" Kayden said threateningly."Like you said, that was in the past. It's got nothing to do with the present," Sebastian replied, grinning. "I admire how calm you are, brat. You bullied my woman, and now I'm sitting right in front of you, yet you're still so calm. Impressive! Maybe you don't know who I am."There was a fierce glint in Kayden's eyes as he spoke.Sebastian scoffed. "Whoever you are, what does it have to d
Sebastian and Nina arrived at the hotel restaurant for a meal, accompanied by Rocco."Mr. Ballard, please sit here," Rocco said, leading Sebastian to the best seat in the restaurant and shooting the waiter a look.He had instructed the chefs to prepare the food specially for Sebastian before they even arrived. Moments later, a dozen waiters served up beautifully plated dishes of food."Mr. Ballard, this was made specially for you and Ms. Nina by a top chef whom our hotel brought in from Janover. Please enjoy." Sebastian and Nina picked up their cutlery and put some food into their mouths. Nina nodded in satisfaction. "This poached fish is delicious!"Sebastian pointed to a plate of salad opposite him and said, "This salad is also very good!"At that moment, the restaurant doors opened and a large group of people streamed in.Kayden was at the head of the group, with Candy following closely behind him as they entered. The moment Sebastian had returned to Acorn City, someone
Back in Klane City, Javier had already heard one of Joaquin's attendants mention Sebastian, so he knew that Sebastian was someone even Joaquin had to show respect to. That person was now in Acorn City.It wouldn't be very suitable for someone of Javier's age to try and approach Sebastian, and they wouldn't have many common topics either. It was different for Kayden. They were both young men, and Kayden had a wide variety of interests. He knew what young people were interested in, which would make it easier for him to strike up a friendship. If they could get into the good books of someone as influential as Sebastian, they would gain an advantage over Joaquin. In the future, the Berkeleys could even have the ultimate authority in the whole of Boren. "Acorn City is in such a remote area. What kind of important figure would come here?" Kayden asked dismissively. Javier thought for a moment before asking, "Don't you think that someone who can make Joaquin humble himself is an im
Cohen bowed deeply to Sebastian as he spoke.Sebastian waved a hand dismissively and said, "It's alright, Mr. Gabbard. Mount Quiln is very dangerous, and that expert from a mystic sect has disappeared without a trace. "If you don't want to let more people become desiccated corpses, it'll be better to seal off the entrance to Mount Quiln and prevent anyone from entering!" Joaquin immediately said to Cohen, "Did you hear that? Starting today, Mount Acorn Martial Arts Court must send someone to seal off the entrance. No one is allowed to go in or out!""Yes, sir!" Cohen nodded vigorously.Joaquin was already being very lenient in not pursuing the matter further. The crimes that Cohen had committed were worthy of the death penalty. "Mr. Ballard, I've arranged for a hotel in Acorn City's central area. You should go and have a shower," Joaquin said ingratiatingly. He took Sebastian to the Aequor, a five-star hotel. The moment they entered, the attendants stood in two rows and bowe