He never thought he’d hear those words come out of his grandfather’s mouth. Ever since his return to the Reid family, he’d slowly picked up the reins under his grandfather’s tolerant watch. However, James wasn’t allowing him the time to mature slowly anymore. Darius had never expected this to happen. Moreover, James had announced this so suddenly and seriously.Darius felt his heart start to race. He didn’t know how to explain his situation, so he remained silent. To his surprise, James didn’t say anything too. In fact, James regretted his words the second they were out of his mouth. He coughed to conceal his awkwardness, then took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry for saying something mean in the heat of the moment, Darius. I want you to know that’s not how I really feel—you’ve always been an outstanding child. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to shoulder the costs of your studies alone. At the same time, you’ve managed to remain at the top of your class at Kingston Universi
She bowed deeply at him and said, “I know I’ve made too many mistakes recently for you to turn a blind eye, and I’m not here to ask for forgiveness—all I want to do is hand over my work. From now on, I won’t show up in front of you unless it’s absolutely necessary or if you ask for me. I know it will only upset you.”Darius felt a little uncomfortable at her shaky tone, and he felt like he was being a little cruel. This feeling soon disappeared, though. “If those are your true thoughts, perhaps you’ll have a chance of returning to my side.” He waved a hand and said, “That’s too far in the future to say, though. Now, you need to leave my room. I’ve spent way too much time and energy on you today, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”Erin paled again. She didn’t want to leave but knew she had no choice. Moreover, Darius had already softened his stance a little after she’d admitted to her mistakes—he’d said that there was a chance she could return to his side and work for him. This was
He shook his head, then turned to his computer to review a report of the company’s performance in the last quarter. A few minutes later, he frowned. After quickly scrolling through the report again, he pressed a finger to his temple while picking up his phone with his other hand. It took him a while to find Zack’s number, which showed how rarely they’d contacted each other since he hired Zack.He sighed, thinking of Erin again. He knew that things had to be tough on her now, but this was the only way to resolve the issue. Erin had made too many mistakes while working with him, and if he continued to turn a blind eye without taking any corrective measures, it wouldn’t bode well for either of them in the long term. This was the best way to handle the issue; it was a measure he’d come up with after long consideration. He hoped that Erin would learn her lesson from this incident and mature. With this thought in mind, he took a deep breath and called Zack. Zack was dazed to see Darius ca
After all, this concerned Darius and Erin’s relationship! Before this, the two of them had been on such good terms, yet Darius had still fired Erin. He’d even had her stationed somewhere far away from him and immediately executed his decision. Darius had been in such a rush to get Erin away from him that he couldn’t even wait till they were back at the company. In other words, Darius had chosen to have Erin sent away at the cost of the company’s performance. It showed how massive a mistake Erin must’ve made.Even if Darius was just temporarily sending Erin away to teach her a lesson, it still had to be because of something she’d done wrong. Zack wasn’t in the right position to plead on her behalf.On the other hand, Darius frowned after hanging up. He looked out the window and saw that the sky had already turned dark. He’d been so busy today that it felt like he’d already lived through several days, but none of the problems that had cropped up had been resolved. On the contrary, he
His heart was calm as he waited for Darius to speak. As expected, Darius said in a complicated tone, “Since you’re ready for that, you can leave now.” Edward’s face fell. He knew that Darius could only be saying this because he’d already found someone to replace Erin. He turned to leave, focused on wondering who it would be.When Darius was alone, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes. He called Zack again. On the other end of the line, Zack had just recovered from the shock of having Darius call him personally when it happened again. He immediately answered the phone, but before he could make a sound, Darius said, “I’d only planned to stay in Almiron City for another three days, but things here are more complicated than I expected. We didn’t manage to dig up too much information earlier, so I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”Zack frowned, starting to feel worried about the situation in Almiron City. He knew that things had to be worse than Darius was letting on. After all, Erin
“Do you get what I mean?”Alicia stiffened, then looked up at Darius in shock. The things he’d just said were completely different from what she’d heard before. She frowned, took a deep breath, and said, “That’s not what Erin told me, though.”Darius sighed at Erin’s name being brought up again. He leaned back and waved a hand, saying, “You don’t need to listen to a word Erin says. Now, no one can be sure that she’s truly loyal to West Atlantics Int’l… but you are, right?” He looked at Alicia.Alicia was dumbfounded. She could clearly catch his underlying meaning, and her lips trembled. She’d never thought about Erin’s viewpoint, but she knew very well that there would be a vacancy to work closely with Darius now that something had happened to put some distance between him and Erin—and she was the best person to fill that vacancy. Her eyes lit up, and she subconsciously took a step forward.Darius could sense her breathing speed up with excitement, but he didn’t know the reason behind
#She was worried about him and sighed softly, not wanting to disturb him. However, Darius was an enlightened martial artist—how could he not hear her? He frowned and opened his eyes, turning to gaze at her with a helpless look in his eyes.Alicia couldn’t discern the emotions in his eyes, and she tensed when his eyes landed on her. He could tell how nervous she was, and he sighed softly. He beckoned at her and said, “Come here.”Alicia didn’t know why he was beckoning at her, but this was the gentlest she’d seen him, and her heart raced. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, or perhaps she’d just lost control of her mind. She walked over to Darius, and her face burned the closer she got to him. When she finally stood before him, she felt like her face was so hot she was practically smoking at the ears. “Mr. Reid,” she said in a small voice.When Darius saw her eyes trained on the floor, he couldn’t help sighing again. “I know you guys are terrified of me, but there’
The only person he could spar with was Shelvin, but he’d gone missing after showing up at the hotel for a short time, and no one had seen him since. Darius didn’t expect the problem that had been plaguing him to be resolved like this suddenly, and he looked at the man in black robes. Meditation was long-term, and he wanted to have someone around to meditate with him. Now, it would be best if he could somehow make this man stay.The man’s hair stood on end at the way Darius was looking at him. A wave of fear washed over him, and he subconsciously took a step back. Then, he frowned. He’d never felt this way—it was as if a venomous snake locked its eyes on him. He took a deep breath, then held his hands up and said, “I know you’re an enlightened martial artist, thanks to the hints my fellow apprentice left for me before his death.”Darius placed his hands behind his back and looked at him in confusion because of how the man was talking to him like they were strangers. Hadn’t they alrea
"If you hadn't picked on me, I wouldn't have ended up like this. No matter how wealthy I've become, I'll never be able to take these black robes off!" The mysterious man's voice was shaky. He was extremely agitated.James frowned at that. He said curiously, "You keep saying I've done you wrong, but everything I did to you was what you did to others. I only gave you a taste of your own medicine."The mysterious man's breathing sped up when he heard that. He barked out a laugh and sneered, "I'll be honest with you. I never thought I'd have the chance to meet someone as dumb as you again."He shook his head. "I find it hard to imagine what your grandson will do when he sees you like this." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. The man was caught off guard. He looked at Darius as his body trembled violently.Darius frowned when he saw this. It was completely different from what he'd imagined. He narrowed his eyes at the mysterious man, his
Gabriel smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. I'll return to my workstation and prepare a proposal on what to do with Noah."Darius nodded and smiled. "Good. That's all I ever wanted." He turned to leave. "You need to get to work, and I need to return to my hotel to get some rest."Gabriel stopped. Darius' words made him hesitate. "I'm sorry to be asking this because I don't think it's my place, but it's probably better for me to ask anyway. I don't remember there being any hotels nearby."You should head home if you wanna get some rest. I don't understand why you're heading to a hotel to rest."Darius raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. He turned with his hands behind his back to look at Gabriel helplessly. "I don't know how to feel about what you've just said. You're making me think you're a little silly. Wouldn't I know how to search for a hotel?"It won't take you long to prepare a proposal, but it'll take me ages to get home from here." Darius turned and left.Gabriel's lips twitc
"Because you realized the risk was far greater than what you were comfortable with," Darius said calmly.But Noah started trembling. He looked at Darius in terror. He didn't expect Darius to see right through him after some simple back-and-forth. His eyes widened in fear.Everything that was happening now made him feel like he was dreaming. Noah had only been a step away from success, yet Darius had ruined everything.Tears filled his eyes as he gazed at Darius. "I've said everything there is to say. I'm the lowest rung on this ladder, and I only have one purpose for being here. It's to make you come under the authorities' control. Once you're here, my mission's accomplished."Someone else from the authorities will be here to deal with you, but that has nothing to do with me. They wouldn't have told me about it, anyway."Darius put his hands behind his back without saying anything. He turned to leave. Noah's eyes widened as he stared in fear at Darius' back.Darius didn't see this, bu
When Darius straightened up, his face became devoid of emotion. He said calmly, "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only want frank answers. Otherwise, I'll punish you for every lie that you tell me. I don't see any hope in your eyes, but let's see whether you prove me wrong."Darius paused, then continued, "I've already said something similar once. That was a chance I gave you. From this moment onward, I want you to know that I won't repeat myself because I believe you've had enough time to prepare yourself."Gabriel stood beside him and put his hands behind his back as his lips twitched. He'd thought about the various reasons for Darius repeating himself. But the one thing that hadn't occurred to him was that Darius had done it to give Noah time to prepare.Gabriel felt like applauding Darius, but the rational side of him stopped him from doing so. His rationality told him he'd be in for trouble if he were to do that, so he only looked at Darius with a smile.Darius sensed Ga
Darius raised an eyebrow and smiled. Then, he said, "You're too nervous, Gabriel. It makes it seem like you don't trust me. In truth, there's nothing for you to worry about."He stretched his neck and continued, "I know very well how bad the consequences of destroying this building will be. Aside from those silly regulations, I'll also need to pay for it. I might be wealthy, but that doesn't mean I'll enjoy forking out a huge sum of money as compensation."Darius spread his hands and shrugged. At the same time, he pointed at the window and turned to look at Gabriel. Then, he said, "Look. The windows are perfectly fine. They're not even scratched. That shows my life force is non-destructive."That's why you have nothing to worry about. You can put your heart back into your chest."Gabriel straightened up and sighed in relief. Then, he gave Darius an embarrassed smile.Darius grinned but didn't say anything in response. He put his hands behind his back and turned to look at Noah. He sai
"We're classmates from the same major, too! We were interns at Dream Investment Group, remember? And we got kicked out on our first day. You broke my legs because of a tiny argument we had outside the building! The surveillance cameras captured all of this!" Noah cried.Darius tucked his hands into his pockets and rolled his eyes. Then, he said mockingly, "You're the biggest fool I've ever met. Do you think you're the only one who can tamper with the surveillance footage? Any footage that can be tampered with can also be restored."Noah's eyes widened in shock. He gulped and tried to think of a way to explain away the injuries Darius had inflicted on him. Still, he couldn't think of anything. Before he had the chance to think any further, Darius spoke.He said, "There's one thing you got right, though. Gabriel is on my side, so he'll stand up for me no matter what you say."Gabriel's lips twitched at that. He subconsciously opened his mouth to say something in return, but Darius bea
"And I don't think it's my job to make you see sense," Gabriel continued. He put his hands behind his back. He gave Noah a look that was an odd mixture of gentle iciness. "I've given you more than enough time and chances."Gabriel sighed. "It's obvious that you don't care for that, though. And so I think it's time for me to treat you as an officer should." He sat down on the other side of the desk again.Noah's face was white with fear. Gabriel acted like he didn't see this, though. He smiled. "As I mentioned, I gave you plenty of time and chances, but you didn't appreciate them."His gaze turned frosty. "If that's the case, I'm sure you won't object to me doing this per our guidelines."Noah cried, "No, wait! I don't know what Darius has promised you to make you side with him unconditionally, but there's no way I'll let you two get away with this. You have to make sure you do everything by the book. It's a reasonable request, and you have no right to turn me down!"He trembled viole
Gabriel put his hands behind his back as he looked at Noah with a smile. "Now, you've piqued my interest."Noah looked up at Gabriel. His voice was deep and hoarse as he said, "If you help me, I'll give you half of the Reid Consortium's assets once I get my hands on them. You should know that without me, there's no way you'll get a dime from the Reid Consortium."Gabriel snorted with laughter when he heard that. He straightened up and slowly circled Noah. He sounded mocking as he said, "You've lost me there. I tried to puzzle it out, but it doesn't make sense at all."Why would I want to get my hands on the Reid Consortium's fortune? Even without it, I'm perfectly independent. I don't need it to survive."Gabriel crossed his arms and looked at Noah mockingly. "Or maybe you're different from the rest of us. Maybe you'll die without the Reid Consortium's wealth." He smirked and gave Noah a sharp gaze.Noah raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're the one making me laugh now. I don't know
Gabriel sounded gentle, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. This was especially true for Noah, who sat across from him. He felt incredibly nervous. He shut his eyes and breathed rapidly.Noah never would've expected to still be in danger after being taken in by the authorities. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel. "So, are you determined to help Darius now?" His voice was shaky, and his eyes were wide because of his nerves.His emotions were clear as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh. To stop Noah from noticing, he quickly exhaled and sat down with one leg over the other. At the same time, he leaned forward to place his hands on the desk.He tapped his fingers on the desk quickly but rhythmically. Gabriel's eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at Noah. "Tell me, Noah. What happened between you and Darius? Earlier, you said he was the one who injured you. Do you have any proof?"Because we checked the surveillance footage, a