“Not a single person in Almiron City has ever had the nerve to say that about me!”The dark-suited board member thought he was already swift enough, as did everyone else. However, to Darius, he was moving at a snail’s pace. He didn’t even need to channel his life force; it enveloped him—seemingly out of instinct. This was his first time watching it actually happen, and it mystified him.Once Darius’ awe over his energy’s new function subsided, he even had the time to sweep his gaze over the other board members—that was how slow the dark-suited board member was moving in his eyes.Ansel let out a yell, but Darius remained seated, looking calm. The dark-suited board member finally stood before him, and Darius couldn’t help feeling like he’d waited for ages. To the others, everything had happened in the blink of an eye.Suddenly, the dark-suited board member’s eyes widened, and he looked horrified. He could clearly see two Dariuses—one was sitting down, looking calm, while the other sto
“But make sure you remember my surname—Gillette!”Darius raised an eyebrow at his words. Then, he bowed his head and lowered his eyes to the ground. It didn’t conceal his laughter, though. The board member in his fifties glared daggers at him—he was a shareholder of the Gillette Group, and it was his main source of income. Now, however, Darius had ruined everything. No one would allow such a person to continue appearing before themselves.The board member in his fifties looked at Darius with unbridled hatred, but Darius merely shrugged and smiled. Instead of making him look more approachable, it only made him seem inexplicably colder and crueler, and none dared look at him aside from the dark-suited board member who was still on the ground and the board member in his fifties.The dark-suited board member was still under Darius’ foot, so he had no choice but to look at Darius. Seeing him up close made the man’s heart tremble, but at the same time, he was relieved that Darius wasn’t wa
The Gillette man didn’t make a sound, and neither did the dark-suited board member, who was still lying on the floor. Darius had long since stopped stepping on him, but he remained there unmoving. Darius didn’t understand his reason for doing this, but he paid the board member no heed. He just sat down and said lazily, “Well, I’m glad none of you have any objection to transferring the ownership of the shares. It looks like we’ll be working together from now on.”The other board members trained their gazes on the table before them, not wanting to spare Darius a glance. To them, it was a terrible disgrace. At the same time, neither of them said anything in response to Darius’ words. At this moment, the dark-suited board member was the only one to make a move. He quickly sat up and shouted, “I object! I’m against Ansel Brezinski transferring the ownership of his shares to you and allowing you to join the board of directors!” He looked at Darius with a determined gaze, held his head hi
“I won’t allow you to do anything other than agree with me.”Suddenly, the dark-suited board member pointed at Darius. His gaze was trained on the other board members, however. He bellowed, “Do you see this? I was right! He refuted everything aside from his family, so he must’ve been lying about everything else!” He turned to glare at Darius. “I’ve been kind and patient enough with you, so you should be smart and not cross the line.”Darius raised an eyebrow. This time, he didn’t say anything. He was sure the dark-suited board member had more to say. As if to prove he was right, the board member continued, “Now, you’re only left with one option—which is to do as I say! Take my shares, then get the fuck out of here!” He sat down and continued lazily, “I’m sure if there were any family wealthier than mine, I’d have some sort of recollection of them—even if someone would need to help jog my memory. Besides, no wealthy family would produce an heir like you!” He looked at Darius scornfu
e put it on the table, then tapped it lightly.Ice-cold fury washed over the dark-suited board member, and he seemed to lose control over his facial features. He glared daggers at Darius, and his chest heaved. He stalked toward Darius, growling, “You’ve got guts, and you’re among the few who’ve dared doubt me. Now, I’ll gladly show you the price you have to pay for your attitude!”Though he hadn’t seen his attacker, he was sure Darius was the only person who could be behind it. Darius was the only person with that sort of ability, and his scorn was obvious. He saw Darius tapping on something on the table, but he didn’t see what it was. His rage had reached its peak and burned any sense of rationality left in him. In the next second, he felt a familiar gust of wind coming at him. This time, it was stronger than before and sent him flying, making him crash against the wall.Darius stood up, no longer wanting to waste time with the dark-suited board member. He looked at the other board
He looked at Darius, wanting to do something to change his mind. However, when he heard Darius rhythmically knock on the table, he knew there was no turning back. The dark-suited board member paled. He’d taken precautionary measures to stop Darius from going back on his word, and his men were waiting outside the room.His eyes widened with fear. The rhythm with which Darius was knocking on the table was the secret signal the dark-suited board member had agreed upon with his men, and he didn’t expect anyone to know about this. Now, he was proven wrong. Not only did Darius know about it, but he also seemed to be extremely familiar with it.Darius sensed the fearful gaze on him and looked up with a slight smile. It made the dark-suited board member twitch because he knew it wasn’t a smile of joy. On the contrary, it was cold and threatening. It seemed that nothing could escape Darius’ notice. The dark-suited board member shut his eyes, only opening them after a long while. There was n
Darius raised an eyebrow, not expecting to run into someone with such a mindset in a place like this. After hesitating for a few seconds, he repeated the young man’s last sentence.The young man immediately smiled when he heard this and looked up at the dark-suited board member. Then, his mind processed what had happened, and his expression turned into shock, doubt, anger, and disbelief. He turned to look at Darius. At the same time, he stumbled backward, pressed one hand to his chest, and pointed the other at Darius. “You… why do I feel like you’re trying to frame me? There’s no bad blood between us, is there? Why are you doing this to me?”Darius chuckled. He was about to say something in response when the young man shouted, “No, don’t answer me! Just swipe your card and repay my master whatever you owe him.” Then, he ran over to the dark-suited board member and tugged his sleeve. He said seriously, “Sir, I didn’t do anything. You’re a witness to everything I’ve done since steppin
All he knew was that he’d suddenly lost his balance while watching things play out, and he’d stumbled in Darius’ direction. In that instant, he thought, “I’m dead meat.” He watched as the distance between him and Darius shortened, but he didn’t think it was something worth being happy over. Then, something flashed before him, and there was now nothing between him and the floor. He relaxed and let himself fall to the floor with a loud crash.The dark-suited board member’s eyes twitched at the loud thud, and he looked up at Darius. “Mr. Reid, Timmy may not be the smartest, but he’s strong. He’s been by my side since he was a child; he may have just been there to practice martial arts with me, but he’s put plenty of effort into his training. He’s not the best, but he’ll probably be of a little more use than a normal employee.”His gaze was now calm and settled. “Everything that’s happened today just shows how much of a loser I am, which means I’m no longer in the running to become my fa
"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