“Indeed, we all saw it happen, but we won’t feel sad over it.” The man gulped before carefully looking up at Darius through his lashes. He then spoke with the utmost caution, not wanting to upset Darius. “We were already upset long before today, as we knew this would happen—” His voice began to shake. “—He told us this was the likely outcome and said he would’ve ended his life with his bare hands even if you guys didn’t kill him.”His trembled so much that tears gathered in the brim of his eyes, and he quickly wiped them away. After that, he continued, “My boss said his presence would get in the way of us pledging our loyalty to you, and he couldn’t guarantee whether you’d accept all of us if he’s in the picture. Not only that, but he mentioned being alive was a painful chore anyway.”The man stopped crying at that point. He lifted his head to meet Darius’ gaze while explaining, “My boss said this is the best outcome, so we shouldn’t be angry at anyone.”With that, he turned to look
Darius placed one hand on the collar of Edward’s shirt. “So, you don’t have to be upset. Besides, many others take more than a month to learn where to place their life force before they can even float for a second.”Edward’s eyes sparkled as he raised his head to meet Darius’ eyes. It felt like the wind tickled his eyes, causing them to tear up. So, he shut his eyes and mouth. Still, his eyes kept tingling so much that he cried. Edward only realized the wind had stopped after he wiped away all his tears. That was when something clicked in his mind, and he looked ahead, his pupils dilating in shock; things had turned out as he thought. Edward stiffly turned to look at Darius and stuttered, “S-Sir, that’s incredible! We arrived here in such a short time!”Darius stopped walking, turned, and pursed his lips at Edward. “You’ve always been a cold person from the moment we met. But now? Well, it seems you’re capable of more emotions—some of which are unnecessary.”That snapped Edward to hi
The security guard responded, “We don’t need to do all of that. Many people are willing to help us defend our reputation.”Alicia’s brows narrowed with displeasure as she snapped, “What on earth do you mean? Explain yourself now!”Her frosty gaze pierced into the security guard, causing the latter’s breathing to quicken.Despite how nervous the security guard felt, he mustered the courage to show Alicia his phone while locking eyes with her. “Yes, Miss Alicia. Please look at these online posts. They’re all praising us.”On the phone were several online posts that read, “Woah! That Darius Reid guy shocks me. He looks so young, yet he took down the rotten Gillette family like it’s nothing!”“Almiron City feels safer to live in by the day. The place is a little run down, but it’s always been this way.”“I disagree. Our lives in the city are much better now that those horrible people in power are gone. Darius is cooler than any superhero out there!”“As a fellow student, Darius chose to p
“Well then, I’ll entrust Bridget’s health to you.” Darius smiled. He then headed straight downstairs without giving Shelvin a chance to reply. “Now, I’ve got many other things to sort out.”Shelvin stood at the stairway and waited until Darius left his sight before returning to Bridget’s room.…When Darius arrived at the second floor, he had placed his hands in his pockets and had a little pep in his step. It was not long before he heard the sound of someone breathing in the hallway. Raising his head, he curiously quirked a brow at Alicia, who stood before him. “I’d like to know why you’re appearing before me again.”Sensing no anger in Darius’ tone or face, Alicia relaxed her jaw before saying, “I’m sorry, sir. I forgot to tell you something—”She was too afraid to meet his eyes, so her head hung low with shame.Darius kept his hands in his pocket in a relaxed manner as he already knew Alicia’s motive. Three things were running through his mind as he thought, “Firstly, Alicia must’
Darius knew those footsteps belonged to Alicia. He turned toward the door, and as expected, a knock came before two minutes passed. He calmly stated, “Come in. The door’s not locked.”Alicia had come to say the same thing Erin did earlier. She opened the door and exclaimed, “Sir, have you seen the situation online?”“I saw it,” Darius replied with a smile. He leaned against the balcony railing and said, “But you don’t have to worry. The person behind this was so rushed that he’d never wait for us to make our move. He’ll probably arrive soon.”That was when one of the hotel’s security guards came to speak with Alicia. His face creased with anxiety as he said, “Miss Alicia, someone sent an invitation to Mr. Reid. They told me to deliver it to him ASAP. Otherwise, I’d regret not doing it and have to pay a hefty price.”The guard kept his gaze on the ground, not daring to say anything more as he could tell Alicia was glaring daggers at him. However, two people had given him a thick wad of
“Those two families were decent, but they shared the fruits of their labors with their relatives. Unfortunately, none of those relatives are good people,” Darius thought while sighing and leaning against his chair. He had just shut his eyes when some footsteps drew close. Edward brought a man in a tuxedo and a top hat into the room.The man stopped before Darius’ desk, taking off his hat to pay respects to Darius before the latter could speak. “Mr. Reid, my employer, Kate, instructed me to deliver this invite. She would like you to meet her. The matter regarding the head of the Anderson family will also be discussed during the meeting.”While saying that, he straightened his body and met Darius’ gaze with a conflicted expression.Although Darius kept his eyes closed, he could sense the former’s clashing emotions. He did not bother opening his eyes when he replied, “No one can eavesdrop or spread information to the outside world from this hotel without my approval. So, feel free to sp
“For some reason, Mr. Reid seems so terrifying! It’s as though he’s the keeper of hell who’s come to earth to claim a lost soul!” Edward thought.Darius opened his eyes, his attention snapping toward the door at once. “Come in.”Only then did Edward try to take a step forward and peek out from behind the door with a smile. “S-Sir, I just wanted to know your decision since both invites state the events take place tomorrow night.”“Right, I’ve decided to go to neither.” Darius nodded while speaking as if he could not care less. He then tossed the invites onto the desk ahead. Leaning comfortably against his chair, he crossed one leg over the other and appeared relaxed.Standing before the desk was Edward, whose mouth had opened so widely that he could catch flies with it. He could not understand a single thing that Darius had in mind, so he kept parting his lips, but no words came.Darius’ patience ran out after the former did that several times. Irritated by the delayed response, he de
That’s not good. I need to resolve this at once. As someone poor, who later inherited boundless wealth, I know the dreadful outcome of those who develop resentful and raging auras,” Darius thought. Thus, he sighed deeply and went to sit on his bed, his legs crossed. He tried to communicate with the book tattoo on his arm, but he never imagined the book would materialize in front of him. Cocking a brow, Darius raised his palm, which caused the book to lower into his hand. His eyes narrowed as he felt slightly shocked by the book’s unusual behavior and appearance. While he was still in a daze, the book abruptly opened itself.That ignited Darius’ practical side, so he quickly got into focus mode and examined what the book was about to show him. As expected, the pages were also black. Seeing that made Darius’ eyes curve in amusement, but he did not say anything as he had already expected this to happen when the book drained his life force earlier.“It seems this book has a will of its
"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