“She’s right, sir. You’re truly the most amazing enlightened martial artist I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. I can’t believe you thought of using your life force to help you in your work! I’m sure the world would rejoice if you were to write a book on the different ways to utilize one’s life force,” Bridget said enthusiastically.Darius smiled, but it soon faded. He didn’t particularly enjoy having the two women look at him with such admiration; it meant they were starting to get ideas again. He raised an eyebrow and said, “That’s enough. What did you two come here for?”The two straightened up silently at his words, making him smile. The room was too dark for Erin to see the look on Darius’ face, but this wasn’t an issue for Bridget. Instead of saying anything, she merely looked at him with a smile.Erin said, “We thought we’d be able to leave Almiron City by tonight, but we forgot to consider one person.”Darius raised an eyebrow. “Are you talking about Ansel?” Erin’s head shot u
Darius knew this call probably wouldn’t bring him the news he wanted to hear, but he still answered it. It was noisy on the other end of the line. A few seconds later, a man’s drunken voice rang out. “Darius, I really don’t get you. Why did you treat me like this? I was your senior once upon a time, wasn’t I? Didn’t we work together well? How could you ruin everything just like that? I refuse to accept this!”The man obviously had difficulty getting the words out, but Darius could still tell who it was. He said coldly, “Ansel, you’ve had too much to drink.” He slowly leaned back and shut his eyes to conceal his disappointment. He’d once had high hopes for Ansel and thought he was a person who could stand by his side as his equal in the near future, but Ansel had betrayed him. In fact, it seemed he hadn’t paid much of a price for his betrayal.Ansel obviously didn’t share Darius’ heartache. He burst into manic laughter and roared, “You want to return to Ashweir City, don’t you? Dream
Ansel shut his eyes in despair. "I know I made a huge mistake, but I lost the ability to think when I read the message they sent me. They told me they wanted to explore the possibility of me marrying Pearl!" He squatted down and wrapped his arms around his head, saying shakily, "I knew I shouldn't have gone there, but I couldn't control myself." He looked up at Darius tearfully. "And that's why I betrayed you—the Chamberlain family agreed to have Pearl marry me."Darius sat behind his desk, looking icy. "You betrayed me? What did you tell them? Was it about me or West Atlantics Int’l?"Ansel looked lost for a split second before shaking his head vigorously. "No, no! I didn't say anything!" His voice became smaller toward the end of his sentence, and he dared not meet Darius' eyes. Darius tapped a finger on the desk rhythmically, making Ansel gulp and pale. However, his tone was firm. "Mr. Reid, regardless of what you think of me, I swear on my life that I didn't reveal any informati
“You obviously don’t belong to any of those categories, so I think you should address me as ‘Mr. Reid’ and not anything else.” Darius’ eyes were cold.Ansel’s mind went blank for a second. He didn’t know what Darius was implying…or perhaps he did know but refused to think further. He smiled bitterly, knowing Darius’ words made sense. Even if the Brezinski family had fallen from grace, he was still its only heir—his existence was essential to its sustainability, which meant he couldn’t follow Darius everywhere he went, unlike Alicia or Erin. “I understand, Mr. Reid. Is there anything I have to do or a price I have to pay to continue working with you?”Darius leaned back and rested his arms on the armrests. “We share the same alma mater, so I have no doubts about your abilities. I’m sure you’ll be able to set up the largest TV station in the country!”Ansel’s head shot up at his words, and he stared at Darius in disbelief. “I don’t think I misheard you, Mr. Reid, but I’m finding it har
“But I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Darius tapped his fingers on the desk in rapid succession. “And so, I have to apologize for turning down your request.” He stared at William without moving, as if he’d suddenly turned into a statue.However, William knew Darius was only waiting for him to respond. Feeling nervous, he gulped and opened his mouth to tremulously say, “I understand, Mr. Reid. It’s my fault for not thinking the matter through, and I’ll improve on this.” After saying that, William hurried out of the room as quickly as possible.When silence descended upon the room once again, Darius leaned forward. He propped his head up with his arm while reading the report William had just handed to him. It was a surprise to see how concise and well-presented the report was; for the longest time, Darius thought William was useless. Now, it seemed he was wrong. In fact, the report was very well done, and it made him raise an eyebrow.He hadn’t had much time to pay attention to how W
A tall woman stood beside him; the dwarf only reached her waist. Darius gave them a quick look before leaving, but things didn’t go as planned. As soon as he turned to leave, the dwarf hurried to stand in his way. “I’m talking to you, brat. I’ve never seen you in Almiron City before; you must be one of those people who came for the prize money.” The dwarf looked at Darius arrogantly and continued, “I’d advise you to leave now—you paupers have no idea what it’s like to be wealthy, so there’s no way your suggestions will be accepted!” The woman beside him laughed mockingly, then said, “Give them a chance, sir. At least they’ll be able to have a free meal.” Darius raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He merely sidestepped the dwarf to leave; all he had to do was have someone kick the dwarf out. However, when his back was turned, Erin let out a sharp yelp. He frowned and turned to see the dwarf gripping Erin’s wrist tightly. Darius asked coldly, “What are you trying to do?” H
Darius raised an eyebrow at the bruise and put an arm around Erin’s shoulder. Then, he stepped on Vic and said, “I intended to let you off the hook, but it seems you don’t think that’s necessary. Perhaps you’ll only be satisfied when you’re lifeless and carried out in a body bag.”Vic’s eyes widened at Darius’ words, but there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his tone when he roared, “That’s enough! Do you realize how unreasonable you sound? I was just interested in the beautiful woman in your arms and wanted to take her home with me, yet you want to take my life! That’s extremely unfair!”Darius smiled, but the crowd shuddered at its iciness. He applied pressure on his foot, stopping when he heard a bone snap. Vic lay on the ground, looking ashen because of the pain. However, he couldn’t make a sound; something seemed lodged in his throat!Darius looked at him scornfully, then turned to the security guard. “Are you linked to West Atlantics Int’l in any way?”The security guard paled a
“Mr. Reid, I realize I’ve made a huge mistake. I hope you’ll give me another chance—I swear I won’t allow this to happen anymore!” The security guard trembled violently, unable to say another word. He looked at Darius pleadingly, not knowing how he would react. He knew nothing about Darius, only having heard others say he was formidable. Based on what he’d heard, Darius was not only intelligent but also more powerful than the average individual—apparently, he rarely came across opponents more powerful than him, so no one had ever witnessed Darius losing a fight. Now, this god-like person stood before him. Darius had given him a chance earlier, but he’d let it slip through his fingers. The security guard descended into despair at this thought—his only hope was that Darius was kind enough to give him another chance. Soon, however, the security guard knew he was out of hope. Not only had Darius not forgiven him, but he hadn’t even spared him a glance. Darius’ gaze swept around the c
"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