However, Edward could tell something was definitely bothering Darius. He trailed after Darius, parting and pursing his lips hesitantly. Finally, he breathed deeply and said, “Mr. Reid.” Darius’ footsteps didn’t falter. “I thought you were gonna keep sighing behind me.” He stopped and turned to look at Edward. Pearl stopped as well, and silence descended upon the three. Darius continued flatly, “Henry Fort is mentally ill. His mental state suffered a major blow upon his son’s death, and he developed dissociative identity disorder. He apparently has two identities now.” Edward’s and Pearl’s breathing hitched at his words, and he shut his eyes to conceal his pain. He sighed and said, “He used to be one of the good guys. But his son…we can seek him out after digging up our records. There could be a huge disparity between what he believes to be true and what actually happened.” Pearl and Edward were curious to know why Darius seemed so tormented and exchanged a look. Then, Pearl asked
Alfred had secretly helped Darius out many times before he returned to the Reid family. Darius shut his eyes as he took a trip down memory lane to the first time he’d met Alfred. Back then, he was still poor and worked at one of the university’s cafeterias to make ends meet. In the process of serving one of the students’ dishes, the plating had gone a little out of shape, and the student in question had immediately wanted to hit Darius. To this day, this incident made Darius sigh and lament the wicked ways of the wealthy. Up to that point in his life, he’d experienced many similar situations after working so many odd jobs and knew he had to do everything to placate his customers. Even if they were supposed to also be fellow students, Darius knew he couldn’t really think that. He stood there and waited for the student’s blow to land on his face. It would’ve been easy for him to dodge it, but he knew he couldn’t—it would only aggravate the student more. As he waited for the pain t
Darius narrowed his eyes. Alfred had always been at the top of the social ladder; something must’ve happened to change this. Now that he had a better grasp on the situation, he turned to look at Aurora. Everyone knew Aurora and Alfred were dating—although their relationship had started out as a strategic alliance between their families, they’d grown to love each other. It was almost given that they’d have a happily-ever-after, but it seemed things had changed drastically. Darius turned to look at Aurora. She met his gaze and said pleadingly, “Darius, please help Alfred. He helped you in the past, didn’t he?” Tears rolled down her face. Darius was surprised she hadn’t asked him to save her. Alfred heard what she said and roared, “No, don’t listen to her! Darius, don’t do as she says! I don’t care what happens to me, but there’s no way I’ll allow Aurora to marry Fraser Johnson!” Darius raised an eyebrow and was about to say something, but Fraser beat him to it. He looked at Darius
Fraser thought about it for a second, then grabbed the lackey who’d spoken earlier by the collar and flung him to the ground by Darius’ feet. He bellowed, “How dare you interrupt me! Or do you think you have the right to represent me? Besides, do you think you deserve to speak to someone like Mr. Reid?” He made a show of reprimanding his lackey, but Darius caught him sneaking a glance at him out of the corner of his eye—he was waiting to see how Darius felt about this. Darius smiled, and Fraser relaxed, feeling he’d probably changed Darius’ impression of him. The lackey was obviously indignant but didn’t dare say anything. He looked at Fraser and asked in a small voice, “Boss, did I say something wrong? Why are you suddenly on his side? Isn’t he a pauper? Didn’t you say you hated people like him the most?” The lackey’s eyes turned red. “Darius is standing right before you, but you took out your temper on me just to make him feel good about himself.” Fraser scowled and forced out
Fraser said, “Well, that was crossing the line. No one would be able to sit by and watch something like that happen, regardless of whether they were wealthy or poor.”Darius smiled faintly. He turned to look at Fraser. “That’s what you think. Many people were present at the time, but no one stood up for me. Alfred was the only one who did, and he’d just returned from a fight. Because of me, he got into another one.”Fraser paled. He could see now that Darius was the type to always repay people who’d helped him; would Darius let him off the hook for giving Alfred such a beating? His heart started to race. As he pondered this, Darius continued speaking. This time, however, his tone and expression were mocking. “The second thing I was thinking of was Kingston University’s new dean—Henry Fort. He’s the one who expelled Pearl Chamberlain and me.”Fraser nodded with a frown. “Yes, everyone knows that.”Darius looked at him. “I bet you didn’t know he had a son who used to be a student here.
"Besides, I know Aurora—my fiancée—will stick with me, no matter what." Alfred finally moved his gaze away from Aurora to look at Darius. "That's why I'll never take my life, even if it's only for her sake. Anyway, Aurora isn't any worse than me in terms of her capabilities."Aurora had been silently watching Darius for a long time now. Suddenly, she said grimly, "Darius, I know you're an outstanding man, and I've also heard of the Reid family before. You've already helped us plenty today—more than Alfred did for you. However, I still have a favor to ask of you."Darius looked at her. It was his first time looking her in the eye—in the past, he felt he didn't deserve to look at her because of how poor he was; after returning to the Reid family, he hadn't had the time to. Now, he finally had the time and status to face her as an equal. His attention wasn't on her face, though she was undeniably beautiful. Instead, he looked at her body and raised an eyebrow. All else aside, she had to
"I say that because I heard my father ranting about this before he went missing. I've never seen him that mad before. After that, he went missing, and my uncle took over faster than you could blink. The following day, they called off my engagement with Alfred and forced me into marrying Fraser." Aurora looked tormented.Darius frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but… "This situation is more complicated than I expected. I'll look into it, but I don't think there's a way to ensure your safety, even if Fraser's your only source of danger." He sighed.Alfred looked bitter. Then, his eyes lit up with determination as he said, "I think there's another angle to this." The hopeful look on his face reminded Darius of the young man in his memories, and he smiled.He walked over to Alfred, put a hand on his shoulder, and looked him in the eye. Darius' eyes were calm, but Alfred felt empowered. Then, Darius said, "I want you to know I'm in far more trouble than you—my life is on the line."Alfre
Fraser's expression turned disdainful at Edward's words. He spat out, "Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror? You're nothing but a bodyguard—since I intend to hire you, I'm your client. How dare you speak to your client like that!"Edward didn't look too pleased. He said coldly, "Who told you I'm a bodyguard?" He raised an arm. Though he had to admit many people knew he and Bridget were Darius' bodyguards, he was sure Fraser wasn't among them, and neither was he wealthy enough to come into contact with the people who were in the know. Besides, no bodyguard would go around broadcasting their name, and the Reid family did a great job keeping their faces hidden. The only way someone were to recognize him was if he were to flash the symbol that represented his identity.Edward trained his gaze on Fraser. He didn't do anything, but Fraser still paled when he sensed Edward couldn't wait to kill him. Fear washed over him, and he started to tremble. At this moment, someone asked, "Wha
"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