Edward didn't hesitate any longer. He ran in the direction Darius' life force was coming from, knowing it would lead him to Darius. When he was sure Darius was somewhere nearby, he called, "Mr. Reid?"Darius' voice immediately rang out from a nearby path. "I'm here."Edward looked around. When he was sure there wasn't a way for him to walk to Darius, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching him, then channeled his life force to his legs and levitated himself shakily. He landed before Darius a few seconds later and asked, "Mr. Reid, what happened?"Darius' face was frosty. Edward lapsed into silence when he saw this, feeling nervous. Darius sighed when he sensed Edward's nerves; he didn't want to stress Edward out, so he tried to keep his tone neutral as he said, "Pearl's gone. I don't know whether she's in danger now."Edward's breathing hitched. He turned to look at Darius anxiously. "What should we do now?"Darius took a deep breath. "She should be safe for now; I don't th
An idea formed in Edward's mind. It was wild, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation. As the Reid family's villa came into view, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Once again, he was in awe of Darius' speed. It would've taken them a full three hours to get from Kingston University to the villa if they'd driven. Zipping through the air with Darius had taken less than twenty minutes. In fact, Edward was positive that Darius would've moved faster if not for the fact that he had Edward with him.Darius landed on the ground, his expression frosty. He released Edward, who quickly moved to stand behind Darius. Edward knew Darius' blood was boiling, and he sucked in a deep breath, not daring to make a sound lest it pissed Darius off even more. Of course, he knew Darius wouldn't take his temper out on him, but he still didn't have the nerve to provoke him. He only relaxed when Darius said, "Alright, you don't need to be so on edge. My fury has nothing to do with you." T
The old man said politely, "Excuse me, Mr. Reid. There is indeed something down there, but we can't enter from here."Darius raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. His voice was frosty and filled with fury as he said, "Give me a reason."The old man's expression turned awkward, and he clenched his jaw, seemingly afraid of Darius. Still, he forced himself to say, "Because the entrance isn't here, sir. And I'm afraid I don't know its exact location—that's not part of my job scope."Darius' gaze bore into the old man. It looked like he was merely appraising the old man, but Darius' rage was obvious to someone like Edward, who knew Darius well enough and could look past his exterior. And so, Edward decisively moved to stand before the only entrance to the storage shed so that no one could leave or enter.The janitor didn't seem to expect such treatment. He paled and crumpled to the floor as his knees gave away. Then, he looked at Darius pleadingly and said, "Mr. Reid, please let me
As someone who'd observed Darius for a long time, the janitor immediately detected the change in Darius' emotions. It gave him an ominous premonition, and he opened his mouth to warn his comrades. However, it was too late. Darius was already walking toward the passageway. The janitor shut his eyes in despair, then opened them again a second later to look at Darius. "You're truly powerful beyond everyone's imagination."Darius raised an eyebrow. "I don't need someone who only lurks in the shadows to compliment me." He descended into the basement without sparing the janitor another glance. On his way down, he clearly heard Pearl scream, "Let go of me! Darius will definitely be here to rescue me, and he'll kill you for treating me like this!"Darius frowned. Pearl had always been obedient and kind; she would never use death to threaten anyone…unless she had run out of options. At this thought, his frown deepened, and he turned to look at the passageway's entrance, which was still slow
Then again, Darius didn't really care. He shrugged nonchalantly with his hands still in his pockets and smiled mockingly. "You make me laugh. Your anxiety and nerves are fully on display, yet you're trying to make it seem like you're unafraid of anything. You might be hidden behind a surveillance camera somewhere, but there's no hiding the shakiness and tremor in your voice. It doesn't necessarily mean you're afraid, but it does mean your emotions aren't as stable as you'd like them to be." He started strolling around again as if the clapping hadn't bothered him.Whoever hid behind the camera obviously hadn't expected this, and his face darkened. He parted his lips to say something, but no words came to him. After a long silence, he sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Alright, then. I'll appear before you so you can see whether you made the right call." The mastermind thought he'd see a mocking or fearful look on Darius' face, but Darius didn't even blink. All he said was,
Stephen knew Darius was out to get him and he was in danger, but he couldn't afford to offend Darius no matter how badly he wanted to.Darius sighed. "I'm surprised you've remained silent for so long, Stephen."Stephen narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. Darius obviously wanted to goad him into talking so he'd slip up. That way, Darius could use it against him. Stephen's brows furrowed as he thought about this, then said, "I think we're at an impassé."At this moment, Darius' phone rang, making him raise an eyebrow. Instead of checking his phone, he swept a gaze at his surroundings. Stephen obviously didn't intend to say anything else, though. Darius smirked and lowered his head. "Alright, then. I know where you stand now. Since there's nothing else to discuss, I don't have to stand on ceremony anymore." He was currently in a hall of sorts, and there were three paths ahead of him—all shrouded in darkness. He couldn't see where they led, but his smile grew as he strode toward one o
"Besides, the people in your country who know anything about this are few and far between." Teivel narrowed his eyes. Darius took a deep breath. "I think I know what you mean." He was the only person who could see and hear Teivel, so in Stephen's eyes, Darius was standing in the darkness and talking to himself. Stephen frowned. Was there something wrong with Darius? If so, there was no way he could possibly be appointed as the Reid family's heir. He glanced at the surveillance footage and smiled as an idea formed in his mind. Darius wasn't aware of this. He proceeded deeper into the darkness, eventually coming to a point where the path abruptly ended to reveal a gaping hole at least thirty feet deep. Wooden sticks rose from the bottom of the hole to provide footholds that were barely wide enough for him to step on, and he knew he would plummet to his death if he were to miss any of them. He sighed and stepped forward. Behind the camera, Stephen slammed a hand on the table, shooti
The door split cleanly into half, revealing the surveillance room to Darius' eyes. When he saw Pearl, who was still unconscious, he frowned. The temperature around him started to drop, making Stephen feel like he would freeze over if he were to look at Darius any longer. His eyes widened fearfully, finding it hard to believe a human could emit such an icy aura. He forced out a smile and said, "I truly didn't expect to meet you under such circumstances, Darius."Darius scoffed. "Is that so? Why does the look on your face tell me that you wish we never had to meet?"Stephen's expression turned thunderous. He didn't expect Darius to cut to the chase—what happened to playing nice on the first meeting? His blood was boiling, but he knew he couldn't let Darius see through him. He smiled as sincerely as possible and said, "That's a great joke, Darius. Why on earth would you think that? I would never think that!""Maybe it's cause I can see right through you." Darius put his hands behind his
"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