Arching a brow, Darius said, "Your biological father was a good friend of my dad. Byron wanted to threaten your father into keeping hush about the real reason behind my dad's death, so he stole you. That way, he could force your father to do as he pleased. Your father has been miserable all these years because he watched you get harmed emotionally and couldn't avenge his friend's unjust death."Stephen lay on the ground, his eyes trembling with many emotions.The inner corners of Darius' brows briefly raised in surprise as he couldn't understand the former's reaction. According to his investigation, Stephen had performed many horrible crimes. That led everyone to believe Stephen wasn't a good man. However, now that things were going down, Darius suddenly felt like his research was far from the truth. Glancing at Stephen, he cleared his throat and spoke more sternly than before. "Okay, I've already informed you of your past. You should know that your biological father is an excellent
Darius appeared very relaxed as he explained, "Not only do I know that, but I also know that the police are arriving soon."Byron grew tensed upon hearing that. His brows narrowed in utter disbelief as he growled, "What? You called the police! How could you? Don't you know my reputation will burn to the ground if they arrest me?"The corners of Darius' lips twitched into a sneer, but he couldn't conceal the frosty rage seeping from beneath his eyes. His voice took on a deadly edge as he said, "Many have suffered because of you. More people will suffer if I don't take you down now."Fear was evident in Byron's eyes as he trembled. Still, he spoke loudly and fiercely. "That doesn't give you the right to treat me this way! I'm still a member of the Reid family—we share the same blood! If I get arrested, the family's reputation will suffer a lethal blow!"Hearing that made Darius' lips spread into a broad grin. If that weren't enough, he flashed his pearly whites at the former when saying
A doubtful hum came from Hansley's end of the call. Likewise, he shook his head merrily and said, "I disagree. After all, I haven't felt happiness for many years since your dad died."Darius didn't waste any time on that topic; instead, he got straight to the point. "I found your son."That was when a loud thud sounded. As silence took over the call, Darius knew Hansley had gotten so shocked to the point that he'd dropped his phone. Nevertheless, he continued frankly, "Don't worry about rushing here. Your son will stay with me until you arrive."After saying that, he hung up, placed both hands in his pockets, and calmly walked ahead. At the same time, he turned to look at Stephen, saying, "I suggest you leave this place with me now. Otherwise, the police will likely arrest you when they get here."Stephen was quick to get off the ground. He ignored his body's burning pain that prevented him from moving too much. Not once had Stephen wanted something so desperately as now; Stephen want
Darius maintained a stern tone as he uttered each word. "I'm sure you won't upset me, Borisin." A complicated look flickered on Borisin's face as he gulped at Darius. Eventually, he shrugged and pursed his lips into a bitter smile. "I don't even have such faith in myself, Mr. Reid. All of this would've ended long ago if I could exact revenge. I wouldn't have waited until now."Borisin had no confidence and felt hopeless; Darius knew that from the former's actions. However, he didn't react with unnecessary pity. Instead, he continued strolling ahead while calmly stating, "So what? Failure is a normal part of life. That's especially true since the social status and power between you and him are significantly different. However, I have faith that you won't fail any longer. Don't you think so too? After all, you're very close to succeeding, and you have me by your side at this final point."A glimmer of hope appeared in Borisin's eyes, despite how glum he still looked. Even so, he muster
"Hmm. It seems like Byron has no clue about it. Then again, perhaps the intel he received differs from what Grandpa and I know. Byron believes Borisin is dead—meaning his informant must've told him that at the time. Yet, Byron's reaction gives me another angle of examining the situation; he should've been pleased to know Borisin's alive, and his smile should be sincere. However, Byron looks terrified instead of emotional or delighted," Darius mused with his arms crossed. "Indeed, something about Byron doesn't seem right. Still, it's crystal clear that I won't get an answer as to why. After all, Byron and Borisin will never tell me what happened between them. I suppose there's no use wasting more time on these two."With that, Darius dusted his shoulders, crossed his arms again, and leisurely strolled out of the basement. He knew the best way of getting answers was to ask his grandfather. Before Darius could set foot outside of the basement door, a series of anxious footsteps neared hi
"It does sound convenient." Darius nodded before turning the other way to walk ahead, stating, "So, you changed your mind and decided to arrest Byron, huh? Won't that cause you trouble at work?"A smile spread across Borisin's face. Then, he shook his head and cheerily replied, "Don't worry, Darius. That won't happen. I wouldn't be in my current position if Byron were capable enough to mess with my work life."Darius smiled upon hearing that, his hands returning to his back as he headed outside. "Since that's the case, I'll entrust this matter to you. I don't want to see Byron partaking in the Reid family's activities and events ever again."Borisin froze for a moment but quickly grinned. "Okay. That won't be difficult to execute, given his past wrongdoings."The two continued walking forward, their footsteps feeling lighter and unburdened.Meanwhile, two of Borisin's subordinates held Byron's shoulders and forced him to exit the basement. Byron's eyes were red with rage when he heard
Darius retracted his hand and tucked it into his pocket. "Those people out there are unscrupulous businessmen. They must be here because they can reap plenty of benefits from this." He sighed. "They'll do unthinkable things to get what they want—that's even scarier than them pulling anything to save Byron." Before Borisin could ask anything else, Darius saw Bruce racing toward them, gasping for breath. He sighed again and nodded in Bruce's direction. "Look at that. Things must be getting out of control."He walked toward—no, magically appeared before Bruce, who sagged in relief when he saw Darius. Bruce sounded panicked as he said, "Sir, there are people from the two most prominent families out there, and they're causing a ruckus. Since Master James isn't around, you're the next best person to turn to…but I don't know whether you're ready to face the world as the Reid family's heir." His hands twisted together before him, and he frowned, looking concerned.Darius' lips curved upward
Although the woman could not tell whether Darius was the real deal, she couldn't deny he was standing behind the Reid family's gates. She believed he wouldn't have the nerve to lie to them while standing on the Reid family's grounds and being in the presence of the Reid family's members. She frowned and said, "You claim you're the Reid family's heir, right? Since they've allowed you to make such a ridiculous statement, you must be lying on their behalf! Who knows whether you bribed other people into supporting you? Or maybe you planned this long ago!"Darius watched silently as she became so agitated that her spit flew in all directions. When she realized she wasn't receiving a response, she gradually lapsed into silence, not knowing how to proceed. She turned to look at the people standing behind her for help. However, at this moment, Darius spoke. "If I were to give you a million dollars and hire you to lie through your teeth while standing on this side of the gate, would you? Wou
"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