Patrick's head flew up at Darius' words, and he widened his eyes in shock. He parted his trembling lips and stammered, "H-how did you know about that?"Darius tucked his hands in his pockets and gave him a scornful look. "Don't tell me you thought it was a secret exclusive to only yourself." Patrick gaped at him. Indeed, that was what he'd thought. To his shock, Darius showed him some photos and videos. Patrick didn't say a word when he saw them; he knew Darius would spread these photos and videos all over the internet unless he apologized immediately. Then again, there was no guarantee Darius would let him off the hook even if he were to do so—he knew he wouldn't. His breathing sped up as his gaze flicked between Darius' face and the phone. After a long moment, he rasped, "Why are you showing me this? What do you want now?"Darius' mockery grew. He casually sat on a nearby chair, crossed his legs, and smiled at Patrick. "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only need you to ans
Stephen's jaw dropped. Darius sensed his anxiety and turned to look at him, but he couldn't say a word. Darius raised an eyebrow and cajoled, "What's wrong? Talk to me."Stephen gulped and dropped his eyes to the floor. He said in a small voice, "I wanted to know whether everything's over. Is this all?"Darius shook his head. "Of course not. It's just that we can deal with this later. The important thing now is that your father is about to be here. Are you ready for that? Do you already know what you're going to do when you meet him?"Stephen's face turned red at his words, and he smiled. He saluted Darius and said, "Thank you, Darius. I'll use the rest of my life to make up for my mistakes. It may not be enough, but I'll do my best."Darius didn't expect to hear this. He sighed, then shook his head with a smile. "Alright, then. I'll be waiting to see what you have to show." With that, he turned and left the banquet hall with Stephen trailing him. In the blink of an eye, Patrick was a
He gave Darius a tentative glance, then exhaled and shut his eyes. "I know I've already failed my mission. Go ahead if you want to end my life."Darius had honestly wanted to help this boy, but he stopped when he heard this. "You're extremely calm about facing death, calmer than people much older than you. That's a surprise. Can you tell me why you feel that way?"The black-robed person raised his head to meet Darius' eyes. Because of how close they were to each other and the disparity in their height, Darius could clearly see his eyes. They were filled with tears, and he was obviously one step away from agreeing to Darius' request. Then, he lowered his head and shook it."No, my emotions and thoughts don't matter. The important thing is that I failed my mission, and my life is the price to pay for that. I can't take my own life, but you can do it for me." He looked at Darius again, this time resolutely.Darius was bemused and shook his head. The black-robed person obviously couldn't
"If you have any objection to that, you can get out right now. It wouldn't bother me in any way," Darius said coolly.The boy paled and shook his head vigorously. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." He took a shaky breath. "I'll step outside right now. From today onward, your every wish is my command." He ran off before Darius could say anything else, making the latter shake his head with a smile.Darius crossed his legs at the knee, gently tapping his foot as he leaned forward to pick up a glass of water from the coffee table. He didn't stop tapping his foot even as he drank his water, which showed how good of a mood he was in. Now that the wheels were in motion, he realized how long it had been since he'd last taken a break. He straightened up and tucked his hands in his pockets before strolling out of his room.There were people bustling around, cleaning up now that the family gathering was over. It was a little noisy, so Darius headed to the courtyard. The flowers there were in
The boy looked lost as he tried to figure out what Darius meant. On the other hand, the black-robed man trembled violently—it was visible even under his billowing robes. Darius straightened up and patted the boy. "Right; this has nothing to do with you, so you can step out for now." The boy's gaze traveled between Darius and the black-robed man. He was about to shake his head, but before he could, he was shrouded in darkness as Darius covered his eyes with his hand. "Stop looking around. It's time for you to go!"At this moment, Teivel's voice rang out again. "You're pretty patient with this kid, aren't you?" Darius raised an eyebrow at his sarcasm but didn't say anything. He kept one hand over the boy's eyes as he pushed him out of the room. Before the boy could even catch his balance, Darius shut the door with his life force. With all sources of light locked out, the room was shrouded in darkness.The black-robed man stood opposite Darius, and his fury was obvious even in the darkn
"It was a guess." Darius leaned back and pointed at his head. He then settled his gaze on Teivel, not wavering as he sternly stated, "However, I'm serious about speeding up your fusion."A moment went by as Teivel fell into deep thought. Then, he nodded, saying, "I'll be missing for a long time if that happens. You'll need to face any incoming dangers alone. Plus, I have a bad feeling about this.""I know." Darius nodded, complicated emotions clouding his eyes while he looked at Teivel. "But did you detect any familiar types of energy from that young fellow?" Confusion flashed past Teivel's face. He shook his head with his brows drawing close. "Did you detect a similar bearing or type of energy to mine from him?""Yeah," replied a sighing Darius. "Not only is it similar, but the energy feels inherited, unlike how your energy can sometimes linger on your opponent after you attack them."Teivel abruptly straightened his back. Then, his body shot all over the room like a balloon, rapidl
Kate's face turned paler, and her gaze grew bleak as she questioned, "Am I that undesirable to you? I could've sworn we were close and almost dated each other." Darius pivoted on his heel to meet Kate's eyes. He sighed, responding, "Yes, I can't deny I once had feelings for you—but that went away a long time ago." There wasn't a trace of warmth in his dark eyes. He parted his lips, wanting to say more, but Bridget's low voice sounded outside. "Sir, a man who claims to be Miss Kate's fiancé has brought a crowd. They're peacefully sitting outside the Reid manor, but they've blocked off the entire road. It's attracting a lot of attention." A remote frostiness seeped onto Darius' face just then. The news made Kate's knees go wobbly. She whipped her head toward Darius, lips parting but not a word leaving her mouth. She didn't know what to say, so she shut her eyes and lowered her head. Helplessness and disappointment tinted her cheeks red. Sighing lightly, Darius turned to say, "Stay
Darius arched a brow, raising his chin at the Reid manor's main entrance. "I've already made myself clear—I'm happy to oblige if you wish to enter my home, provided these other guys remain out here."With that, he crossed his arms and returned to the manor without sparing Billy another glance.That left Billy heaving with rage. He saw only red as it was his first time encountering someone unreasonable like Darius. Chest rising and sinking rapidly, Billy stepped ahead, only to get stopped by one member of his crowd. Fixating on the gate only five steps away, he frowned and thundered, "Let me go! You'll be sticking around here for a long time if you keep holding me back, and I'm sure you don't want that!"The person had never seen Billy in such a rage, so he trembled and quickly retracted his arm. He then sat on the ground with his other comrades to continue their silent protest against Darius. …Meanwhile, Darius returned to his study.Bridget had been behind him this entire time and
"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