Knowing it was abnormal, Erin wondered why Darius had reacted that way. On the other hand, the situation had already left Darius' mind by then. His focus was on his phone's chat box with a conversation between him and Hansley. Sighing, he typed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hansley, my mistake left you with no choice but to stay in the hotel for an extended period. I haven't been able to deal with your son's affairs, but perhaps we can meet to handle that issue now that I got discharged from the hospital. Are you free to do so?"After sending the message, Darius shut his eyes, leaned back into the chair, and awaited a response. He was so exhausted that he didn't bother looking at his phone. Little did Darius expect the screen to light up almost instantly, cutting his break short. He looked toward the desk, only for his brows to shoot upward in the next second. Darius couldn't believe that Hansley had texted him back in such a short time. Shock filled his mind as he picked up the phone and saw H
"I didn't have any other choice!" Tears gathered in Hansley's eyes as he spoke.Adversely, Darius remained calm like always. He crossed his arms while wordlessly staring at the former. That said, he no longer seemed curious; instead, there was a distant look in his eyes as if he had fallen into deep thought.Hansley noticed it but soon shifted his gaze away from Darius. Chills crawled into his heart as he lowered his head and took a deep breath. Only then did Hansley continue, "During the incident, I saw a man in black robes sneaking you out of the car. There were also other black-robed figures there, but I still followed the person that took you away, thinking I could save you since he would eventually be alone. What happened next shocked me; the man brought you to an orphanage without hurting you. He didn't leave a scar on you, which I didn't think was possible! Yet, it did. Because of that, I thought long and hard before deciding to conceal the truth."Not a flicker of emotion sho
Darius' mind was in disarray throughout that conversation. He knew Hansley had likely sided with the enemy. Still, he knew such a sudden switch couldn't have happened randomly. It was likely that things had strayed from his plans, meaning something had occurred in the hospital during his coma. Upon realizing that, he placed both hands on the keyboard and speedily typed something. The only person that could work faster than him was Erin, who had already sent a reply after receiving his instruction to investigate past happenings at the hospital."Apologies, sir, I knew about this long ago. I failed my job again by not informing you firsthand," she stated in her text before explaining the situation, "A figure in black robes entered Stephen's ward while you were unconscious. However, nothing mattered more than keeping you two safe at the time, so we set the matter aside when the figure didn't cause any trouble. We planned to deal with the matter later on but didn't have time to do so unt
Darius straightened his back, placed his hands behind his back, and gazed ahead calmly. He even spoke composedly. "There's no need for that because those people outside are a match for Bridget, even if they attack her all at once. Besides, we're in my villa, so Bridget isn't the only bodyguard on duty; Edward's here too."Hansley's pupils constricted in defeat as he met Darius' calm but confident stares. With a long exhale, he replied, "There's nothing much I can do to help you since that's the case. Nevertheless, I still want you to protect my son by keeping him with you. He's not a rotten egg—that, I'm sure. After all, I have faith in my and my wife's genes. Perhaps he's merely figuring out himself and bumped into the wrong influences along the way that caused him to end up how he is now. My heart aches at the thought of parting with my son. I also know it's irresponsible of me to entrust him to your care, but this is the best option for all of us."With that, he exhaled deeply, the
Even though Emerson's head hung low, Darius only needed a second to notice the former's grim expression. He placed his hands behind his back and maintained a stoic expression. "Why have you lowered your head, Emerson? If I were you, I'd raise my chin and face my future boss. After all, I'm the only one who can guide you toward a brighter future."That convinced Emerson to slowly lift his gaze to meet the former. Still, his voice sounded hoarse as he spoke. "I apologize. I was merely desperate to end the issue I'm currently facing. It torments me every second of the day."Darius nodded, sighed, and answered, "Very well. Since you've already started explaining things to me, I'd like to ask what's causing you so much stress?"Hansley could no longer stand the two's slow conversation, so his head shot upward to face Darius. His gaze hardened, but his lips thinned with hesitation.Upon sensing Hansley's stares, Darius turned to face the former but kept his hands against his lower back. On
After some time, Darius sighed and stated, "Many things are affecting the company now, so I don't wish to waste any time on both of your pathetic tantrums—" He lifted his gaze off the ground to meet Winston's eyes. "As for what Ursula told you, there's no need to believe a word she says because she's currently being held captive in my basement. I suggest you act on your urges if you have any now."Only after saying that did he speedwalk back to his villa. Once there, he locked himself inside his study, then sighed helplessly at the pile of urgent problems in the company that he needed to sort out. The irony was his progress in dealing with those things got interrupted by his future employee, Winston, and his father's ex-best friend, Hansley. Darius knew he shouldn't have allowed such an interference to occur. He took a deep breath, his features loosening into an exasperated expression. Sitting on a nearby chair, he crossed his legs and continued sighing. At the same time, his thought
Winston's gaze swept past Hansley before landing on Darius again. His eyes darkened with gravity as he declared, "I can help achieve Hansley's goal. I'm doing this to atone for the many awful things I did, especially since I continued my horrible ways after accepting your advice and offer to work in your company. I realize now how severe my mistakes are, and I'd like to make up for them.""Sure," replied Darius, who kept calm while slightly raising one brow. "I'll give you one last chance to prove yourself."He then pivoted on his heel to face a trembling Hansley. It was plain to see that the latter had reacted that way out of pure rage. Again, Darius sardonically lifted a brow but kept his tone neutral as he asked, "You seem bothered by this, Hansley."Hansley paused, inhaling deeply before lifting his gaze off the ground to meet Darius. With a nod, he said, "Yes—"He was about to elaborate on his reasons for refusing Winston's help when a clamoring erupted from the spot below the wi
Darius raised a brow but soon put his hands behind his back again.Upon seeing that, Bridget sighed in relief and opened the gate. With a soft click, everyone—including the other bodyguards in the villa and the three arguing unannounced visitors—turned to look at her.The man dressed in trendy sportswear rushed toward Darius once he saw the latter. "Hey! You're that Darius Reid, right?"Darius flashed an unimpressed stare but nodded, saying, "Yes, I am. May I know why you've approached me?"Almost instantly, the man's arrogant grin turned into a polite smile. Even his prickly attitude softened with civility. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Reid. My name is Craig Fledor. Maybe you haven't heard of my name before, but you need only know this—I can pay you twice the amount you used to purchase this estate, including the renovation and furnishing fees. After all, I would never use any furniture or appliance that you've already broken in. Consider all of this a splendid opportunity for you."By th
"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