Chapter 6

"How dare you hit me, Gideon? How dare you call me a lackey?" Eric shrieked in fury as he clutched his face.

"Why not?"

"Do you think you Snows still possess the prestige you once had? Do you think you're still Gideon Snow, one of the Four Elites of Goldspire? I'll show you the price you'll have to pay for hitting me and humiliating us Grosses!"

Eric wanted nothing more than to rip Gideon to pieces, and he swore to take Gideon down.

"I'll be waiting," Gideon retorted condescendingly. "You'd better not disappoint me. Also, pass your family a message for me. Tell them to be prepared for when I buy out Gross Group."

Eric was flabbergasted, but after a moment, he mocked, "You must've gone mad, Gideon. To think you'd say such ridiculous things. You want to buy out our company? With what? Just wait, all of you! It's over for the Snow family!"

And with that, he stormed out of the Snow residence.

Only then did Cormac bellow, "Look at what you did, Gideon! The Grosses will surely join forces with the other families to bring us down. We're done for!"

"You're the bane of us all, Gideon! Get the hell out of here at once!" Walter screeched.

However, the others didn't say anything. They were shocked and puzzled by the return of Gideon, who'd gone missing for five years. Why did he come back?

"It's been five years. I thought that after you seized control of the company, you'd at least be able to maintain its prosperity, even if you couldn't make it soar to new heights.

"Who would've thought that in just five years, we went from being one of the most prestigious families to being on the verge of bankruptcy?" Gideon snarled.

"The Grosses were once nothing more than our lackeys who hung on to our every word, but now, even they can lord over us! They even humiliated us by offering to buy the company for a million dollars, and worse still, you people signed that contract!

"Is this all you're capable of, Cormac? How are you going to answer to our ancestors?"

Gideon's words fell like a ton of bricks. Cormac's eyes bulged out of his ashen face. Though he swallowed and tried to speak, no words came out.

However, Walter shouted, "Gideon, you were already kicked out of the family. You're no longer one of us, so you have no right to make any comments about the family! Get out of here now!"

He marched up to Gideon to push him out, but Gideon shot him an icy look and sent him backward with a smack.

Glaring murderously at Cormac, Gideon asked, "You kicked me out of the family and sent hitmen after me. Don't you think it's time we settle this score?"

"What did you say?"

All of the other Snows jumped at that. They only knew that Gideon had been kicked out. No one knew he'd been hunted down by hitmen as well. Immediately, they all glowered at Cormac.

Seeing this, Cormac knew it was over for him. Chuckling bitterly, he remarked, "I went through all that effort to seize control over the family and the company. Who would've thought that everything would come crashing down in my hands?

"I've done wrong. I shouldn't be the head of the family. Since you're back, Gideon, you'll be in charge of the family from this day onward."

Gideon didn't speak. His sharp gaze remained fixed on Cormac, and it made Cormac's chest tighten with fear. Gritting his teeth, Cormac asked, "I'm already giving up my position as the head of the family, Gideon. What more do you want?"

"Your first offense is usurping control over the company, taking what doesn't belong to you! Your second is sending hitmen after me in an attempt to kill me. Your third is causing the decline of the family wealth due to your extravagant spending and lack of accomplishments.

"And finally, your fourth is being so spineless that you'd betray the family by selling off the company!"

Every single one of Cormac's misdeeds had been spelled out clearly, leaving him pale and trembling uncontrollably.

In the end, Gideon declared, "You should take your own life!"

Cormac looked as though he had been struck by lightning. He couldn't believe that Gideon wanted him to take his own life in penance!

"No!" Walter roared as he came charging at Gideon. "Do you think you're God, Gideon? What gives you the right to pass judgment on my father?"

"Are you questioning me?" Gideon fired back as he shot Walter a look through the corner of his eye. Instantly, Walter froze solid. The look Gideon had given him consisted of nothing but arrogance, hostility, and the absence of all emotions. Walter felt as if he would be beheaded if he said one more word.

Crumbling under the dominance that Gideon exerted, Walter crumpled to the floor, his body shaking. The other Snows exchanged glances and said nothing either. In the last few years, Cormac's recklessness and Walter's overindulgence led to the downfall of the Snow family, and they'd long since harbored much resentment for that.

Now that Gideon was back, perhaps he could revive the family's former glory.

"Take your own life."

Those few words struck deep within Cormac's soul. Stricken with terror, he wanted to speak up just like Walter had, but the look in Gideon's eyes made his mind go blank.

Just then, a young man thoughtfully tossed a machete over to Cormac.

"Take your own life!"

The other Snows chorused as well.

The words echoed in Cormac's head. Overwhelmed by despair, he sobbed as he reached for the machete.

"Dad, no!" Walter cried out in horror.

As it was, from the moment Gideon showed up, Cormac knew he had no way out. Eyes filled with hopelessness, he pleaded, "I admit to the four things you said I did, Gideon. I will pay with my life. My only request is that you let Walter off the hook. He's your family. He grew up with you. Please have mercy on him."

Once he finished speaking, he brought the machete to his neck in one swift motion. Blood gushed out.

Cormac was dead.

"Dad!" Walter screamed at the top of his lungs. He was beside himself with sorrow.

"My dad died because of you, Gideon. You're a murderer! I'm going to report you to the police and make sure you go to prison for this!"

Ignoring Walter, Gideon looked at Fred Snow, the young man who tossed over the machete, and instructed, "Fred, take Cormac's body as well as Walter out. Toss them both at the mass burial ground."

"You got it!" Fred was more than happy to comply.

Back then, he had gotten along fairly well with Gideon. He also deeply resented the way Cormac and his immediate family ruled over the others with an iron fist, wasting the family's financial resources and bullying the others in the extended family.

"Fred! What are you doing?"

"I've been fed up with you for a long time now. To hell with you!" Fred said as he punched Walter in the head.

Walter's head was spinning as he shouted, "Kill me! I dare you! Wilbur will avenge me!"

Cormac had two sons, with Wilbur being his oldest and Walter being his youngest.

Gideon recalled that when he was little, Wilbur left the family in search of mentors who could teach him martial arts.

Meanwhile, Fred punched Walter one more time to knock him unconscious before hauling him and Cormac's body out of the residence.

Gideon took a seat, and all of the Snows greeted him as the new head of the family. "Sir!"

"The family's business flourished under my father's leadership. Snow Corporation was his life's work. I won't let it go bankrupt. I won't allow the family to go down like that. Since Cormac is dead, I'll consider the past settled. From today onward, you all just need to focus on doing your job.

"I will make arrangements for the company. You just need to carry on with work as usual and fulfill your responsibilities."

"Sir, the Grosses will come after you for hitting Eric," someone piped up worriedly.

"Don't worry about that. I'll handle it. Just focus on doing your part. Also, what's going on with Wilbur? Has he ever returned in the last few years?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Get on with your day," Gideon said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.

Once everyone left, Gideon sent a text, and soon, Leopold rushed over.

"Congratulations on reclaiming your position in the Snow family, sir!"

"Snow Corporation has fallen on hard times. Arrange a few projects and business deals for the company," Gideon instructed.

"Sir, with your power and influence, you can easily ask all of the tycoons and magnates to help the Snow family and make it the top family in Goldspire in next to no time."

"There's no rush," Gideon said. "The Snows have slacked off in the last few years. They need to be trained once more. Turning things around overnight won't serve them any good."

"You're right, sir," Leopold replied. "I'll make the arrangements right away."

Right after Leopold left, Gideon received a text from Elara—and more surprisingly, she was inviting him to join her for a meal.