"Such an eyesore," Marion muttered under her breath as the family gathered in the living room.Arnold cleared his throat and addressed Gideon, "Gideon, I called you back because we're expecting guests soon—Marion's sister, Maisy, and her family.""Understood," Gideon replied with a nod.The sisterly competition wasn't new to Gideon. He knew this was another chapter in their ongoing rivalry.Marion cut in sharply, "Gideon, you overheard what I said earlier, didn't you? I suggest you quietly step aside. I'll have Matthew come over. There's no way you can compete with Maisy's son-in-law."Gideon smiled faintly. "How can you be so sure before I've even met him?""You're all talk!" Marion sneered. "Their son-in-law is a government official with real connections and a promising future. "And you? A so-called head of a failing family with a company on the brink of bankruptcy? What could you possibly bring to the table? Please enlighten me!"Gideon leaned back casually. "Even world lea
The atmosphere grew tense, with awkwardness hanging in the air. Elara didn't know how to respond. Saying Gideon was the head of a family sounded impressive, but anyone who looked deeper would discover the truth—he was leading a declining household on the brink of financial ruin. It would be mortifying.Noticing the hesitation on Elara's and Marion's faces, Maisy's spirits soared. Her instincts told her that Gideon was no match for Sebastian. Feeling smug, she couldn't help but revel in the moment.Maisy had spent her entire life competing with Marion and losing. When Marion married Arnold, the Seymour family was prosperous and prominent, making Marion's marriage a glamorous affair. In contrast, Maisy had married Kristian, who was then a lowly salesperson. Though she'd been frustrated by his lack of status, Kristian's unwavering devotion won her over, and she chose love over status.Over the years, Kristian's fortunes turned. With the help of a well-connected benefactor, he built
Sebastian set down his coffee cup, a polite smile on his face. "Mom, as a matter of fact, I do have two friends here in Goldspire."One is in the business world and runs a sizable company. The other comes from a powerful underworld family and is the heir to a prominent faction."His words instantly elevated the room's atmosphere. Maisy and Kristian beamed with pride. Sebastian's connections bolstered their social standing, after all. Even Arnold couldn't help but feel impressed—Sebastian truly lived up to his reputation, rubbing shoulders with the elite from both business and underground circles.Meanwhile, Marion seethed silently, her frustration aimed squarely at Gideon. She could barely contain her disdain for Gideon, who had embarrassed her to no end. Her anger boiled alongside Elara's. Their thoughts aligned—Gideon was dead weight. Divorce was the only option to save their family's dignity.Arnold, oblivious to the tension, praised Sebastian, "Sebastian, you're quite rem
Arnold noticed the tension brewing and quietly pulled Gideon aside. "Gideon, this doesn't look good. I think Sebastian's trying to stir up trouble. You should just leave. There's no point staying here."Gideon smiled faintly. "Dad, don't worry. I'm not so useless that I'd let them walk all over me. Besides, what's the worst they can do? Eat me alive?"Arnold sighed heavily, unsure of what to say.Moments later, a commotion sounded outside the private room. A young man's voice rang out, loud and confident, "Sebastian, I'm here!"Sebastian rose and opened the door, greeting the newcomer with a broad smile. "Dawson! It's been a while.""Sure has," Dawson Hobbs replied with a laugh. "You've been so busy lately that I didn't think I'd catch you here in Goldspire."Turning to Kyla, Dawson grinned. "And this must be your wife. Stunning, as expected! You're one lucky guy, Sebastian.""Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Seymour and Mr. and Mrs. Morin," he added, greeting the elders in the room with
After downing over a dozen glasses, the difference between the two drinkers became glaringly obvious.Sebastian's face was flushed, and sweat dotted his forehead. His movements also grew unsteady. In stark contrast, Gideon remained composed, his expression calm, as if he'd been sipping water the entire time.It wasn't lost on anyone—Gideon was winning.Sebastian, noticing the imbalance, felt a surge of unease. Gideon's drinking capacity far exceeded his expectations. If this continued, he'd be the one hitting the floor."Sebastian," Gideon said, his tone even but with a faint hint of mockery, "I'm feeling a bit lightheaded. Should we keep going?"Hearing this, Sebastian's confidence reignited. So, Gideon was finally feeling it. He was just good at hiding it. Sebastian grinned slyly. "Of course, Gideon! Tonight, we drink to our hearts' content. Here. Take this bottle.""A full bottle?" Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Straight up," Sebastian declared, uncapping a bottle of high-pr
"What are you doing? Are you really calling Rachel?" Elara looked at Gideon with skepticism.Gideon didn't reply, his calm demeanor unnerving. His silence made both Marion and Elara suspicious. Could he really have Rachel's number? They couldn't entirely dismiss the possibility. After all, Gideon was once the most prominent of Goldspire's Four Elites, while Rachel was among Goldspire's Three Beauties. A connection between them wasn't entirely far-fetched.But as Gideon dialed, his confidence wavered. The call didn't go through."What's wrong?" Arnold asked, noticing Gideon's momentary hesitation."She didn't pick up," Gideon replied. "She's likely in a meeting or dealing with something important."The change in Elara's and Marion's expressions was immediate—disdain and fury painted across their faces.For a brief moment, they had entertained the idea that Gideon might actually pull this off. Now, they felt utterly humiliated for even considering it.Even if Gideon once had
Dawson froze, Terrence's furious words still ringing in his ears. "You ungrateful brat! I've told you countless times to keep a low profile, but no. You had to flaunt yourself everywhere! "And now look at what you've done—our entire family is ruined! The Hobbs family is done for! Decades of hard work are gone overnight…" "Dad?" Dawson shouted, panic overtaking him.The call abruptly ended. Dawson's hands trembled as he stared at his phone, his entire body cold as ice. It felt as though the walls were closing in, suffocating him.Dawson slumped to the ground, his face pale and lifeless. His mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened.He wondered who did this. He racked his brain, desperate to identify the culprit. But in recent weeks, he had been careful to avoid offending anyone of importance. He had no enemies powerful enough to orchestrate something of this magnitude.Then, a face flashed in his mind."Gideon!" He gasped.But he quickly shook his head, dism
"What did you just say?" Rachel asked."Ms. Avila, our corporate account suddenly has five billion dollars deposited into it! What should we do?" The finance director was practically in tears, overwhelmed not with joy but with sheer panic.Five billion dollars wasn't just an astronomical sum—it was liquid cash. Even at its peak, the Avila family had never come close to handling this much cash. The finance director was terrified. Money of such a scale would undoubtedly attract attention from the banks, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities, making a joint investigation inevitable. How could they explain it? This wasn't just a financial windfall. It was a potential disaster."Ms. Avila, please think of something!" the director pleaded, nearly jumping out of his skin."Calm down," Rachel said, waving him off. "You can leave the room for now."The finance director hesitated but ultimately complied, shutting the door behind him.Rachel let out a long breath, staring at Gid
Elara got into Damian's car."Ms. Seymour, where are you headed?" Damian asked."Home."Damian obediently started driving.Before long, she asked, "Mr. Horne, do you have cash on hand?""What's the matter? Are you short on money, Ms. Seymour?" he repliedShe said, "I've been eyeing a small apartment lately. The location is great, and I'm planning to buy it, but I'm a bit short on funds. Mr. Horne, could you lend me a little money?"He thought for a moment and asked, "How much?""300 thousand dollars," she said, holding up three fingers.Then, she added, "We may not have much of a connection, but for Gideon's sake, can you help me out just this once? I'll pay you back as soon as I can."Damian nodded. "No problem. It's 300 thousand dollars, not three million dollars. I can manage that. Let's exchange numbers, and you can send me your bank account details.""Thank you, Mr. Horne.""There's no need to be so formal," he replied casually while chuckling.For the Horne family, m
Elara was disappointed. Just a moment ago, she thought that the Horne family and the Snow family had genuinely established a strong relationship, which was why Damian had stepped in to help Gideon.She hadn't expected it was only because the Horne family was a shareholder in the clubhouse.Damian simply didn't want an incident on his turf. It wouldn't look good, after all."Get lost!" Damian barked coldly.Harold and the others didn't dare linger."Wait a minute!"Damian's sharp tone froze Harold in place. He shivered and braced himself to ask, "Is there anything else, Mr. Horne?""Take him with you." Damian pointed to the unconscious young man on the couch."Yes, yes, of course." Harold called out to his companions, and together, they carried the injured man out of the clubhouse.Elara also left with them.Once the room was empty, Damian dropped his intimidating demeanor and turned into an eager subordinate, grinning as he said, "How did I do, Gideon?""You're pretty quic
"Cuff him!" the officer shouted sternly.Harold and the others looked on, pleased, while Elara was at a loss for what to do.Gideon was visibly displeased. Just as he was about to react, a cold voice rang out from outside the room, "What are you doing here?"Everyone turned to look.Harold was stunned for a moment. Then, he hurried forward. "Mr. Horne, it's you!"The newcomer was none other than Damian, the eldest son of the Horne family.Damian had been passing by and glanced into the private room. When he saw Gideon surrounded by police officers, his heart skipped a beat.The last time Gideon was arrested, the entire Goldspire was thrown into upheaval. If something like that happened again, the consequences would be unimaginable.Without hesitation, Damian stepped in to intervene. He cast a sidelong glance at Harold.He had heard of him before. Harold was a young entrepreneur and owner of a company in Goldspire. Although he might have been a promising youth, Damian didn't
Elara's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She lowered her head and couldn't bring herself to look at Gideon.However, the rich heirs in the room were not about to let this slide.In the past, they had to look up to Gideon. Now that the Snow family had fallen, they were not going to miss the chance to humiliate him."Did I say you could leave?" One of the rich heirs stepped in front of Gideon to block his path."Move!" Gideon barked coldly.The heir was startled for a moment before flying into a rage. "Why the hell are you acting up? Do you think you're still the high-and-mighty heir of the Snow family?"With that, he swung his hand to slap Gideon across the face.Gideon caught the man's arm, and with a sudden, crushing grip, a loud crack echoed through the room as the man's arm shattered.The rich heir's scream, like the wailing of a slaughtered pig, filled the room.Everyone was stunned.They stared in shock at the man's mangled and tw
"You're treating me to a meal?" Gideon asked."You saved me and stopped Matthew from assaulting me. Isn't it normal for me to thank you by treating you to a meal? Let's go." Elara gestured for him to follow.Rubbing his nose, Gideon felt a little puzzled. He couldn't figure out what she was up to.Since when did she become so polite? She even knew how to show gratitude, huh?They entered a high-end clubhouse and headed straight upstairs to the sixth floor.As they walked, Gideon sensed something wasn't quite right. The clubhouse was extremely luxurious, and the costs were undoubtedly sky-high. Elara couldn't possibly afford a private room on the sixth floor.A cacophony of loud laughter and voices filled the air when the door was pushed open."Ella, you're here!" A well-dressed young man approached her with a smile."And this must be Gideon! Mr. Snow, right? I've heard so much about you." The young man extended his hand toward Gideon.Gideon shook his hand, thinking it wou
"Ms. Trott, what did you say? One billion dollars? Are you saying Ms. Avila is ready to invest that much in me?""No kidding!" Maggie rolled her eyes.Matthew was dumbfounded. Then, he immediately flushed with excitement, his body trembling.One billion dollars! Good Lord! If he were to just put it in the bank and live off the interest, he would be set for life!"I've said all I need to say. Think it over carefully. But remember my advice. Ms. Avila doesn't like delays. Act quickly, or you'll miss the once-in-a-lifetime chance to leap into greatness.""Okay, okay. Thank you, Ms. Trott. I'll treat you to a scrumptious meal sometime."Matthew hurriedly left the building and got into the car. He couldn't wait to call Jacob. "How did it go? Did it work out?" Jacob asked.From his tone, it was clear that Jacob was nervous, his voice slightly trembling with anticipation."Dad, file for bankruptcy immediately. Shut down the company and clear out all the junk."Jacob was stunned. "Y
"Ms. Avila, here is my proposal. Please take a look."In the office, Matthew handed the proposal to Rachel, waiting with eager anticipation.Truthfully, Rachel didn't have the slightest interest in looking at the proposal. She didn't even want to flip it open.However, for Gideon's sake, she decided to put some effort into putting Matthew and the Carter family through the wringer. Suppressing her impatience, she opened the proposal.Upon reading it, she found it to be complete garbage. The proposal that Jacob had arranged for someone to write had some level of competence, but unfortunately, it was entirely unworthy of Rachel's standards.For a second- or third-rate business owner, the proposal might have seemed decent. But for someone of Rachel's caliber and position, reading it was nothing but a waste of ten minutes.Matthew asked, "Ms. Avila, what do you think?""It's alright," she replied with a forced smile.Hearing this, he was overjoyed. "Ms. Avila, does that mean I've pa
Matthew was completely stunned after getting slapped. "Dad, what did I do?"Jacob roared, "What did you do? Because of you, the Lawson family has terminated all their collaborations with us."The company is already struggling, barely staying afloat with those projects from the Lawsons. Now that they've been cut, the company is completely paralyzed. We're one step away from bankruptcy!"Matthew finally understood. It had to be because he had embarrassed Kian at Avila Group earlier. That old man was getting his revenge."Dad, don't worry. The Lawsons won't be able to stay smug for long. Give it some time, and Kian will be kneeling in front of us, begging for forgiveness.""Bullshit!" Jacob slapped him again. "You little punk! Are you out of your mind? The company is on the brink of bankruptcy, and you're still spouting this nonsense! Have some shame!"Feeling wronged, Matthew protested, "Dad, I'm telling the truth! I was going to tell you yesterday, but I didn't come home.""Tell
Kian left Avila Group with a dark expression. On his way back, he wasted no time in contacting his company's project department to terminate all collaborations with the Carter family."That little punk. I want to see just how much of a splash the Carter family can make. I'll wait for you to come crawling back to me and begging to resume our partnership." He sneered coldly.He didn't believe for a second that Matthew could earn Rachel's favor. He knew exactly what kind of person Matthew was.…Meanwhile, Matthew was reporting the situation in Rachel's office. He started by mentioning that he had already canceled contracts with families like the Seymour family. Rachel nodded approvingly. "You've done a good job."Matthew was overjoyed. To be praised by Rachel felt like pure bliss."Ms. Avila, don't worry. I'll prove my abilities to you," he said eagerly. "By the way, when will you be investing in me?" he asked, his voice filled with anticipation.Rachel sneered inwardly, but her