The feast was lavish, and Ruby invited everyone to eat and drink. Her smile, however, was forced and not as bold as before, making the mood a bit awkward. No one dared to look down on Elio, the son-in-law who joined the family, especially since no one else could give a gift worth $750,000.After a few rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, Yash, with a couple of cups of strong liquor warming his belly, started to brag about his clout in society, the bigwigs he knew, and his influence in Brownsville, claiming that everyone had to show him respect.In reality, the forty-something Yash was nothing but a freeloader, always carrying a bag and driving his old Honda around town, mooching off others. When he was broke, he would shamelessly ask his mother for money, all while trying to look important, but he was really just full of hot air.The more someone like him talked, the more they boasted. Spittle flying, he boasted, "Just look at Drake Hughes, the boss of the Sunshine Grand Hotel,
Elio chuckled and said calmly, "No need to bother. I can just call him 'Big Silly Hughes' right to his face."Evelyn frowned. Elio always seemed to get into trouble and never seemed to learn. She gave Elio a pinch on the leg and whispered, "Please, no trouble."Yitty was not about to let Elio off easily, though. She smirked, "Big talk when he's not here. If you're so brave, prove it! However, really, who are you to him? You probably won't even get to see Mr. Hughes.""If he's in the hotel, he'll come," Elio said confidently. He pulled out his phone and made a call to show he was not just talking big."Hello, who's this?" came a deep, commanding voice from the phone."I'm here to see Big Silly Hughes," Elio said with a grin."What?" The person on the other end of the line was super excited, their voice getting louder, " Master Rinz, hearing your voice again is wonderful! You finally remembered me! Where are you?""I'm at the Sunshine Grand Hotel. You own it, right? I'm in the Spr
The newcomer was the most powerful gangster in Brownsville, Drake Hughes. He was big and tall, bearing a striking resemblance to a comedy character from an old movie. As a result, he had the nickname Big Silly Hughes when he first started out. However, as he continued to rise up the ranks, no one dared to mention that insulting nickname again.Back in the day, Big Silly Hughes was just an insignificant minnow in the Auton Group who wanted to make a name for himself. He went to the Xever Group to borrow money from Shaw Maine, the man Elio called Uncle Shaw. When he ran into Elio, who was only thirteen years old at the time, the two of them chatted about martial arts.Back then, Uncle Shaw was reluctant to lend Drake any money, since he did not think Drake would be able to pay him back. Luckily for Drake, Elio had spoken up. "Lend Big Silly Hughes two million dollars,” he said. “I'll vouch for him. If he doesn't pay you back, I'll pay the debt for him."Since Elio had spoken, Uncle Sh
Everyone was surprised. Evelyn glanced at Elio with her beautiful eyes and thought to herself, 'Is this for real? That kid changed someone's life? I can’t believe it!'"By the way, Master Rinz, what brings you here?" Drake asked."I'm here to meet my relatives. We're all here for a meal. Someone mentioned you, so I wanted to see if you were around," Elio replied with a smile."It's my honor to have you here, Master Rinz. This meal is on the house," Drake said readily.Ruby was secretly delighted. The meal would have cost her at least five hundred dollars. She had no idea Elio had this much influence. "Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Hughes."Unexpectedly, Elio winked at Drake and said, "There’s no need to waive the meal. It's someone else's treat today, and I can't steal the limelight. Just bring us the bill later."As an experienced mobster, Drake immediately understood that Elio was getting back at someone who had wronged him. His expression immediately darkened, and his dangero
In the private room, Elio turned the tables on the soon-to-be-newlywed couple, forcing them to eat their words. Now, he was pressuring them to keep their promise to him!Hudson's face turned ashen. As the young master of a wealthy family, he could not imagine barking like a dog in public. If word got out, he would never be able to show his face again!"Don't push your luck." Yitty's face turned red. She stomped her feet and nearly screamed. It was even more difficult for her to accept the consequences of the wager. How could she, the bride-to-be, bow to that no-good son-in-law?Elio was unperturbed. "You’re the ones who insisted. Remember, anyone who backs out is a chicken.""Fuck that!" Ruby flipped out when she saw Elio pressuring her daughter. "I won’t let you bully Yitty like that, brat. Have some respect!"Elio said coldly, "I only respect those who are worthy of my respect. That doesn’t include you."Everyone was stunned. They did not expect him to be so unyielding. It was
At the end of the day, this was still one of the most high-end hotels in Brownsville. The staff members here were the cream of the crop, excellent in both looks and demeanor.Almost all of the male guests were stealing glances at the attendants, including the groom-to-be, Hudson. Even Howard stared, even though his wife was sitting right next to him. The only exception was Elio. He kept his eyes straight ahead, although he had an inkling that these five women were probably aiming for him. Unfortunately for them, he only had eyes for Evelyn.The five young women approached him and bowed in unison. “Nice to meet you, Master Rinz!"Yash and the others were even more amazed. If only these beautiful ladies were here for them!Sadly, they were all here for Elio. That lucky dog!Elio nodded and asked casually, "What do you want?"The woman in the lead was tall enough to be a model. Her figure was curvy, and her voice was pleasant. "Master Rinz, our hotel always provides gifts for our
After handing over the gifts the five women said in unison, "Enjoy your meal, Master Rinz." They then bowed again and left the room.For the first time in her life, Evelyn now owned a Hermes bag. She absolutely loved it. After all, it was in a different league from her previously most expensive bag, which barely cost a hundred dollars.The new bag was exquisite and well-made, as expected of a big brand. She looked even more noble and elegant with it, as though she was made to carry such a high-end bag.Her eyes shone brightly. In the time since they had sat down for this meal, she had gained a necklace worth half a million dollars and an expensive Hermes bag. It felt like a dream.All the women present were green with envy. No one would say no to a Hermes bag. However, they knew very well that not everyone would get to own one. It cost almost twenty thousand dollars. They could never afford it!Lana excitedly wore her new gold bracelets, one on each hand. She looked at them loving
Madam Faust snorted. "I'm old and useless now, so no one cares about me anymore. Forget outsiders, even my children have abandoned me. In all my life, I've never worn a gold bracelet."Taken aback, Lana cursed inwardly. Was her mother aiming for her bracelets? What should she do now? She hurriedly hid her wrists under the table. She knew her mother too well. "Did you hear that, Lana? You have two bracelets, so why don’t you be a good daughter and give one to Mother?" Ruby suggested."I can’t do that! These bracelets are a gift from Mr. Hughes. I can't simply give them away" Lana bit her lip and shook her head profusely.Madam Faust spat, "Simply give them away? I'm your mother! And you won’t even give me a measly bracelet?"Elio was dumbfounded. The old hag was openly demanding the bracelet now. Their entire family was nuts!Lana's body shook with rage. After so many years, she finally had a pair of gold bracelets to herself, yet they were asking her to give one away before she
"What?" Charlie's anger boiled over, his face turning bright red as he yelled, "This is too much! I want to see your chairman! He needs to apologize, or he'll regret it when I trash this place!"Laird gave a cold snort, grabbed the ready walkie-talkie, and called out, "Security, get in here, quick! We've got someone trying to wreck the place."In a flash, four security guards in black suits rushed into the room, grabbed Charlie, and marched him right out the door.The poor Jones family heir thought he could throw his weight around, but instead, he got a beating from the guards and ended up tossed outside, his suit torn and his face a mess of bruises.He tried to get up, wanting to shout insults, but the angry stares from the guards scared him silent. He scrambled into his Audi and sped away.Afterward, General Manager Howe filled in the chairman on what had happened. Elio could not help but feel a rush of glee. 'Charlie, you think you can take me on? Look where that got you!' Elio
That night, the news about the Aerin Group taking on the shanty town makeover project was all over the Cloudsea TV show. It shook up the whole business world in the city. Bosses from real estate and construction companies were all on the phone, trying to get the scoop.The Aerin Group was pretty new and not well-known in Cloudsea. Now, all of a sudden, it was the talk of the town. The big project that everyone wanted had somehow ended up with them, and it was really weird.The project to fix up the old town was massive, and lots of companies wanted to work on it. If they got even a piece of the job, they would be rolling in dough. So, they all rushed to make connections, hoping to meet with the big boss of Evamor Group to talk business.What surprised all the big shots was that nobody knew a thing about the boss of Evamor. It was like a big secret. Clearly, that person liked staying out of the spotlight, pulling strings from behind the curtain.Who would have guessed that this amaz
York nodded non-stop, apologizing. "Got it. Please forgive me. I'm really sorry."With the bill canceled, Elio felt they had done enough. "Let's call it even. Time to go."They walked out, heads high, leaving the staff and the hostesses in awe. York sat on the couch, face grim, and gulped down the fake Louis XIII. It was liquor from some other brand, cleverly resealed to look like the fancy stuff. It tasted pretty good, and hardly anyone could tell it was not the real deal. However, somehow, that kid figured it out. Who was he, anyway?York was fuming. Ever since his shop opened, he had sold bottle after bottle of this top-notch liquor to all sorts of important people, and no one had ever called him out. Now, some nobody had caught him."That little troublemaker, causing a scene in my shop," he grumbled. "Just you wait. I'll take care of you."As the boss was getting worked up and ready to get even, one of the girls spoke up, "That Mr. Rinz seems pretty impressive. I heard he even
York asked with a friendly smile, "I don't think I've met this young man before. Can someone introduce him?"Yvonne replied with a grin, "This is Mr. Rinz, a dear friend of ours. He's the one who wanted to meet you."York did not know Elio's story, and he looked like an average guy. However, he had ordered three bottles of the fancy Louis XIII cognac and seemed to be friends with some pretty important people, including a famous TV beauty. York could not help but be impressed."Really? I'm super honored and happy to meet you, Mr. Rinz. Hope you'll come to hang out with us more," York said with a big smile. He's the kind of guy who knew just what to say and was ready to shake hands, showing lots of respect. However, Elio did not reach out his hand at all, which made York's smile disappear, and he felt really annoyed inside.Elio just frowned and said, "I think once is enough for this place." Yvonne and the others exchanged puzzled looks. They had no clue why Elio was upset and wh
"You think you can hit me and get away with it? I could ruin your family in an instant. Now, get out of here, do you hear me?" Tanner yelled at her."You..." Fear flickered in May's eyes. She was too scared to argue, worried about what he might do to her.Jenny let out a sigh, went over to help her friend up, and whispered, "Let's just go. We can't stand up to him. We've just got to deal with this bad luck."May knew the truth. She and Jenny might come from money, but they were nothing compared to Tanner's powerful family. What could she do? If she pushed him too far, she was afraid he might make her disappear for good.May had no choice but to follow her best friend, looking all messy and upset. She did not think she would end up like that, feeling so angry. She was mad at Tanner for messing with her feelings and even madder at Elio, thinking he had a big part in her troubles.The room was super quiet; no one wanted to talk. Tanner was in a bad mood—he got tricked by someone not
As Evelyn's figure vanished from view, May frowned deeply and sneered, "She's so hopeless. She can't even handle her husband. Being a woman like that is just embarrassing.""Come on, don't be so hard on her," Jenny said. "Evelyn's got guts. She was ready to divorce Elio to stand up for what's right. Friends like her are rare.""Hmph, what good does that do? She still didn't get the stuff back. I really thought she could handle that jerk, but it was a waste," May said, not hiding her scorn."May, just a heads-up," Jenny lowered her voice, "the divorce might be good for Evelyn, but it puts you at risk. I've noticed Tanner looking her way a lot. Be careful."May felt a chill, sensing trouble, but she pushed back, "No way. Tanner told me he only loves me. You're just worrying too much."Jenny could tell what her best friend was thinking but kept it to herself. "Okay, let's just say I didn't mention anything. Let's head back."In the private room, Tanner was eager to hear the news. Wh
Jenny and May were shocked, staring at each other and not knowing what to do.The couple was at a breaking point. May felt a rush of panic. Did that mean she would never get back the fancy watch and the big Benz? She quickly pulled on Evelyn's arm, trying to tell her friend not to say things she could not take back. However, it was too late."That's for the best," Evelyn snapped. "From now on, we're nothing to each other.""Let's just hope we're both happy from here on out," Elio said, trying to sound indifferent. However, inside, it felt like a thousand needles were poking his heart.Evelyn did not look back. She turned and walked away fast, a cold air swirling around her.Jenny and May ran after her, calling out, "Evelyn, wait up!""Don't leave, wait for us!"Evelyn felt a heavy sadness. They had been married for three years, together every day. To say she felt nothing would be a lie. Even though she never really respected Elio, going their separate ways was still hard to take
The Seven Fairies Team was a tough bunch, and except for Helen, each one had fought their way to success in the cutthroat world of business. They were not about to let anyone push them around.With a loud "smack," Jenny's cheek stung from a fierce slap. She let out a sharp cry and glared at Yvonne. "Ouch! How dare you hit me?""You insult us, and you think a slap is too much?" Yvonne spat back, her teeth clenched in anger.May was not lucky, either. She, too, got slapped, leaving a bright red mark on her face. Lydia, who did it, shouted at her, "Who are you calling names, huh?"Jenny and May were no pushovers, but now, with their cheeks burning from the slaps and surrounded by a group of fierce-looking girls, they were boiling with rage inside. Yet, they did not dare to strike back, appearing utterly defeated and powerless.It was not the super-tough opponents they needed to worry about. It was the teammates who messed everything up!Evelyn had been sure she could get back those
The women finally got it—the beautiful woman was Elio's wife. Yarely and the others stood up for a better look.A bunch of girls with eyes as wide as saucers were watching everything unfold, each one silently agreeing that Evelyn was the picture of perfection. It was no surprise that Master Rinz could keep his cool, even with all those stunning girls around him.Evelyn scanned the room, and it hit her—they were all gorgeous girls, and Elio was the only boy. It was just like the old saying: he was the lone rooster in the henhouse.When Yvonne tried to be friendly, Evelyn was not having any of it. She huffed, "Forget it. I just need to talk to Elio about something private. I'll be out of your hair in no time."That made Evelyn seem super stuck-up and hard to talk to. Yarely and the others felt put off, so they just sat back down on the couch.They were all tough cookies, top dogs in their own right. If she was going to act all high and mighty, why would they want to hang out with he