Howard jumped to his feet and frowned at his daughter. "What are you talking about? This is Elio’s debt. It's none of your business. Let him settle it himself."Lana grabbed her daughter's arm even harder and screamed, "Evelyn, are you crazy? This brat's problems have nothing to do with you! 1.8 million?! You’re killing me! You gotta forget about him."Harry's family took the opportunity to add insult to injury.Pearl snorted. "What do you mean, this has nothing to do with her? This piece of trash is Evelyn's husband. If he doesn't have money, she has to take care of it. Also, your family won't be able to escape either. You have to pool the money together no matter what.""That's right. They are married, after all. It's only right for a wife to pay her husband's debt," Sienna chimed in. Even though they were cousins, she had always been jealous of Evelyn for being prettier, more educated, and more capable than her. She would only feel better if she could destroy her cousin’s life
Her grandfather's ruthless words broke Evelyn’s heart. She fought hard to keep the tears from falling.She said in a trembling voice, "Grandpa, are you not even going to give me any leeway at all? I'm still your granddaughter. I know you’ve never liked me, but I'm still a member of the family. It wasn't easy for me to start my advertising company. Are you really going to make me sell it at a loss?"The old man's attitude toward Evelyn was completely different from his stance toward his eldest grandson, Charles. Old Master Jones said with a straight face, "Don’t waste your breath. I don't care what happens to you. You have to pay back some of the money first. There's no room for negotiation."Evelyn trembled and burst into tears. She did not know what to do. After all, the company was already in trouble and urgently needed cash flow. Where could she find the money to fill this huge hole on such short notice?!When he saw Evelyn cry, Elio felt as if needles were stabbing into his hea
Old Master Jones did not show her any sympathy at all, saying coldly, "Evelyn, don't blame me for reminding you, but if you don't pay up the rest in half a year, you have to hand over the advertising company. I'll sell it on your behalf."Evelyn looked up, her beautiful face was expressionless. She felt that all hope had been lost. She said coolly, "Don't worry, I'll return the money to you even if I have to sell my kidney. I won't let you lose out on a single cent." With that, she turned around and stormed out."Evelyn, wait for me…" Elio quickly chased after her.Howard and Lana followed them in a hurry. Evelyn's angry voice echoed down the corridor. "Get lost! I don't want to see you again."Lana ranted, "Did you hear that, you useless piece of trash? Why were we cursed with a parasite like you? Get lost and never show your face around here again!"Everyone in the conference room openly laughed at them. "That guy really doesn’t have a single redeeming quality, does he?”"He'
It was dark out, and the only source of illumination in the outskirts were the lights of an abandoned factory.Some cars approached the factory from afar. Near the gate, a Tibetan mastiff with a thick iron chain around its neck barked madly. It pounced forward ferociously, as if it wanted to break free from the chain.A man came out of the house and yelled at it. Finally, the dog stopped barking and looked out at the courtyard with a fierce glint in its eyes.Three vehicles entered the courtyard. The man with the thin mustache and his henchemen got out of the car, spitting at Elio, "Hey, punk! Hurry up and get out of the car, or we’ll drag you out!”"What are you staring at? Keep looking at us like that, and I'll gouge out your eyes."Elio frowned. These bastards had clearly watched one too many mob movies. Just wait, he would teach them a lesson yet!The dilapidated factory’s metal door slid open, and the thugs pushed Elio inside.Looking around, he saw that it was very spaciou
Wendell looked about ready to kill. He took the knife from his subordinate and hissed, "No one has ever dared to speak to me like that, punk. Now, I'll cut off five of your fingers so you’ll never forget to watch what you say. I reckon Master Wang will also be especially happy when he sees your fingers."Two men grabbed Elio's body, and the man with the mustache pinned down his hands. He was completely at their mercy. However, he did not panic at all. He looked coldly at Wendell's hand, wrapped around the hilt of the knife.There was a lifelike tattoo of a tiger’s head on Wendell’s hairy hand."I’ll give you one last chance to think twice. Do you really want to cut off my fingers? It's not too late to stop now. You can't afford to cross me." There was a cold glint appeared in Elio's eyes. He was completely different from his usual laidback self. "Cut your crap and say goodbye to your hand!” Wendell flew into a rage and swung his knife down without a moment’s hesitation.In a flas
The old factory was thick with the smell of blood. Outside, a mastiff went wild at the noise, its howls growing scarier by the second, enough to send shivers down everyone's spine. Elio watched from the sidelines with a cool detachment, impressed by Felix and his crew. They were proving to be top-notch bodyguards, handling the thugs with no sweat. He was pretty pleased with their performance. However, there was one guy who did not get the memo, a scruffy man with a hint of a beard, trying to pull a fast one. He crept up to Elio, flicked open a switchblade, and lunged for his chest with a chilling flash of metal. Elio, spotting the sneak out of the corner of his eye, dodged the blade with a quick sidestep, grabbed the guy's wrist with an iron grip, yanked the knife away, and jabbed it into his shoulder before stepping back to avoid the blood spray. The move was lightning-fast and brutal; the bearded guy did not stand a chance. He screamed, clutching his bleeding shoulder, staggeri
Wendell, gritting his teeth through the pain, growled, "I'm not letting this go. I'm not a man if I do. Get on it and dig up everything on this punk. Then we'll hit back.""Got it... understood."His crew scrambled to agree, though some were secretly thinking this kid was bad news and not someone to mess with lightly.On the highway, Elio sat in the Land Cruiser's passenger seat, his expression stormy. It was not the tough guy Wendell that got to him—he was nothing. No, it was the way Old Master Jones and Charlie had smeared his name that stuck in his craw.He had been through worse, though. After all, he had survived over a year as the butt of every joke, living under his in-laws' roof. Nothing fazed him anymore.Seeing Evelyn, his girl, treated so badly, her heart in pieces—that he could not stand. No one messed with his woman. They would all pay.After a moment of thought, Elio gave his orders, "Payne, Andy, start tonight. Keep tabs on Old Master Jones and Charlie. I want upda
The Kaze no Aji restaurant, a jewel of the Auton family, had stood in Cloudsea for years. Its staff, thirty strong, were ninjas all, placed there by Susanne, the Auton Group's matriarch, to serve as her son's hidden guardians—a blade in the dark.Profit was a secondary concern; their true mission was to shield Elio, the heir, from unseen dangers.All this was kept from Elio, a secret held close by Susanne until his decade of trials neared its end.Now that Elio was stepping into his role as Master Rinz, the veil of secrecy was lifted. Susanne's parting words to her son: use the ninjas well. In the cutthroat world of business, enemies lurked, and one must always be ready for the unexpected.In the shadowed hallway, a sea of ninjas knelt, a silent testament to their reverence for Master Rinz. By day, they were the picture of normalcy: elegant shop owners, chefs with killer authentic moves, and lively young waitresses. When the sun set, however, they traded aprons for stealth, honing
"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