Richard looked up at Damon, displeased. "Is this how you talk to your father?"Damon's expression was tense, his eyes devoid of warmth. "My attitude toward you depends on your actions."Richard scoffed. "Good! Very well! I really raised a fine son!""I'll ask you again. Where is Buddy right now?" Damon repeated."If you want to know, go look for him yourself," Richard replied.Damon narrowed his eyes, speaking each word slowly. "Dad, you should know my patience is limited.""Are you threatening me? What do you think you have to threaten me with?" Richard snapped."Not much. Just something in my possession that could destroy the Sumner Group," Damon said calmly.Richard's expression shifted dramatically as he fixed his gaze on Damon. "You think you can scare me with that?"Damon raised an eyebrow. "Donald Dunlop from the board—he's your man, right?"Over the years, despite Richard's official retreat from the company, he had maintained several spies within the Sumner Group.Da
"What should I do next?" Luca inquired."Head back to the office," Damon ordered.As soon as Damon arrived at the office, he instructed Luca to notify the shareholders and department managers to convene a meeting.After learning that all his projects had slowed down during his time in Capitarnia, Damon was furious. …Everyone in the room trembled in fear, too scared to speak up.Damon slammed the documents on the table and spoke without expression. "I'm giving you one week to get everything back on track. No mistakes. Otherwise, you're out!"The conference room, filled with dozens of people, fell into a tense silence. Not even a breath could be heard, as no one dared to attract Damon's attention.Suddenly, a phone rang.Damon frowned and glanced at his phone. After a moment of hesitation, he answered."Is there something you need?" he asked."Damon, I'm in Saintornia now. Where is Buddy?" Nyla asked.Damon raised an eyebrow, surprised that she had come to Saintornia."I a
Luca shook his head. "I don't know either."Nyla grabbed Damon, her voice cold. "Where is Buddy?"Damon, clearly annoyed, shrugged off her hand. "I told you, he's in a very safe place.""I don't believe you! Not unless you let me see him!" Nyla exclaimed.Damon's patience finally wore thin. He turned to Luca. "You handle this."With that, he got into the car and drove off.Nyla tried to follow, but Luca stopped her. "Ms. Kinsey, even if you catch up, if Mr. Sumner doesn't want you to see Buddy, you won't be able to. But I assure you, he's safe. There's no need to worry.""No need to worry?" Nyla shot him a cold look. "If your child were suddenly taken from home, wouldn't you be worried? Mr. Fleming, do you honestly think Mr. Sumner's actions are justified?"Luca hesitated, at a loss for words. "Ms. Kinsey, I'm just his secretary. I can only follow Mr. Sumner's orders.""Fine, I won't make it difficult for you. I'll just wait here until he lets me see Buddy," Nyla replied.Luc
"I said I'm not eating!" Mason declared, turning his head stubbornly away from the tempting food in front of him."Even if you starve yourself, I still won't let you see your mother. Are you sure you want to put yourself through this?" Damon asked."It's none of your business!" Mason shouted back."Alright. I'm curious to see how long you can keep this up," Damon replied calmly.…For the next few days, Mason continued to refuse food. His once-chubby cheeks quickly thinned, and his face grew pale. Even when Damon tried to force food into him, Mason would spit it out, determined not to eat.As Mason's condition worsened day by day, the doctor called Damon to the hospital."Mr. Summer, Mason already has a fracture. If he keeps refusing to eat, his health will deteriorate, and his injuries will heal much more slowly..."Damon's expression darkened. He had tried everything over the past few days, but Mason remained defiant. The boy's only goal was to return to Nyla.Seeing Damon's
Nyla glanced at Damon, her eyes blazing with anger. "Damon, you're such a jerk!""Fifty seconds left," Damon replied, his tone flat His expression was cold, and the icy glint in his eyes sent chills through her."Fine, I agree," Nyla finally conceded.She was resolute—she couldn't bear the thought of losing Mason again.Damon didn't seem surprised by her surrender. He answered coldly, "He's in Room 302."Without looking back, Nyla hurried down the hall.When she reached the door, she stopped abruptly, taking a deep breath. Her hand trembled as she grasped the doorknob, slowly pushing the door open.Even though she had tried to prepare herself, the sight of Mason hit her harder than expected. Her eyes immediately filled with tears.In just a few days, he had lost weight, his face pale and gaunt. He looked utterly defeated."Buddy…" Nyla's voice broke, tears spilling over.Mason turned his head, disbelief flickering across his face. As soon as he saw her, the dullness in his
Although a bit reluctant, Mason nodded. "Okay."As Nyla sipped her soup, she received a call from Oliver."Nyla, how's the progress in Saintornia? Have you found Buddy?" Oliver asked.Nyla lowered her gaze and moved to the window, responding quietly with a soft hum.Upon sensing something was wrong, Oliver's voice grew concerned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"After a moment of hesitation, Nyla opened up slowly. "Damon won't give Buddy back to me. He says I can't protect him. I can stay with Buddy, but I have to move to his villa."A heavy silence hung on the other end of the line.Nyla bit her lip. "I agreed to his terms. Oliver, maybe we should just—"Before she could say "forget it", Oliver interrupted, "Nyla, I know you're in a tough spot. Once I take care of things in Capitarnia, I'll head to Saintornia, and we can figure out what to do next, alright?""Oliver, you're such a good person. I don't want to drag you down anymore," Nyla reasoned."You've never been a b
The room fell into silence.Damon paused, a complex emotion welling up inside him.He had been raised with an elite education, where practicality and benefit always came before freedom and happiness. Every decision he made was driven by gain.Emotions had never held much weight for him. He had never considered whether he was happy.When Nyla told him that the most important thing was for Mason to grow up freely and happily, something in his heart stirred.Amid the silence, Damon's phone suddenly rang.Seeing that it was Erin, he subtly furrowed his brow and stood to leave the room.As he walked out, the oppressive atmosphere in the room lifted.When he returned after the call, Mason had finished his soup, and Nyla was tidying up.Watching her graceful profile, Damon pressed his lips together and said in a low voice, "I have a meeting at the company later. I'll come back to see Buddy tomorrow."Nyla hummed.Her indifferent attitude didn't bother Damon. He turned and left quic
Nyla pursed her lips and nodded. "Alright."She and Damon returned to the hospital room, where Mason was already awake.Upon seeing Damon follow Nyla in, Mason's eyes brightened momentarily before he turned his head away, acting indifferent.Damon approached the bedside and sat down, his expression serious. "How are you feeling today? Does your arm still hurt?"Mason huffed. "It's none of your business!"Accustomed to Mason's attitude, Damon remained calm. Instead of getting upset, he reached out and ruffled Mason's hair."Hey, don't touch me!" Mason dodged his hand, looking annoyed.Watching Mason reveal this childish side to Damon made Nyla feel bittersweet.Perhaps because Mason had never had a father figure in his life, he always acted so mature around her, never letting himself behave like this.Damon raised an eyebrow and tried to pat Mason's head again. "If you don't want me to, I will."Mason scowled. "Are you really that bored? Why are you picking on a kid? You don't