Xavier wanted to rebuild his business empire, so he had to socialize with other businessmen as well. The party wasn't just a simple gathering."Alright. In that case, I'll arrange for more people to go with you," said Mark.The Lumber family had tried to deal with Xavier before. However, they'd misunderstood Jeremiah for him back then. Since Jeremiah had been terribly ill, he'd been sent abroad to receive treatment.After that, Xavier had slowly expanded Lane Group, and he'd also gradually removed members from the previous generation of the Lumber family. At that moment, only the useless members remained.Sunny had even kneeled in front of Xavier before so that he could survive. Xavier hadn't killed him, but it wasn't out of mercy. Instead, he'd been worried that the other wealthy families would gang up on him to protect themselves.After all, anyone could do anything when they were forced into a corner."Sure," he answered.Mark thought of something else and asked, "Since every
The party was taking place at Seasons Hotel, and there were a lot of familiar faces.Tristan had brought Zachary along since Archibald wanted the latter to know people from the business world at an early age. Tristan looked at Zachary, who was barely as tall as his knees, and said, "Remember to call me Dad later, brat. Don't just call me mister."Zachary looked back up at him. "What should I call you?""Dad.""Attaboy."Tristan speechlessly looked at the boy, who looked similar to Xavier when he'd been a child. Then, he slapped Zachary on the butt, thinking he had to punish and discipline the child while he was still young. It felt like a childhood dream come true to Tristan. When he'd been young, Xavier had often hit him.When Zachary was hit, his face flushed in embarrassment, and he immediately stood away from Tristan.After Tristan perfunctorily introduced Zachary to some people, he started drinking in a corner. He didn't like events like this at all because it all felt
Jeremiah was at the party, and Gemma was standing next to him."Jerry, I think we should take the partnership slowly. You're still young, so it's normal for you to overlook some details. We can continue our partnership after you've gained more experience."Her intentions were clear. She was talking about Zoey when she said he'd overlooked some details. He understood it as well. However, he remained calm as he watched her leave.At that moment, Sunny approached him and said, "Jerry, you sure have great in-laws. Although the Yandells are mediocre, Zoey's mother is greater than she looks."Jeremiah just smiled and didn't show any changes in his expression.As they spoke, Mark had noticed them. He softly said to Xavier, "Mr. Lane, Mr. Jeremiah is with Sunny now."The Lanes and the Lumbers were rivals, and Sunny hated Xavier to the core. It finally made sense to Xavier why Jeremiah had been acting weird recently. "Get someone to keep an eye on them.""Yes, sir."Another reason why X
Gemma knew best about what it was like to have her child taken away from her and left in someone else's care.Yvette took Noah to the washroom. After he entered the men's washroom, she waited outside. After a while, a few tall men entered the washroom as well.Zachary was in there, too. He looked at the time and figured that the middle-aged man should be gone by now. So, he came out of the stall, only to see three tall men in front of him. Before he could react, one of the men covered his mouth with a cloth soaked in alcohol.Zachary's vision went dark, and he fainted before he could scream for help. The man took off his coat to wrap Zachary in it and carried him out.Meanwhile, Noah was just done using the toilet. After he washed his hands and was about to come out, Tristan grabbed his hand. "Why did it take you an hour to use the washroom, you brat? I thought you were stuck in the toilet!"When he spoke, he noticed the simple suspenders Noah was dressed in. He couldn't help bein
Yvette waited outside the hotel with Noah until most of the people had left. Still, there was no sign of Xavier."Could he have gone home alone? I'll call and check," Yvette said, picking up her phone to call Xavier. However, there was no answer.Thinking she might have missed him, Yvette drove back home with Noah. It was a mere 20-minute drive. But when they opened the door to the manor, everything was just as it had been when they'd left. The lights were still off.Xavier hadn't come back yet."Mom, could something have happened to Mr. Xavier?" Noah suddenly asked. When he'd been at the hotel, he'd noticed that the security seemed unusually tight, more so than in other places. It didn't feel like they were protecting someone, but rather as if they were trying to catch or stop someone.Hearing Noah's concern, Yvette decided to call Mark. It took a while before the call was answered.Mark was still at the hospital. His girlfriend had been in a car accident and had suffered mi
Before Daphne could kiss Xavier, a strong force suddenly pushed her away. The man lying on the bed opened his eyes."Xav..." Daphne's expression changed instantly.Hadn't Jeremiah said that Xavier had been drugged and would be completely powerless to resist? Daphne quickly got up to leave, but Xavier grabbed her wrist first, holding it tightly. "Who sent you? What are you trying to do?" he demanded. There was no way Daphne had the ability to kidnap him on her own."Xav, I don't know what you're talking about. You got drunk, and you called me to come over." Daphne tried to lie. If she confessed about Jeremiah now, there would be only one outcome—death.Xavier was barely holding on at this point. He had been drugged at the banquet but had managed to stay conscious through sheer willpower. His forehead was covered in sweat.Seeing that Daphne refused to tell the truth, he grabbed her by the throat. "Speak, or I'll kill you right now!"Daphne's body instantly went rigid, and her
"What is it?""I suspect that Mr. Jeremiah is involved in Mr. Xavier's disappearance. I can check Lumber Residence and a few other places, but when it comes to Mr. Jeremiah..." Mark hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. As a subordinate, it would be highly inappropriate for him to pay Xavier's younger brother an uninvited visit. Besides, it wasn't feasible for him to cover so many locations in one night.Yvette didn't wait for him to finish before she nodded. "I'll go.""Alright." Mark added, "If you run into any difficulties, you can reach out to Madam Shannon."Shannon certainly wouldn't sit idly by if something happened to Xavier.Yvette nodded again.Only then did Mark feel reassured and set off with his men straight to Lumber Residence. Whether or not the Lumber family was directly involved in Xavier's disappearance, they were undoubtedly connected to whatever had happened to him after the banquet.Half an hour later, Lumber Residence was surrounded by a dark mass of bodygu
Not wanting to watch someone die in front of her, Kiki spoke up, saying, "Uh, let's just forget it. He didn't really do anything to Zac. Also, Zac was the one who pulled his pants down first."She thought to herself that she'd have to ask Zachary why he'd done that in the first place once they found him.Tristan was frustrated and anxious, especially after having reviewed several surveillance videos. He turned back to Kiki. "What did you just call me? 'Uh'? Do I not have a name?"The sudden seriousness in his tone made Kiki flinch. Tristan rubbed his temples and then gave a different order to his subordinates. "Just throw him out.""Yes, sir."Kiki breathed a sigh of relief and returned her attention to the surveillance footage.After Zachary had gotten away, he hadn't appeared on any of the cameras. Tristan then had the external surveillance checked, and it confirmed that Zachary hadn't left the hotel."This little rascal must still be hiding somewhere in the hotel," Trista