"I can make it seem like nothing ever happened to your records." She sat on the floor, her hair messy and clothes disheveled. Her eyes were determined and confident, though. Marion felt her offer was one they couldn't resist, and she was stunned to hear Darius snort contemptuously."I thought I'd made myself clear, especially since you were standing so close to me the last time I said this, but it seems I overestimated you. I'll only say this once more, so listen closely. I couldn't care less about my records and Kingston University because I have enough money to buy the university itself. The same can't be said for your mysterious backer, though." He gave her a scornful look.Marion's breathing hitched as despair washed over her. She knew she was out of bargaining chips. Her eyes turned red as she shakily asked, "I-is there nothing I can do to salvage the situation?"Darius raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she was a fool. "I have to say, it's rare to meet someone as dumb as y

Darius was gone before Pearl knew it. She stared in the direction he'd left, then stomped her foot before turning to head to her dorm. Darius probably didn't need her anymore, and she'd probably be causing more trouble for him by hanging around here. Unfortunately for her, today was destined to be a day filled with annoyances—as she made her way to her dorm, two hooligans blocked her way. She looked at them in confusion. "I don't think we've met. Why are you standing in my way?"They burst into raucous laughter. "Drop the act and stop pretending you don't know us. Now, tell us where you've taken our boss to!"At their words, Pearl's confusion cleared up. Then, her expression turned scornful. "She's dead, and I doubt you two will end up any better than her." Her eyes were frosty, which only served to agitate the two hooligans more.They pointed at her angrily and roared, "How dare you wish death upon our boss! You're the one who deserves to die!" One of them rolled his sleeves up and

Edward didn't hesitate any longer. He ran in the direction Darius' life force was coming from, knowing it would lead him to Darius. When he was sure Darius was somewhere nearby, he called, "Mr. Reid?"Darius' voice immediately rang out from a nearby path. "I'm here."Edward looked around. When he was sure there wasn't a way for him to walk to Darius, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching him, then channeled his life force to his legs and levitated himself shakily. He landed before Darius a few seconds later and asked, "Mr. Reid, what happened?"Darius' face was frosty. Edward lapsed into silence when he saw this, feeling nervous. Darius sighed when he sensed Edward's nerves; he didn't want to stress Edward out, so he tried to keep his tone neutral as he said, "Pearl's gone. I don't know whether she's in danger now."Edward's breathing hitched. He turned to look at Darius anxiously. "What should we do now?"Darius took a deep breath. "She should be safe for now; I don't th

An idea formed in Edward's mind. It was wild, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation. As the Reid family's villa came into view, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Once again, he was in awe of Darius' speed. It would've taken them a full three hours to get from Kingston University to the villa if they'd driven. Zipping through the air with Darius had taken less than twenty minutes. In fact, Edward was positive that Darius would've moved faster if not for the fact that he had Edward with him.Darius landed on the ground, his expression frosty. He released Edward, who quickly moved to stand behind Darius. Edward knew Darius' blood was boiling, and he sucked in a deep breath, not daring to make a sound lest it pissed Darius off even more. Of course, he knew Darius wouldn't take his temper out on him, but he still didn't have the nerve to provoke him. He only relaxed when Darius said, "Alright, you don't need to be so on edge. My fury has nothing to do with you." T

The old man said politely, "Excuse me, Mr. Reid. There is indeed something down there, but we can't enter from here."Darius raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. His voice was frosty and filled with fury as he said, "Give me a reason."The old man's expression turned awkward, and he clenched his jaw, seemingly afraid of Darius. Still, he forced himself to say, "Because the entrance isn't here, sir. And I'm afraid I don't know its exact location—that's not part of my job scope."Darius' gaze bore into the old man. It looked like he was merely appraising the old man, but Darius' rage was obvious to someone like Edward, who knew Darius well enough and could look past his exterior. And so, Edward decisively moved to stand before the only entrance to the storage shed so that no one could leave or enter.The janitor didn't seem to expect such treatment. He paled and crumpled to the floor as his knees gave away. Then, he looked at Darius pleadingly and said, "Mr. Reid, please let me

As someone who'd observed Darius for a long time, the janitor immediately detected the change in Darius' emotions. It gave him an ominous premonition, and he opened his mouth to warn his comrades. However, it was too late. Darius was already walking toward the passageway. The janitor shut his eyes in despair, then opened them again a second later to look at Darius. "You're truly powerful beyond everyone's imagination."Darius raised an eyebrow. "I don't need someone who only lurks in the shadows to compliment me." He descended into the basement without sparing the janitor another glance. On his way down, he clearly heard Pearl scream, "Let go of me! Darius will definitely be here to rescue me, and he'll kill you for treating me like this!"Darius frowned. Pearl had always been obedient and kind; she would never use death to threaten anyone…unless she had run out of options. At this thought, his frown deepened, and he turned to look at the passageway's entrance, which was still slow

Then again, Darius didn't really care. He shrugged nonchalantly with his hands still in his pockets and smiled mockingly. "You make me laugh. Your anxiety and nerves are fully on display, yet you're trying to make it seem like you're unafraid of anything. You might be hidden behind a surveillance camera somewhere, but there's no hiding the shakiness and tremor in your voice. It doesn't necessarily mean you're afraid, but it does mean your emotions aren't as stable as you'd like them to be." He started strolling around again as if the clapping hadn't bothered him.Whoever hid behind the camera obviously hadn't expected this, and his face darkened. He parted his lips to say something, but no words came to him. After a long silence, he sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Alright, then. I'll appear before you so you can see whether you made the right call." The mastermind thought he'd see a mocking or fearful look on Darius' face, but Darius didn't even blink. All he said was,

Stephen knew Darius was out to get him and he was in danger, but he couldn't afford to offend Darius no matter how badly he wanted to.Darius sighed. "I'm surprised you've remained silent for so long, Stephen."Stephen narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. Darius obviously wanted to goad him into talking so he'd slip up. That way, Darius could use it against him. Stephen's brows furrowed as he thought about this, then said, "I think we're at an impassé."At this moment, Darius' phone rang, making him raise an eyebrow. Instead of checking his phone, he swept a gaze at his surroundings. Stephen obviously didn't intend to say anything else, though. Darius smirked and lowered his head. "Alright, then. I know where you stand now. Since there's nothing else to discuss, I don't have to stand on ceremony anymore." He was currently in a hall of sorts, and there were three paths ahead of him—all shrouded in darkness. He couldn't see where they led, but his smile grew as he strode toward one o

"Besides, the people in your country who know anything about this are few and far between." Teivel narrowed his eyes. Darius took a deep breath. "I think I know what you mean." He was the only person who could see and hear Teivel, so in Stephen's eyes, Darius was standing in the darkness and talking to himself. Stephen frowned. Was there something wrong with Darius? If so, there was no way he could possibly be appointed as the Reid family's heir. He glanced at the surveillance footage and smiled as an idea formed in his mind. Darius wasn't aware of this. He proceeded deeper into the darkness, eventually coming to a point where the path abruptly ended to reveal a gaping hole at least thirty feet deep. Wooden sticks rose from the bottom of the hole to provide footholds that were barely wide enough for him to step on, and he knew he would plummet to his death if he were to miss any of them. He sighed and stepped forward. Behind the camera, Stephen slammed a hand on the table, shooti

The door split cleanly into half, revealing the surveillance room to Darius' eyes. When he saw Pearl, who was still unconscious, he frowned. The temperature around him started to drop, making Stephen feel like he would freeze over if he were to look at Darius any longer. His eyes widened fearfully, finding it hard to believe a human could emit such an icy aura. He forced out a smile and said, "I truly didn't expect to meet you under such circumstances, Darius."Darius scoffed. "Is that so? Why does the look on your face tell me that you wish we never had to meet?"Stephen's expression turned thunderous. He didn't expect Darius to cut to the chase—what happened to playing nice on the first meeting? His blood was boiling, but he knew he couldn't let Darius see through him. He smiled as sincerely as possible and said, "That's a great joke, Darius. Why on earth would you think that? I would never think that!""Maybe it's cause I can see right through you." Darius put his hands behind his