Darius retracted his hand and tucked it into his pocket. "Those people out there are unscrupulous businessmen. They must be here because they can reap plenty of benefits from this." He sighed. "They'll do unthinkable things to get what they want—that's even scarier than them pulling anything to save Byron." Before Borisin could ask anything else, Darius saw Bruce racing toward them, gasping for breath. He sighed again and nodded in Bruce's direction. "Look at that. Things must be getting out of control."He walked toward—no, magically appeared before Bruce, who sagged in relief when he saw Darius. Bruce sounded panicked as he said, "Sir, there are people from the two most prominent families out there, and they're causing a ruckus. Since Master James isn't around, you're the next best person to turn to…but I don't know whether you're ready to face the world as the Reid family's heir." His hands twisted together before him, and he frowned, looking concerned.Darius' lips curved upward

Although the woman could not tell whether Darius was the real deal, she couldn't deny he was standing behind the Reid family's gates. She believed he wouldn't have the nerve to lie to them while standing on the Reid family's grounds and being in the presence of the Reid family's members. She frowned and said, "You claim you're the Reid family's heir, right? Since they've allowed you to make such a ridiculous statement, you must be lying on their behalf! Who knows whether you bribed other people into supporting you? Or maybe you planned this long ago!"Darius watched silently as she became so agitated that her spit flew in all directions. When she realized she wasn't receiving a response, she gradually lapsed into silence, not knowing how to proceed. She turned to look at the people standing behind her for help. However, at this moment, Darius spoke. "If I were to give you a million dollars and hire you to lie through your teeth while standing on this side of the gate, would you? Wou

Bruce's gaze was earnest and sincere as he faced Darius, but the people on the other side of the gate couldn't help quaking in their boots. They no longer dared look down their noses at Darius now that Bruce was present. A man who'd silently stood beside the woman who'd spoken suddenly said, "Allow me to apologize for my daughter's impudence." He didn't dare look Darius in the eye as he spoke, focusing his gaze on the ground. He also sounded guilty. "I know it's rude to ask for your forgiveness, but this is the only thing I can do." Without any warning, he fell to his knees on the ground and finally looked up at Darius with tear-filled eyes.Darius frowned at this, looking disgusted. "Having a man look at me like that only makes my stomach churn." The man paled at his words, then put a pitiful expression on. Darius sighed.When Bruce saw this, his gaze turned cold as he said, "Are you trying to challenge the Reid family's authority by putting on such a look at Mr. Reid's words?"Dariu

Darius could tell from the look on Wade's face that the latter was waiting for him to praise him. He shook his head with a smile and stood up. "Well, here's to hoping our collaboration goes well."Wade beamed. "My father said he wants to know more about those black-robed people. Can you provide him with any information in advance?"Darius nodded and walked to his desk. His fingers flew across the keyboard, making Wade's eyes widen. He could swear he'd never seen anyone type so swiftly before, and his jaw slowly dropped without him realizing it. Darius looked up at him when he stopped typing and couldn't help smiling. He didn't comment on this, though, choosing instead to say, "Right, you should have a copy of all the information on your phone now."Wade blurted out, "How'd you know my phone number?"Darius paused, then cocked his head slightly. "It's easy enough for me to get your number. I would've thought it'd be equally easy for you."Wade gaped at him in disbelief. He'd never onc

"As a former member of the Reid family, I'm sure you must've amassed a small fortune for yourself over the years. You may have been away for a while, but I doubt that will affect your chances of survival."Stephen's head shot up at Darius' words. He tried his best to keep his emotions in check, but Darius could still tell he was extremely agitated. In fact, he started to tremble. Darius sighed at this, not wanting to go into detail with him. He waved a hand dismissively and said, "Right, you can leave now. Your father—your biological one—will be here soon, and I'll call you when the time is right." This time, Darius clearly sensed Stephen's gratitude. He glanced at the latter to see the tears in his eyes, and his lips twitched. "Leave—now. I have other matters to attend to."Stephen nodded and slowly left the room. Once he was gone, Darius turned his attention to Bruce and smiled. "Sit, please." Bruce relaxed and sat down. Darius looked at his computer and said, "I didn't expect you

Erin blushed slightly, nodded, and backed out of the room, leaving Darius alone. After changing, he sat on the couch and sighed, feeling a little tired. He massaged his temples and thought about the very first family gathering he was about to attend. No matter what, he didn't want to disgrace the Reid family. The Reid family's reputation would definitely be smeared if he suffered any embarrassment. Darius leaned back and crossed his legs at the knee. At this moment, Bridget returned. She stood outside the room and called out happily, "Sir, I'm back!"Darius raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned to look in the direction of the door. "Come in!" At his words, a pretty face appeared in his line of sight. He smiled at Bridget and said, "You're back sooner than I expected. I thought Bruce's punishment would've kept you confined to your bed for longer."Bridget shook her head. "Of course not. It's not something I haven't experienced before, anyway. Bruce looks fierce but is a softie on t

Darius' eyes widened as he stared at James in disbelief. "Plain" was the last word he would've used to describe his current outfit, but when he compared it to his grandfather's diamond-studded suit…his lips twitched. He didn't know what to say in response to that, nor did he want to say anything. So, he merely smiled. "Grandpa, this outfit may not meet your expectations, but I'm perfectly happy with it.""Alright, then." James' lips twitched. He still didn't look too pleased, but he added, "It's fine as long as you like it."Darius sighed in relief. He'd been worried James would've forced him to wear a diamond-studded suit. Soon, however, he realized he was dumb to have ignored James' words—his plain suit only brought about endless trouble. When he entered the banquet hall, all the spotlights focused on him, making him the center of attention. He raised an eyebrow and tried to control his expression so he wouldn't display any of his shock, but it didn't work. His shock stemmed from th

After all, if not for Darius' return, Patrick would've been the next heir to the Reid family. Everyone knew how capable he was, but they knew nothing about Darius. And so, they focused their attention on Patrick and ignored Darius.Darius picked up a wine glass and stood there with one hand in his pocket. He took in the golf ball-sized diamonds embroidered onto Patrick's suit and smiled. "I can tell you've gone all out to get my grandfather's seal of approval."An ugly look crept onto Patrick's face at his words, and he narrowed his eyes. Then, he shook his head and regained his composure, putting on a smile. "No, of course not. I would never do anything to butter Grandpa James up—I truly enjoy wearing such clothes."Darius smiled. "If so, why aren't your other outfits done up in the same manner? As far as I'm aware, Grandpa has plenty of outfits that are designed in this manner."Patrick's expression turned steely, and his gaze turned menacing, but he still made sure to keep his smil

"Times have changed, and it's been years since the Reid family has changed under my leadership. All it's done is become wealthier. I couldn't understand why we were stuck, but I now know the answer to that." James sighed and looked at Darius through the monitor. His impression of Darius had suddenly undergone a transformation, but Bruce was the only one who caught it. However, he didn't say anything—his impression of Darius had changed as well.After a moment, Bruce glanced at his watch and said, "Sir, we should head to the banquet hall. It's almost time to begin." James nodded, put his hands behind his back, and made his way to the banquet hall. The gathering was due to start in three minutes, and they were the only ones missing. They walked along the silent corridor to get to the banquet hall, and Bruce didn't make a sound as he trailed James. This was normal—James wasn't much of a talker. However, when they were halfway down the corridor, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at

"Well, now that I've heard your concerns, rest assured that I'll convey them to my grandfather. Let's see what he has to say." As soon as Darius' words fell, the door to the banquet hall swung open. James strode in, dressed in a black, diamond-studded suit. It gleamed under the lights, making Darius' lips twitch. Still, he couldn't deny the diamond-studded suit gave off a different vibe on his grandfather. On other people, however, it was unbelievably ugly. He smiled and walked forward to meet James. "Grandpa, I got into quite the argument with the other attendees. It seems they have some questions for you." He turned to reveal the woman who had spoken.This was her first time simultaneously having James, Darius, and Patrick's eyes on her. She couldn't help turning pale as she gulped and stammered, "Grandpa James, you may not recognize me. I'm…"James held up a hand to stop her. "Sarah Reid, right? What was the argument about?"Sarah gulped. She shot Patrick a nervous glance, but he