Despite James' smile, no one present would think it was a reflection of his true emotions. To them, James had always been someone out of their league; how could he possibly smile at them sincerely? The people who'd been opposed to Darius quieted down and looked at James.James' gaze swept over them. He'd only invited a little over three hundred people to the gathering. This was far from everyone in the Reid family, but he'd only picked those who were more important. His smile widened when he was sure all eyes were on him and expectantly waiting for him to speak. "I'm pleased to welcome each and every one of you to the Reid family manor for this banquet. I'm sure we all know why this banquet is being held—to celebrate the return of my long-lost grandson! Putting aside your true thoughts about him, I believe his return is something truly worth being happy about."No one expected James to be so blunt about this matter, and their gazes went from him to Darius, then to Patrick, and back t

Darius' tone was calm, and he smiled. "I know my absence over the years has given everyone plenty of opportunities to show what they're made of. It's a good thing, and I don't want this sort of competition to stop. However, I hope everything we do is for the betterment of the Reid family." He paused, then continued, "I believe you all understand what I mean. I've already experienced a number of unpleasant battles since my return to the Reid family…" Darius swept a cold gaze over the crowd and eventually fixed it on Patrick. "I have yet to look into them because I know they're just results of internal strife." He cocked his head and smiled again. "I've tried my best to treat all members of the Reid family with friendliness and an open heart; I hope to build long-lasting relationships with all of you, if only because the same blood runs in our veins. However, if you have other thoughts or find wealth to be more important than blood, I don't mind changing my attitude." Besides James a

"Why aren't you leaving when everyone obviously doesn't want you here? I would've been absolutely humiliated if I were you!" Patrick's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear him, and it attracted everyone's attention. The crowd looked like they were itching to see them get into a fight.Darius raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Patrick suddenly appearing before him and trying to pick a fight. He stared at Patrick silently. Based on his experience, Patrick wasn't done. Sure enough, Patrick's anger seemed to grow when he didn't receive a response. He clenched his fists and started to tremble slightly. However, before he could speak, a woman beat him to it. "Darius, you're crossing the line. We're all relatives here, but you make it look like we're beneath you. Even if you're directly related to Grandpa James, you're still just another member of the Reid family! You'll need our support to have things go your way!"Darius snorted at her words. "That actually sounds sensible. I would

Darius sat down silently and started observing the people below. He smirked when he saw Patrick scanning the crowd and searching for someone. Then, he pulled out his phone and started typing out a message. The partygoers slowly lapsed into silence.Darius narrowed his eyes. Patrick's actions had suddenly reminded him of something. The members of the Reid family prided themselves on being wealthier than other wealthy families, but the consortium's accounts weren't as loaded as they thought. Despite that, the world still thought the Reid Consortium was filthy rich. This situation was similar to that of Almiron City, whereby outsiders had thought it was a well-to-do city when it was actually poor. It seemed like an easy illusion to create, but one only had to take a closer look to realize how tough it actually was. Darius slowly turned to focus on Patrick. He hadn't considered this before, but now that it was laid before him, he couldn't ignore the issue. The Reid family's bodyguards ha

When he was sure no one could see him, Patrick's gaze turned menacing as he glared at Stephen. He was sure Stephen could clearly sense his rage and displeasure.Stephen put his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath before saying, "You've made many mistakes. Seeing as we used to be great partners, here's a friendly reminder—try to avoid doing things that Darius hasn't expressly allowed. We can't afford to get in his bad books." Patrick's eyes widened at his words, and his head shot up. Stephen continued calmly, "There's no use looking at me like that. I can tell you that I've already lost to him. In fact, I'm extremely grateful to Darius now. If you think you can persuade me to work with you to harm Darius, think again."Patrick's breathing sped up. He had never expected Stephen to betray him! "How dare you play me like a fool!" He grabbed Stephen by the collar; Stephen subconsciously raised his arms to resist, then allowed them to fall to his side. He then lowered his head with

Patrick slowly retracted his hand. He was still trembling, but he pursed his lips, looking indignant. "Darius, I know you're powerful, but so what? You're nothing but a vile person who only knows how to eavesdrop on others!" His chest heaved with agitation.Darius shook his head. He moved to stand before Patrick, then grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to his feet. Suddenly, the realization dawned on him, and he whipped his head around to glare at Stephen. "Stephen, you've been lying to me this whole time! You're already on Darius' side, aren't you?"Stephen broke his silence. "Didn't you already figure that out long ago? That's what you accused me of earlier, didn't you? I don't think you need me to answer you."Patrick pointed a trembling finger at him, his chest heaving with rage. "You're too cheap!"Darius frowned, finally out of patience. He said, "Now that I'm here, whatever you've planned for tonight is going to fall through. You cannot defeat me, be it in terms of brains

Patrick's expression turned into a gleeful one when he saw who was calling him. He gave Darius and Stephen a smug look, making the latter uneasy. Stephen glanced at Darius and reached out to tug his sleeve, but Darius put his hands behind his back. At the same time, he smiled and said, "You look pretty happy. What have you done this time? I can't wait to hear you brag about it!"Patrick's breathing hitched at Darius' words, and he gritted his teeth, giving Darius a hate-filled glare. He didn't know why Darius had seen through his elaborately laid plans so easily; there wasn't a trace of surprise or shock on his face. Patrick felt like a fool in comparison. He clenched his fists and breathed deeply, deciding to proceed with his plan. If he were to fail in this, he wouldn't have any way out. All his other plans had fallen through thanks to Darius' interference—this was the last thing he could do. He continued breathing deeply, trying to ignore Darius' amused gaze.When he finally rega

Patrick lowered his head and pulled his phone from his pocket. When he saw the notification on his screen informing him the livestream was over, an ugly look crept onto his face. He immediately ran after Darius, stood in his way, and glared at him menacingly. "I've tried being patient with you, but you obviously don't appreciate it. Do you know the sort of predicament you're in right now? You've been foiling my plans every step of the way! It looks like I'm gonna have to show you how meaningless you are to the Reid family!" He held his head high, looking proud of himself.Darius stopped, wanting to see what else Patrick had up his sleeve. At the very least, he wanted to see why Patrick was confident he could act this way. Darius tucked his hands in his pockets and looked at Patrick calmly. Patrick's nerves were too frazzled to pay attention to his surroundings. When he saw Darius had stopped, he blurted out, "You may have been announced as the Reid family's heir, but did you notice h

"You may have blocked off the signal earlier, but that's not gonna do anything. My people are right outside, and they're telling me the signal will be back soon. The livestream will return, and everyone will have heard everything you just said. Do you want to wager a guess what they're saying about you right now?" Patrick looked pleased with himself.Darius only found his chatter annoying. He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we be more worried about the fact that there are bombs around the banquet hall?"Patrick snorted. "Of course not! I was the one who had those bombs laid, so there's no way I'll be hurt by them."Darius smiled mockingly. "You do realize you're standing before me, right? If you want the bombs to do what they're supposed to, you have to detonate them. Before that happens, you must leave this place and find a way to keep me and Stephen here. Do you think that's possible?" His tone was gentle and cajoling, but it echoed in the empty banquet hall, adding an eerie vibe to i

Patrick's head flew up at Darius' words, and he widened his eyes in shock. He parted his trembling lips and stammered, "H-how did you know about that?"Darius tucked his hands in his pockets and gave him a scornful look. "Don't tell me you thought it was a secret exclusive to only yourself." Patrick gaped at him. Indeed, that was what he'd thought. To his shock, Darius showed him some photos and videos. Patrick didn't say a word when he saw them; he knew Darius would spread these photos and videos all over the internet unless he apologized immediately. Then again, there was no guarantee Darius would let him off the hook even if he were to do so—he knew he wouldn't. His breathing sped up as his gaze flicked between Darius' face and the phone. After a long moment, he rasped, "Why are you showing me this? What do you want now?"Darius' mockery grew. He casually sat on a nearby chair, crossed his legs, and smiled at Patrick. "I've wasted too much time on you. Now, I only need you to ans