Stephen's jaw dropped. Darius sensed his anxiety and turned to look at him, but he couldn't say a word. Darius raised an eyebrow and cajoled, "What's wrong? Talk to me."Stephen gulped and dropped his eyes to the floor. He said in a small voice, "I wanted to know whether everything's over. Is this all?"Darius shook his head. "Of course not. It's just that we can deal with this later. The important thing now is that your father is about to be here. Are you ready for that? Do you already know what you're going to do when you meet him?"Stephen's face turned red at his words, and he smiled. He saluted Darius and said, "Thank you, Darius. I'll use the rest of my life to make up for my mistakes. It may not be enough, but I'll do my best."Darius didn't expect to hear this. He sighed, then shook his head with a smile. "Alright, then. I'll be waiting to see what you have to show." With that, he turned and left the banquet hall with Stephen trailing him. In the blink of an eye, Patrick was a

He gave Darius a tentative glance, then exhaled and shut his eyes. "I know I've already failed my mission. Go ahead if you want to end my life."Darius had honestly wanted to help this boy, but he stopped when he heard this. "You're extremely calm about facing death, calmer than people much older than you. That's a surprise. Can you tell me why you feel that way?"The black-robed person raised his head to meet Darius' eyes. Because of how close they were to each other and the disparity in their height, Darius could clearly see his eyes. They were filled with tears, and he was obviously one step away from agreeing to Darius' request. Then, he lowered his head and shook it."No, my emotions and thoughts don't matter. The important thing is that I failed my mission, and my life is the price to pay for that. I can't take my own life, but you can do it for me." He looked at Darius again, this time resolutely.Darius was bemused and shook his head. The black-robed person obviously couldn't

"If you have any objection to that, you can get out right now. It wouldn't bother me in any way," Darius said coolly.The boy paled and shook his head vigorously. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." He took a shaky breath. "I'll step outside right now. From today onward, your every wish is my command." He ran off before Darius could say anything else, making the latter shake his head with a smile.Darius crossed his legs at the knee, gently tapping his foot as he leaned forward to pick up a glass of water from the coffee table. He didn't stop tapping his foot even as he drank his water, which showed how good of a mood he was in. Now that the wheels were in motion, he realized how long it had been since he'd last taken a break. He straightened up and tucked his hands in his pockets before strolling out of his room.There were people bustling around, cleaning up now that the family gathering was over. It was a little noisy, so Darius headed to the courtyard. The flowers there were in

The boy looked lost as he tried to figure out what Darius meant. On the other hand, the black-robed man trembled violently—it was visible even under his billowing robes. Darius straightened up and patted the boy. "Right; this has nothing to do with you, so you can step out for now." The boy's gaze traveled between Darius and the black-robed man. He was about to shake his head, but before he could, he was shrouded in darkness as Darius covered his eyes with his hand. "Stop looking around. It's time for you to go!"At this moment, Teivel's voice rang out again. "You're pretty patient with this kid, aren't you?" Darius raised an eyebrow at his sarcasm but didn't say anything. He kept one hand over the boy's eyes as he pushed him out of the room. Before the boy could even catch his balance, Darius shut the door with his life force. With all sources of light locked out, the room was shrouded in darkness.The black-robed man stood opposite Darius, and his fury was obvious even in the darkn

"It was a guess." Darius leaned back and pointed at his head. He then settled his gaze on Teivel, not wavering as he sternly stated, "However, I'm serious about speeding up your fusion."A moment went by as Teivel fell into deep thought. Then, he nodded, saying, "I'll be missing for a long time if that happens. You'll need to face any incoming dangers alone. Plus, I have a bad feeling about this.""I know." Darius nodded, complicated emotions clouding his eyes while he looked at Teivel. "But did you detect any familiar types of energy from that young fellow?" Confusion flashed past Teivel's face. He shook his head with his brows drawing close. "Did you detect a similar bearing or type of energy to mine from him?""Yeah," replied a sighing Darius. "Not only is it similar, but the energy feels inherited, unlike how your energy can sometimes linger on your opponent after you attack them."Teivel abruptly straightened his back. Then, his body shot all over the room like a balloon, rapidl

Kate's face turned paler, and her gaze grew bleak as she questioned, "Am I that undesirable to you? I could've sworn we were close and almost dated each other." Darius pivoted on his heel to meet Kate's eyes. He sighed, responding, "Yes, I can't deny I once had feelings for you—but that went away a long time ago." There wasn't a trace of warmth in his dark eyes. He parted his lips, wanting to say more, but Bridget's low voice sounded outside. "Sir, a man who claims to be Miss Kate's fiancé has brought a crowd. They're peacefully sitting outside the Reid manor, but they've blocked off the entire road. It's attracting a lot of attention." A remote frostiness seeped onto Darius' face just then. The news made Kate's knees go wobbly. She whipped her head toward Darius, lips parting but not a word leaving her mouth. She didn't know what to say, so she shut her eyes and lowered her head. Helplessness and disappointment tinted her cheeks red. Sighing lightly, Darius turned to say, "Stay

Darius arched a brow, raising his chin at the Reid manor's main entrance. "I've already made myself clear—I'm happy to oblige if you wish to enter my home, provided these other guys remain out here."With that, he crossed his arms and returned to the manor without sparing Billy another glance.That left Billy heaving with rage. He saw only red as it was his first time encountering someone unreasonable like Darius. Chest rising and sinking rapidly, Billy stepped ahead, only to get stopped by one member of his crowd. Fixating on the gate only five steps away, he frowned and thundered, "Let me go! You'll be sticking around here for a long time if you keep holding me back, and I'm sure you don't want that!"The person had never seen Billy in such a rage, so he trembled and quickly retracted his arm. He then sat on the ground with his other comrades to continue their silent protest against Darius. …Meanwhile, Darius returned to his study.Bridget had been behind him this entire time and

The group of bodyguards Billy had brought could barely keep calm, so they panicked even more when Bridget entered the room. It felt like the air had grown denser, requiring extra effort for the men to breathe. Many struggled to inhale and were on the brink of asphyxiation. Only the emotional Billy, working Darius, and fearless Bridget were unaffected.A smile crept up Bridget's face, causing Billy's arms to pebble with goosebumps.Darius didn't respond to Billy even then, so the latter directed his rage toward Bridget. "Who do you think you're glaring at? What gives you the right to look like that?" His voice tore through the air and reverberated like a beastly roar. "You're nothing more than Darius' mutt! Besides, you might even be more than a mutt; I bet you're providing sexual services to him too!"Bridget's brows furrowed deeply. Her voice soon rang out, frosty and unemotional like always. "Does that mean all these men working for you also provide special services to you too?"He

"But now, it's more like you've been offering her sexual services to keep her by your side for protection!" Once those words left Billy's mouth, he felt his body slam deeper into the ground again. The sudden impact made him cry out in pain, as the person pinning him down did so with the utmost hostility.The person stomping Billy, Bridget, had never blown a fuse like this before, and it was all because her boss had gotten insulted in her presence.Unlike her, Darius kept an apathetic expression. He noticed that Bridget had defeated all of Billy's bodyguards before detaining Billy. Thus, he sat back on his chair, crossing one leg over the other while tapping his fingers against the armrests.Silence befell the scene once more. The only noticeable sounds were the groans and pained cries of Billy and his bodyguards."I don't want to reason with you, so I intend to kill you here and now. It'll be the perfect solution to all these problems." Darius' reply came after what felt like forever.

A hopeless look filled Billy's face just then. He shut his eyes and took a deep, long breath to calm his nerves. Yet, even when he reopened his eyes, he behaved humbly and dared not meet Darius' eyes. Even though he was unwilling, he forced himself to speak politely. "Darius, half a million dollars may not be a big deal to you, but it means a lot to me—that's all my wealth."His eyes narrowed with the most desperation he had ever shown toward Darius. Yet, his voice packed more of a snarl. He knew Darius was strict when conducting deals and punishments, but he never imagined the latter would be so greedy. Nonetheless, he continued to speak hopelessly. "Handing over my fiancée and half a million dollars means surrendering everything. I can't do anything more, even if that doesn't satisfy you."Upon saying that, Billy slumped to his knees as all his energy had vaporized. He didn't even have the strength to look at Darius anymore. Kneeling silently, he was willing to accept whatever out