Billy's anger would dissipate every time he recalled how Darius nearly killed him. He remained on the ground and watched as everyone pointed at him. People started to crowd around him while gossiping about his current state. Alas, he was too weak to do anything about it.That was when a figure in black robes appeared. The figure's hands were behind his back while locking eyes with Billy. While doing so, he stood tall and spoke with a reticent tone. "It's normal to fail at a mission. You don't have to feel upset over it. To be fair, we didn't think you'd succeed."Scoffing, Billy lifted his head to meet the former's eyes with sheer rage. It was so intense that it oozed from his every pore, seeping into the air around them. "Why'd you guys send me if you knew I'd fail? Did you guys want to see me make a fool of myself?"His voice grew louder and sounded shriller with every word. Even the veins on his neck bulged. The figure in black robes never imagined Billy would have such an extreme

When Darius heard that Brandon had disappeared in his manor, he immediately turned to look at Bruce. "Okay, then. Bruce, when Mr. Brandon returns, please send whatever he's damaged to Mr. Nixon."After saying that, he no longer looked at Bruce; he waved dismissively and said, "That's all, Bruce. I don't need your help now. You may resume your tasks. I'll phone you when myself and Mr. Nixon finish our chat.Bruce nodded and left without hesitation.There was one less person in the study, but it didn't mean the space had fallen silent; Nixon sat on the couch beside Darius. He also scanned the entire room in one glance before exclaiming, "Wow, the furnishings in your study look great! I should design my office like this when I return home—"A genuine smile flashed on his face as he spoke.At first, Darius was unwilling to believe it, but his sharp senses as an enlightened martial artist told him it was true. He gazed at Nixon and raised his hand to interrupt the latter's excited babbling

Nixon cleared his throat, continuing, "This blackout is merely an accident, and although the damage is tremendous, I doubt that's all on my brother's agenda; he tends to create these 'accidents' just so he gets more time to wreak havoc. I fear his antics can sometimes lead to bigger problems." His gaze moved slowly and cautiously toward Darius.Lips twitching, Darius couldn't deny it; he regretted working with Nixon's family. However, he didn't have enough time to dwell on his emotions because Bruce came back into the study.There was unspeakable pain on Bruce's face as he looked back at the door, where Brandon tensely stepped in. Brandon moved with his head hung low as though he didn't have the guts to face the others in the room. Eyes locked on the floor, he took small steps forward. He was so painstakingly slow that he needed twice as long as a regular person to enter the room.A sense of foreboding tingled in Darius' chest when he saw that. He sighed, mentally preparing himself

Nixon finally understood what was happening. He slammed a hand on the desk. Then, he shot to his feet, lunged at Brandon, and grabbed him by the collar. He forced out through gritted teeth, "What did you do with the diamonds?"Brandon stared at him with trembling lips, seemingly too stunned to speak. At this moment, Bruce said plainly, "Nothing much, to be honest. He merely wanted to eat the diamonds. He also asked our staff to grind them into powder and mix them with water so he could drink them up. Our staff tried to stop him, but he beat them up. Many of them have been injured in the process of stopping him from eating the diamonds."Darius was lost for words. He supposed there was one thing for him to be glad about—that Brandon had tried to eat the diamonds himself instead of forcing them down the throats of his subordinates. Brandon grinned when he saw that he hadn't been punished despite Bruce announcing his wrongdoings to the world. "I didn't expect the Reid family to be that r

Nixon had no idea what was happening, but he still keyed his email address into Darius' computer. Darius turned it back around to face him, sighing as he glanced at Nixon and sent the email. Nixon's phone pinged, and he pulled it out with a frown. After reading Darius' email, his expression turned steely. "Where'd you get this from?"Darius massaged his temples. "I took the photos on the scene." His email to Nixon consisted of images, videos, and descriptions of the black-robed people's organization. It also included information on their experiments, medical research, mission, and origination. Nixon sat on the couch opposite Darius; a heavy silence descended upon the room.Brandon had been watching them silently this whole time. He wisely chose not to say anything—mostly because he didn't dare make a sound at the grim looks on their faces. He didn't want to offend them and make them take their bad moods out on him. On the other hand, Bruce cocked his head, looking confused. Ultimatel

"I'm waiting for you in my office." Henry shut his eyes after sending Darius this message. He seemed exhausted.On the other hand, Darius merely raised an eyebrow when he saw the message. Then, he headed toward the dean's office. Unfortunately, someone stood in his way once again. He looked at the young man opposite him with narrowed eyes—he had his hands on his hips and looked pleased with himself. "I heard you've been acting like a big shot while I've been away, Darius!" He gave Darius a mocking look.Darius frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. In fact, I don't think I know you. Also, it's been a while since I was last on campus." He sounded calm, but he knew this matter wouldn't be so easily resolved. The young man's presence proved that. Darius put his hands behind his back and waited for something to happen.At his silence, the young man snorted. "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid? I've heard a lot about you—you're nothing but an ignor

"You're a bad person who deserves to be flushed down the drain…" The rest of the young man's sentence was muffled by a hand being slapped over his mouth—the figure in black did it. Then, his gaze traveled between Darius and the young man before sighing. His attitude surprised Darius, but Darius didn't want to waste any more time there. He headed toward the dean's office.When he arrived, he saw Henry standing there, his hands behind his back, sighing with every step he took. When he saw Darius, he said, "I wanted to apologize to you about some of the things we've done—they're not good, but you should know that we didn't intend for things to turn out like this." He looked at Darius nervously.Darius raised an eyebrow and sat on the couch, crossing his legs at the knee. Then, he said, "It looks like Kingston University has no choice but to merge with another university."Henry turned to face him. "Yes, that's right. You should know that Kingston University has its own board of directors

There were many emotions in their eyes, but none were positive. Darius softened his expression at the sight of them, and he smiled before nodding respectfully at them. "Professors, I'm Darius Reid, and I'm here to cancel the rest of my time off. Also, I'm here to pick a new advisor because my previous one, Professor Plinsky, is indisposed." With that, he stood up straight and gazed at the professors. Unexpectedly, most of them no longer looked hostile. His smile widened—this was a good sign. Then, he noticed that whichever professor his gaze landed on would avert their gaze and avoid meeting his eyes.Darius' smile turned mocking, and he glanced at Henry, who instantly felt a chill run down his spine. Henry cleared his throat and said to the professors menacingly, "What's with your attitude? Darius has already proved his innocence in the previous incident, hasn't he? Are you afraid of him because you're worried he'll dig up whatever wrongdoings you've committed in the past?"The profe

Now, Darius could sense the kindness in Owen beneath his tough exterior, which was the complete opposite of before. As he pondered this, the office door swung open again to reveal many people crowded at the entrance, all eavesdropping on their conversation. They wanted to know how Owen would've treated Darius—he was known for having a fiery temper. Moreover, he was strict and serious when it came to academics. No one could get off easily under his watchful eye.Darius, on the other hand, wasn't a good student in the traditional sense of the word. Yes, he had always been diligent in class and completed his assignments, but that was when he was poor. Now, he was wealthy, and he'd disappeared from campus for a long while shortly after that. So, everyone was curious to know what would happen between him and Owen. As someone who'd been colleagues with these people for many years, Owen immediately understood why the other professors were crowded around the door. An ugly look crept onto hi

"Look at you—you're a sorry excuse for a human, using your fortune to beg others to befriend you!" The woman berated Darius without pausing for breath, but he didn't seem bothered by this. He stood there, quietly listening to her. In his eyes, the woman was insane.Owen, on the other hand, wasn't as cool and collected. His breathing sped up, and he trembled with rage as he glared at her. "As a professor, how can you attack a student like that?" That was all he managed to say."Am I wrong?" screeched the woman. "Do you think Darius is an angel? If he were, he wouldn't have had his security guards drive my father away without hearing him out! And if the security guards hadn't chased my father away, he wouldn't have gotten rammed by a car!"Owen asked with a frown, "Did the security guards push your father in front of that car?"The woman faltered, then shook her head. "No.""Then what does that have to do with Darius?"The woman's gaze turned contemptuous. "It has everything to do with