Trent’s death a few days ago caused an uproar. No one knew who the man in the ghost mask was, but Alex knew that it was James, the Black Dragon of the Southern Plains.James asked, “How’s the partnership going with Eternality?”“All good, Mister Caden.”“Terminate the partnership. Tell the Callahans that Celestial will only work with Thea. Now that Thea is no longer part of the family, the partnership is terminated. As for the rumors between you and Thea, sort it out yourself. I don’t want Thea to be in trouble due to those rumors.”“Of course. I’ll get it done right now.”Alex took a deep breath.After he hung up, he made the necessary arrangements at once. He told whoever was in charge of dealing with the Callahans to terminate their partnership.At the same time, the current executive chairman of Eternality, Howard Callahan, rushed into the Callahans’ villa. He shouted, “Dad, something’s happened!”Lex raised an eyebrow. “Howard, why are you still behaving like a child at th

Looking at how happy Thea was, James’ mood lifted as well.“Jamie, I’m going home. I’m going home!”Thea could not stop cheering, just like a little girl whose time-out session was over.James did not say much. He merely hugged her tightly.Once Howard learned where Thea was, he drove to Nine Dragons Street.Some of his family went along, including his children Tommy and Megan, as well as Tommy’s wife Yvonne Lewis.As Howard had always been the executive chairman of Eternality, he drove a pretty swanky car. It was a BMW 7 Series worth millions.In the car, Tommy complained, “What is grandfather doing? How could he allow Thea to come back? Dad, once Thea returns, you will no longer be the executive chairman. We can’t let Thea come home.”His wife Yvonne agreed. “Tommy’s right. If she’s the executive chairman, how will we benefit from the company? How did Thea even get to know the chairman of Celestial?”Megan interrupted, “Rumor has it that Thea is Alex’s lover.”Howard cut ev

James knew that Thea cared about her family’s opinion the most.Over the past ten years, she had been looked down upon. She desperately wished for her family’s acknowledgment and approval.“Thea, do you want to go back?”Thea nodded lightly. “Yes.”James looked at Howard and his family, still standing at the entrance. Mildly, he said, “Thea will return under one condition. Kneel and beg her to.”“James…” Tommy got angry at once, a vein pulsing on his face. “You have no authority in the family. Thea didn’t even say anything. Who are you to make these demands?”James said, “If you won’t kneel, have Lex come personally. Otherwise, she won’t be returning.”Thea pulled on James’ sleeve gently, telling him to stop talking. They were a family after all, and she did not want things to be awkward.“Thea, you’re too softhearted. Since they’re at your mercy, they’d grant all your requests.”“R-really?”“Of course! Think about it. With Celestial terminating the partnership, it’s their lo

At the Callahans’.Lex saw Howard and his family, but Thea was nowhere to be found.His wrinkly face darkened. Angrily, he shouted, “Where’s Thea? Why didn’t you bring her home?”Megan looped her arm through his immediately. “Grandfather, calm down. Please hear me out. Thea has crossed the line. She asked all of us to kneel, which we did, but she still refused to come home. She even requested that you transfer ten percent of the group’s shares to Benjamin. Also, she said that you’re just a biased old man since everyone else in the family owns some shares except for her family.”Lex turned green with anger.Hurriedly, she said, “Grandfather, they’re not my words. Thea said all of that.”“How dare she.”Lex was furious. Viciously, he said, “Just because she knows Alex Yates, she’s behaving as if she owns the world. She doesn’t even respect me anymore.”Tommy exaggerated the story as he recounted how they went to pick Thea up. He told Lex all about how they knelt before Thea, how

As ten percent was a substantial amount, she was worried that grandfather would not agree to it.The only thing she could do now was wait.Soon, Howard returned to Common Clinic.Alone this time, he had the transfer agreement for the shares with him.“Thea, dad has signed the agreement. Once Benjamin signs here, he will own ten percent of the family’s shares. Now that you have the transfer agreement, could you call Alex and tell him to resume the partnership with Eternality?”Thea studied the agreement carefully.Once she verified that it was authentic, she cheered in joy. “Jamie, grandfather has agreed! Yes! Finally, my dad will have some standing.”“Thea, please call Alex. The trucks are at Eternality taking the materials away. Once we get this out of the way, we can celebrate properly later,” Howard said.Thea looked at James.James nodded, saying, “Call him.”“S-should I?” Thea was nervous. Alex owed James a favor after all, not her.James said, “Of course. Go for it.”

Gladys was out the entire day, so she missed the news.She was unaware of the press conference the chairman of the Celestial Group had held, the fact that Celestial Group had canceled their partnership with Eternality, and how Thea had leveraged her return to the family against Lex by making him pass ten percent of the shares over to them.She froze at Thea's words. "Transfer letter for ten percent of the shares? What shares?"Gladys stared blankly at the document Thea held out."Mom, grandpa wrote this transfer contract," Thea said. "He signed it himself. If Dad signs it too, ten percent of the family's shares will be his."Gladys promptly snatched the file from Thea's hands and read through the contents carefully. She cheered in delight when she was done, hugging and kissing the contract. "Haha! It's real!" she squealed. "It's an actual transfer contract! We finally have ten percent of the shares! The old man finally came to his senses!""Let me see that, Mom," David said inc

The Gourmand was famous in Cansington. It was the grandest restaurant around, though its establishment was divided into several tiers.The private rooms it had available in order of the most luxurious were Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Black Iron. Apart from that, it also had a public hall.Even at the public hall, a meal at The Gourmand costs thousands of dollars.It was peak time, so the public hall was filled with customers. The line they had to wait in was more than thirty people long.Gladys started complaining again."You're useless, Benjamin. Look at Howard. He's a Bronze member of The Gourmand. He doesn't even have to wait when he comes here, he can just walk straight into the private room."And you. Some soldier you are. No money, no power… Look at John's son-in-law. Now that's a respectable man. He's a Silver member of The Gourmand. Just one phone call from him will send a waiter straight out to welcome him in. Ugh. Why did my daughter have to marry a poor man?"G

Thea had been the object of ridicule for ten years. Every time she stepped outdoors, her face would be hidden under a veil.She thought she was used to this. But right now, the crowd's words pierced into her like knives. She kept her head lowered, not daring to meet the onlookers' gazes. Self-hatred started rising inside her."This is it? I wouldn't want her even if you paid me.""The most beautiful woman in Cansington? The media must've been blind when they said that."Thea may have been staring at the ground, but she could vividly picture the sneers that were on the crowd's faces. It was too much to bear. The lump in her throat grew and a single teardrop fell from her eyes. Belinda was pleased with Thea's reaction. She lifted Thea's chin, staring at the scabbed-over cuts on her face that were still in the process of healing. "Such a beautiful face," Belinda said with a laugh. "What a pity. Haha!""W-what are you doing?!" Thea jerked herself out of Belinda's grip in a panic a

However, James pulled her back up. "This doesn't concern you, Thea," he said simply. "I was the one that hit her. She can come at me if she wants. I won't let this affect the Callahans.""Come at you? Alright." Belinda's temper flared at his words. She took her phone out and called the manager of The Gourmand. "Mr. Thomas? It's Belinda Frasier, Gold member of The Gourmand. Someone hit me right outside your restaurant. I need some of your security guards. Now."Belinda glared at James as she hung up. "You're dead meat. I'm not letting you off, even if you knelt down and begged me to. I'm breaking both your legs today, or my name isn't Belinda Frasier!"Gladys rushed forward to try to appease her. "I'm really sorry, Miss Frasier. This is all my good-for-nothing son-in-law's fault! I'll apologize for him, so please forgive us! Just pretend we farted!"Gladys was terrified.Getting a portion of the family's shares was a once-in-a-lifetime feat. She definitely wanted to avoid angerin

The Blithe King of the West. Commander of the army on the western border. He was a man above all, a figure with near-unparalleled power.His aura emanated powerfully as he approached.The outside of The Gourmand was quiet as everyone held their breaths.This was the Blithe King, the new commander-in-chief of the five armies!They had only ever seen him on screens. Now that he was here in person, they were so shocked at the sheer command his presence demanded that they did not dare to even move.Niel and the security guards remained on the ground, trembling slightly.Gladys had been sobbing on the ground but went quiet when she saw the Blithe King, not daring to even breathe too loudly. She had seen the news. She knew this was someone even more terrifying than Trent Xavier. Belinda, too, held her breath in fear.Everyone was intimidated. Only James seemed calm.He had met the Blithe King once, back when he was appointed commander.Surprise flashed across the Blithe King's fac