"Even if he''s the richest man in the world, burning through cash with no regard for profit will eventually cause discontent within his own family. The Burton Group isn''t some small-timepany he can just bankrupt on a whim. Our medical division is indispensable. He can''t just tear that down with a few tricks. He won''t be able to keep this up for much longer."


    Aurora added, "Leonard and Israel Williams fell into his trap because they were caught off guard. If he could take down every major family so easily, he''d be invincible. The Gardner family would already be ruling the world."


    Having suffered at Joshua''s hands too many times, Aurora wished for nothing more than hisplete demise.


    Sherman said, "Now that he and Ste are at odds, will he stoping after us for her sake? The Gardners are all lunatics. If you ask me, it''s better to have as little to do with them as possible. Besides, none of them live past thirty. Joshua probably doesn''t have many years left anyway. Let''s just let him self-destruct."


    Sherman had no desire to confront Joshua. He always had a bad feeling about the man, who seemed to operate purely on whims, with apleteck of restraint. People like that were terrifying; they were capable of anything. To make matters worse, he was a super-genius. Trying to out-scheme him was a fool''s errand. All they had managed to do was drive him away from Ste. Beyond that... they had no real way of dealing with him.


    Aurora agreed. "Sellers, Sherman has a point. If we get entangled with him, it will be hard to break free. His goal might be to draw our fire, making us focus on him to protect Ste."


    "I get it," Sellers said, his expression softening as he looked at Aurora. "Once I get things under control at the Burton Group, I''ll find a way to help you out."


    Aurora murmured softly, "Okay."


    ...


    The Gardner Estate.


    As the doctor emerged from the room, Harold and Jake hurried over to him.


    "How is Mr. Gardner''s condition?"


    The doctor let out a soft sigh. "Mr. Gardner''s chronic headaches are aggravated by excessive mental


    strain. He has been overthinking


    thingstely, and the condition, which had stabilized, is showing signs of rpsing. It''s like how an ordinary person might suffer from insomnia if they think too much before bed. s, I can only provide some palliative care. It addresses the symptoms, not the root cause."


    With another sigh, the elderly doctor departed.


    Harold and Jake exchanged a worried nce. During his time with Ste, Joshua had been a master strategist, orchestrating her growth and fighting her battles. It had taken a tof While his headaches had red up before those episodes were mildpared to his current state.


    Jake couldn''t help but ask, "Does this mean... we''ll have to resort to hypnosis again?"


    Harold shook his head. "Mr. Gardner would never agree to that."


    They knocked on the door to Joshua''s room. Inside, they found him leaning back in


    a chair, massaging his temples. His voice was raspy with pain.


    "What''s the situation with the Burton Group?"


    Harold sighed silently. Joshua''s head was hurting so badly, yet his first concern was still Ste.


    "Everything is proceeding ording to n," Harold reported.


    "Good," Joshua responded quietly. "Keep me updated on any developments."


    about to leave when


    Harold was a


    Jake suddenly spoke up. "Mr.


    Gardner, if Ste refuses to


    ept


    your help, will at our recent efforts be wasted?"