Austin was feeling pretty frustrated and turned to As with a stern tone, "Move aside."


    As just gave him a sideways nce. That look, calm as it seemed, had an underlying threat that made Austin shiver instinctively. He''d forgotten that As wasn''t someone to mess with.


    Austin took a step back, not daring to push his luck any further.


    "You''ve got one day to sort out the assets that rightfully belong to ourdy''s mother," As said with a cool indifference.


    Austin, his face set in a grim expression, was about to protest, but As cut him off.


    "Of course, if you''re not willing to do it yourself, I don''t mind stepping in. But my helpes with a price so steep the Cunningham family won''t be able to handle it." As''s presence was so intimidating that no one doubted he meant every word.


    "Why should I? Who do you think you are?" Kitty chimed in, biting her lip.


    As''s gaze flicked to Kitty. "Don''t worry, you''re not slipping away either." Then, turning back to Austin, he added, "Remember, you''ve got just one day. Exceed that, and you won''t like what happens next."


    With that, he turned and left, his entourage trailing behind.


    Once As and his crew were gone, the previously silent ballroom seemed toe alive again as voices started buzzing.


    "Sorry, Mr. Cunningham, I just remembered something urgent at home. I need to leave."


    "We should head out too."


    "My apologies."


    The guests'' polite excuses filled the air as Austin and Kitty listened helplessly. They didn''t even get a chance to persuade anyone to stay, and in no time, the room was nearly empty.


    After all that drama, it was clear no one wanted to stick around. What was meant to be a family reunion had turned into a battleground.


    Who''d risk offending the Shepherd family? Their lineage was full of politicians, and by James''s generation, they''d gone global. Even if they weren''t in politics anymore, their status was more influential than anyone in Riverdale.


    Nobody dared to snub the Shepherd family.


    The Cunninghams were just unlucky. The daughter they had cut ties with turned out to be a sess, and now, the next generation had connections with the Shepherds. No wonder they were trying to bring her back into the fold, only to find out she was way out of their league.


    By now, everyone except Attorney Weeks had left.


    Kitty looked around the empty ballroom, feeling weak and pale. "How did her daughter end up connected with the Shepherd family?"


    Wasn''t she just a girl who grew up in the countryside and recently moved to the city for school? How did she suddenly know all these people?


    Kitty couldn''t wrap her head around it, feeling like her brain was about to burst with confusion.


    Austin, eyes red with frustration, turned to Kitty, "What kind of research did you even do?"


    If he''d known his niece was connected to the Shepherd family, he wouldn''t have made a move that offended them.


    Kitty, tired of his constant ming, shot back, "Emmitt, give it a rest. If my research had gaps, why didn''t you double-check? When you found out the kid was friends with the head of the pharmaceutical association, you should''ve looked into it more. What''s the point of whining now? You think I wanted this mess?"


    Austin felt the sting of her words, realizing he should have dug deeper when he learned about the child''s connection with the head of the pharmaceutical association. Now, it was toote to change anything.