Hans''s sharp gaze alsonded on Mason and the young girl sitting on the old man''sp. The girl was forcing a smile, the scene shrouded in a dim, debauched haze of filth and depravity. She wore a cor around her neck, just like the pitiful girls in the ss boxes, disying a shocking number that represented her price.


    Having followed Chad and witnessed the depths of human sin, Hans felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest the moment he stepped inside. Seeing these innocent girls humiliated and defiled made his heart ache with a sharp, twisting pain. He looked away, unable to watch, his fists clenching involuntarily.


    The heavy curtain droppedpletely, hiding the scene from their view.


    Just then, a tall, burly foreign bodyguard emerged and, in fluent Chinese, asked them to leave.


    Hans turned to go without a second thought, but Alexia kept looking back. In all her time with Chad, she had always been by his side during meetings, whether with Thaddeus or Avery. He had never once asked her to leave. This was the first time. The exception fueled her curiosity while also sending a faint, chilling dread through her.


    Inside the dim, smoke-filled private room, Mason toyed with the woman in his arms. His slightly narrowed eyes were wicked, sinister, and wild, their true expression hidden in the uncertain light.


    "Uncle, it''s been a while. I hope you''ve been well," Chad said, his lips curved into a smile that was faint and tinged with an almost imperceptible stiffness.


    "Well? I''ve been fantastic! With a filial nephew like you taking care of me, and so many young, beautiful girls to keep mepany, how could I not be well? I''m living like a king!" Mason''s murky eyes red as his hand shot out and grabbed the girl roughly. She trembled in his arms, whimpering in pain but not daring to make a sound.<fn1236> Find the newest release on find?novel</fn1236>


    "I''m d you''re enjoying yourself."


    Chad, who loathed the smell of smoke, lowered his longshes and pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket. He casually held it to his nose and mouth, letting out a few muffled coughs. "Uncle, you summoned me all the way from Elmsworth to Helgen. It must be for something important. If that''s the case, perhaps we should talk alone."


    "Hahaha! My dear nephew is right!"


    The girl, with tears in her eyes, clutched at her clothes and stumbled out of the


    room.


    When it was time for business, Mason''s demeanor shifted to that of a shrewd businessman. Even with his own nephew, his tone was that of a superior giving orders. "Chad, I called you here because you''ve been back in Elmsworth for some time now. How is your grip on the Abernathy Group? I want a progress report."


    A bodyguard served them tea. Chad epted a cup, inhaling its fragrance. "It''s still in the nning stages."


    "Heh, so you''re saying you''ve made no progress at all?" Mason''s eyes narrowed with contempt. "Chad, you handled your businesses in Helgen and Country M brilliantly, expanding at an incredible rate. Why have you be so timid since returning home? Has your ability declined, are you intimidated by that little bastard from the Abernathy family?"


    "Little bastard" was his term for Thaddeus.


    Chad''s jaw tightened. Just as he was about to speak, Mason leaned back and sneered again. "Tsk, I understand why you can''t beat him. After all, you were abroad recovering for so many years while that brat solidified his control over the Abernathy Group. Plus, he married into the Ashbourne family, giving him the backing of KS Group. It was predictable that he''d have you pinned down."


    "Thank you for your concern, Uncle, but the problem you mentioned has already been resolved." Thement hadpletely ruined Chad''s mood for tea, but he still ced his cup down gracefully, a slow smile spreading across his face. "My brother and Ms. Evadne have broken up. It was a clean, and very unpleasant, split."


    Mason raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    "Even if Thaddeus and Emeric got along well before, that connection is now severed. My brother has hurt Ms. Evadne repeatedly. No matter how much Emeric liked Thaddeus, Evadne is his most cherished daughter, the apple of his eye. When forced to choose, he''ll naturally distance himself from my brother He will no longer be an obstacle to our ns."


    "See? This is why you''re my favorite nephew!" Mason''s face, like a flipping book, instantly switched to a wide grin. "Thaddeus is just some bastard child Frederic sired after a one-night stand. How could he possibly be worthy of the esteemed Ms. Ashbourne? Only you, my dear nephew, are a perfect match for her."


    Chad''s inscrutable eyes showed no emotion, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. "You''re overthinking it, Uncle. I merely wanted to weaken Thaddeus''s power. And, as a bonus, let him have a taste of what it''s like to lose."