"If we can''t undo it, we should take responsibility and admit our mistakes. I believe that will help us regain some public goodwill and trust."


    Frederic sighed. "I suppose that''s our only option now. But I''m still worried about the project..."


    "Father, leave it to me." Chad leaned forward and ced a cool hand over Frederic''s, his touch reassuring. "You don''t need to worry about anything. Just trust mepletely."


    When Chad returned to his office, he found Alexia waiting for him on the sofa.


    "Sir." Alexia immediately stood and bowed respectfully.


    "What are you doing here?" Chad walked leisurely to the sofa and sat down, his gaze indifferent.


    "Half an hour ago, I received a package for you from the administrative secretary," Alexia exined quickly. "I was concerned it might be something important and didn''t want too many people handling it, so I waited for you to open it yourself."


    "A package?" Chad''s brow furrowed. It was strange for someone to send him a package, especially to the Abernathy Group headquarters.


    Alexia handed it to him, and Chad opened it in front of her. After unwrappingyer afteryer of packaging, all that was left was a single white envelope.


    Chad''s expression darkened, feeling as if he had been yed for a fool. He lowered his eyes and tore open the envelope.


    Inside was a stack of photographs.


    He pinched the corner of the top photo and slowly pulled it out.


    In an instant, his pupils contracted violently, and the color drained from hisposed face.


    "Sir, what''s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Alexia noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor and asked with concern.


    "Get out," he said, his jaw clenched.


    "But, Sir..."


    "Get out."


    Startled, Alexia quickly left the office. Standing outside, she stared at the heavy door, recalling Chad''s furious expression. She was shaken and utterly baffled. She had never seen him so emotionally unstable.


    What could he possibly have seen?


    Inside the office, Chad flipped through the photos one by one, each one crinkling in his white-knuckled grip.


    The boy in the photos was trapped


    in a filthy dog cage, covered in wounds, tooking as if he were in a living hell. Surrounding the cage and humiliating him-the very men who had taken these pictures. The te vicious kidnappers led by Morgan.


    were the men beating, mockin


    And the boy in the cage was none other than the current, impably dressed CEO of the Abernathy Group: Chad.


    His usually calm eyes were now zing with a bloodthirsty red. His fingers trembled as he crushed the photos into a crumpled ball.


    Just then, his phone vibrated.


    Chad looked at the "Private Number" on the screen, a chilling mixture of hatred


    and dread coursing through him.


    "Hello," he answered, his voice icy.


    "My dear nephew, enjoying your new position, I see. It''s a shame your uncle couldn''t be there to celebrate with you. Mason''szy voice came through the phone, dripping with taunting insolence. "So, I sent you a little gift instead. Did you like it?"


    "Thank you. It was quite a surprise," Chad replied, his voice strained and hoarse with suppressed rage.


    "Now that you''re in a position of


    power, and since you''ve always been so independent, I thought this gift


    would be a good reminder not to get too arrogant, and more importantly, not to forget where you came from," Mason purred. "And I should also remind you, Morgan only got a life sentence, not the death penalty. Plus, his brother Mike is still alive. After years of drifting around, I hear he''s recently returned to Elmsworth."


    Chad gritted his teeth. "Uncle, I know what I have to do. You don''t need to remind me like this."


    "If you could endure being locked in a dog cage back then, I''m sure you can handle this little matter. After all, we Austins are a resilient bunch." Mason''s tone suddenly shifted, bing sharp andmanding. "I want a stake in the A5 Project."


    "This is Elmsworth, not Helgen."


    "If you can''t meet my demands, Chad, you know what I''ll do next. That CEO position you schemed so hard for isn''t as secure as you think, is it?"


    The call ended.


    Chad sat motionless on the sofa. After what felt like an eternity, his eyes, nowpletely crimson, red with rage. He violently threw his phone. It smashed against the massive television screen on the wall, shattering both.