《Invincible Heir》 Chapter 1 A glorious return Chapter 1 A glorious return The twilight was deepening in the extremely cold P Inds. A green army jeep plowed along the white snow road, raising bursts of flying snow. A young man in the back seat imperceptibly rubbed his red eyes. Behind the jeep followed an endless ck mass of troops in military green fatigues. At this moment, they all saluted to the young man with wet eyes, gazing at the fading jeep. "Congrattions to the Conqueror!" "Congrattions to the Conqueror!" Suddenly, everyone shouted in unison, wave after wave, like an earthquake. A big man named Charles was driving the car with glowing red eyes. He looked at the youth in the rearview mirror. "Defensor, do you really want to leave?" he said reluctantly as he didn''t want him to go. The young man, Baron Owen, had been in the army for only five years, but had earned outstanding achievements and merits. In his twenties, he had already be the youngest defensor ever, guarding the P Inds of the State of Nona. After bing a defensor, but also umting countless battle achievements, the title of undefeated Conqueror was bestowed on him! "Nowadays, the P region has been forged into an invincible city, who else dares to fight?" Baron finished his speech and took out a group photo in white on a red background, which was actually a marriage certificate photo. The photo was of him and a woman with extremely delicate features. The woman seemed to be in her early twenties, with long hair simply tied behind the head, slightly raised almond eyes, a high nose and a small plump mouth. Even with a quick nce it was obvious that she was more beautiful than those so-called stars. But in the photo she had an unhappy face. ¡°Tracy, how have you been?¡± Baron murmured as he stared at the alluring woman in the photo. Looking at their only photo, he grinned happily as he recalled the past. Five years ago, Tracy Perry, who was only a college senior, founded the Samho Group single-handed and thus became the beautiful and well-known president of Nona. At the most critical time in Samho¡¯s development, she was framed, drugged and had a rtionship with a security guard of thepany. And this "lucky" guy was Baron. "Nona¡¯s top beauty had a one night stand with a security guard!" Baron and Tracy had not even yet walked out of the hotel when Nona headlines reported this affair, which countless media outlets reproduced. In the blink of an eye, from Nona¡¯s top elite down to themon people, all knew that their number one beauty slept with thepany''s security guard. Overnight, the market value of Samho evaporated by half. In order to minimize the impact, the Perry n approached Baron and asked him to join the family as a matrilocal son-inw. The sensational news of their marriage spread like wildfire, while the Perry n became the butt of jokes. Not long after the wedding, Baron quietly slipped away from the family, hoping for the day when he could be worthy of Tracy. For five years, that beautiful silhouette, which appeared in his mind constantly, was the driving force behind his step-by-step journey to the peak of glory. Whenever he thought of this woman, Baron was overwhelmed by guilt. Three dayster, at Nona International Airport, a Boeing 747 airliner slowlynded. "Finally, he¡¯s back!" Baron stepped down the airstairs and stepped onto thend of Nona with a long- lost smile. "Mom, where are you?" Baron had just walked out of the airport when he heard a clear little girl''s cry. He felt a bit disturbed as he did not know why this happened. "Defensor¡­¡± Charles, who was just about to speak, was interrupted by Baron. "From the moment I left P, I was no longer the Defensor. This name is no longer allowed to be spoken!" Looking at Baron with a serious face, Charles could not help trembling, and tentatively called out, "Baron?" As Baron did not respond, Charles said with a smile, "Baron, that little girl looks like you. Are you two rtives?¡± Baron subconsciously looked toward the little girl. Baron nced reflexively at the girl, but found himself unable to look away. A wave of nostalgia washed him over, strengthened by the image of the weeping girl, and his heart ached along with it, as if in resonance. Suddenly, the girl''s sobs hitched and stopped, and she gazed at him with her eyes still wet. They stared at each other for a while, so now Baron could see the little girl''s face more clearly. He felt an inexplicable sense of closeness. He saw a pink, carved and exquisite face, a powder puff of tender skin as delicate and smooth as sheep''s jade. With herrge watery eyes fluttering, she had long eyshes stained with tears. The little girl was only about four years old and still so young but already beautiful. After growing up, she would definitely be a heartbreaker. "Daddy!" The little girl suddenly called out. Before Baron could react, the little girl had already run over and hugged his leg smiling happily. Boom! At this moment, Baron felt a buzzing in his head. Charles, who was off to the side, was also stunned and his mouth quivered, "This couldn¡¯t really be your daughter, could it?" After a while, Baron came back to his senses. He squatted down, looked at the little girl who was staring at him with big eyes fluttering, and said as softly as possible, "Little girl, you¡¯ve got the wrong person. I am not your father!" "Wah¡­.!" As soon as Baron said this, the little girl began crying again and wailed, "Daddy doesn''t want me! Daddy doesn''t want me anymore!" Passersby nced sideways at them, pointing in disgust at Baron. He watched the little girl cry again. He felt his heart break, and was at a loss for words. Baron was the defensor of the P and had terrified countless people, but now he was dumbfounded in front of a child. If word of this got out, it would shock the hell out of everyone. "Little girl, I''m really not your father!" "Wah¡­daddy doesn''t want me¡­¡± Every time Baron opened his mouth, the little girl would cry more fiercely. Five minutester. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Baron was now covered in sweat and finally gave in. He gently picked up the little girl. Her big tear- filled eyes have been staring at him the whole time and her little hands clutched Baron''s clothes tightly, scared to be left behind. "Baron, since this little girl likes you so much, why don''t you just be her father?" Charles said with a smile, but quickly shut his mouth as he saw Baron¡¯s angry eyes. Baron had no choice but to carry the little girl to the airport security office. The little girl cried some more as she saw but Baron left together with Charles. Baron could only put up with it even this was heartbreaking. Just as they left, a woman with blonde hair in a ck close-fitting professional outfit hurriedly ran to the airport security office. Her name was Tracy Perry, Baron¡¯s wife. "Lara!" Seeing the little girl crying, Tracy burst into tears and rushed over at once, hugging the little girl tightly. The little girl meant everything to her. Five years ago she married Baron and soon found herself pregnant but Baron suddenly disappeared. She didn¡¯t even know until her mother told her that Baron asked her father for half a million dors and left. At that time she wanted to kill herself repeatedly, but whenever she thought of the baby in her belly, she chose to endure it all. For five years, Tracy suffered humiliation, and even the business she created was taken away by her family during her pregnancy. All of these were kind of aftermath. She hated Baron for disappearing for five years without saying goodbye. "Mommy, I saw daddy!" Lara said with fluttering big eyes. Then she pouted and was about to cry again, "But, daddy doesn''t want me anymore!¡± Hearing this, Tracy trembled fiercely with zed eyes, as if struck by lightning. Chapter 2 The death certificate Chapter 2 The death certificate Meanwhile, a ck Rolls Royce slowly stopped at the entrance of the airport. A middle-aged man in a ck suit quickly went forward and courteously opened the door. If this was seen by the upper ss in Nona, they would definitely be astonished, for this middle-aged man was Edward Lewis, the richest man in Nona. But now he was opening the door for someone else. Then an old man with white hair in a navy blue suit got off the car with a delicate cane in hand. At the top of the cane was iid with an egg-sized sapphire. He looked old and weak, but he stood with his body straightened up, radiating power and influence. "The young master should being over, right?" The old man suddenly spoke, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the airport exit. Just then two rigid and upright shadows appeared one after the other. The old man gazed at the young man walking in front, and to Edward''s surprise, the old man walked over quickly bowed and lowered his head, as he respectfully said, "Greetings, young master, I am Steward, butler of the Owen n from State of Donas. I am here to pick up young master back to Dona to take charge of the Owen family.¡± Hearing this, Baron finally knew who this old man was. However, as he heard of ''Owen family'', the original joy of returning to his homnd was instantly washed away by a wave of anger. Baron contemptuously looked at Steward as he said, "It''s really ironic, ten years ago, my mother and I, were expelled from the family. Also, we were threatened not to set foot in Donas for the rest of our lives, just because I was an illegitimate son and not qualified to possess anything from the Owen family. And now you lot want me back to take charge of the Owen family? ¡°Eighteen years ago, when I was only nine years old, kneeling with my mother at the Owen family courtyard all night in the pouring rain, did any of you ever show a trace ofpassion? "Five years ago, when my mother was seriously ill and I was at my wits'' end, I begged the Owen family toe to my rescue, what did you guys do? ¡°Now you know that I returned from the P in glory, holding immense power in hand, and you want me to take charge of the Owen family? ¡°Go back and tell him, to me, the Owen family, is nothing! If you dare mess with me again, don''t me me for making a trip to Donas personally.¡± These words had been weighing on his heart for many years. The five years of experience in the military career had long made his heart as still as water. He would normally never have such huge emotional fluctuations, but at this moment, the memories that had been long suppressed, actually made the eyes of this huge man with iron bones turn red. Steward let out a long sigh, as if he had already expected this, and said, "The Brone Group was about tond in Nona. Thepany was named after you and your mother when she lived in Donas at that time. She brought all these up to this stage on her own. Now that your mother has passed away, it is time for you to go back to lead the Brone Group.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Baron coldly smiled and corrected, "This is not the Owen family giving me back the Brone Group. It originally belonged to my mother but it was mercilessly taken away by you guys.¡± Baron directly stepped away after he said this. ¡°Indeed, the Owen family was wrong!" Staring after Baron, Steward had a sad face, and then instructed Edward beside him, "Edward, from today onwards, you have to think of every way to help the young master as much as you can.¡± Upon hearing this, Edward said with a respectful look, "Mr. Steward, I¡¯m nothing without your help. Don''t worry. I will definitely assist the young master wholeheartedly.¡± Steward suddenly added, "By the way, the young master got married five years ago, now since the young master has returned, you should represent the Owen family and go to the Perry family to show your respect." "Yes!" As Baron sat in the back seat of the speeding taxi, he recalled the past. Back then, he knelt down on that night in pouring rain and lost his hope about the Owen family. Five years ago, his mother penniless. This coincided with being framed for a night of sex with Tracy Perry. The Perry family, for the sake of reputation, asked Baron to join the family as the matrilocal son-inw. In order to cure his mother Baron agreed and asked the Perry family for half a million dors. However, while he waited them to bring this money to the hospital, his mother died. He did not get to see her in herst moments. Afterwards, Baron joined the Perry family as agreed, but he thought he was out of Tracy¡¯s league. So just shortly after the wedding, he secretly left and started his military career for five years! A brand new Maybach automobile was parked at the entrance of an old courtyard. Baron looked at the expensive luxury car, and gently smiled, "It seemspared to five years ago, the Perry family has paid more attention to luxury cars. The Perry family father-inw is driving a three to four million dor car.¡± Once again when it came to the Perry family, Baron felt extremelyplex. Although he was a victim five years ago, he was also the lucky man who stole the virginity of Tracy, Nona''s top beauty. Five years ago, he left without saying goodbye. No matter what, this was his fault. Tracy had endured tremendous humiliation over the years. He joined the army as the only means to proof himself. Now, he returned with power and money in his hands, and he finally had the courage to tell everyone that he was worthy of her. When he reached the entrance of the Perry family courtyard, Baron raised his hand and was just about to button up his clothing when his arm froze and a harsh voice came out of the courtyard. Sherry Perry, Tracy''s mother, said "Joker, I have applied for that piece of garbage''s death certificate so take it easy for now. When that shithead''s certificate is finallypleted, Tracy will be single again.¡± Terry Perry, Tracy''s father, added quickly, "At that time, I will be the first to agree with the marriage between you and Tracy.¡± "Thank you, Mrs. and Mr. Perry. But regarding the problem on Tracy¡¯s end, I''m counting on you two.¡± "Joker, you can rest assured that Tracy will definitely agree.¡± "Then everything is in your hands, Mr and Mrs Perry. By the way, this is the pure natural edible bird''s nest that I asked a friend to bring back from abroad. And, this is the ice jade I brought back for you.¡± The entire courtyard was filled with theughter of the couple, while Baron''s face twitched, muscles working. Just remembering that unforgettable figure of Tracy, he forcibly swallowed his anger. After all, it was him to me for leaving Tracy alone. What''s more, he came back just for her. ng! ng! ng! Baron knocked on the door. ¡°Who is it?" Seemingly disturbed by the knocking sound, Sherry looked impatient as he heard the footstep sound getting closer and closer. She opened the door and saw a person that she never wanted to see again. Immediately she said in shock with a furious look, "You¡­are Baron?" Chapter 3 Getting divorced? Chapter 3 Getting divorced? Baron hadn''t seen Sherry for five years but she still had the same charm. Her appearance had hardly changed. Even with several years of military service, Baron''s silhouette had not changed dramatically, but immense changes had taken ce in his temperament. Sherry thought Baron had already been dead. So she was shocked and raged by his presence just now. "Mom! It''s me!" Baron said with a soft smile. He hade back to make it up to Tracy for all the aftermath he caused. "I can''t believe it''s actually you, you piece of garbage!" Sherry finally confirmed that the man in front of her was Baron. With her arms crossed in a shrewish look, she angrily said, "You didn''te back early and didn''te backte, but return right exactly when Tracy was about to remarry. Youe here to trouble us, don¡¯t you?" At this time, Terry also ran over and saw Baron as he heard Sherry''s words. Without saying a word, Terry threw a punch at Baron, while shouting angrily, "I''ll kill you, you bastard! How dare youe back!" "Pop!" A sturdy figure arrived just at that moment, waved his hand, grabbed Terry''s arm, and coldly said, "No one can touch him!¡± The man who stopped Terry was Baron¡¯s assistant Charles. Following Baron for many years in the battlefield, Charles was very burly and fierce-looking, which scared Terry out of his wits. "Get out!" Baron''s voice was as cold as ice while his de-like eyes fell on Charles. Although Charles was very reluctant, he would not disobey Baron''s order and could only let go, "I''m sorry, Baron!" "If you know you''re wrong then get the hell out of here, and don''t interfere in anything without my order.¡± Baron said coldly. At this moment, the aura that Baron subconsciously released was definitely different than that of five years ago. But this feeling passed in a sh and in their eyes he was still a loser. As Charles turned up, Terry and Sherry didn¡¯t have the nerve to make a move against Baron. ¡°You really think you are somethinging back to bully me, an old man? You get the fuck out of here now! Go away!" Terry said angrily. If it hadn¡¯t been that burly Charles, he would have beaten Baron. Baron was burning with anger, but once he thought of Tracy he had missed for five years, he swallowed the anger, talking to himself that he came back for Tracy and he could endure anything. "This piece of shit cannot leave yet. In fact he hade back just at the right time. Let himplete the divorce procedures with Tracy and then tomorrow we will go ahead with her engagement with Joker. This way we also do not have to bother with the hassle of dealing with the death certificate.¡± Sherry hurriedly pulled Baron''s one arm, fearing Baron would leave and nevere back again. Terry also saw the light and pulled Baron''s the other arm, "Sherry is right. When Tracyes back, you must divorce.¡± Baron was pulled hard into the courtyard as if the couple was enthusiastic for their son-inw¡¯s return. When he entered the house, he saw a big banquet table ced in the living room, already seated with rtives of Sherry¡¯s family. Among these rtives, there was also an unfamiliar face, a young man in designer clothes, either intentionally or unintentionally revealing an expensive Rolex around his wrist. He seemed to be surrounded by rtives sitting around him. At the moment, this young guy was squinting at Baron, who had been ''invited'' in by Terry and Sherry. On the dining table, there was a veryrge cake as if someone was having a birthday party. As far as Baron remembered, it was not Terry¡¯s, Sherry''s or Tracy''s birthday. So whose birthday was it? Just now the rtives were discussing about applying a death certificate for Baron, when he came in, alive! Everyone on site was silent with fear, but soon they had shining eyes like onlookers waiting to what was going to happen. "Baron? Hasn''t he been missing for five years? Howe he''s suddenly back?" "He came back the moment Joker is about to marry Tracy. Isn¡¯t heing back for something?¡± ¡°He is nothing but a loser in front of Joker. Do you think he canpete with Joker in any way? Is he up to that challenge?" The family was all whispering. Though the voices were low, everyone could be hear the gossips, so did the young man Joker. Joker, however, pretended as if he had not heard anything, looking at Sherry, puzzled, "Mrs. Perry, this is¡­?" Sherry shot a disgusted look at Baron, "He is the one who disappeared for five years. I was just getting ready for his death certificate, and then suddenly this loser turns up. But you can just take it easy. He came back at the right time. We still need time to have the death certificate, but the divorce procedures can be done today.¡± Sherry did not hide the idea of getting Tracy divorced and then fixed up with Joker. She told Baron smugly, "This is Joker, the eldest son of John Warner, the head of the Warner n in Cona. In a few years, he will inherit John¡¯s position as head of the family. I advise you not to have any improper thoughts about Tracy. We all agreed to their marriage.¡± "If you can muster up the self-awareness, when Tracyes back, go and get the divorce done quickly and don''t ruin her happiness.¡± The rtives at the table, at this moment, were also talking, in front of this young Warner family member. Everyone wanted to take the opportunity to step all over Baron to please this magnificent young man. These rtives were really annoying. If it hadn''t been for Tracy, Baron could have taught them some manners with just one raised hand. Joker looked smug and satisfied and leaned back in his seat. He gently shook the goblet filled with red wine, stared at Baron with a smile, and teasingly said, "I wonder what you have done in the five years since you disappeared?" Baron gave him a mild nce and answered, "Went to the P!" "Went to the P Inds? You didn''t raise pigs in the P for five years, did you? Haha¡­¡± Not waiting for Joker to respond, suddenly some rtives burst outughing, and others at the same table, also Joker grinned, casually took out a check, brushed a few strokes to sign his name then pushed it to Baron and said boldly, "You should know that the Perry family does not wee you. You definitely All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. came back for the money. As long as you are willing to finalize divorce procedures with Tracy, you can feel free to fill any numbers on this check, for immediate cash at any bank in Cona.¡± Hearing this, all rtives were shocked with envious eyes. "Joker, you don¡¯t need to give him money. Tracy is my daughter, if I want them to divorce, they must divorce, why should we give him money?" Sherry looked at the check, as if she had taken out her own money and given it to Baron for nothing. In a disdainful look, Joker said with a snicker, "Mrs. Perry, to me, money is just a string of numbers. I don''t want to cause any more trouble. I just want to marry Tracy as soon as possible.¡± Hearing Joker say this, Sherry did not dare to say anything more. She just looked at Baron''s eyes more grimly. Amidst the envy of the rtives, Baron picked up the check, then "shhhhck!" Just when everyone thought he was going to ept it, Baron actually tore the check into pieces in front of everyone. Then he looked at Joker with a calm face, "If Tracy wants a divorce, I''ll never ask anything of her family again. But if she doesn''t want to, no one should try to interfere in our affairs.¡± His brothers from the P Inds knew full well that a calm Baron was at his most dangerous. Joker''s eyes narrowed slightly as this guy in front of him made him feel a hint of stress, a feeling that was very unpleasant. The others all looked like they were gloating ¨C those who dared to offend Joker was just asking for trouble. Just at the critical time, a clear sound of high heels on the floor echoed. Tracy came with the little girl Lara. ¡°Joker, why are you here again? This is my home, you are not wee. Get the hell out immediately!" As soon as Tracy saw Joker, her face immediately turned gloomy and she gave an order to expel him. Hearing this familiar voice, Baron, whose back was turned to the door, trembled fiercely. He thought countless times about how the scenario would go when he met with Tracy again, and also secretly rehearsed this scenario numerous times. But when he really had to face her, he found that all the previous rehearsals were useless. Now he did not dare to look back at the woman he missed for five years with deep regret. "Dad!" Baron did not yet turn back when a familiar voice suddenly appeared behind him. He trembled violently and turned around to look at Lara with a joyful face. At the airport, it was this little girl who called him daddy. Baron squatted down and hugged the little girl into his arms. It felt so natural, as if he had done this long before. At this moment, Tracy saw Baron and Lara gazing at each other for a while. The air seemed to be frozen. Over the past five years, this little shadow had appeared in his mind endlessly. He missed Tracy so much and he felt guilty for his fault, driving himself to be stronger and worthy of her love. Baron endured and suffered a lot to bring himself up to this stage. Tracy stared firmly at Baron for a while as she recalled all her memories with the young man before her. "Sweetheart, I''m back!" Baron broke the silence emotionally. Chapter 4 Got a daughter Chapter 4 Got a daughter Hearing this cry ''I''m back'', Tracy came back to herself and her beautiful face turned cold. Baron clearly read tremendous hatred on Tracy''s face. Five years ago, Tracy and Baron were framed for an illicit rtionship. For the sake of saving the family reputation, the Perry family allowed Baron to join them as the matrilocal son-inw. She valued chastity more than life, so she endured all of this. But she couldn¡¯t have imagined that Baron suddenly disappeared just after they were married for less than a month. It wasn''t until her mother told her he had taken half a million dors from her father that she realized the truth. Then she found herself pregnant. Later, the Perry family took advantage of the days when she gave birth, and took the Samho Group, which she had founded, as the family''s possession by force, on the grounds that Tracy had brought shame to the family. Thinking of those days and the countless nights when she secretly shed tears, Tracy was filled with hatred for Baron¡¯s disappearance. "I could''ve just let it go if you''d died, but then you juste back after five years to reopen my wounds! Are you happy now?" Tracy shouted out loud, as if she wanted to let out all the emotions she had suppressed in her heart over the years. Looking at his beloved woman in pain, Baron felt his heart ache. ¡°Tracy , I''m sorry!" Baron walked to her with a sincere look on his face. Except for the apology, he did not know what else to say. "Five years ago, why did you leave without saying goodbye?" Tracy lightly bit her red lips, her eyes staring deadly at Baron. ¡°I wanted to make myself worthy of you", Baron responded resoundingly while looking at her charming face. Before his return, he had sworn he would never let anyone to hurt Tracy again. "Heh!" Sherry suddenly sneered and looked sarcastically at Baron, "Oh, bullshit! You talk so sweet! Back then it was you who had took the initiative to approach Terry, saying that as long as he gave you half a million, you would never see her again.¡± Baron immediately denied, "I did not!" In his pupils, there was a sh of intimidating light. Sherry was falsely using him. She sneered, "No? Then let me ask you, five years ago, did Terry give you half a million?" Baron exined, "He didn¡¯t give it to me. I borrowed half a million from him.¡± "Bullshit! After you took the money, youpletely disappeared until today. When did you return my money?" Terry immediately denied it. Sherry conspired with her husband, not giving Baron the slightest chance to exin, as if to tell everyone Baron really took the money and left. Pop! Tracy raised her hand and gave Baron a p, pointing at the door emotionally, "Get out! You get the hell out of here!" "Wah¡­¡± Lara in Baron''s arms cried out loudly, "Mommy, don''t drive daddy away. Other children have a All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. daddy, but I don''t. I want a daddy, mommy, don''t drive daddy away! Don''t drive daddy away!" The little girl cried with messy tears, her hands still clung to Baron''s neck, afraid that if she let go, she would never see her father again. Tracy immediately panicked, incapable of dealing with this. Baron, hastily hugged Lara tightly into the arms and repeated, "Mom won''t drive daddy away. I will not drive daddy away. Lara, don''t cry. Don''t cry.¡± Tears slipped silently from Tracy''s eyes. No matter how much she hated this man in her heart, he was Lara''s father after all. For the sake of her daughter, she was willing to do anything and would endure anything. ¡°Daddy, Mommy has promised me that she won''t drive you away, so promise me that you will never leave mommy and me again, okay?" Lara said while crying and looking at Baron expectantly. Tracy talked to Lara in a low voice, but Baron could hear. The words were like a thunderp, making him tremble uncontrobly. When he first saw little Lara at the airport, he found that her features were simr to his own, and her age, just four years old, all of which told Baron that Lara was his biological daughter! Could Lara havee from that one night of sex five years ago? The more Baron thought about it, the more shocked he was. He suddenly walked forward quickly, looked at the teary-eyed, beautiful woman, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is she¡­, is she our daughter?" Tracy¡¯s face was hard to read but then she finally nodded yes, he was the father of the child and had a right to know the truth. Despite having guessed at this, when Tracy personally confirmed it, the news got Baron excited. As a conqueror, he actually shed tears at this moment. But there was also guilt. There was so much guilt. Baron fiercely held his daughter in his arms and said softly, "Daddy promises you that I will never leave you and mommy alone again.¡± His voice was very light, but powerful, which for the general, was not an easy promise to make, in particr a promise for a lifetime. "Let go of my granddaughter!" At this heartwarming moment, Sherry took a few steps forward and snatched Lara away from Baron''s hands. Baron was afraid of hurting the child and could only give up the fight. A monstrous anger uncontrobly rose up in him, but when he saw his daughter, and then thought of Tracy¡¯s pain in giving birth as well as the gossip and humiliation she had endured alone all these years, Baron calmed down again. "Tracy, I know you are soft-hearted, but this time, your father and I will definitely not watch you getting trapped again.¡± Sherry looked angry and then pointed to the table full of gold and silver jewelry. "These are the betrothal gifts that Joker brought. Your father and I have already received it for you. You will now go with this asshole toplete the divorce procedures, and then marry Joker.¡± Even though Tracy did not said she wanted to divorce, Sherry had already begun to n for her daughter to remarry. If it wasn''t for the sake of his wife and daughter, Baron would have already exploded. "Wah¡­¡± Lara cried again, "Grandma, don''t drive daddy away, I want daddy, don''t drive daddy away.¡± Although the little girl was still young, she could understand what Sherry meant, and it wasn''t long before she cried out again, making Baron heartbroken. Sherry looked impatient and coldly reprimanded, "Lara, shut up! Your father died long ago. This man is not your father! If you cry again you''ll be put in the small dark room.¡± Lara clearly trembled, and did not dare to cry out again. All she could do was to hold in her emotions, choking and sobbing, look at Tracy and Baron with frightened eyes. Looking at the terrified Lara, Baron knew that Sherry must have locked her daughter up in the past. He almost lost his temper, as if the air was frozen. Chapter 5 A slap in the face Chapter 5 A p in the face Not letting Baron explode, Tracy snatched Lara back from Sherry''s hands with her face full of tears, "Mom, how many times have I told you? She is still young, don''t scare her! Why do you still do this? If you do it again, I''ll take Lara and move out.¡± Sherry felt so guilty as she hurriedly said, "I''m just scaring her, it''s not like I really want to lock her up. As long as you hurry up and divorce this loser, everything is fine.¡± Tracy ignored her mother, but looked at Joker with a sarcastic face, "Joker, you are in such a high ss family and I am out of your league. Besides, I am already married but even if I haven¡¯t been, I would not choose you. And now my husband is back, so please do not disturb our life anymore, thank you!" At this moment, Joker''s face turned hideous, but as he saw gorgeous Tracy, he endured it. "Tracy, how can you say that! Joker helps us out a lot. You still don¡¯t understand, do you?" Sherry looked angry, and after scolding her daughter, she looked at Joker and said, "Joker, don''t listen to her. In this family, she still has to listen to me.¡± Joker smiled faintly, "Ma''am, don''t worry, I will definitely impress her with my sincerity.¡± Hearing this, Baron¡¯s face turned cold. Joker actually had the balls to express his intention to woo his wife! ¡°He is absolutely worthy of being the future heir of the Warner family. What a gentleman! It''s simply iparable.¡± "Our little Tracy looks so beautiful, only a young guy like Joker is the most suitable partner for her.¡± "Joker, the day you marry Tracy, I will definitely give you a big gift.¡± Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. A group of rtives were talking as they did not conceal their ttery to Joker and their disdain for Baron. Tracy was shivering with anger, but after all, all those present were her elders, she didn¡¯t respond. But as she saw Baron¡¯s cold face and silence, she became even more disappointed with him. If Baron could read her thoughts, he would be depressed. He kept silent for he did not want to embarrass Tracy. At this time, the maid brought the dishes to the table one after another. Sherry invited everyone to eat, except Baron. Baron was a bit awkward. "Daddy, I want you to hold me while I eat.¡± Lara said in an endearing voice, with big watery eyes fluttering and her pink little arms wrapping Baron¡¯s neck. As he heard this, the anger that enveloped him all disappeared, and especially when he heard the word ''daddy'', his heart almost melted. But Sherry did not relent, and scolded the little girl, "Shut up! He is not your father, your father has long been dead.¡± Lara pouted and wanted to cry again. "Mom!" Tracy said impatiently as she picked up her daughter from her seat and said coldly, "You sit here!" These words were obviously addressed to Baron, who gave her a grateful look and hurriedly sat over. "I want daddy to hug me!" Sitting in her father''s arms, Lara was overjoyed, curiously scratching Baron''s ears and caressing his face, giggling happily. Seeing this, Tracy also grinned softly. The rtives were all gathered around the table. Before they started eating, Joker took out an exquisitely packaged pink gift box and handed it to Tracy, "This is a birthday gift for Lara. Wishher a happy birthday!" It turned out that today was Lara''s birthday. As Baron knew that he had missed four birthdays of his daughter, Baron felt guilty again. Lara timidly nced at Joker. After all, she was only four years old. Receiving a gift was hrious. She kept her eyes fixed on the small pink gift box as she said, "Thank you, Uncle Joker!" Joker said with a sunshine smile, "Open it and see if you like it." Lara was already curious about what the gift was, and after hearing Joker''s words, she couldn''t wait to open it. After opening the outer packing, there was a delicate little box inside, and then she opened it again and saw an exquisite bracelet with a dazzling glow. "What a beautiful bracelet!" said Yuri, Tracy¡¯s younger sister, with an envious face. ¡°After knowing Lara''s birthdate, I asked a friend who works at arge diamond mine abroad to buy a batch of raw diamonds. Then I customized this bracelet for Lara from a renowned jewelry master. This bracelet was unique in the world.¡± Joker looked smug as if to tell everybody how precious this bracelet was and how much he cared about Lara. ¡°How surprising! It is a diamond bracelet custom-made by a famous jewelry master. It¡¯s worth at least over a hundred thousand, isn¡¯t it?" Yuri said in a jealous tone with glittering eyes and she couldn''t wait to take this bracelet for herself. Joker said with a smug smile while leaning on the chair at ease, "The diamond itself is not that expensive, but it costs a lot to hire that jewelry master. But it''s still not that expensive. It¡¯s just six hundred thousand." "Six hundred thousand!" The rtives were all shocked by the price. ¡°As expected the inheritor of the Warner family was so generous.¡± "The point is he treated Lara well. When he became her father, she will definitely have a much happier childhood.¡± "Yes, Lara is really lucky to have such a great man like Joker as her father.¡± The rtives didn''t care about Baron at all. Jokerughed even louder when he heard these words, and he even took a provocative look at Baron. Tracy''s face was already hard to read, although she was extremely disappointed in Baron, but she never promised to marry Joker. "You wouldn''t have thought to prepare a present, right?" Yuri suddenly asked mockingly, and for a moment, everyone''s eyes fell on Baron in unison. ¡°Of course I have!" Baron said. Hearing this, Lara looked expectant. For her, nothing couldpare with her father''s gift. Sherry frowned as she thought, ¡®Baron came empty-handed. If he really prepared a gift, where did he put it?¡¯ Under the watchful gaze of everyone, Baron casually took off a pendant he was wearing around his neck. ¡°Pffff!¡± Yuri couldn''t helpughing out loud and said with an exaggerated face, "Baron, this is the birthday gift you prepared for your own daughter? A piece of stone full of cracks? This isn''t something you picked up on the side of the road, is it?" Baron shook his head and responded honestly, "I picked it up on the beach.¡± This immediately caused a burst ofughter. But Tracy, who had just been looking forward to having Baron back in her life, instantly froze. This was his first birthday with his daughter, and he had only given her an ugly stone that he picked up off the ground? Even in front of all the rtives? This was a p in the face. No one knew that such stone had helped Baron block several deadly attacks. Each crack represented a memory of it. When Lara saw this pendant, she liked it so much that she raised her little head and giggled, "Thanks, Daddy, I like it so much, Daddye help me put it on.¡± Baron carefully put the pendant on Lara¡¯s neck with a soft smile. Not to mention this small stone, akin to nephrite jade, although covered with cracks, was so beautiful on Lara''s neck as if it had been specially made for the little girl. Just because it was a gift from Baron, no one admitted that it was worth a lot of money. ¡°What''s so special about some stone?" Sherry looked unhappy, then looked at Tracy and said, "Quickly put on the bracelet that Joker gave to Lara, and let everyone see the difference from the stone". But at that moment, Baron suddenly picked up the diamond bracelet and threw it into the trash can without even taking a look at it. Everyone was stunned with wide eyes. ¡®He actually threw away the diamond bracelet worth six hundred thousand?¡¯ ¡°What the hell are you doing?" Sherry burst out in anger. Baron frowned gently, "This bracelet, if worn for a long time, does harm to health.¡± "You asshole!" Joker, who up to this point had been gentle and generous, saw that Baron had even thrown out the bracelet in front of everyone, and was instantly pissed off, "I spent so much effort to obtain this bracelet! How can a punk like you insult me like that?" Baron looked at Joker coldly and asked, "You said this bracelet with red diamonds cost you six hundred thousand?" Joker said angrily, "You think there''s a problem?" "If you really spent 600, 000, then I can only say that you are a rich stupid ass!" Baron sneered, not giving Joker a chance to retort and added, "Red diamonds are the rarest kind of diamonds, so rare that there is no longer a fixed price for them. They are almost invisible in the market, and only appear at some celebrity auctions. ¡°In 1987, a red diamond auctioned at Sotheby''s was sold at a whopping nine hundred and twenty thousand dors. And for this bracelet, the diamond weighs at least 1.5 carats, right? Tell me, how did you get it at the cost of six hundred thousand? This is not a natural red diamond at all, but an ordinary one that has been irradiated to another color and is so radioactive that it will do great harm to health if worn for a long time.¡± Baron peppered Joker with a series of sharp questions, which instantly made Joker muted. The entire room fell silent with all gaze settled on Joker. Tracy was stunned with an extremely gloomy face. Chapter 6 Shame and humiliation Chapter 6 Shame and humiliation After a brief lull, Joker panicked, floundering at Tracy¡¯s enraged re as he stumbled, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to his nonsense, Tracy ¨C how could I do something so horrible to Lara?¡± What passed for his conscience thumped in his chest? He didn¡¯t understand red diamonds ¨C if he¡¯d known how expensive it was, he wouldn¡¯t have handed over the bracelet even if it killed him. All he¡¯d done was give his subordinate six hundred thousand, and he¡¯d ended up with a bracelet like this. ¡°My nonsense?¡± Baron released a cold chuckle. ¡°If you don¡¯t know how rare and how expensive a red diamond actually is, go online and check it now to see if any of what I said was nonsense.¡± ¡°Baron, shut your mouth!¡± Just as Joker was put on the spot, Sherry, incensed, barked, ¡°Who do you think you are, calling out Mr. Warner like that? Mr. Warner already said that the bracelet was brought back by a friend from overseas, so if there really is some problem with it, it has nothing to do with Mr. Warner himself! At least he put the effort into preparing a gift, but what about you? You¡¯re seeing your own daughter for Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. the first time after disappearing for five years, and you¡¯re giving her this crappy worn-down rock?¡± Baron knew that exnations wouldn¡¯t do him any good. After all, in Sherry¡¯s eyes, he was just a useless piece of trash. The difference between him and the favored son of the Warner family was What Sherry didn¡¯t know was that what she saw as heaven and hell had already been turned upside down. ¡°Enough!¡± Tracy had remained silent for all the while, and finally erupted. Her body trembled slightly as she inhaled a deep breath, controlled her rage, and gazed at Joker. ¡°I apologize for my husband throwing your things around. Rest assured, I will pay you back the six hundred thousand.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Joker gave a start and shook his head hurriedly. ¡°It was my poor judgment this time. I trusted the wrong person. The bracelet is radioactive, so of course I can¡¯t give it to Lara. I¡¯ll give a better gift another day.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Tracy said icily. Hearing that, Joker said nothing in reply. Tracy was angry and didn¡¯t have an opinion of him. If he tried to argue the point now, his chances would grow even slimmer. At that moment, a ck Rolls-Royce with Cona license te A88888 rolled to a halt in front of the Perry courtyard, followed by an unlicensed, brand new white Maserati with a velvet red interior, obviously a car meant for a woman. Two bulky men exited the Rolls-Royce with an enormous box and headed inside the Perry home. ¡°Mr. Perry, someone¡¯sing in from the outside. They say they¡¯re bearing gifts, and they¡¯re carrying a huge box.¡± The maid went out, took a look, and reported happily, ¡°Right, and there¡¯s also a Rolls-Royce parked outside with the license te Cona-A88888.¡± At first, hearing that someone hade with gifts, the Perry n didn¡¯t make too much of it. But when they heard there was a luxury car parked outside numbered with that specific license, everyone drew in a collective gasp of shock. Henry stood bolt upright himself, blurting, ¡°Are you sure it was five eights?¡± ¡°Sure as sure can be, Mr. Perry; there¡¯s five eights on the license te,¡± the maid hurried to respond. ¡°Everyone, follow me outside to receive our guests!¡± Henry made a split second decision and scrambled out to the garden. The owner of Cona-A88888 was the richest man in the State of Cona ¨C Edward Lewis. How could Henry not feel nervous? He led everyone out, only to see a single middle-aged man standing there, dressed in an impable suit. ¡°Good day!¡± Henry jogged up to the man and shook his hand enthusiastically. Seeing the middle-aged man, Joker was stunned. This was Paul, Edward¡¯s personal butler. Despite the man¡¯s position as a servant, even Joker¡¯s own father had to lower his head and greet Paul whenever they met. ¡°It¡¯s you, good sir! Forgive me for not preparing for your arrival!¡± Putting on an intimate face, Joker walked towards Paul and extended his hands. Paul merely frowned and nced at him. ¡°Who are you?¡± Joker hurried to reply, ¡°I¡¯m the son of John Warner, sir,st week we¡­¡± ¡°Piss off!¡± Paul thundered before he could finish, almost literally making him piss his pants. The Warner family was among the second ss of Cona, butpared to the Lewis n, they were nothing. He¡¯d wanted to show off in front of the crowd, but never could have imagined he¡¯d get shouted back to his roots so quickly. Henry, who¡¯d been about to ask a few questions, didn¡¯t dare speak up now. Paul took out a list of gifts, and recited ¨C ¡°For blessings of wealth, ten storefronts on Citizen Square. ¡°For tidings of longevity, ny-nine percent of the shares of the Bullion Hotel. ¡°For expediency of movement, one Maserati, one mansion.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°For splendor of coin, a betrothal gift of one million five thousand in cash.¡± At the word ¡°betrothal¡±, everyone finally understood the meaning of these gifts. Looking at the stacks of bills in the box, along with the car keys, bonds, property bills and all those other priceless gifts, everybody was thoroughly astonished. Even long after Paul left, they failed to recover from the shock. ¡°What a good daughter you¡¯ve got, Terry!¡± Finally someone broke the silence. ¡°As expected of the richest man of Cona, pulling out all the stops. Yuri¡¯s going to be living the good life from now on.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget your rtives when you marry into the Lewis family, Yuri!¡± ¡­¡­ As things progressed, everyone surrounded Yuri and began to gab. If the elder sister was known as the greatest beauty of Cona, surely the younger sister wasn¡¯t ordinary either? Yuri hadn¡¯t had the presence of mind to react, but listening to everyone around her kissing up, she realised it. Her sister was married, so obviously all this was meant for her. What she didn¡¯t understand was ¨C when had she ever been in contact with any of the men of the Lewis n? Baron stood beside Tracy, noting the envy in her gaze, and felt a surge of bitterness. The gifts were meant for you in the first ce, so what are you jealous about? Of course, even if he said it, nobody would have believed him. ¡°See that? That¡¯s love! Big sis married you and didn¡¯t even receive a single betrothal gift, while you took five hundred thousand with you and left! A man like you won¡¯t make my sister happy for as long as you live. Hurry up and get a divorce already.¡± Yuri walked away in front of Baron, the keys to the Maserati in one hand, the ownership bill for her new mansion in the other, satisfaction written across her face. Baron shot her a mild look, saying with some sarcasm, ¡°Are you sure those are for you?¡± At that, Yuri felt a twinge of doubt. After all, she didn¡¯t know any man from the Lewis family. Soon enough, though, she put it out of her mind, snapping indignantly, ¡°What do you mean by that, you piece of garbage? I¡¯m the only unmarried person in this household, so who are these betrothal gifts for if not me? YOU?¡± Chapter 7 Melting a heart of steel Chapter 7 Melting a heart of steel Baron was about to exin when Tracy barked, ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m hungry!¡± Lara¡¯s voice rang out just in time. Hearing that her daughter was hungry, Tracy looked at her father. ¡°Dad, let¡¯s eat!¡± Her father¡¯s name was Terry Perry, and because he didn¡¯t have much in the way of ability, his status was abysmal. Tracy, however, was exceptionally capable, and was thus held in quite high regard by the head of the n. It could be said that the family led the life they did thanks to Tracy, so she was very respected in the household. It was only in marriage that Terry and Sherry came off strong. Now that a car from the richest man in Cona had showed up and dropped off such precious gifts, Joker didn¡¯t dare linger. He conjured up an excuse and left without taking a bite of the food. At five in the afternoon, all their rtives had left, and Sherry looked at Yuri, saying, ¡°Take Lara back to her room, will you?¡± Yuri understood that Sherry was about to give her cheapskate brother-inw a scolding, and she nced gloatingly at Baron before taking Lara and leaving. ¡°Lara,e y hide-and-seek with your auntie.¡± Although Lara wanted to stay with her dad, hearing that her aunt wanted to y with her strung her along just like that. The living room was left with Terry, Sherry, Tracy and Baron. ¡°Now that you¡¯re back, Baron, there are some things we have to make clear.¡± Sherry cleared her throat and spoke, her tone towards him markedly less biting than before. Baron nodded, saying respectfully, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll listen to anything you have to say.¡± Sherry stated, ¡°You know full well yourself that you and Tracy were only married five years ago because the two of you were set up. There was nothing between you two to begin with, and you left without so much as a word right after the wedding. All these years, Tracy has yed father and mother at the same time. You¡¯ve no idea how she¡¯s toiled and suffered from ill-meaning rumors. Even the Samho Group she¡¯d established herself was forcefully taken by the n. All this is thanks to you.¡± Baron¡¯s heart ached. He knew that Sherry wasn¡¯t just making it all up ¨C it was fact. He¡¯d left for five years, and Tracy had been pregnant. One could imagine the barbs levied at her. Tracy¡¯s own eyes grew red, and she bit her rosebud lip, the pearls of her teeth barely visible. ¡°Mom, I understand all of what you said, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯vee back to make everything up to Tracy and Lara. From now on, I won¡¯t disappoint you again.¡± Baron¡¯s expression was serious, and his words were sincere ¨C other than expressing his own sincerity, he really didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve saying ¡®again¡¯!¡± At that, Terry stood up, enraged. ¡°Do you think my daughter is an item for sale? You¡¯ll take her when you want her, throw her away when you don¡¯t?¡± As Terry spoke, he pointed at the gold and jewelryid out across a side table. ¡°Look at the gifts someone else is giving to marry her! You¡¯re just a piece of garbage who has nothing! You really think you can make my daughter happy just by going off to be a soldier for five years? She¡¯s been held back by you for all those years. Get that divorce first thing tomorrow morning.¡± Affected by Terry¡¯s words, a teary-eyed Sherry sobbed, ¡°Terry is right. Divorce her tomorrow. There are enough men lined up to chase her to make a circle around Cona, and a piece of garbage like you ruined her. You still think you haven¡¯t done enough? If you really love her, divorce her.¡± Baron¡¯s face filled with sorrow. No matter how his father-inw and mother-inw scolded him, chastised him, he deserved it. Thinking of everything Tracy had endured all these years, his heart ached. He¡¯d left five years ago precisely because he didn¡¯t deserve Tracy. Only by enlisting could he have time had gotten Tracy pregnant. Tracy¡¯s own tears were already falling. She¡¯d shouldered everything on her own for years, and her will had been forged into something formidable. Even though she was crying, she refused to make a sound. Seeing her pained state, Baron felt even more tortured. As he was now, even if Tracy wanted the stars in the sky, he would have found some way to pluck them down. But would she even ept them? Only now did he realize that his feelings had been one-sided from start till end. He¡¯d loved her even earlier than five years ago, but Tracy had never reciprocated his feelings. Even though they¡¯d been set up, and she¡¯d married him to preserve the honor of her n, it was as Terry had said. There had been nothing real between them. Baron had been arrogant enough to think that so long as he was a match for Tracy, he could make her happy. Only now did he realise that he was wrong. He¡¯d been wrong for five whole years. Thud. Baron stood suddenly and knelt heavily before Terry and Sherry, releasing a loud impact that shook the room. ¡°As my parents through marriage, I hereby demonstrate my respect!¡± Baron¡¯s face was solemn. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Thud. His forehead mmed into the marble floor. ¡°Baron, what are you doing?¡± Seeing the blood seeping from Baron¡¯s forehead, Sherry gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t think that by putting yourself through this that you can barter for Tracy¡¯s forgiveness.¡± Terry¡¯s face registered shock, and he looked towards a tearful Tracy. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by his show. This trash is unforgivable for as long as he lives. Thud. As if he hadn¡¯t heard anything, Baron mmed his forehead down again. ¡°I also hereby demonstrate my thanks for you two elders taking care of Tracy and Lara.¡± He mmed it down again. ¡°For five years, I¡¯ve failed to be a proper husband and father, put Tracy through at the center of indescribable scandal, allowed Lara to grow up without a dad ¨C I¡¯ve failed you, and failed Tracy, and failed Lara!¡± Thud. Thud. Thud. Every kowtow was done with extreme force. Only this way, it seemed, could he lessen some of the pain in his heart. Several dozen thudster, Baron¡¯s forehead was gushing blood. Tracy stood at the side, her tears flooding. Baron finally stood, feeling immensely relieved. He walked in front of the weeping Tracy and spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s get a divorce!¡± Chapter 8 Hello, Mr. Chairman Chapter 8 Hello, Mr. Chairman Tracy jolted at Baron¡¯s words. Terry and Sherry were simrly shocked. Trembling, Tracy stood, biting her lip tightly. Her makeup had run off, but it did nothing to mask her incredible beauty. St. ¡°Divorce?¡± She pped Baron across the face, raging, ¡°Who do you take me for? ¡°I¡¯ll admit that you too were a victim of what happened five years ago. If you didn¡¯t want to get married, you could have refused. Why, then, did you leave after the wedding? ¡°Do you have any idea how much humiliation I suffered after you left? Do you know how the children at her kindergarten mock her for being a fatherless wild child? ¡°Do you know how awful it felt to have my daughtere up with our only wedding photo and ask me countless times when her dad ising back? Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. ¡°I¡¯ve waited for my husband all this time. My daughter¡¯s waited for her father all this time. And now you¡¯re telling me ¨C you want a divorce? ¡°Tell me, could you bear to do this to me? To our daughter?¡± Tracy finally erupted into tears, as if letting out everything she¡¯d endured on her own for five years. Every rebuke stabbed into Baron¡¯s heart. By the time Tracy truly started sobbing, he ¨C the conquering hero, who never once cried in pain from a thousand wounds ¨C actually shed a tear. Baron took a step forward, and wrapped Tracy tightly in his embrace. ¡°Let go of me! Get out! Get out of my life! Aren¡¯t you going to divorce me? We¡¯ll go to Civil Affairs first thing tomorrow, then!¡± Tracy struggled as she continued to cry, hammering her fists against Baron¡¯s chest. Baron¡¯s arms were tighter than a bear trap. He held her in ce as she railed against him, murmuring into her ear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll never leave you two again for the rest of my life!¡± Seeing that Tracy was settling down, Sherry panicked, rushed forward, and forcefully separated the two, seething, ¡°Tracy¡¯s telling you to get out, so what are you sticking around for? Get out!¡± With one final thud, Baron was booted out. Although they¡¯d chased him out, Baron was actually happy. Tracy wasn¡¯t willing to divorce him. Be it for her reputation or for her daughter, staying together was the best oue for Baron. After he left Tracy¡¯s home, Baron went straight to the Cona branch of the Brone Group. The Brone Group was based in the state of Donas, established by Baron¡¯s mother Elizabeth before she¡¯d met his father. When word of their union had got out, the Owen n had taken thepany by force. The Owen n had only given Baron the Brone Group after hearing of his position in the P Inds. Standing beneath the Bronepany¡¯s office building, Baronmented the humiliation and hurt his mother had endured, feeling his hackles rise. ¡°One day, I¡¯m going to pay a personal visit to the Owen family.¡± The rage in his eyes slowly dimmed. At this moment, a white Maserati stopped in the parking lot of the Brone Group, and a woman in formal dress stepped out of the car. This woman was Baron¡¯s cheapskate sister-inw Yuri, and the car was the same betrothal gift that the Perry n had received only a few hours ago. She was driving it out so impatiently it was amusing. ¡°Yuri, I¡¯m jealous! Catching the Lewis n¡¯s eye and getting all these priceless gifts. When you marry into that rich family, don¡¯t forget me! I¡¯m your best friend, you know!¡± Another woman, dressed in Brone Company work attire, was all smiles as she walked towards Yuri. Yuri took up the woman¡¯s arm enthusiastically, beaming, ¡°You¡¯re the one person I¡¯d never forget. It¡¯s actually me right now who needs your help.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry your little head, Yuri! With my involvement, you won¡¯t have any problems whatsoever. After all, I¡¯m the manager who decides who lives and dies in HR. If it hadn¡¯t been forpany policy, I would have given you the position right away. But that¡¯s fine! You¡¯re just jumping through hoops in a bit.¡± ¡°You have my thanks, revered manager!¡± ¡°Oh, NOW you¡¯re being polite?¡± ¡­¡­ The pair talked andughed, seeming quite intimate. ¡°Baron!¡± Seeing Baron upon walking to the doorway of the building, Yuri reared back, shocked, and her face sank even before Baron could say anything. ¡°You perverted stalker! My mother chased you out, and now you¡¯re harassing me instead? I¡¯m telling you right now, I¡¯m not helping you even if you got on your knees.¡± Baron frowned mildly, scoffing, ¡°You think I¡¯m stalking you? Are you sure you¡¯re not just being paranoid?¡± Yuri floundered for words, but soon, she remembered something, and snorted, ¡°You¡¯re here to apply for a job, aren¡¯t you?¡± Without saying a word, Baron ignored her and strode towards the office. Before he¡¯d moved but a little, Yuri blocked his way immediately, a mocking expression on her face. ¡°Look, Baron, I¡¯d suggest you save your energy. You know what the Brone Group represents? It¡¯s the property of the Owen family of Donas. Sure, this branch in Cona was just established, but it¡¯s not the sort ofpany where any sort of trash can just get in.¡± ¡°Yuri, who¡¯s this?¡± Bonnie asked dubiously. Yuri looked at Baron disdainfully, replying, ¡°He¡¯s the garbage that swindled my sister five years ago. Went on the run with stolen money for half a decade, and now that he¡¯s used up his cash, he¡¯s back to make trouble for my sister again. You think my family would just let him saunter around? No, we just chased him out.¡± Bonnie gave a start, blurting out, ¡°So this is the slimeball who defiled your sister?¡± Just as she said it, she realised the man in question was standing right before her, and she pped her hand over her mouth, saying awkwardly, ¡°Apologies!¡± ¡°Bonnie, he¡¯s just garbage, and you were right, so why apologize?¡± Yuri said casually. Bonnie shot Baron a nce, then said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but ourpany is full up with our quota. You may leave now!¡± This woman was obviously just backing Yuri up. The branch had only just been established, and manpower was desperately needed - how could they be full up? Baron didn¡¯t pay any mind to their words. Forget this branch. The whole of the Brone Group belonged to him. Even without the Brone Group, the resources and wealth at his disposal were already far beyond the Owen family. Ignoring the refusal, Baron headed his way into the office. Panicking, Bonnie took a few steps forward and blocked his way. ¡°Why are you being difficult? I already said that the Brone Group wasn¡¯t hiring, so why are you still heading in? Another step and I call security.¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Baron snapped, cold emanating from his body. Bonnie, frightened, backed away a few paces. ¡°You¡¯ve got some nerve starting trouble at the door of the Brone Group, Baron.¡± Bonnie might have been afraid of Baron, but Yuri wasn¡¯t. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Manager?¡± A middle-aged man in a security uniform walked over to Bonnie. Coldly, Bonnie pointed at Baron and seethed, ¡°Bill, this man is trying to break into thepany. I suspect he has ill intentions. The chairman of the Brone Group ising over today. If you let some stranger in, you won¡¯t just be fired.¡± Bonnie¡¯s tone was cautionary, and Bill jolted upright, barking into his radio. Soon, a dozen well- equipped guards ran over. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Yuri!¡± Bonnie shot Baron a cold nce. Triumphantly, Yuri sneered at Baron, ¡°Don¡¯t even think of working in the Brone Group for as long as you live!¡± With that, she left alongside Bonnie. ¡®Kid, this isn¡¯t a yground. Get out this instant!¡± Bill said, his attitude cocky. Baron¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he said frigidly, ¡°You don¡¯t even know who I am and what I¡¯m here for, and you¡¯re chasing me off? Is this how you guards do your work?¡± Bill cocked an eyebrow. ¡°The manager is saying you¡¯re here to make trouble, so what¡¯s the issue with me chasing you off?¡± ¡°Anything she says goes? Do you enjoy being ackey this much?¡± The words struck the guards dumb. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you, kid!¡± Bill flew into a rage, barking. ¡°On him! Beat this bastard into the dirt!¡± There came a screech of tires. All of a sudden, a ck Audi A8 screamed to a halt in front of the Brone Group. A man in a suit rushed out of the car. ¡°Mr. Camel, sir!¡± the guards stood up straight. Camel didn¡¯t even spare them a nce. Fearfully, he jogged in front of Baron and bowed. ¡°Hello, Mr. Chairman!¡± Chapter 9 It’s an honor Chapter 9 It¡¯s an honor Everyone was petrified at Camel¡¯s words. Camel was the general manager, the highest leadership position in the branchpany. The only person who could be this respected by him was the Chairman of the Group. Thinking that he¡¯d been about to get violent with someone this important, Bill¡¯s face turned ashen. With a thump, he fell to his knees at Baron¡¯s feet, pleading, ¡°Mr. Chairman, sir, I was blind. Please, have a heart and let me off this time!¡± Camel hadn¡¯t known what was going on when he received news that the Chairman wasing to the thepany doors. And it seemed he¡¯d gotten in some altercation with the help. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Camel demanded, incensed. He¡¯d sacrificed too much to be general manager. And now, with the branch only just established, his own men had offended the Chairman himself. He was extremely frustrated. There was no mercy on Baron¡¯s expression. ¡°Have a heart? So I¡¯m a heartless bastard if I don¡¯t let you off?¡± Bill almost pissed himself at Baron¡¯s words. Nearly crying, he babbled, ¡°No Mr. Chairman sir, I didn¡¯t mean it like that, I know I¡¯ve done wrong, please give me another chance.¡± Baron only snapped, ¡°Out!¡± Five years of serving on the border had taught Baron one thing ¨C mistakes had to be punished. With his status, there was no need to butt heads over a mere security guard, but the Brone Group was the only thing he had of his mother. Nobody could tarnish its reputation. Bill had been about to make more pleas when Camel kicked him over andmanded, ¡°Drag him out!¡± Camel¡¯s attitude was one of subservience. He¡¯d more or less heard a bit of the rumors surrounding Baron. The pair went into the office, one in front, and the other in the back. Everyone looked, shocked, at Baron, and their vaunted Camel following slightly bowed behind him. They¡¯d heard that the Chairman of the Brone Group wasing to the offices today. Looking at Camel¡¯s cautious bearing, Baron¡¯s identity was self-evident. ¡°It didn¡¯t take a minute for the upper crust families to pay visits to Mr. Camel when he first arrived in Cona, but now he¡¯s following behind this young man? Unbelievable!¡± ¡°Nonsense. Even if the richest man in Cona came up, Mr. Camel wouldn¡¯t treat him with this much respect. This young man has to be the Chairman!¡± ¡°The Chairman is this young? Be still my beating heart.¡± Baron¡¯s appearance made waves. ¡°Yuri, look, is Mr. Camel following behind Baron?¡± Having just finished the employment process and walked back to the lobby, Bonnie caught a glimpse of Baron¡¯s back and shock registered on her face. By the time Yuri took a look, Baron had disappeared at the end of the corridor. ¡°Please. If Mr. Camel was following somebody, do you think it¡¯d be that useless garbage?¡± Yuri said, amused. Bonnie pped herself upside the head. ¡°I¡¯m so silly. For Mr. Camel to treat him like that, it has to be the Chairman who¡¯sing to the office today.¡± Brone Group penthouse, the inside of a luxurious office. Baron sat on afortable sofa, meditating with his eyes closed, without saying a word. Camel stood to the side carefully. ¡°Mr. Chairman, sir, you must have orders to havee here all the way. Please tell me. I won¡¯t disappoint you.¡± ¡°Just wait.¡± With those two words, Baron fell back into silence, his eyes still closed. The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. Baron continued meditating, cing incredible pressure on Camel, whose forehead began to bead with sweat. Unease clouded his heart. The Chairman said to ¡°just wait¡±. Who are what was he waiting for? Did he know? As Camel¡¯s doubts gnawed at him, the office doors were pushed open without notice. He¡¯d been about to give whoever had barged in a scolding when he saw the intruder pass Baron a file. ¡°Mr. Owen, what you asked for.¡± Only now did Baron open his eyes. Flipping across the document, his face slowly darkened. Camel¡¯s heart fluttered, his eyes never leaving the file. He had a bad feeling about this. p. Baron tossed the document viciously towards Camel. ¡°Read it!¡± Seeing Baron fly into a rage, Camel shuddered and picked up the document from the floor. ¡°Fifth of May, took a bribe at the Hotel known as¡­¡± At that, Camel stopped, too horrified to continue. Everything in the documents was evidence of all his wrongdoings in the month he¡¯d been general manager. The worst part was that they had even recorded the time and ce of his actions. He couldn¡¯t deny it even if he tried. Baron hissed, ¡°Continue!¡± Terrified, Camel shivered and fell to his knees before Baron¡¯s feet. ¡°I was wrong, Chairman, sir, I¡¯ll never do it again, please, give me a chance¡­¡± Camel¡¯s face filled with tears. He¡¯d worked his way up to today as a bottom-level employee. In his dozens of years in thepany, he¡¯d stuck to the straight and narrow, never even taking a cent in bribes ¨C until he was appointed general manager of Cona, and countless local families came up to him to gain his favor. He finally sumbed to temptation and took their offers. ¡°Mr. Owen, want me to kill him?¡± Camel had still been worrying if he could keep his job when Charles went and said that. He almost fainted right there. Charles wasn¡¯t joking. He knew how much the Brone Group meant to Baron. If Camel had taken bribes, that meant he¡¯d done something to harm thepany. Some nerve. A few clear notes rang out. Baron did not speak. His fingers drummed lightly on the coffee table, each note a knell. Camel, paralyzed, couldn¡¯t even muster the strength to beg for mercy. ¡°Since it¡¯s your first time, I¡¯ll give you one chance. Remember, though, it¡¯s just one chance. Take another bribe, and the money you take can pay the toll for the ferryman.¡± Baron narrowed his eyes and rose to leave. Camel¡¯s face filled with the joy of surviving the storm. He promised to the shadow of Baron¡¯s back, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Chairman, sir! I promise it won¡¯t happen again!¡± He¡¯d thought he¡¯d been about to be sent to jail, but never could have imagined that Baron would actually give him a chance. Filled with gratitude, he swore to serve Baron properly. Following Baron out of thepany, Charles said, confused, ¡°Mr. Owen, why are you keeping him on?¡± ¡°I just got back and don¡¯t have too many capable people I can use. Disappearing him is easy, but finding a general manager who knows how to manage Brone Group affairs is difficult.¡± Baron replied and continued, ¡°The Brone Group has been under the control of the Owen n for so many years, thepany leadership is all made up of family men. Unless, of course, I switch out everyone right now. If I did that, thepany would reallye to ruin. Even if I wanted to, now¡¯s not All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. the time to switch anyone out. I can¡¯t rush this.¡± ¡°I see, Mr. Owen. You¡¯re nning on nting your own supportwork, waiting until the time is right, and switching out the old blood for the entire Group.¡± Charles was capable of being brutal, but he was no brute. He soon caught on to Baron¡¯s meaning. ¡°You¡¯ve got clear evidence of Camel¡¯s wrongdoing, and now you¡¯re tossing him a lifeline as he faces destruction. Now that he¡¯s grateful to you, he¡¯ll serve thepany well. ¡°If he really sticks to the straight and narrow from now on and demonstrates his value, you¡¯ll definitely expand his horizons, too.¡± Baron looked at Charles with aplicated expression, sighing gently, ¡°With your ability, your future would have been unlimited if you stayed on the P Inds. What a waste, following me!¡± Charles stood up straight, his face set. ¡°As far as P is concerned, you are a god, Mr. Owen. I would have died countless times if not for you. It¡¯s an honor to stay by your side!¡± Baron didn¡¯t reply. He took a few steps forward, and then suddenly stopped and said, ¡°Check something for me. I want you to find out who it was that set me and Tracy up five years ago.¡± In that moment, a terrifying aura erupted from Baron¡¯s body, and in his gaze was endless winter. Chapter 10 Accusations Chapter 10 usations Early morning the next day, Samho Group penthouse. A regr meeting was held every Monday morning. Every direct rtive of the Perry family sat around the meeting table. ¡°Tracy, I heard that trash husband of yours who disappeared five years ago has made his way back?¡± The man speaking was Tracy¡¯s cousin Phillip. Seeing her enter the meeting room, he was all smiles. ¡°Is it any business of yours whether he¡¯se back or not?¡± Tracy frowned, turning the question back at him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing to do with me personally, but the Perry n came into a decline because of the scandal between you two. We would have made our way into the upper crust of Cona if not for that.¡± Phillip said, his expression shadowy. He continued, ¡°Some other woman with a better sense of decency would have killed herself for shame. You¡¯ve got the sheer gall to spawn a bastard child as well? You insult our family.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Tracy stood bolt upright, enraged. They could say anything about her, but not her daughter. That was the one thing that was off-limits. The entire room of Perry n members did nothing to stand up for Tracy. They simply watched the show from the side. ¡°Mr. Perry ising!¡± Phillip had been about to speak when footsteps rang out outside the door. He shot Tracy a cold look and remained silent. Then, a silver-haired elder of the Perry n came into the meeting room and sat at the Chairman¡¯s seat. The Perry n owned a great manypanies, but the most well-developed one was Samho. Because of that, when Henry took thepany in as their own, it had be home base for the family. Every time they held a meeting here, Tracy¡¯s heart twitched with pain. This was a property she¡¯d created all on her own, but now it belonged to the n. No matter how much she resented it, things were set now. Although Henry was getting on in age, he had no intention of resigning, instead grasping his position as head of the n tightly in his own grip. His gaze swept across everyone in the room, and he spoke. ¡°Last month, the Owen family of Donas established a branchpany in Cona. For all this time, we¡¯ve been preparing. Thetest news I¡¯ve received is that the branch is going to officially established within the next few days. Countless first- ss families are racking their brains to coborate with the Brone Group. The Perry n must not fall behind. Our way to first ss rests on our ability to gain coboration with the Brone Group.¡± At Henry¡¯s words, everyone grew excited. Someone asked directly, ¡°Mr. Perry, is there some reward for getting the Brone Group on our side?¡± Henry looked at the speaker and leered, ¡°Whoever manages a contract with the Brone Group gets to take the seat of Samho Group Chairman.¡± At that, everyone was stunned. Henry was going so far as to put Samho up as a prize for the coboration of the Brone Group. Tracy bit her lip tightly. The Samhopany had been hers to begin with. It was obviously very difficult to get into coboration with Brone, or the old man wouldn¡¯t have put up the chairman¡¯s seat as a reward.¡± In a moment, everyone¡¯s gazes switched back and forth between Tracy and Phillip. One was Henry¡¯s most valued member of the family; the other simply had exceptional capabilities. Both were prizes in Henry¡¯s eyes, but everybody knew that the Samho Group belonged to Tracy in the first ce. Phillip, naturally, also understood the importance of this endeavor, and he was the first to stand, smiling, ¡°Granddad, I think we have to discuss this matter of coboration.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Henry asked. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± Phillip replied, ¡°I won¡¯t lie, Granddad, when the Brone Group first established their branch in Cona, I¡¯d already begun making preparations. Only, the Brone Group¡¯s qualifications are extremely high. I spent a fortune just to make some connections. It might be difficult to sign a contract with them.¡± ¡°Good work, Phillip. You might not have gained their coboration yet, but at least you¡¯ve started making moves, and you even made some connections. When this meeting is over, go to ounting All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. and apply for a million in work expenses,¡± Henry said generously. ¡°Thank you, Granddad!¡± Phillip was overjoyed. The others¡¯ expressions were full of envy. Phillip suddenly shot a thoughtful look at Tracy, continuing, ¡°Granddad, I really want to get in good with the Brone Group, but that¡¯s hard to do on my own. After all, in front of them, the Perry n is just one of many small families, so why would they work with us?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re saying that, do you have some other strategy?¡± Henry asked. Phillip simply smiled, ¡°I received some inside news that the Brone Group won¡¯t go for small families this time around. We¡¯re out just with that, so we can join forces with a family of simr scale to ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good suggestion, Phillip. Go on.¡± Henry was looking more and more pleased. Phillip went on, ¡°You see, Granddad, Joker, son of the Warner n, has been chasing after Tracy. He¡¯s already stated that if Tracy marries him, working together is no problem at all.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Tracy, whose face went ck instantly. She hurried to say, ¡°Granddad, I¡¯m already married. How can I marry someone else?¡± ¡°Tracy, everyone knows about you and that garbage. He left you for five years right after your wedding. There¡¯s nothing between you two. Why not marry Joker? Whatever help he could be of to the family is more than anything that trash could muster,¡± Henry said, looking at her. Tracy bit her lip, her face full of determination as she shook her head. ¡°Granddad, I¡¯m Baron¡¯s woman for as long as I live, and he¡¯s my only husband.¡± p. Henry brought a palm t down on the table, raging, ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for the scandal between you and that bastard five years ago, the Perry n would already have risen to the elite! Are you still trying to ruin the family¡¯s future after half a decade?¡± Biting down hard on her lip, Tracy clenched her fists, too hurt to even notice her nails digging into her hand. The Perry n hade this far on the shoulders of the Samho Group. Henry wasn¡¯t just disregarding her contribution to the family, he was cing all me for the n¡¯s incapability to move upwards on her. ¡°That¡¯s that, then. When the meeting¡¯s over, I¡¯m contacting the Warner n¡¯s head personally to discuss the betrothal.¡± Henry made an executive decision right then and there, without any consideration for whether or not Tracy would agree. ¡°I¡¯m right here alive and kicking while you¡¯re trying to marry off my wife. What makes you outsiders think you have any say in something she doesn¡¯t want to do?¡± At that moment, an indescribably cold voice rang out, and a familiar figure appeared in the meeting room. As shock hung over the direct Perry n members, Baron sat down next to Tracy, looking gently at her. ¡°Like I said - from now on, I won¡¯t let anyone hurt you.¡± Chapter 11 A wound in the heart Chapter 11 A wound in the heart A dull expression lingered on Tracy Perry¡¯s face. She¡¯d chased Baron off yesterday, and now her daughter was bawling her eyes out for her dad. Tracy had regretted it at first - fearing the father her daughter had awaited for so long would leave once again - but she hadn¡¯t thought that, the moment she was about to face everything alone, Baron would show up again. The way Baron had appeared, overbearing, unstoppable, touched a soft part of her heart, and she felt it tremble viciously. ¡°Who are you? Barging into a Perry n meeting room - where¡¯s security? Eject him this instant!¡± Henry did not recognise Baron at that moment. Baron had met with those of the Perry n but rarely, and it had been five years - how could they recognise him at first nce? ¡°Granddad, this is Baron Owen. The piece of trash married Tracy five years ago and disappeared without a trace soon after.¡± Having heard of Baron¡¯s return, Phillip recognised him immediately and shot a mocking nce at Tracy. Only now did Henry remember Baron. With narrowed eyes, he studied the man from head to toe. He gave off slightly different airs, but other than that there seemed to be little difference. The man¡¯s attire was as drab as before. As much as Tracy wanted someone to shoulder everything alongside her, having Baron show up at this moment would only introduce even more chaos. She turned on him, anger written across her face - ¡°Why are you here?¡± Tracy¡¯s hostility towards him was not at all surprising. If Baron could win her approval the instant he returned, then her approval came far too cheaply. Henry waved his hand and cut off whatever else Tracy was about to say, ring daggers at Baron. ¡°So it¡¯s this gutter swine who ruined my family¡¯s reputation all those years ago. If it hadn¡¯t been for you, the Perry n would have ascended to the upper crust of Cona long ago. I wouldn¡¯t have thought you¡¯d have the nerve toe back.¡± A sharp glint passed through Baron¡¯s eyes, and he released a cold chuckle. ¡°I ruined your family¡¯s reputation? Could it be that the great head of the Perry n remains ignorant of the truth?¡± Charles had already conducted a careful examination of the affairs of the past. Everything had been orchestrated by the Perry n in the first ce in order to pave the way for their acquisition of the Samho Group. If it hadn¡¯t been for Tracy, the n would have seen its endst night. ¡°What are you babbling about?¡± Furious, Henry Perry pped the desk and stood, eyes zing with rage. As his emotions red, coughs racked the old man¡¯s body as it lurched on the spot. ¡°Granddad!¡± Tracy rushed to his side, but Phillip made it there first, propping him up. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. ¡°Get away from me!¡± Seething, Henry roared, ¡°You¡¯ve still the sheer nerve to call me ¡®Granddad¡¯? You meant to send your gutter-trash husband up here as an insult to my face, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If anything happens with Granddad¡¯s heart, we¡¯re going to make you pay.¡± ¡°The filth you got up to five years ago stained the Perry name. Now, five yearster, are you still trying to give me a stroke? To destroy this n?¡± ¡°From where I¡¯m standing, this wretched household of yours brings nothing but disaster. We ought to banish you from the Perry n, never to return.¡± ¡­¡­ Tracy had given up so much for the n, to the point where even her own Samhopany had been imed by the Perry collective. And now, her reward was to be betrayed by everyone, abandoned by her own flesh and blood. Baron watched, his sorrow unspeakable, as Tracy¡¯s frame swayed on the verge of copse. Eventually, Henry¡¯s temper simmered down as he looked at her and said, ¡°Tracy, the Perry n was only reduced to such a state because of you lot. Now that the Brone Group is establishing a branch in Cona, the only way we¡¯ll ever rise up to the plutarchy is to work with them. And only by marrying into the Warner n can we ever hope to coborate with the Brone Group - so either pledge yourself to Joker, or find some other way to gain said coboration, unless you want to see your entire family banished!¡± Henry Perry had spoken. Tracy¡¯s face turned deathly white. Even the elite of Cona¡¯s upper ss couldn¡¯t be sure of securing coboration with the Brone Group, so what was she of all people supposed to do? ¡°Granddad, I¡­¡± Tracy was just about to refuse when Baron, standing by her side, suddenly spoke up, ¡°This mission of yours - we ept!¡± ¡°Good!¡± Right away, Phillip began his mockery with glee. ¡°Don¡¯t say we¡¯re pressing you into this, Tracy - your own husband agreed personally to take on this mission, so it¡¯s toote for regrets!¡± ¡°The task is obviously meant to be impossible, but this sorry excuse of a man agreed just like that. It¡¯s just like the rumours say; he¡¯s good-for-nothing trash,¡± muttered some of the direct members of the n. An enterprise of the elite upper crust of the State of Donas,pared to the holdings of a second-rate n of Cona. With a difference that vast, how could Brone ever agree to coborate with Samho? ¡°All right, then. The regr meeting is adjourned.¡± With that, Henry rose to leave, but not before his gaze fell once more on Tracy. ¡°Three days. I¡¯m giving you three days. If the lot of you aren¡¯t done with your task by then, leave the n on your own.¡± Henry turned and left right then and there, and everyone else turned their gloating jeers on Tracy. ¡°Hah! Come now, Tracy, whatever gave you the audacity to lock horns with me? I¡¯m of the direct Perry bloodline. In Granddad¡¯s eyes, only I¡¯m worthy of shouldering the n¡¯s future. In three days, I¡¯ll be right thereughing as I watch your family¡¯s banishment! Haha¡­¡± ¡°Really, the daughter of an illegitimate son trying to vye for power with Phillip? Know your ce.¡± ¡°So you see, Phillip, I¡¯ve always been on your side. When you¡¯re sitting on the Chairman¡¯s seat, don¡¯t forget me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Phillip, we¡¯re all in your corner!¡± ¡­¡­ Soon enough, Phillip left as well, with everyone moring in his wake dering support, leaving only Baron in the room with Tracy. There was a whap as Tracy pped him across the cheek. Looking at her tearful expression, Baron could not muster a speck of rage. ¡°Tracy, I¡­¡± Whatever Baron was about to say was cut off as Tracy snapped, ¡°Considering whatever happened five years ago, I¡¯ll admit that you are also a victim. But taking Dad¡¯s five hundred thousand with you was more than enough in return. If you didn¡¯t want to marry me, why didn¡¯t you just say so? Do you have any idea how much you put me through, pulling that disappearing act of yours right after the wedding? I¡¯ve already been brought this low, so why are you still taking it out on me? Tell me, why?¡± Tracy¡¯s tears fell, a string of pearls shattering drop by drop against the floor. The pain in his heart reaching the point of torture, Baron reached out and gripped her by the shoulders. ¡°I really didn¡¯t take your father¡¯s money, and I¡¯ve never once thought of taking anything out on you. I came back to make it up to you and our daughter. Please. You have to believe me. I¡¯d never do anything to hurt you.¡± ¡°Shut up! You don¡¯t get to speak of my daughter!¡± Tracy shoved him away, her face still streaked with tears. ¡°If you¡¯re not here for revenge, then why did you take on that mission in the meeting? You know full well it¡¯s impossible to begin with!¡± Chapter 12 I have a dad Chapter 12 I have a dad The Perry family courtyard. Tracy had only juste home, and before she got round to put her slippers on, Sherry was in her face fuming as she asked, ¡°That trash - he went to the office today?¡± ¡°Mom, please, I¡¯m dead tired. Can you just stop bothering me?¡± Tracy said, thoroughly worn out. With Baron taking on her impossible task, her brow was already blistering with worry. At this point, she really didn¡¯t need more on her te. ¡°This is no time to be skulking about!¡± Sherry¡¯s bearing was one ofplete distress. ¡°I heard it all. Your Granddad offered you a choice in the Perry n weekly regr meeting - marry Joker, or somehow find a way to gain coboration with the Brone Group, or else we¡¯d all be banished. And that piece of trash actually agreed in your ce. He¡¯s brainless garbage. It doesn¡¯t mean you have to be! Why aren¡¯t you marrying Joker?¡± Tracy had run herself to the ground working connections all day long for her task, but it turned out she couldn¡¯t even set a single foot into the Brone offices. She was plenty fed up already, but now Sherry herself was dredging it all back up again. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m begging you, let¡¯s just stop talking about this. They¡¯ve got their boot on me in the office. They keep their boot on me when I try to talk business. And now that I¡¯m home, you want to put your own foot down too?¡± Tracy demanded, eyes rimmed with red as her bottled emotions threatened to break her apart at the seams. ¡°Our daughter¡¯s been through enough even before she made it home. Give her some space.¡± From his seat on the sofa, Terry set down his newspaper, helplessness in his bearing. Sherry rushed her way into his face, hands on her hips as she raged, ¡°Terry Perry! Do you have any idea the kind of mission she¡¯s taken on? Gaining coboration with the Brone Group is utterly impossible, and if this goes on, we¡¯re going to be thrown out of the Perry n in three days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± In that moment, a cheerful voice rang out, and the bright visage of Yuri Perry swept into the room. ¡°I¡¯ve got good news for everybody¡­¡± Having just entered the house, she took in the unpleasant atmosphere, from her raging mother to her helpless father to a despairing Tracy. ¡°What¡¯s this, then?¡± Sensitive as always, Yuri made her way to Tracy¡¯s side first, taking her hand in her own. ¡°You all right, Big Sis?¡± Tracy shook her head lightly. ¡°Yuri, pick up Lara for me. I¡¯m going to my room.¡± ¡°What good news? Your sister just agreed to secure coboration with the Brone Group, and if she can¡¯t, we¡¯re all getting kicked out of the n.¡± Having released a fair bit of her temper, Sherry calmed down, studying Tracy¡¯s receding back. ¡°Sis!¡± Yuri perked up immediately at Sherry¡¯s words, raced towards Tracy before she could leave, and beamed, ¡°Sis, I¡¯ll get this coboration business done for you. After all, I¡¯m a part of the Bronepany now!¡±Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Life found its way back into Tracy¡¯s previously hollow eyes, and she grasped Yuri by the arms, excited. ¡°You¡¯ve really been hired by the Brone Group?¡± Right after her question dropped, Tracy¡¯s expression dimmed again, and she shook her head bitterly. ¡°Even if you¡¯re in, there¡¯s not much you can do to help me. Not as a new hire.¡± A twinge of doubt snaked its way into Yuri Perry¡¯s mind, but her heart ached to see her sister in such a state. Still, she put on a determined front and said,¡°Trust me, Sis, it¡¯ll be fine. My good friend Bonnie is an actual HR manager in the Brone Group, and she¡¯s got decent rtions further up the chain. I¡¯ll ask her for help, and we¡¯ll definitely you that coboration.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Thank you, Yuri!¡± Tracy¡¯s eyes were shot through with red now. After a full day of trouble over this business, there was finally some good news. Yuri rolled her eyes impatiently. ¡°You¡¯re thanking me?¡± With that, she turned to face a rejoicing Sherry. ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll take care of this for Big Sis. She¡¯s gone and worked herself to the bone today, so stop fussing already.¡± Sherry repeated a jubnt ¡®yes¡¯ several times before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s my daughter for you. First the Lewis n - richest family in Cona! - stops by to drop off betrothal gifts, and now she¡¯s got her foot in the door with the Brone Group. I¡¯d like to see anyone look down on us from now on.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to fetch Lara!¡± With a pleased smile, Yuri turned to leave, and with a roar of the engine, her white Maserati disappeared down the road. Brone Group Cona branch, penthouse office. Camel stood quivering before Baron, giving aprehensive report of recent business to be conducted. Baron, in the meantime, was seated in his office chair with a document in his hand. ¡°Chairman, there¡¯s a great manypanies who desire coboration with the Brone Group. The list you¡¯re holding is my handpicked selection of the most capable few. If you would but consider it some more, and see which ones you¡¯d like to choose to be our partners?¡± Camel prodded carefully. Baron gave the list a perfunctory nce. Essentially, they were all famed enterprises in the State of Cona. ¡°Add in the Samhopany under the Perry n. You can handle the rest of them.¡± With a casual flick, Baron tossed the list towards Camel. At the mention of the Perry n, a smidge of hesitation entered Camel¡¯s eyes, but he still asked away - ¡°Chairman, the Perry family doesn¡¯t even rank among the second-rate ns, so this Samho Group¡­¡± ¡°My wife¡¯s name is Tracy Perry.¡± Baron stated directly before Camel could even finish. Shock passed through Camel¡¯s face, then panic. ¡°Apologies, Chairman, sir, I didn¡¯t know Mrs. Perry was your wife; she stopped by the office a few times today looking for me, and I didn¡¯t meet with her once.¡± As thest sentence dropped from Camel¡¯s mouth, his unease grew as well. Baron wasn¡¯t angry. ¡°Pay a personal visit to the Samho Group tomorrow and deliver a coboration agreement, but don¡¯t reveal my identity to anyone. Understood?¡± Camel rubbed cold sweat off his forehead and hurried toply. Lifting his hand, Baron looked at the time. ¡°Kindergarten should be wrapping up around this hour.¡± With that, he rose to leave. Blue Sky Kindergarten. A white Maserati stopped in front of the kindergarten gate. A pair of slender legs and thighs appeared and slid out of the car. The beauty drawing countless eyes was, of course, Yuri Perry, a mild smile still ying about her lips as her long hair billowed in the wind. Paying no heed to the gazes in her direction, she strode towards the kindergarten, and the crushingly disappointed males around her realised that this beauty had long since been taken. It was rush hour for picking up children, and there was no way for the teachers to take care of every child at once. Yuri searched for a good while before she picked out Lara¡¯s voice, but just as she was about to call out, the beginnings of her gentle smile gave way to a frown. Lara¡¯s youthful face was distorted in anger as she stood opposite a small boy. The two of them looked to be arguing. ¡°You! Yeah, you! You¡¯re just a wild child, a brat without a Dad! That¡¯s right, and I¡¯m going to hit you, too!¡± the boy crowed. Holding back her tears, Lara yelled, ¡®I have a Dad! Shut up!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a wild child, so how could you have a Dad?¡± The boy said loudly, raising his pudgy hand to shove her. Chapter 13 Take your wife and run Chapter 13 Take your wife and run ¡°What are you doing?¡± Unable to reach the children in time, Yuri could only shout. ¡°Yuri!¡± No longer capable of holding back her tears, Lara gave a shout herself and raced towards Yuri. Seeing that a parent had arrived, the boy lost his nerve and turned to run away. In his rush, he slipped just as he turned,nding with a thump. ¡°Wahh¡­¡± With his fall, the boy began to cry, drawing the attention of everyone on the scene. Lara was crying herself into a mess as well, sobbing, ¡°I¡¯m not a wild child, I have a Dad.¡± Her eyes red, Yuri held Lara in a tight hug, stroking the girl¡¯s back as gentle as it could be. ¡°Of course you¡¯re not a wild child, Lara. You have a Dad.¡± ¡°Tony!¡± A middle-aged couple hurried over, doting incessantly over the fallen child, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, baby, who bullied you? Mommy¡¯s going to teach them a lesson.¡± ¡°She pushed me, Mommy! It really hurt!¡± The crying boy levelled a tiny finger at Lara. Yuri was beginning to rankle. She¡¯d seen the boy move to push Lara with her own eyes, and the fall had been the fault of his own clumsy self anyway, even if he wasshing out now. She didn¡¯t have time to get a word in before the boy¡¯s mother got in her face and fired away with indiscriminate abandon. ¡°Your child is an undisciplined delinquent - the raw nerve of hers, hitting my son. Do you even know who I am?¡± Indignant, Lara protested, ¡°I didn¡¯t hit him, he was going to hit me, and he called me a wild child who didn¡¯t have a Dad.¡± ¡°So you really are an undisciplined little swine. If your household¡¯s parents won¡¯t discipline you, I¡¯ll do it in their ce.¡± The boy¡¯s mother made her way towards Lara even as she spoke, actually meaning to strike her. Furious, Yuri stepped protectively in front of Lara, ready for a fight as she spat, ¡°Just tryying a finger on her!¡± ¡°Madams, please, you can¡¯t start a fight here!¡± Noticing the situation, teachers ran over to stop the pair. But it was toote, and the mother had already charged at Yuri, extending her hand to rake her fingers down her face. ¡°I¡¯ll rip that face of yours apart!¡± Yuri was known as the Red-Hot Pepper of the Perry family, and she wasn¡¯t exactly intent on letting some entitled, rambling little housewife get the better of her. Before her opponent could even touch her, she¡¯d snapped out her foot in a kick. ¡°Agh!¡± The boy¡¯s mother released a pained groan as Yuri¡¯s high heel nted itself in her gut, and she turned her rage onto her husband. ¡°So you¡¯re just going to stand there and watch me get hit?¡± The middle-aged man had been ogling Yuri since he firstid eyes on her, but now that his own wife was taking a beating, he threw his regard for beauty out the window and swung at her with a p. Shocked, the crowd tittered in disbelief that a man wouldy hands on a woman in broad daylight. ¡°Yuri!¡± Lara shouted as the man closed, about to rush in herself. Taken by surprise, there was no room for Yuri to dodge, and as the man¡¯s palm filled the space between them, she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. Whap. But in that instant, a shadow flickered before them, grasping the middle-aged man by the wrist. ¡°Ack!¡± The pain in his wrist drew a strangled cry from the man. Yuri opened her eyes at the sound, only to see a broad back shielding her from the front. ¡°Dad!¡± Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Lara recognised her father just from his silhouette and released an overjoyed shout. Without releasing his grip, Baron Owen suddenly spoke - ¡°Cover Lara¡¯s eyes!¡± Only now, upon hearing his voice, did Yuri recognise her savior. ¡°Right,¡± she said, covering Lara¡¯s eyes. ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± Pained, his face beet-red, the middle-aged man red at Baron and hollered, ¡°Have you any idea who I...¡± Wham. Before he¡¯d even finished boasting, a burst of pain spread out from his stomach, and he found his entire body flying off into the distance like a football before hended hard. Dead silence hung over the air. Everyone at the scene wore a simrly dumbfounded expression. Yuri had just witnessed Baron send a one-hundred-and-eighty-pound adult male flying eight meters with a single kick. Her delicate features were wide with bewilderment. ¡°Dad! Why are you here?¡± Lara wrested herself out of Yuri¡¯s hand and sprinted joyfully towards Baron. As he held his daughter, a gentle smile spread across Baron¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m here to take you home, of course.¡± After seeing Baron kick a man so hard he flew, contrasted with another look at his currently soft, gentle features, Yuri had to ask herself - was this really the useless brother-inw everyone was looking down on? ¡°See, Tony? I¡¯m not a wild child, I have a Dad! This here is my Dad!¡± Tony burst into tears. The image of his own Dad sent flying by Lara¡¯s Dad was now seared into the little boy¡¯s mind. Baron¡¯s heart ached as he heard his daughter¡¯s words. Having a fullyplete family was such a distant wish to her that simply seeing her father brought her this much delight. It was the first time Yuri had seen Lara this happy, and she rubbed her reddening eyes as she sighed to herself. ¡°Kid, you¡¯ve got some nerve hitting me like that. Just you wait!¡± It took a long while for the middle-aged man to stand, eyes boiling with rage. He immediately went and ced a phone call. ¡°Dear parents, please. It was just a bit of fun between children - there¡¯s no need for such hostility; it¡¯s a bad influence on the young.¡± The principal of the kindergarten hade out personally to mediate. The braggart simply replied, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, Mrs. Green. As Connor Johnson of the Johnson family, I can¡¯t let this nameless little swine get away with beating on me. If word got out, I can kiss my reputation goodbye!¡± Her face darkening, Yuri stood next to Baron and said lowly, ¡°He¡¯s with the Johnson family. Take Lara and hurry on out of here. I¡¯m a woman; he can¡¯t do much to me.¡± Baron shot Yuri a surprised nce. He didn¡¯t think this woman had that kind of backbone, even if it was a little toote. Three microvans sped in from the distance and rolled up in front of the kindergarten. From each car emerged half a dozen big, burly men. ¡°All right, which one of you messed with Mr. Connor? Get out here!¡± The brute in the lead bellowed. Frightened, a tremble ran up Lara¡¯s body, and she wrapped her arms tight around Baron¡¯s neck. In that instant, a cold aura exuded from the depths of Baron¡¯s body, and the temperature of the surroundings seemed to drop by several degrees. Chills ran up Yuri¡¯s spine, and she studied the man beside her in astonishment. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Lara. Dad¡¯s right here. Nobody¡¯s going to hurt you,¡± Baron said gently. His reassurance had a great effect on Lara. No longer afraid, her bright eyes shone. ¡°Really, Dad?¡± ¡°Dad never lies.¡± Baron finished seriously, then turned to Yuri. ¡°Get Lara out of here. I¡¯ll deal with this.¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯m not leaving you!¡± Upon hearing her father¡¯s words, Lara panicked and tightened her grip, a sob entering her voice. ¡°Mr. Owen, take your wife and run!¡± No one knew when and from where the irond figure appeared next to Baron. Baron¡¯s brow ckened as Charles spoke. And just how was she his wife again? Chapter 14 Unavoidable rivalries Chapter 14 Unavoidable rivalries Blushing bright red, Yuri shot a frigid re at Charles. At the same time, she felt a surge of curiosity regarding wherever Baron had been, and whatever he had done, for all those years. No normal person could have sent Connor flying eight meters as Baron had with a single kick, and now this viciously fierce enforcer by the name of Charles just up and popped out of nowhere. ¡®During those five years he¡¯d disappeared off to goodness-knows-where, he didn¡¯t be some kind of underground criminal ringleader, did he?¡¯ A sudden notion leapt to the forefront of Yuri¡¯s mind. If Baron could read Yuri¡¯s thoughts, he would have been quite amazed with her vivid imagination. Still holding Lara, Baron passed Charles and murmured, ¡°This isn¡¯t the P Inds. No killing.¡± ¡°No worries, Mr. Owen. I¡¯ll hold back, ¡± Charles replied. Yuri overheard their conversation, which just so happened to confirm her theory. Had they really murdered people? She found herself frightened to the verge of tears. What sort of ce was P? Who on earth were these people? As she drove them home, Yuri didn¡¯t dare make a noise, for fear that Baron would lose his temper and silence her for good. In the car, Lara maintained her desperate grip on Baron¡¯s neck, afraid her Dad would slip away again. Twenty minutester, they finally arrived at the Perry courtyard. It didn¡¯t take one step beyond the threshold before they came across Sherry, whose face changed the instant she saw Yuri hanging from Baron¡¯s neck. She closed in, chasing him down as she swatted at him with a broom. ¡°You bastard, I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve got the guts to show up here,¡¯ she panted, breathless. After being privy to Baron¡¯s ¡°secret¡±, Yuri wasn¡¯t about to allow her own mother to provoke him. She grabbed her hand. ¡°Mom, please get a hold of yourself. He¡¯s just taking Lara home, and he¡¯s leaving right away!¡± Lara started wailing. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a wild child without a Dad!¡± Hearing all themotion, Tracy and Terry hurried to the scene as well. ¡°What happened?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. Yuri summarized the events at the kindergarten, and Tracy felt her heart tear itself to ribbons. ¡°From now on, stay here with Lara!¡± Everyone gave a start, and Sherry objected to Baron¡¯s presence immediately. ¡°Are you mad? If he stays, what about you and Joker?¡± ¡°Mom, are you just going to keep forcing my hand? If you want him gone, I¡¯m leaving with Lara too,¡¯ Tracy said, her voice breaking. If it hadn¡¯t been for her little girl, Tracy would have died rather than keep Baron in the house. All she wanted was aplete family for her daughter. Baron himself was stunned. He¡¯d never thought that he would be allowed to stay in this household together with Tracy and their daughter, just as he¡¯d always dreamed. Yuri pitched in to persuade her mother. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s for Lara, so just let him live here for now, okay?¡± Seeing his daughter¡¯s pained expression, Terry heaved a sigh and joined in as well. ¡°If that¡¯s what our daughters are saying, then let¡¯s have him stay.¡± Sherry shot her husband a harsh re. Realising that it was impossible to get rid of Baron at this point, she went on to say, ¡°All right, you can live here. But you¡¯re going to pay up five thousand dors¡¯ rent every month. I¡¯ll write you up a contract. You can stay if you agree to our terms.¡± Even if it had been five million instead of five thousand, Baron would have paid it dly. And so he quickly agreed, trailing Tracy and Lara up the stairs. Watching the family of three from behind as they left,plicated emotions swirled about in Yuri¡¯s eyes as she sighed and thought, ¡®If it hadn¡¯t been for the events of five years ago, and if the two of you truly loved each other, how much better would things be?¡¯ Soon, Lara¡¯s joyousughter began to emanate from Tracy¡¯s room, while Sherry¡¯s face showed only displeasure. ¡°Ungrateful louts, all of them!¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m the furthest thing from ungrateful. Just wait until I marry into the Lewis n. Who¡¯s going to look down on us then?¡± Yuri knew her mother wasn¡¯t happy, so she hugged her around the neck and spoke cheerily of her uing marriage. The mere mention of the Lewis n lifted Sherry¡¯s spirits, and she said brightly, ¡°With that many betrothal gifts sent in by the Lewis family, not to mention getting hired by the Brone Group - it¡¯s really you, Yuri, who¡¯s taking the load off my shoulders. Your mother¡¯s counting on you from now on to live the good life.¡± At night, a mischievous Lara decided to sleep on the floor with her Dad. Being the first time she was sleeping with her own father, the girl was overjoyed, and didn¡¯t fall asleep until it was veryte. Looking at his daughter snuggled up against his chest, satisfaction registered across his bearing, but the regret in his heart also dug itself deeper. Tracyid in bed tossing and turning, her thoughts too scattered for her to fall asleep. ¡°Worried about gaining coboration with the Brone Group?¡± Baron asked out of the blue. Tracy¡¯s reply was icy. ¡°Quiet. Don¡¯t wake Lara.¡± Baron smiled bitterly and held his tongue. This was going to be a sleepless night. Early in the morning the following day, Baron had already left by the time Tracy roused herself. Five years of serving on the border regions had instilled thorough discipline in Baron¡¯s routine, and morning training was now an inalienable part of his daily schedule. Lara opened her eyes, saw that her Dad wasn¡¯t there, and started bawling again. Tracy couldn¡¯t do a single thing to calm her down until Baron returned, upon which Lara stopped crying and clung to her Dad, noting down for anything. By the time they pampered her enough to drop her off at Blue Sky, she was alreadyte by half an hour. Samho Group, penthouse floor. Every seat in the meeting room was taken. After all, today was the day Cona¡¯s Johnson and Perry ns were to sign a contract. The Johnson family was one of the better second-rate families of the State of Cona, having almost squeezed their way into the plutarchy the year before. Their properties dwarfed those of the Perry n by several streets¡¯ worth. ¡°Phillip is truly impressive - he actually secured coboration with the Johnson family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing. Phillip¡¯s even built up connections with the Brone Group. By the time Tracyes back with her tail between her legs, it won¡¯t be long before Phillip makes gains on that front.¡± ¡°Want to hear something funny? I saw Tracy - that witless trollop - waiting outside the Brone Group doors the entire day yesterday. Didn¡¯t set one foot inside the offices. Oh, goodness me, I¡¯m dying, ha!¡± The rabble in the meeting room surrounded Phillip, their jests as loud as they were irreverent. ¡°There¡¯s just two days left. So long as she fails to hash anything out with the Bronepany, it¡¯ll be high time for Tracy to hightail it out of the n. When it¡¯s time, I¡¯ll bring the lot of you with me to watch the show,¡± Phillip said smugly. ¡°Hah! I say, this is the first time in my life I¡¯ve ever wanted the days to go by sooner,¡± someoneughed. At this moment, footsteps echoed down from the corridor outside, and the carousing ground to an immediate halt. Henry led in a middle-aged man, making small talk as he escorted him inside the meeting room. ¡°Allow me to introduce the main heir of the Johnson family, Mr. Connor Johnson. He¡¯s here today on behalf of the Johnson n to sign a coboration agreement with the Perry n. Everyone - give him a warm wee!¡± Henry introduced. After exchanging more pleasantries, the two parties began the motions of signing the agreement. Then Tracy and Baron showed up at the office. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte, Granddad, we got held up taking Lara to the kindergarten,¡± Tracy apologized the moment she pushed into the meeting room. Connor, who had just been about to sign, looked up reflexively at the mention of ¡°kindergarten¡± and immediately saw Baron Owen. ¡°You!¡± He hurled the pen he was to sign with against the desk. Only now did Baron notice that this was the very same Connor he¡¯d punted across Blue Sky just one day earlier. Chapter 15 Broken promise Chapter 15 Broken promise Soon enough, the eyes of everyone in the room fell upon Baron. ¡°Mr. Connor, there¡¯s no need to concern yourself with this piece of trash. We can deal with him after you sign this agreement!¡± Henry urged, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. ¡°I¡¯m not signing shit!¡± Connor tore the contract in two, pointed at Baron and raged, ¡°I¡¯d wanted to save tracking you down for today; I¡¯ming down hard on your entire n. That¡¯ll teach you to mess with Connor Johnson.¡± After receiving Baron¡¯s kick yesterday, Connor - along with all the men he¡¯d summoned - had been single-handedly beaten ck and blue by Charles. He¡¯d been nning his revenge, but he didn¡¯t think an opportunity woulde so soon. ¡°What? You insulted Mr. Connor Johnson himself? You insufferable sack of garbage!¡± Shocked, Phillip hurried to rify boundaries. ¡°Mr. Connor, sir, this brat isn¡¯t part of the Perry n. He¡¯s not rted to us at all.¡± ¡°Up yours, motherfucker!¡± Connor punched him across the face. ¡°Where¡¯s ¡®Granddad¡¯e from, then? You must be lunatics, trying to cut them off now to get back on our good side. Don¡¯t even dream of it!¡± Tracy had heard about the events at the kindergarten from Yurist night and knew that Baron hadid hands on Connor, but she never could have imagined the two would meet again so soon, much less on such an important asion.¡± Even Henry himself was beginning to panic, hurriedlying to the fore. ¡°Mr. Connor, this bastard really doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the Perry n. Just give the word, and I¡¯ll expel them right here and now. Please, reconsider our coboration!¡± ¡°Look at what your trash husband¡¯s done now, Tracy. Insulting Mr. Connor Johnson himself! The gall!¡± ¡°It¡¯s like I said, that wretched household of hers brings nothing but disaster. They almost destroyed the Perry n five years ago, and now they¡¯re trying to sabotage us again.¡± ¡°Mr. Chairman, let¡¯s exile the lot of them right here, right now!¡± Just like that, the entire meeting room was now brimming with hostility against Baron and Tracy, threatening to erupt at any moment. Originally seething, most of Connor¡¯s anger abated as he drank in the contempt levied against Baron Owen. He shot a thoughtful look at Baron, then said, ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t coborate going forward. But - I want this kid on his knees, begging.¡± As thatst sentence dropped from Connor¡¯s lips, a brief sh of murderous intent zed to life in Baron¡¯s eyes. Upon hearing Connor¡¯s words, Henry did not hesitate for an instant, turning to Baron as he barked, ¡°Well, gutter mongrel? Make like the dog you are and kneel! Kneel and beg for Mr. Connor Johnson to forgive the Perry n!¡± Baron simply stood there, back perfectly straight as his wintry gaze fell on Henry. Coldly, he spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t even know the half of what happened between me and him, yet you would have me kneel before him and beg? ¡°You keep repeating over and over that I have nothing to do with the Perry n, so how is it my problem if he¡¯s not letting your n off? ¡°Not one of you has the right tomand me, Baron Owen, to kneel!¡± In that instant, Baron stood tall by his lonesome, his entire being emanating an aura of true strength. Standing closest to him, a slight tremor ran through Tracy¡¯s heart as she bore witness to Baron¡¯s disy of power. He really had changed in five years. ¡°Impudent scum!¡± Shuddering with fury from Baron¡¯s speech, it took a good while for Henry to spit out those words. At that moment, a man in a sleek suit barged into the meeting room, reporting urgently - ¡°Mr. Chairman, Camel of the Brone Group is here!¡± ¡®The Brone Group?¡± Henry gaped. A middle-aged man strode into the room - Camel, general manager of the Bronepany, Cona branch. ¡°We had no idea you¡¯d being here in person, Mr. Camel - a thousand apologies for failing to greet you properly!¡± Henry stepped forward, bowing slightly, his attitude one ofplete submission. Connor was taken aback as well. He hadn¡¯t expected toe across Camel himself while meeting with the Perry n. He stepped forward as well, reaching out with both hands as he said in buttery tones, ¡°Mr. Camel, how do you do. I am Connor Johnson of the Johnson n, and my father is¡­¡± Camel chuckled coldly. ¡°The Johnson n? What¡¯s that supposed to be?¡± The words left everyone in the room stunned. The nk expression on Connor¡¯s face was about to rise into anger, but, all of a sudden, he remembered one line of advice from his father - ¡°The Brone Group is the property of the elite Owen n of Donas, and when you put us up against the Owen n, the Johnson n ain¡¯t shit! So don¡¯t, for the love of all that¡¯s holy, make trouble for anyone who has anything to do with the Brone Group.¡± With that in mind, Connor forced his resentment back down his gullet. ¡°Problem?¡± Camel shot Connor a pointed look. nching, Connor shook his head in a panic. ¡°Mr. Camel, sir, you¡¯re absolutely right, the Johnson n Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. is shitpared to you, no, less than shit. No need to lower yourself to my level, sir.¡± His entire body was already soaked through with cold sweat. Even if Camel was only a general manager of a Bronepany branch, he was still involved with the Owen n, and that meant he was untouchable. Camel scoffed and left it at that. With a jerk of his eyes, one of his followers - a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed spectacles - bustled forward, produced a contract, andid it before Henry. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Confused, Henry took one look at the title of the contract. Shock registered across his face. Without giving anything away, Camel spared a nomittal nce at Baron, then looked at Mr. Perry with the hints of a smile on his lips. ¡°I was greatly moved by the sincerity of yourpany¡¯s Tracy Perry. She waited outside our offices for an entire day just to meet with me. I would be remiss to turn her from our door at this point. I¡¯ve already signed this agreement. All that remains for it to take effect is your signature, Chairman Perry.¡± Moved by Tracy Perry¡¯s sincerity? How was that possible? Everyone in the room was simrly stunned, including Tracy herself. Her mind churning, Tracy recalled what Yuri had said yesterday, that she would take care of the coboration business. Could this all be her doing? The n members moring for the expulsion of Tracy Perry and her family now fell silent. Their stares towards her had all changed. Especially Phillip, who was utterly stupefied. He¡¯d long been trying to get in contact with the Bronepany leadership, but he hadn¡¯t gotten so much as a peep in return. With his mission aplished, Camel left just as swiftly as he¡¯d arrived. Connor Johnson, who had been prattling on about how he¡¯de down on the Perry n, slunk away as well. ¡°I have an announcement to make!¡± Henry Perry said, his gaze sweeping the room. There was sheer excitement on everyone¡¯s faces. Being able to coborate with the Brone Group meant a glorious future for the Perry n, and it was entirely probable that they would find themselves rising to the elite upper ss of Cona by the end of the year. Tracy¡¯s own heart was pounding as well, and she clenched her hands tight. In the regr meeting just two days ago, Henry Perry had promised with his own words that whoever secured coboration with the Brone Group would receive the seat of Samho Chairman. Now that she had secured the contract, Henry was surely about to announce her ascension. The rest of the people in the room looked upon Tracy with envy. ¡°I¡¯d expect as much out of the gifted daughter of the Perry n. She even managed to secure a contract with the Brone Group.¡± ¡°If we make it into the ranks of the elites this year, it¡¯ll be Tracy who deserves the most credit.¡± ¡°Keep it up, Tracy, from now on, I¡¯ll cooperate with you all the way.¡± Before Camel¡¯s arrival, everyone had been baying for Tracy Perry¡¯s banishment. Now, their faces changed entirely as, one by one, they pledged loyalty to her, each greasier than thest. At that moment, Henry Perry suddenly spoke. ¡°From this day forth, Phillip Perry is the Chairman of the Samho Group, with full authority over coborative affairs with the Brone Group. The rest of you, support him to the best of your ability.¡± Nobody could have predicted Mr. Perry¡¯s decision, not even Phillip Perry himself. After a brief lull, he rose, euphoric. ¡°Thank you for your trust, Granddad. Rest easy, I won¡¯t let you down!¡± ¡°Right, dismissed!¡± Henry rose to leave, without once mentioning the promise he¡¯d made two days ago. ¡°Granddad!¡± Dismayed, Tracy chased after him. ¡°Granddad, didn¡¯t you say that whoever managed to secure the contract with the Bronepany would get to take over as Chairman of Samho? Why is Phillip the one to take that seat? I can¡¯t ept this!¡± Chapter 16 Reap what you sow Chapter 16 Reap what you sow Tracy felt her heart grow sour with indignation and resentment. She¡¯d established the Samho Group with her own two hands, until the Perry n took that from her. Now she finally had an opportunity to take thepany back, but her own grandfather was breaking his word just like that. ¡°You can¡¯t ept it?¡± Henry repeated icily and then went on. ¡°If that trash husband of yours hadn¡¯t made enemies of Connor, we would have been able to sign a contract with the Johnson n as well. If we could have achieved that along with our coboration with the Brone Group, the Perry n could have ascended to an elite family this very year. And now, you have the gall to tell me you find your plight uneptable?¡± Like a bay, Henry¡¯s words stabbed deep into Tracy¡¯s heart. ¡®So if Tracy gains the coboration of the Johnson n, you can pass the seat of Chairman to her, then?¡¯ Standing beside Tracy, Baron studied Henry calmly, almost peaceably ¨C but if Charles had been there with them, he would have known that in this state, Baron was at his most terrifying. ¡°Who do you think you are? The likes of you, negotiating with me?¡± Henry looked at Baron with derision and turned his gaze on Tracy. ¡°Even if you secure coboration with a hundred Johnson ns, the position of Chairman will never find its way to you.¡± With that Parthian shot, the old man turned and left. And so the tides turned once again, and the fair-weather friends flocked their way back to Phillip¡¯s side. ¡°Come now, Tracy, did you really think you¡¯d be received as some sort of hero just for bringing back one measly contract?¡± ¡°Exactly. All you¡¯ve done was make up for your own mistake.¡± ¡°Mr. Perry knows best after all ¨C keeping thepany out of the hands of this shameless woman.¡± ¡°Phillip is Mr. Perry¡¯s rightful heir. Where exactly do you think youe in locking horns with him?¡± The people who had been busy kissing up to Tracy but less than a minute ago all switched sides in an instant. Tracy was heartbroken with everything Henry had said, but on top of that, she¡¯d lost the Samho Group all over again. The injustice of it all weighed heavy on her chest. To regain control of thepany, she¡¯d offered up her blood, sweat and tears for five arduous years. And this was her reward. ¡°From now on, Tracy, the Samho Group belongs to me. In the future, I¡¯ll be taking over the Perry n as well.¡± Phillip gloated as he swaggered over, his gaze sweeping contemptuously over Baron beforending once more on Tracy. ¡°Were I you, I¡¯d divorce this garbage. With him here, you¡¯ll always be beneath me.¡± Moving suddenly, Baron began marching off, his footsteps long strides. Phillip sneered at the sight. ¡°What? You¡¯d like to hit me, is that it? Go on, try it. Lay a single finger on me, and you can watch your wife¡¯s exile from the n!¡± The temperature of the corridor fell drastically as Baron turned an expressionless stare on Phillip. ¡°You can¡¯t hide behind closed doors forever. Sooner orter, you reap what you sow.¡± Phillip covered his sudden surge of apprehension with bluster. ¡°What are you thering about now, trash? I swear, talking to garbage like you is an insult to my person.¡± With that, he hurried off. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tracy.¡± Looking at his devastated wife, Baron¡¯s own heart ached. ¡°Why is it you again? Why did youe back? What on earth do I owe you for? You¡¯ve dragged me down to fail again and again and again! Do you even know how much the Samho Group means to me?¡± The resentment in Tracy¡¯s eyes curdled into a hateful grudge as she red at Baron. Then she crumbled and wept out loud. After a long while, Tracy¡¯s emotions settled, and she stared at Baron, aplicated expression on her face. Then she bit her lip and said - ¡°Sorry.¡± Baron never expected Tracy to apologize to him of all people. Taken aback, he shook his head lightly, then asked solemnly, ¡°Would you like to take the Samho Group back?¡± ¡°I built thepany from the ground up. Watched it grow. Samho is my child, Baron; of course I want it back. All those years. All I¡¯ve done for the family. All the family¡¯s done to me. I¡¯d have left long ago if I¡¯d been content leaving things there.¡± Tracy¡¯s eyes were red. In them, there was no longer any hope for the Perry n. ¡°So long as you want it ¨C forget the Perry n. I can give you the whole world on a tter if you¡¯d only ask for it,¡± Baron said, deathly serious. The disappointment in Tracy¡¯s bearing only intensified at those words. Her voice was frigid. ¡°Do you know the sort of person I hate the most?¡± Before Baron could reply, she continued, ¡°Liars. I don¡¯t care if the man I love doesn¡¯t turn out to be a hero with the world in the palm of his hand. I care that he¡¯s responsible. I care that he¡¯s honorable. I care that he¡¯s honest.¡± Leaving him with that statement, she staggered away. Baron watched her receding back until it vanished from his view, then ced a phone call. ¡°Three days. Take the Samho Group in three days without paying a single dime in the process.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Chairman!¡± ¡­... Samho Group, penthouse floor, Chairman¡¯s office. When Mr. Perry did things, he did them expediently. He¡¯d announced Phillip¡¯s ascension to Chairman in Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. the morning. By the afternoon, the official approval notice had already been passed down to all departments. Henry examined Phillip as he stood before him, satisfied. ¡°Phillip, your Granddad¡¯s giving you this seat as a test of your ability before you take up the reins of the Perry n. Don¡¯t waste this opportunity.¡± The mere mention of taking over the n sent shivers of pleasure down Phillip¡¯s spine, but he kept it in check as he put on a humbled front. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Granddad. I won¡¯t let you down!¡± Henry gave a slight nod, then remembered another figure and sighed. ¡°Before you take up that position, I¡¯ll find a way to banish Tracy from the n.¡± Phillip scoffed. ¡°Come now, Granddad, she¡¯s just a used, abused and abandoned woman. What waves could she make?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever underestimate her. She started the Samho Group when she was in college, and you¡¯re doubting her capabilities? Keep this up, and you¡¯ll find her waves deep enough to sink your ship.¡± An expression of disappointment crossed Henry¡¯s face. Sensing his grandfather¡¯s disappointment, Phillip hurried to concede. ¡°Of course, Granddad. You know best. I won¡¯t take her lightly.¡± At that moment, the office telephone rang. Henry shot a meaningful look at Phillip. ¡°You¡¯re officially appointed as Chairman now. The duties of the Phillip raced over to the phone and answered it. After listening for a brief few sentences, his face changed, and beads of sweat began to roll down his forehead. The phone clicked as he hung up, and he copsed into his chair. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± A sinking feeling dragged at the pits of Henry¡¯s stomach. Phillip had grown deathly pale. ¡°That was from the Brone Group¡¯s legal department. They¡¯re backing out of the coboration.¡± ¡°What?¡± The same disbelief now adorned Henry¡¯s face as well. ¡°That¡¯s not all. They¡¯re saying we vited the contract, and we¡¯re to pay a fortune in reparations,¡± Phillip went on. Even Henry could no longer keep up his strong front. As the blood drained from his face, he found himself tottering. Chapter 17 Humiliation and spite Chapter 17 Humiliation and spite Feet catching, Henry stumbled and copsed into the sofa, dazed. ¡°Don¡¯t panic, Granddad. There has to be some misunderstanding here. The contract was printed just this morning. The ink¡¯s not even dry. How exactly are we viting the contract?¡± Phillip said hurriedly. An iota of liveliness returned to Henry¡¯s pupils, and he perked up. ¡°That¡¯s right. We couldn¡¯t have. Did they mention which term of the contract we supposedly broke?¡± Phillip shook his head. ¡°All they¡¯re saying is that we vited the agreement and would have to pay fitting reparation, or else they¡¯re liable to sue.¡± ¡°What?¡± Henry¡¯s budding hopes dashed themselves to pieces. ¡°Call up everyone for a meeting!¡± ¡°Granddad, I...¡± Henry shouted any questions Phillip might have had back down his throat. ¡°I want everyone in the meeting room in ten minutes.¡± Ten minutester, in the penthouse meeting room. ¡°Granddad, everyone¡¯s here except for Tracy,¡± Phillip reported. Henry¡¯s brow twitched. ¡°No need to wait, then. Phillip - exin.¡± Phillip nodded and proceeded to exin everything about the phone call from the beginning. Everyone on the scene wore the same expression of shock as he finished. ¡°Mr. Chairman, how is this possible?¡± ¡°Right? We secured that contract in the morning; the day¡¯s not even over yet and they¡¯re using us of breaking terms?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a plot hatched by Tracy and the Bronepany. They have it in for us!¡± The attendees¡¯ collective surprise had boiled over into self-righteous indignation. ¡°Enough yammering!¡± Henry pped the desk, quieting the mob with a roar. ¡°You weren¡¯t called up here to start a witch hunt, but to think of a way out of this mess ¨C this is the Brone Group we¡¯re dealing with; they can crush us like ants! So think, all of you!¡± His words brought a chill to the room, cooling fiery tempers in an instant. ¡°Chairman, sir, there¡¯s clearly something else going on here. If we take into ount the status of the Brone Group, they shouldn¡¯t being down on us this hard. Have we made enemies of someone?¡± It looked as if someone was actually thinking for a change. Henry considered it for a moment. It certainly was a possibility. Looking up, his icy re once again swept the room. ¡°Keeping it within today, has anyone here given anyone else any grief at all?¡± Everyone shook their heads. The family members on the scene were all of the direct Perry bloodline ¨C in other words, parasites who either spent their days browsing videos in their offices or using their work as an excuse to go out and party. ¡°We haven¡¯t given anyone any cause for grief. So what is it then?¡± Out of ideas, Henry looked to Phillip. ¡°You¡¯re the Chairman. Any thoughts? How do we deal with this?¡± Phillip thought for a moment in silence and spoke. ¡°Granddad, the contract was secured by Tracy. Now that things have gone south, she¡¯s not even showing her face ¨C which means she¡¯s definitely involved. In other words, she¡¯s the key to all this.¡± Henry¡¯s own ideas began to spark. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°I¡¯d been hung up about it since this morning. Why would the general manager of a Bronepany branche all the way personally to deliver a contract? Now that I¡¯m thinking about it, it all makes sense.¡± Knowingly, Phillip continued, ¡°Tracy caught Camel¡¯s eye, you see, but the man¡¯s too embarrassed to admit it. That¡¯s why he came up here saying he was moved by her sincerity and all that rot. So we signed the contract, but he¡¯s still not getting anywhere with Tracy. Out of anger, he has his legal department give us trouble over viting terms, which we did not. It¡¯s an excuse, meant to prod us.¡± If only Camel knew what they were thinking, he would have likely lost his dder. Unlike everyone else, he was privy to Baron¡¯s identity. Even if he had a hundred times the courage he had now, he wasn''t nearly brave enough to covet his superior¡¯s wife! Meanwhile, everyone else in question nodded as if they understood the whole thing. Even Henry graced Phillip with a pleased grin. ¡°For someone like Camel toe to us in person, the reason has to be something he desires for his person as well. At the end of the day, it alles down to riches, power, and lust. We can¡¯t do anything about the first two, but we have in our hands the most beautiful maiden of all Cona ¨C Tracy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying, Granddad. If we produce Tracy, we solve our problem just like that,¡± Phillip grinned right back. ¡°Send word right now and have her meet me in the office,¡± Henrymanded. The Perry courtyard. Ever since she¡¯de home from the office, Tracy had been sequestered in her room for an entire day. With her daughter ignoring her questions, Sherry only managed to glean the facts after asking around. ¡°How many times have I told you to divorce that piece of trash? You never listened, and look where that¡¯s got you! Thepany you built up all on your own, reduced to someone else¡¯s dowry! ¡°Tracy, you¡¯re really going to have to divorce him this time. So long as you¡¯re married to Joker, the Perry n won''t be able to do anything to keep you down anymore.¡± Sherry had repeated those lines for the umpteenth time, but Tracy simply refused to answer. Then, a telephone suddenly began to ring from Tracy¡¯s room. Only now could Tracy¡¯s voice be heard - ¡°All right, I¡¯ve got it!¡± Soon after, Tracy left her room, eyes rimmed with red. ¡°Have you heard a word of what I said?¡± Now that Tracy was finally outside, Sherry hurried to grab her by the elbow. ¡°Mom, if there¡¯s something else, can it wait until I get back? Granddad needs to see me right away.¡± Sherry released her grip the moment she heard that Henry had called for Tracy. She wasn¡¯t about to start trouble with Mr. Perry himself before her daughter could marry into the Warner family. Twenty minutester, Chairman¡¯s office. Henry sat before his desk, a severe expression on his face. He¡¯d just finished rying the news of the Brone Group cancelling their coboration to Tracy. ¡°Granddad. You called me all the way out here just to tell me this?¡± Tracy¡¯s eyes were puffed up with disappointment. ¡°Phillip¡¯s the Chairman. If thepany¡¯s going through something this huge, shouldn¡¯t you be turning to him instead?¡± ¡°Tracy, I know you have yourints about my decision this morning, but you have to understand. Your household scandal brought the n a lot of trouble.¡± Nestlingfortably into the moral high ground, Henry continued, ¡°You refuse to marry into the Warner n. Your garbage husband beat up a Johnson family man. Do you really think the others are just going to sit idly by if I just hand you the Chairman¡¯s seat?¡± Her disappointment in her grandfather growing, Tracy rebuffed, ¡°I was just another victim five years ago, Granddad. Even if I brought thepany trouble, thepany was mine, and said trouble mine to deal with. ¡°Now that I have a husband, why should I marry someone else? Yes, my husband gave that Connor a beating, but if he hadn¡¯t done anything, it would have been my sister and my daughter taking a beating instead. Am I the only one who has to sacrifice everything for the n to gain a smidgen of approval?¡± Henry¡¯s expression grew ugly. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand the facts. But to him, Tracy would forever remain just that ¨C a sacrifice for the n. ¡°No matter how you put it, you established the Samho Group yourself. Are you really going to just stand there and watch its destruction?¡± Henry growled with barely suppressed fury. Tracy took a deep breath, then stepped forth with her face set. ¡°Promise me one thing, Granddad, and I¡¯ll go to Camel myself.¡± ¡°Name it,¡± Henry frowned. ¡°If I manage to get Camel to coborate with the Perry n, I want control of Samho returned to me,¡± Tracy said, utterly serious. Upon hearing her demand, Phillip backed out immediately, raging, ¡°Don¡¯t overstep your boundaries, Tracy!¡± ¡°I created Samho myself. How is taking back what I own overstepping my boundaries?¡± Tracy shot back, irritated. A tongue-tied Phillip found himself scrambling for Henry¡¯s support. ¡°Look, Granddad, the woman¡¯s just pressing a desperate situation at this point. She¡¯s got no regard for you at all. You give her an inch here, she¡¯lle back to take a mile.¡± ¡°I want the Samho Group,¡± Tracy said coldly. Henry remained silent, and Phillip was left to panic. He¡¯d just ascended, and hadn¡¯t even warmed the Chairman¡¯s seat yet. How was he supposed to give it up so soon? Chancing upon an idea, Phillip put on a show of revtion, then dropped his usation like a grenade. ¡°You were nning to take the Chairman¡¯s seat from the beginning, weren¡¯t you? Are you nning to take that position, then usurp Granddad as head of the n with the same strategy?¡± Henry¡¯s expression began to darken. ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Tracy rebuked, knowing full well Phillip was provoking her on purpose. Phillip¡¯s face contorted as he mocked, ¡°And that Granddad, is her guilty conscience showing itself. I suspect she¡¯s in bed with Camel, and that they nned this out to take the Chairman¡¯s seat. After all, a with them, but a lone woman warrants a personal visit from the general manager?¡± ¡°Enough of your nonsense!¡± Tracy cried, flushing angrily. ¡°You know full well this isn¡¯t nonsense.¡± Phillip sneered, ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for the contract signed this morning, why would we be used of viting terms? They didn¡¯t even wait a day, and you still say you didn¡¯t n this out?¡± ¡°How was I supposed to know?¡± Tracy was on the verge of tears. ¡°Shut up, both of you!¡± Henry finally exploded. Turning his unleashed fury on Tracy, he thundered, ¡°Three days. If coboration N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. with the Brone Group isn¡¯t restored in three days, I''m invoking my formal authority as head of the n and exiling your entire family!¡± Chapter 18 Banished from the clan Chapter 18 Banished from the n With that looming threat, Henry made to leave. ¡°Hear that, Tracy? Just three days to settle things with Mr. Camel, before your whole family gets expelled! Now that I think of it, I don¡¯t even remember seeing the head of the n invoke his authority like that,¡± Phillipughed, smug as ever. For the head of the n to directly invoke his authority, it was the highestmand possible in the ranks of the Perry family. The head of the n had to pen it in person, and could only do so once a year. Now, Henry was bringing such a level of authority to bear against Tracy. Tracy had frozen on the spot. She¡¯d never thought her own grandfather was capable of something like this. Not against her of all people. This was the first time she¡¯d felt such despair towards her own n. This was the first time she found herself thinking of breaking away from the n entirely. For three straight days, Tracy loitered by the Brone Group, failing even to ce one foot through the threshold. Bronepany building, penthouse, Chairman¡¯s office. In front of a giant ne-ss window, a youthful silhouette stood with hands sped behind his back, studying the small, fragile figure far below him with eyes full of pity. ¡°Chairman, sir, it¡¯s been three days. Aren¡¯t you going to let her in?¡± Camel asked, ever so cautiously. Baron shook his head. ¡°This is the only way she¡¯ll realize the truth. You have to be vicious with the Perry n, or they¡¯ll just end up stepping over you like this.¡± Tracy waited in front of the building for three days. Baron watched her from inside for three days. He¡¯d only been back for a few short days, and already he had borne witness to more injury and injustice than he could count, all levied against Tracy. It was difficult to imagine just how much she had suffered in five whole years. Tracy was outside, while his own pain was etched deep within. Beneath the Bronepany building, Yuri looked on at her sister, pained. ¡°Sis, the Perry n is just pushing whatever grief they have with the Brone Group onto your shoulders. A n like this isn¡¯t worth the trouble!¡± Eyes red, Tracy maintained, ¡°I created Samho with my own two hands. I am not giving it up.¡± ¡°Even if you restore coboration between the Perry n and the Brone Group, the n¡¯s still not going to hand the Samho Group back to you!¡± Yuri cried, frustrated. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t stand by and watch mypany implode like this!¡± Tracy wept. Yuri¡¯s temper wilted upon seeing Tracy¡¯s tears, and she reached out to hug her even as her own tears began to fall. ¡°Sis, there no need to go so far!¡± Watching the despairing sisters from his perch on the penthouse, Baron did not relent. ¡°I¡¯m going in to talk to Camel!¡± Yuri rubbed her eyes and rushed into thepany. For three days while Tracy waited outside, Yuri had searched for Camel from the inside on her end. But she was a new hire. New hires simply didn¡¯t meet with general managers on their first fortnight. ¡°Yuri, get a hold of yourself! If you barge in looking for Mr. Camel like this, you could lose your job.¡± Seeing how vtile Yuri was, Bonnie began to panic. ¡°Even if I end up fired, I need to see Mr. Camel. Refusing the offer is one thing, but at least have the decency to meet my sister! She¡¯s been standing in the doorway for three straight days, without even a glimpse of Camel¡¯s shadow!¡± Yuri said, incensed. ¡°Quiet down!¡± Bonnie hissed, pping a hand over Yuri¡¯s mouth. ¡°Out of my way!¡± Yuri shoved her off and made her way straight towards the general manager¡¯s office. With a loud bang, she pushed her way in. ¡°Yuri!¡± By the time Bonnie caught up, it was toote. ¡°Mr. Camel, I know you¡¯re an important person. Too important for the likes of us. But even so, you don¡¯t get to step on us like this! My sister¡¯s been waiting for you outside for three solid days! All you have to do is say yes or no, so why are you torturing her with silence?¡± Yuri sted, seeing red. ¡°Escort her out.¡± Camel spoke. ¡°Tell her that the Perry n has offended a very important figure, and now they¡¯re paying the price.¡± Bonnie had been sweating bullets over Yuri¡¯s actions. Then Camel held his temper and even exined the reasoning behind the cancetion, and her anxiety turned to astonishment. Yuri, in the meantime, had caught the crux of what Camel was saying. Shocked, she asked, ¡°A very important figure? It¡¯s not because they offended you, then?¡± Camel shook his head bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m nothingpared to that figure.¡± Yuri waspletely stunned. In her eyes, Camel was already a massively important person. Even the elite families of Cona treated him with the respect due his station ¨C but now, it seemed, there was someone above even him. ¡°Sis, Mr. Camel wants me to tell you something.¡± Back downstairs, Yuri looked at her sister with aplicated expression. ¡°What did he say?¡± Tracy said, emotions running wild. ¡°Mr. Camel says that the Perry n has offended some massively important character, before whom even Mr. Camel himself is nothing. It¡¯s that person¡¯s bidding keeping you from meeting him,¡± Yuri exined. Hearing that, Tracy toppled over, but Yuri caught her before she could fall. ¡°You tried, Sis. It¡¯s not your fault. So please, enough of this,¡± Yuri said, her heart aching for her sister¡¯s sorry state. Tracy was left in despair. ¡°Is this the end of Samho?¡± Samho Group, Chairman¡¯s office. Phillip sat in front of his office desk, still as smug as ever. ¡°Have you heard about Tracy? Bitch waited three whole days outside the Bronepany building without so much as a peep in return. She¡¯s done for this time! We¡¯re just waiting for Granddad¡¯smand to exile her from the family!¡± The few direct bloodline n members in the office were allckeys. Each and every one of them failed to realize that, upon the breakdown of Tracy¡¯s negotiations, the Perry n itself would be plunged into great danger. As the saying goes, ¡°All intellectual tendencies are corrupted when they consort with power.¡± Phillip took a look at his watch and rose. ¡°It¡¯s almost time. Put a call through to security. Let¡¯s head to Tracy¡¯s ce and watch the show!¡± And just like that, a mass of Perry direct n members followed Phillip along with eight security guards, heading straight for Tracy¡¯s household. A great bang came from the doorway as Sherry toiled in the kitchen. ¡°Terry, what was that noise?¡± She ran out of the kitchen. Terry himself was still seated calmly on the sofa, poring over a newspaper. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look!¡± Terry put down reading and left the house. The moment he stepped outside, he found that the gates to the garden had already been taken apart, and that eight guards in Samho security uniforms were breaking inside. And behind those security guards were quite a few members of the direct Perry bloodline, foremost of whom was Phillip, spectating the whole affair. ¡°Phillip! What are you doing?¡± Terry demanded, outraged. Phillip walked forward amicably, looked down upon a seething Terry and gloated, ¡°Granddad gave your Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. daughter three days to restore rtions with the Brone Group before he banished the lot of you from the n. Now that the three days are over, why don¡¯t you hazard a guess what I¡¯m doing here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Terry¡¯s rage reached a boiling point as he spread himself in front of the doorway. ¡°You¡¯re just a bastard son forcefully upying the Perry ancestral mansion, so stop putting on airs!¡± Phillip snorted, gesturing. ¡°Toss them all out!¡± Sherry could only watch through the window as a pair of security guards dragged Terry out into the dirt. Frightened, she picked up her phone and dialed a number. The Perry sisters, still crying and clutching at each other beneath of the Bronepany building, found themselves suddenly interrupted by the ringtone. Tracy picked up and immediately heard chaos going on in the background. Then the voice of Sherry shouted, ¡°Tracy, hurry back with Yuri; Phillip¡¯s brought a mob with him to evict us!¡± Chapter 19 An oath in the rain Chapter 19 An oath in the rain From his view on the penthouse, Baron saw Tracy take a phone call and rush off with Yuri. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He frowned. He had the distinct feeling that something was amiss. ¡°The sisters both look panicked, and they¡¯re in such a hurry. Something¡¯s definitely up.¡± With that, he turned and left the office. Yuri kept her foot t against the throttle all the way back. All that could be seen of her Maserati was a white bolt zigzagging across the road. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t rush hour yet, and traffic was light. It would originally have been a half-hour drive, but it took Yuri only twenty minutes to reach their home. Even from a distance, the sisters could see the crowd swarming around their doorway, and their parents surrounded by security guards. ¡°You rat bastards, this is our home! You don¡¯t get to throw us out!¡± Sherry howled, furious, arms windmilling about her body. ¡°What is it that you want, Phillip?¡± Tracy sprinted off the car and screamed at him, shaking with rage. Phillip stared at the two women as they stepped out of the Maserati. The rest of the Perry n hadn¡¯t yet caught wind of the Lewis n¡¯s visit and generous gifts. Phillip simply sneered, ¡°Tracy, I knew you were a parasite, driving about with a million-dor Maserati. No wonder Granddad¡¯s invoking his authority to cast your worms out. It''s about time.¡± ¡°Oh, shut up! This is a betrothal gift for Yuri from the Lewis family, and it¡¯s got nothing to do with me,¡¯ Tracy raged. A tremor ran through Phillip¡¯s heart. Only the Lewis n, foremost elite among the Cona families, could have afforded to give away a million-dor luxury car. If that was true, then Yuri herself was ted to enter into that elite family, jumping several rungs at once. But at the end of the day, in response to the threat Tracy posed to his own person, the only thing he could do was double down. ¡°Whether the car has anything to do with you doesn¡¯t really matter anymore. Your three days are up, and this is our old n mansion. Now that you¡¯ve been exiled, we are of course returning this property to its rightful owner,¡± Phillip snickered. Of all the direct descendants of the Perry bloodline dotting the area, not a single one of them stood up for Tracy. Instead, they stood by, jeered, and watched. Such were the fragile bonds between humans. As her heart bled itself dry, Tracy pushed on, ¡°If we were to be banished, the head of the n would still have to formally give his word. Word hasn¡¯t even arrived yet ¨C do you want us out that badly?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had it with you, bastard!¡± Upon seeing her sisterid so low, Yuri finally exploded and flew at Phillip. Phillip only sneered, ¡°Know your ce.¡± Yuri found her way blocked by a pair of security guards. What hope did a lone woman have of getting past two fully grown men? ¡°Take your hands off my sister!¡± Tracy charged, but only ended up the same way as Yuri. Phillip stooped to their side and grinned a gloating grin. ¡°See, Tracy, now that the Samho Group is mine ¨C even if I destroyed it, it will never find its way back to your hands...¡± Just as he trailed off intoughter, Tracy pushed a guard from her with a sudden effort, closed the distance, grabbed Phillip by the elbow, and bit down. ¡°Ack...¡± Phillip¡¯s gleefulugh turned into screeches of pain. The more he struggled, the more her teeth ripped at his flesh. ¡°Let go of me, you bitch!¡± Flying into a blind rage, Phillip sent a closed fist hammering down towards Tracy¡¯s skull. ¡°Sis!¡± Yuri cried, unable to get close with a pair of guards in the way. It was a testament to just how angry Tracy was to resort to biting. Just before Phillip¡¯s blow couldnd, a flickering shadow appeared. With a sudden p, Phillip found his wrist caught in a vise-grip, with his fist mere centimeters away from Tracy¡¯s cranium. As theyid eyes on the neer, shock registered on the faces of everyone present. ¡°Baron!¡± Yuri looked tearfully up at the man¡¯s silhouette. Having expended enough of her wrath, Tracy raised her head to see a familiar face, looking down at her regretfully, one hand still grasping Phillip by the wrist. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, trash. Let go of me this instant unless you...¡± Crack. Before Phillip could finish, a clean, crisp snap rang out from the joint, followed closely by agony. ¡°Ahh!¡± His shriek filled the entire garden. Before he could scream again, another immense force crashed into his torso, sending him flying eight meters away and crumpling heavily into the concrete ground. Phillip¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted. Baron marched up next to his prone form and pinched him by the nerve cluster on his upper lip, snarling, ¡°You don¡¯t get off that easily.¡± The unconscious Phillip sucked in a deep breath and opened his eyes. ¡°Ahhh!¡± And the shrieking continued. Everyone looked at Baron with bewilderment written across their faces. What kind of human being was capable of sending an adult flying eight meters with a single kick? That wasn¡¯t the point. The point was ¨C this man knocked his opponent out, then resuscitated him just to endure the pain of a broken wrist. What they didn¡¯t know, however, was that if Baron hadn¡¯t been holding back, Phillip would already be dead. Now that she got to see Baron punt someone into the air again ¨C and for it to be Phillip, of all people ¨C it was the first time she¡¯d looked at him in such a favorable light. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, get out of here!¡± Baron thundered. No one dared linger. One by one, the mob scattered. Looking at Tracy¡¯s helpless state, Baron felt a twinge of heartache. ¡°You bastard, beating up Phillip himself! Now Mr. Perry¡¯s never going to let us off the hook! It¡¯s all your fault we were banished from the n! Bastard!¡± Sherry raised her hand, but before she could strike, Yuri stormed up to her and barked, ¡°Enough! ¡°What is this? You¡¯re not even concerned with everything they put Sis through, but whatever Mr. Perry wants with you?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Yuri¡¯s emotions burst out of her as she confronted Sherry, sobbing even as she shouted, ¡°The Perry n¡¯s already stepping on us from on high, but you¡¯re still going to send Sis into the frying pan? Don¡¯t you feel even a bit of pity for her?¡± At the moment, Tracy, who had been until then remained silent, lifted her head and spoke. ¡°What you said before. Did you mean it?¡± In response, Baron stood up straight and swore solemnly, ¡°If you so wish ¨C I¡¯ll give you the whole world.¡± Tracy¡¯s stoic mask twitched and crumbled away, bringing with it a flood of tears. ¡°I¡¯m tired. I just want someone to be with me... a man to shoulder this burden for me.¡± Baron¡¯s own heart wrenched as he heard her words. He leant over the tearful woman and simply said, ¡°Yes!¡± With that one word, he turned to leave. A jagged bolt of lightning split the sky, and a torrential downpour washed over thend. Watching his silhouette disappear into the rain, Tracy could have held back the tide before she stopped her tears. The sobs tore themselves out of her heart and lungs, as unrelenting as theing storm. Chapter 20 Karma Chapter 20 Karma Yuri, long past the point of hiding her own tears, held Tracy close. ¡°That Baron is trash, and yet you swallowed up his lies just like that! He¡¯ll give you the whole world? What horseshit!¡± Sherry, on the other hand, showed no sign of softness. Her merciless tongueshing continued. ¡°We¡¯re being exiled from the n, which means we¡¯re even losing our home now. That man knows that he won¡¯t be able to scrounge up anything else by staying in this household, so just like five years ago, he¡¯s leaving you right when things get the most difficult. This time, he¡¯s nevering back.¡± The thorny words embedded themselves deep into Tracy¡¯s chest, where they burrowed deeper, took root. ¡°If we really end up banished, we¡¯ll be left with nothing. Tracy, please, listen to your Mom. Go and beg your Granddad for a chance, just one chance to keep us in the family. Promise him anything he wants. Go now, go!¡± Sherry urged even as she sobbed. Thoroughly heartbroken, nk despair etched across her face, Tracy looked at Sherry and agreed, ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go. I¡¯ll go and beg him to let you off, even if it costs me my life.¡± With that, she ran headlong into the pouring rain. ¡°Sis!¡± Yuri yelled, chasing after her. Before she could step out, Sherry pulled her back by the arm. ¡°This mess was hers to begin with. We¡¯ll only get off the hook if we send her to Henry.¡± ¡°Get the fuck off me!¡± Yuri wrested free of Sherry¡¯s grip. She had never once spoken to her mother like this before. But by the time she sprinted out, Tracy had gone. The Perry family garden. In front of the gates of Henry¡¯s domicile, a slender, feminine figure knelt in ce. The rain had long since drenched her. The frigid wind howled. But everything her body was enduring wasn¡¯t within a millionth of the pain wracking her heart. ¡°Granddad, I¡¯m begging you. Give me a chance. So long as you keep us in the n, I¡¯ll do anything you say.¡± As Tracy sobbed, the raindrops running down her face mingled with her tears. She had knelt in the wind and rain for such a long time that her frail body was swaying on the spot. If it was not for her intense willpower, she would have copsed long ago. Despite living but one door away from her, there was no pity to be found in Henry''s face. He refused even to acknowledge her presence. Next to Henry¡¯s mansion was Phillip¡¯s house. Surrounded by direct n members, they looked upon the scene with eyes devoid of sympathy. ¡°What a stubborn woman. She¡¯s been kneeling here all this time begging for Mr. Perry¡¯s forgiveness.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not stubbornness, that¡¯s desperation. Without the Perry n, she¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Looks like Mr. Perry¡¯s doing it for real this time ¨C banishing her household from the n.¡± ¡­... At that moment, the door to Henry¡¯s room opened, and out walked a butler clutching a document. Tracy stared up at the butler¡¯s figure as he began to read from the document - ¡°This is the seventh formalmand of the head of the Perry n. After discussion with all Perrypany branches and departments, the result is unanimous - The Tracy household is banished, all its members are to be struck from the family tree, and the Perry mansion is to be returned to the n! The head of the n has spoken!¡± sh! Several lightning bolts drew jagged gashes across the sky, slitting open its belly and bringing with it a fresh peal of rain. Herst wisp of hope extinguished, Tracy¡¯s body shuddered and finally sank to the ground, numb. A flickering shadow once again appeared by her side. ¡°Formalmand? ¡°Granddad really invoked his full authority just to exile my household from the n? ¡°What on earth did I do? What did I do to have you all treat me like this? Why?¡± After a brief lull, Tracy¡¯s sobs took on a hysterical note. Baron, who had appeared next to her, exuded sheer killing intent from his every pore. This was the first time since leaving the P Inds that he¡¯d felt such powerful bloodlust. ¡°Mr. Owen, I¡¯m going to purge this family!¡± Charles materialized behind Baron as well. Enraged, he took a single step towards the home of Mr. Perry. ¡°Hold it!¡± Baron thundered, rainwater dripping from his forelocks to his forehead, past the bloodthirsty dots of his pupils, no longer distinguishable from tears. ¡°I want to watch the ones forsaking her today beg for her return tomorrow.¡± Baron¡¯s voice grew colder than a cier. Tracy was sprawled out, her limbs unresponsive, weak from her torment. Gently, Baron hoisted her up and disappeared into the squall. Just as he left, a ck Audi A6 rolled to a halt in the Perry courtyard. Two middle-aged men with Brone ¡°Mr. Perry, bad news ¨C it¡¯s the Brone Group. Onewyer, along with a Minister of Law and Justice,¡± someone hastily reported to Henry. Panicking, Henry gathered himself and rose. ¡°Show them in!¡± Those words had barely faded from the air when the pair entered. ¡°Hello!¡± Henry made his way forward, actively reaching out to shake their hands. The gesture was not returned. The Minister gestured with his eyes, and his apanyingwyer produced a letter, handing it off to Henry. ¡°This is an attorney¡¯s letter from the Bronepany. Mr. Perry, I suggest you pay your reparations as stated in the contract as soon as possible. Otherwise ¨C we¡¯ll see you in court,¡± the Minister eximed coldly. As the rest of the Perry n arrived, all who overheard the conversation wore a face of worry. ¡°Minister William Carter, we hadn¡¯t even begun our coboration yet when we signed that contract, so how could we have vited its terms?¡± Phillip asked boldly. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry snapped. Even if the Perry n hadn¡¯t vited the contract, if the Brone Group said they did, so it was. William wasn¡¯t about to let Phillip off that easily, however, and sneered, ¡°So you think the Brone Group has it in for you, then?¡± Resentful, Phillip said through gritted teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± Henry pped him backhand across the mouth as he bellowed, ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Right after his outburst, Henry hastily turned back to William. ¡°My grandson is an ignorant fool. No need to descend to his level, Minister.¡± ¡°Oh, never mind. I might as well rify things here and save you some time spreading meaningless rumors.¡± William released a frosty chuckle, took a copy of the contract from thewyer, flipped to a specific page and passed it to Henry. ¡°Mr. Perry, would you please read thest item of thest additional use of this page? Just so you and your n are perfectly crystal clear on exactly which term of the contract you¡¯ve broken.¡± Despite Henry¡¯s eptance that they would have to shoulder responsibility one way or another, he himself harbored no small amount of lingering discontent. Hurriedly, he took the contract in his hands, found the item in question, and read it aloud - ¡°It is agreed that, within the period of coboration, Party B must designate Tracy Perry as the sole representative of said coboration.¡± Upon hearing the terms, everyone in the Perry n froze, dumbfounded. As for Henry himself, he slumped down into his sofa, strength draining from his body. ¡°Oh, right, Mr. Camel also asked me to tell you this, Mr. Perry ¨C you reap what you sow,¡± William said coldly. Chapter 21 Will tragedy happen? Chapter 21 Will tragedy happen? Not until this moment did Henry finally understand why Camel brought the contract and immediately sued them for breach of the contract. No one ever thought there would be a use that Tracy was assigned as the person in charge. ¡°Mr. Carter, please let me talk to Camel. I got it wrong, but if he can let us off, we will do anything he wants. He likes Tracy, doesn¡¯t he? I promise Tracy will marry him.¡± After pausing for a second, Henry suddenly strode towards and pulled William¡¯s arm, agitated. ¡°Shut up!¡± William was freaked out for he didn¡¯t believe Henry would say something like that, and scolded indignantly, ¡°If you want to screw up, just go ahead, but don¡¯t fucking get me into trouble. Even if Camel is here, he will do the same as I did.¡± William knew clearly Camel was so mean to Perry n because of Baron. After William finished his words, Henry, eyes popping out, said bitterly, ¡°Do you mean Owen n also fancied Tracy?¡± ¡°Blimey, I have talked enough rubbish. Now let¡¯s get down to business.¡± William dared not to disclose more details, clearing his throat, and spoke seriously, ¡°Brone Group suffered a great loss due to your breach of the contract. You, of course, should bear a huge it.¡± ¡°Go ahead, please.¡± Once hearing thepensation, everyone of Perry n was startled. ¡°Onepany had interest in acquisition of Samho Group, and asked Camel for help. As everyone knows, Perry n would already go bankrupt if Brone Group hammered the market of Samho Group. But now, if you agree to sell Samho Group, we will stop suing Perry n,¡± William said calmly. ¡°Are you serious that selling Samho Group can offset thepensation?¡± Henry said quickly, with his eyes beaming. As the contract stipted, Perry n had topensate one billion dors to Brone Group. Perry n couldn¡¯t afford it even if they sold everything they had. And Samho Group¡¯s market value was not higher than one hundred million. ¡°Of course, I wasn¡¯t telling lies.¡± William said, scorning, ¡°If it was not for the sake of the person behind Camel, how could it be possible that Perry n would just have to sell Samho Group for thepensation?¡± ¡°Agree! We are happy to follow your proposal,¡± Henry spoke, in a loud and delighting voice. Henry thought they had topensate the breach as stipted in the contract, but now they could save Perry n from bankrupt in spite of losing Samho Group. And moreover, Samho Group was taken from Tracy. So, Perry n wouldn¡¯t be hurtful even if they lost it. Henry feared Brone Group pulled back the proposal, so he instantly called theirwyer to settle down the acquisition. On the other side, Baron had already sent Tracy home. Tracy fell asleep in Baron¡¯s arm before long. ¡°What happened to Tracy?¡± Yuri asked Baron in a panic. Baron was just taking Tracy away before Yuri arrived at Perry n¡¯s house. ¡°She was just fatigued, and fell asleep,¡± Baron said. Getting Tracy on the bed, looking into Yuri¡¯s eyes, Baron said, ¡°Take care of her.¡± And then, Baron turned and left. At this moment, Yuri had an illusion that Baron seemed not what he used to be. Seeing off Baron, the moment he disappeared, Yuri blurted out, ¡°Brother-inw.¡± Hearing the voice behind, Baron quivered and paused, and another voice sounded, ¡°Promise me. Don¡¯t get Tracy hurt again. I trust you can protect her.¡± ¡°I promise.¡± Baron said in a firm intonation, and continued to move on. Looking Baron gradually disappearing in the rain, Yuri felt distressed. She didn¡¯t know where Baron was going, but she felt that next time when she met Baron, Baron would be a totally different person. At the penthouse, Brone Group. ¡°Mr. Chairman, I just heard that the acquisition of Samho Group waspleted,¡± Camel said softly. Baron wasn¡¯t surprised and asked, ¡°Where can I buy the best diamond ring in Cona.¡± ¡°At eight o ''clock tonight, there will be an auction of rare jewelries collections at 9Out Club. The best and thest auction is a diamond ring, called The Pink Star. Most women from rich and noble families will go for it tonight,¡± Camel said promptly. ¡°Well, youe with me tonight,¡± Baron said. Camel nodded, eyes gleaming with joy. He thought he was trusted as Baron would take him to the auction. At nearly eight o¡¯clock, a ck Maybach slowly stopped at the door of 9Out Club, the top-level entertainment club in Cona. The parking lot was full of luxury cars. Some of them were worth over millions dors, and some were worth over ten million dors. Few Benz and BMW worth less than a million dors were seen there. ¡°Mr. Owen, good evening. Wee to 9Out Club.¡± A middle-age man trotted over immediately and said respectfully as Baron got off the car. ¡°Who are you?¡± Baron said, frowning. The middle-aged man said, with embarrassment, ¡°Mr. Owen, I am Edward of Lewis n. We met before at the airport with Steward.¡± He was the richest man in Cona. Baron couldn¡¯t remember him, for he didn¡¯t even take a look at him the first day he came back.¡± Camel spoke timely to ease the embarrassment, ¡°Chairman, the 9Out Club is Lewis n¡¯s property. Edward can help us with the auction tonight.¡± Edward said, with an appreciative look at Camel, ¡°Mr. Owen, I will lead you in through the nk door. It is a secret path.¡± Edward directly ushered Baron into a VIP room, with a throughout view on the auction hall, and a huge screen showing high resolution pictures of all auction items. ¡°Mr. Owen, please have a look. If you are interested in any item of them, just let me know.¡± Edward said tteringly. Baron sneered, ¡°Do you think I am short of money?¡± ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± Edward was frightened, wiping sweat on his forehead. Camel stood by restlessly. Baron was so mighty that Camel felt really stressed to be with him. ¡°There is nothing you can help now. Leave us alone.¡± Baron asked Edward to leave. Baron surely didn¡¯t show any courtesy to Edward not because he was offended by Edward but because Edward had a rtionship with Owen n. With this secret VIP room, Baron¡¯s auction went very smoothly. If there was anyone bid on the item he was interested in, he would bide it at a double price, making no one dare to follow any item Baron bid for. What happened in the auction that night had spread the whole Cona very soon, which arose many people to guess who he was to buy so many rare jewelries collections within just one night. ¡°I want to hold a banquet in three days. Everything will be prepared with the highest standard. We¡¯ll be inviting all noble families in Cona, with invitation letters decorated with pure golden silk. But you are not allowed to invite in the name of Brone Group, and my name neither.¡± Baron delivered the order to Camel, highlighting one thing, shooting a sharp nce at Camel, ¡°Don¡¯t forget to invite Perry n.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Chairman,¡± Camel nodded quickly. In the meeting room of Perry n. Sitting in the master seat, looking around, Henry spoke sternly, ¡°After the breach issue, nopany was willing to cooperate with us. Perry n is falling down. If we want to recover, we have to find a way out. What solutions do you guys have to bring our family back to glory again?¡± ¡°Granddad, you know what was going on at 9Out Club¡¯s auctionst night, don¡¯t you?¡± Phillip suddenly said, in a pleasant voice. Henry nodded, ¡°A man spent billions of dors within just one night to buy most of auction collections, and paid twice the prices of others. It has been widely spreading. I had heard it, of course.¡± ¡°Granddad, a generous man like him must be very powerful and rich. I heard that even Edward showed great respects to him. If our family can get backed by him, we will definitely go through the crisis.¡± Phillip said, with a confident look. With a sharp look, Henry said at once, ¡°Yeah. Just do as you said. Figure out a way to know his name and make a contact with him by all means.¡± ¡°Granddad, please rest assured. I have been under investigation, and have a clue already. As the security at the Club told me, a young man went there, in a low key, and Edward epted him in person. When I find out his name, I will go contact him immediately.¡± ¡°Ok. Once you establish a rtionship with him, our family will be getting better very soon.¡± Henry said with satisfaction. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. At this moment, an invitation letter decorated with golden silk was handed over to Perry n. ¡°Granddad, the golden silk on the letter is made of pure gold!¡± Phillip said surprisingly after checking it. ¡°What? A pure golden silks?¡± Every other member in the family popped their eyes out. Henry hurried over, took a closer look at the golden silk, andughed out loud instantly, ¡°The one who used pure gold to decorate the invitation letter must be rich and powerful. He even invites us. I guess it should be Brone Group. God bless us now!¡± ¡°Only the pure golden silk decorated on the letter is worth over thousands of dors. If Lewis n invites us, they wouldn¡¯t be so generous. In my opinion, the one who sent this invitation letter to us must be the mystery man at the auctionst night. Granddad, our n is gonna be prosperous again!¡± Phillip spoke in excitement. ¡°Perry n is gonna revive!¡± Everyone of Perry n was beaming with pleasure. The situation of Perry n had be worse and worse since Brone Group canceled their partnership, and everyone in the family was in fear. Now, they saw the hope of rejuvenation. At the same time, most of the noble families had received the invitation letter, and all of them were of power and wealth. But to their surprises, the falling family, Perry n, also received the invitation. Those who canceled their cooperation unterally once knew Perry n was also on the list of banquet guests. They instantly sent cooperation contract to Perry n. This made Henry delighted. Three days passed swiftly. Masters of most noble families in Cona, with their kinship families, was heading to the Starry Garden hotel, the top luxury hotel in Cona. ¡°Granddad, I believe, after today, no one in Cona would dare to look down upon our family,¡± Phillip said excitedly. Henryughed out loud. Apparently, he was cheerful. He stepped forward, fixed the cor of Phillip, and said happily, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The lineup of Perry n, under leadership of Henry, also arrived at the Starry Garden hotel. Chapter 22 A big banquet Chapter 22 A big banquet Perry courtyard. A ck Rolls-Royce stopped slowly at the front door. ¡°Excuse me, who are youing for?¡± Sherry asked politely as she saw a young man in a nice suit when she opened the door. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. The young man smiled and said, ¡°Madam, I am sent by Mr. Edward to pick up Ms. Yuri to join the banquet at the Starry Garden hotel.¡± ¡°Starry Garden hotel? Mr. Edward? The richest man in Cona?¡± Sherry looked astonished, but delighted when the young man nodded. Recently, the banquet event had spread all over Cona. Those who got invited were all distinguished families. Sherry had never anticipated that Lewis n would send a car to pick her daughter up to the banquet. Sherry warmly ushered the young man into the house, handed him over to Terry, and hurried over to Yuri¡¯s bedroom. ¡°Lewis n had sent a car to pick us up to join in the banquet held at the Starry Garden hotel, which might be held to celebrate your engagement with Edwin,¡± Sherry said in a frenzy of excitement. Curling up and watching television in the bed, Yuri was also shocked as she listened, ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°A young man is waiting downstairs, what are you hesitating for?¡± Sherry shrieked. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Yuri screamed, jumped off the bed, and started putting make-up and dressing immediately. ¡°Mom, when dad wille back? I miss him.¡± In the other bedroom, Lara was ying the pendent around the neck and asked pitifully. Yuri hadn¡¯t seen her father ever since Baron sent her back home three days ago. She was upset these days but didn¡¯t know the reason until Lara mentioned their father. Yuri feared her father would leave without saying goodbye, and didn¡¯te back for a long time as he did five years ago. ¡°Dad is busy working now. He wille home soon.¡± Tracy hugged Lara tightly. In her mind, a man came upon, leaving from Perry n with her in his arms in the rain. Perhaps, she would never forget how warm it was. ¡°Tracy, a car sent from Lewis n to pick us up to join the engagement banquet of Yuri and Edwin. Hurry up to get yourself dressed. We can¡¯t bete.¡± Sherry rushed in as they were afraid of missing the man. After an hour, they all got ready. The eyes of the young man bulged as he saw these beauties. But he quickly darted away, for they are distinguished guests of Lewis n. He dared not stare at them for long. Today, the Starry Garden hotel was so bustling, for almost all noble people in Cona were there. Luxury cars flooded into the parking lot. Henry got off from an Audi. There was a Rolls-Royce on the left side, and a Bentley on the right side. ¡°Hurry up.¡± Henry urged, for he didn¡¯t want anyone knew he wasing in an Audi. ¡°Granddad, Edward¡¯s car was here!¡± They saw a A88888 Rolls-Royce stop at the door of the hotel as they walked out the parking lot. Henry said at once, ¡°Phillip,e with me. Let¡¯s go and greet Mr. Lewis.¡± They bent slightly over to wait for Edward to get off when they got to the Rolls-Royce. But the next moment, the hollow smile on their faces vanished. It was not Edward getting off but Tracy, Yuri, Lara and Sherry. Sherry was angrily for they were forced to leave Perry n, but now she was so d to see their posture. ¡°Henry, thank you for your order to force us away from Perry n; otherwise in the future, we might have some useless rtives. As you know, what any girl married into a powerful and wealthy family fears the most was the harassment from her poor rtives,¡± Sherry said on purpose, in an ironic voice. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry said with a nk face. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t you know yet?¡± Sherry said, with happiness in her eyes, ¡°Half a month ago, Lewis n came to our house with precious betrothal gifts, including a vi in Star and Moon Properties. We are about to move in soon. For the legacy house of Perry n, it was broken and shabby. How can my daughter live in there as the daughter-inw of the richest family?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Henry coughed. ¡°Granddad!¡± Sherry¡¯s words were so mean that Henry almost fainted, and his family quickly got close to him to steady him. Sherry finally seized a chance to vent her anger. After that, she never felt so rxed. With the guidance of usher, Sherry and her family sat on the front table. This astonished everyone at the banquet. They all discussed which the family was. People who sat on the front seats must be powerful or wealthy. ¡°Excuse me, which seats are we supposed to sit in?¡± Without any ushering, Phillip grabbed an usher over and asked at once. The beauty usher took the invitation letter, took a nce at it, and said with a nk face, ¡°This is your table number, can¡¯t look for it yourself?¡± Starry Garden Hotel was one of Lewis n¡¯s properties, and even if that was an usher, they dared not to mess around with. Perry Family easily found their seats, for it was right near the door of the hall. The table was obviously smaller, and the seats were also simpler,pared to others. But Perry Family still kept their heads up while they didn¡¯t know how poor they looked in others¡¯ eyes. At eight o¡¯clock, the banquet began. With a melodious music, the hostess went up to the stage. After addressing to the audience, the hostess smiled and spoke, ¡°We invite you toe here tonight to announce three things.¡± Because the invitation letter was anonymous, no one knew who the sponsor was until now. Everyone in the hall was prick-eared as the hostess spoke. ¡°The first thing is that Cona branch of Brone Group will start operating today. The Group has already reached a long-term agreement with Samho Group. We hope we can cooperate with everyone here in the future.¡± Once the first thing announced, everyone began buzzing. For Samho Group, everyone here knew about it, for Tracy, as the first beauty in Cona, was the president of thepany before. However, thepany was controlled by Perry n. Was Perry n qualified to cooperate with Brone Group? If Brone Group treated Perry n as a partner, but why did they ce Perry n at such an awkward position? Perry Family felt even more awkward as everyone in the hall looked confusedly at them. Until this moment, Perry Family was aware of that they were invited here, not because they were treated as a potential force to cooperate with, but because someone wanted to humiliate them. ¡°Granddad, they made it too far!¡± Phillip snapped in exasperation. ¡°Shut up!¡± With a leaden look, Henry said in an undertone, ¡°We shall bear the shame as we are here already. If we mess around here in front of the public, we shall disappear in Cona before long.¡± ¡°We, Lewis n, are willing to cooperate with Samho Group.¡± A sudden voice sounded from Edward brought everyone back to reality. ¡°We, Wang n, hope to cooperate with Samho Group!¡± ¡°We, Johnson n, are willing to cooperate with Samho Group!¡± ¡°We, Lee n, are also willing to cooperate with Samho Group.¡± ¡­ Several men stood up to voice their wills in a row after Edward finished his words. They all were masters from those noble families. The people from Perry n felt so disgraced, for the Samho Group they had sold three days ago, and now many noble families were willing to cooperate with Samho Group. They would see a sharp increase in its market value after tonight. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, for the cooperation, you can negotiate with Samho Group after the banquet. But now, I want to announce the second thing.¡± The beauty hostess continued to speak suddenly, and the noise from the crowd then faded. ¡°Today is the fifth wedding anniversary of a couple. In that very year, for some reasons, they were forced to marry. The husband didn¡¯t think he could deserve it, so he left without saying goodbye. It¡¯s been five years from that day on.¡± ¡°Three days ago, at 9Out Club¡¯s auction, a mystery man bought most of the jewelries continuously with a high price, including the Pink Star, a diamond ring worth 5 hundred million dors. And he is the husband.¡± ¡°Beep.¡± At this moment, the stage curtain automatically opened, and a dozen of ss showcases showed up under eyes of the public. In every ss showcase, there was a gorgeous jewelry. ¡°Those jewelries are from the auction.¡± A loud voice sounded. ¡°Star Blue Ne, the Pink Star diamond ring¡­¡± All jewelries auctioning at 9Out Club that night was showcasing on the stage. Every item was priceless. Some rich families in Cona were able to purchase those jewelries, but none of them was willing to do so. All women in the banquet, though some of them were from a wealthy family, were looking enviously at those jewelries. If any woman had a change to possess any jewelry of them, let alone to have all of them, she would feel satisfied for the rest of life. Tracy, sitting in front of the stage, also stared at those jewelries enviously, and muttered, ¡°The wife was so happy!¡± ¡°Is today also your wedding anniversary?¡± Yuri suddenly asked with a smile, ¡°Tracy, don¡¯t you think who the husband the hostess mentioned is Baron? Perhaps, all these things are prepared for you?¡± Tracy kept silent with a bitter look, shaking her head. ¡°You bitch, what the hell are you saying? Baron can¡¯t buy all those jewelries.¡± Sherry said, taking a testy nce at Yuri. ¡°Mom, remember what you have just said, and don¡¯t regret it,¡± Yuri said. ¡°You dare to challenge me!¡± Sherry snapped with a smiling face. At the moment, the hostess¡¯s voice sounded impassioned again. ¡°Five years ago, this husband had never presented a gift to his wife due to poverty, and today he wants to make up all the regrets. All jewelries here are prepared for his wife. Now let¡¯s witness this happy moment together!¡± Beep! Beep! Beep! Several lights shot down onto the hall. When those lights gathered, they focused in the front of the stage at the extremely beautiful woman. Chapter 23 A breathtaking proposal Chapter 23 A breathtaking proposal Immediately, all eyes were focused on Tracy. ¡°Tracy, it¡¯s him. It really is him.¡± Yuri looked the woman covered by the spot lights, eximed in ecstasy, and then stood up, looking All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. around to seek Baron. People from Perry n still looked dazed at this moment. ¡°No way! This is impossible!¡± Phillip looked dumbstruck. Henry also popped his eyes, ¡°Does it mean that all these things were done by that asshole? How could it be possible?¡± Other people in the hall were shocked as well. Tracy, as the first beauty, was well-known in Cona. And her marriage with Baron had be the Everyone wasn¡¯t sure about the second news, but now they knew what was going. Before everyone stopped surprising, the spot lights suddenly moved to a woman, then quickly turned to another, and again and again until it was turned off. ¡°It was just a joke. Please forgive me not to disclose the truth because the husband didn¡¯t want me to! Thank you for youring. The banquet ends here.¡± The hostess announced, in a bantering voice. ¡°I told you. Howe the asshole could do it?¡± Perry Family then sighed in relief. Other people seemed not to believe the second thing was a joke, for what the hostess had said matched with the marriage happened five years ago. Tracy had an illusion that everything was prepared by Baron tonight while all the spot lights focused on her. She felt disappointed since the banquet was over, and she had seen Baron. ¡°I gotta go!¡± Tracy spoke to her family, stood up and left after. When Tracy walked out the hotel, a woman came up and asked, ¡°Excuse me, are you Ms. Tracy?¡± ¡°Yes, who are you?¡± Tracy didn¡¯t know who the woman was. The woman said, with a hollow smile, ¡°Our boss wants to discuss with you about the development of Samho Group. Does Ms. Tracy have any interest in?¡± Tracy was delighted instantly. After Samho Group was sold forpensation, she thought she would never have the chance to stay in Samho Group, let alone to possess it. She was willing to stay in, for after all, she had put painstaking efforts on Samho Group. Many noble families wanted to cooperate with Samho Group. Tracy didn¡¯t feel upset, for it was better than being owned by Perry n. She followed the woman, took the elevator to the penthouse of the hotel. At the same time, a confusing voice echoed across the banquet hall, ¡°Madam, you had just announced two things. What is the third thing?¡± The hostess was still on the stage. She said, with an enigmatic smile, ¡°The third thing is that the husband is going to make a proposal to his lover on the penthouse of this hotel. He wants to make up the mistake he made five years ago. Next, let us all go outside to witness the happiest moment tonight!¡± The Starry Garden Hotel was the highest building in Cona. There were two meanings in its name. First, the penthouse was made of sses, and it would shine after nightfall just look like a sparkling star. Second, the penthouse was designed as a telescope with doubleyer sses. Stars in the sky could be seen from the penthouse, the giant telescope. Under leading of the hostess, all guests went out and looked up to the penthouse. However, it was so far from the ground that they could only see the penthouse shining as a dazzling star, but couldn¡¯t see what happened inside. ¡°Aunt Yuri, my dad told me that he will not go out with me today.¡± Lara felt disappointed, puckered her face, and snuggled his head onto Yuri¡¯s arms. ¡°This unfilial bitch. How dare she still contact with that asshole!¡± Sherry snapped, looking indignant. ¡°Mom, Tracy and Baron were the husband and the wife up there!¡± Yuri said, pointing to the penthouse. A cold voice suddenly sounded, ¡°That crap, he can¡¯t even afford a single flower, can he?¡± Another voice sounded ironically, ¡°Look at the luxurious banquet here, I bet your sister might hide herself somewhere and cry!¡± Perry Family walked over. ¡°Anyhow, we are the distinguished guest sitting in the front. It is better than those watchdogs who were sitting at thest, near the door.¡± Yuri mocked. ¡°Who the hell are you talking to?¡± Phillip raged at once, and strode forward to raise his fist. Sherry pulled Yuri behind her back, ¡°How dare you try to hit my daughter? She is about to marry into Lewis n, the richest family in Cona.¡± ¡°Impossible! Without supports from Perry n, you are nobody.¡± At the same time, the young man who came to pick Yuri up showed up, and said politely, ¡°Ms. Yuri, the ceremony is not over yet, and Mr. Lewis thought you might need some rest, so he booked the whole coffee shop across the street. You will have a better view on the grand ceremony over there.¡± Before Yuri moved her lips, Sherry was rushing to say, ¡°Lewis n was so thoughtful. We¡¯d better to go there than stay here, to show our respects.¡± And then, taking a teasing nce at Henry, she left with Yuri and Lara under the envious look from the crowd. And meanwhile, Tracy just got to the penthouse. When the door of elevator opened, she was shocked by what she saw. The room was huge. The dome and the ambient walls of the floor were all made of ss. The entire Cona with gorgeous night scene was in sight. And what made her even more surprised was that when she looked up, stars were twinkling in the sky as if she could touch any of them when she reached her hand to. There were rose petals spreading thickly on the floor. In front of the window, there was a man dressed with a military outfit, with his hand crossing behind, facing to the window. Tracy had a vague impression on the man. He looked exactly the same as her husband, except only the dressing. Today was her wedding anniversary, and the second announcement sounded exactly the same with her marriage story. Wasn¡¯t it ¡­? Tracy gasped heavily. At the meantime, the man turned around. Tracy was stunned. It really was him, Baron! Baron, in a green military outfit, with a general cap, a ck boot, and medals pinned around the chest, walked to Tracy step by step slowly. ¡°It really was you!¡± Tracy moaned in a shaky voice, with tears brimming in the eyes. Baron nodded, looking sincerely, ¡°You had suffered a lot of pains and gossips in these five years because of me. Now, I am wearing an army outfit here to promise to you, from now on, I will never let you get hurt again!¡± ¡°Flop!¡± As soon as Baron stopped saying, he got down on one knee, and took out a pink dazzling diamond ring. It was the Pink Star Diamond Ring worth 5 hundred million dors, showcasing on the stage. ¡°Tracy, I love you. Will you marry me?¡± Baron spoke honestly. Meanwhile, a melodious music was yed, and several helicopters rose up in the sky above the hotel. And all of sudden, tremendous rose petals were falling and floating in the air. Rose petals were all over on the dome, and then the whole building. Firecrackers then sounded, and the next moment, the sky was so illuminated colorfully by the splendid fireworks for long. Tracy looked nkly at Baron, with tears flowing down on her face. Chapter 24 Misunderstanding Chapter 24 Misunderstanding Baron looked so honesty and his eyes were full of love. For such a romantic proposal, any other girl would ept it. However, this girl was an exceptional one. After a while, Tracy calmed down, and lookedplicatedly at Baron, ¡°I am sorry!¡± ¡°I understood!¡± Baron said, smiling bitterly. At this moment, he was overwhelmed by tremendous pains. It was more painful than his heart being shot by a bullet. Looking at the distressed Baron, Tracy also felt upset. She stepped forward, bended slightly over, and pulled him up. ¡°Baron, I hope you can understand that the reason I was with you was not because of love but our daughter.¡± Tracy said gently, looking into Baron¡¯s eyes. ¡°For now, I can¡¯t ept you, but it doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t ept you in the future. You won¡¯t give up, will you?¡± Baron was still overwhelmed by sorrows as Tracy started speaking, but he was delighted as she finished the sentence. ¡°I won¡¯t give up!¡± Baron said in excitement, ¡°I can wait until the day you are willing to ept me.¡± Tracy then felt rxed. She was struggling with herself when she saw Baron kneeling down. Her heart was melted, but the reason in her mind told her that it was just being touched, and they had no feelings of love except the night they got married five years ago. At the same time, in the coffee shop across the street. Edward was standing in front of a huge ss window, eyeing on everything that was happening in the Starry Garden hotel, and felt extremely emotional. ¡°Mr. Lewis, here theye.¡± The driver said and left quietly. Edward turned around, and saw a woman of middle age approaching. She said, with her hand stretching out, ¡°Father-inw, how is everything!¡± ¡°How¡¯s it going!¡± Edward nodded politely, smiling, and spoke, ¡°You are Mrs. Sherry, Tracy¡¯s mom, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sherry hastily pulled Yuri next to her over, and said happily, ¡°I am Sherry, Yuri¡¯s mom.¡± This was the first time Sherry had met Edward in person. She kept grinning, for she was so surprised by Edward¡¯s courtesy. ¡°Father-inw, we will be a family in the future. So, don¡¯t be so courteous.¡± Sherry said, looking pleasant. Edward thought he might mishear just now when hearing father-inw, and now again he heard it, he was confused, ¡°Mrs. Sherry, howe you call me father-inw?¡± Sherry reckoned she might act to eagerly, so she held Yuri¡¯s hand and said, ¡°You are Yuri¡¯s father-in- call you Mr. Lewis, and after their wedding¡­¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± Edward interrupted Sherry, with a bewildered look, ¡°Mrs. Sherry, is there any misunderstanding?¡± ¡°No! You sent betrothal gifts to us, didn¡¯t you? I had discussed with Terry, and we were pleased to this marriage.¡± Edward understood immediately and exined, ¡°Mrs. Sherry, you misunderstood. The betrothal gifts were for Tracy.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sherry stunned, with eyes wide open. Yuri was also shocked, for she had been picturing the life after marrying into a wealthy family, when she received betrothal gifts from Lewis n before. Till now, she realized those gifts were not for her, and she felt terribly sad. Sherry then turned into embarrassment, ¡°Well. It¡¯s same. They are all for my daughter. You don¡¯t worry about Tracy¡¯s previous marriage. I will ask her to get divorced tomorrow.¡± Edward was terrified, with his face turning pale. He immediately said. ¡°Mrs. Sherry, please don¡¯t. I think Mr. Owen and Mrs. Perry are a perfect couple. They were born to be a couple. You must not get them divorced.¡± ¡°Mr. Lewis, what do you mean? You just said those betrothal gifts were for Tracy, didn¡¯t you? How n?¡± Sherry doubted. Edward didn¡¯t know Baron¡¯s position in his family. Edward wanted to show friendliness to him, but Baron didn¡¯t take it. So, he made an outnking tactic to obtain trust from his wife and family.¡± Edward almost disclosed who Baron was, which made himself sweat. He wiped off the sweat on the forehead, and said, ¡°Mrs. Sherry, you misunderstood me. I have two daughters, and no son.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sherry instantly bounced up. She was so pleasant after she learned that Edward¡¯s son had fell in love with Yuri. And now she knew Edward had no son. She was so disappointed and asked, ¡°And what was the point of Lewis n sending us betrothal gifts?¡± Sherry raged, for she thought she was fooled. Edward suddenly thought of an excuse, and replied at once, ¡°Mrs. Sherry, you must misunderstand, for the gifts were not for marriage but for appreciation, to thank your son-inw.¡± ¡°To thank my son-inw? You mean, Baron?¡± Sherry¡¯s eyes were full of doubts. Edward nodded, ¡°Yes, it was for Baron. He helped Lewis n before. So, I sent thosevish gifts to show our gratitude. I am sorry if any convenience urred because of that.¡± Edward thought to himself, ¡®Without the help of Owen n, Lewis n wouldn¡¯t be so wealthy for today, and Baron was the heir of Owen n. It was fair enough to do so, wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ Yuri was still in sadness. She muttered, with a bitter smile, ¡°I see. It was just my own fantasy.¡± And then, she turned to the ss window, and looked up to the sky. The swirling rose petals and the superb fireworks in the air made her envious. At night, Tracy just came home. Sherry pulled her over, ¡°Tracy, today is your wedding anniversary with Baron, and he didn¡¯t prepare any gift for you, did he?¡± It reminded Tracy of everything happened at the Starry Garden Hotel. A faint of smile passed over on her face. Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. ¡°What are you smiling for?¡± Sherry was irritated as Tracy kept silent. Tracy reluctantly said, ¡°Mom, you want me to divorce Baron, don¡¯t you? And now you want us to live as a couple again?¡± Sherry took an anger nce at Tracy and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember those gifts sent by Lewis n two weeks ago?¡± Tracy asked enquiringly, ¡°You told me that those things were betrothal gifts for Yuri, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No. We are mistaken. Those things were to express gratitude to Baron for he had helped Lewis n. How could it be possible?¡± Sherry highly doubted. ¡°Mom, what exactly do you want me to understand?¡± Tracy asked quickly. ¡°If Baron really had helped Lewis n, he must have a handful of money in hand now, which was supposed to be a marital property, and you should take half of it. You call him now and sort out the division of poverty thing; otherwise you tell him you will sue him for that.¡± Sherry¡¯s eyes were glowed as if she had be rich already. Chapter 25 Financial troubles Chapter 25 Financial troubles Tracy was irritated by what her mom had said, ¡°Mom, when did I tell you that I want to divorce with Baron? If he really became rich, I got nothing to do with it.¡± Tracy left, after finishing her words. Sherry stood frozenly there for a while, and roared loudly as she suddenly caught a nce at Terry, who was reading newspaper, ¡°You just know reading the fucking newspaper. Did you see the way Tracy just behaved to me? Don¡¯t you care my feelings?¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Terry mmed the newspaper down on the table, and raggedly yelled, ¡°Until this moment, you still fucking don¡¯t understand? Baron is not the crap as he was five years before. At what point do you think Edward was courteous to you? If it was not for the crap you talked all the way, how could it be possible Edward would send a driver to pick you up?¡± Sherry¡¯s eyes popped out, as she was just yelled by her daughter, and now was yelled by her husband, who was always obedient to her. ¡°What the fuck have I done? Why the hell my daughter and husband were so mean to me? I got no hopes to live on¡­¡± Suddenly, Sherry cried out loudly. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Terry was annoyed, turned and went into bedroom. Instantly, there was only Sherry in the lobby. ¡°I don¡¯t care your rtionship with Edward. I only know you are a fucking crap. You must get divorced with my daughter and leave all marital poverties. Since there was nobody except Sherry, she eximed impudently, with a grim face. Peak Hotel, the biggest mansion in Cona located on the top of Cona Hill. There was only one road, from the foot to the top, leading to it. At this time, a man, with his hands crossing behind, stood in front of the ss casement, viewing Cona¡¯s night scene. ¡°It is time to hit Perry n harder.¡± Baron snapped suddenly. And then, he made a phone call, ¡°Get Perry n into troubles.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Chairman!¡± A voice answered quickly. The next morning, when Henry got up, a man broke into the room without knocking the door. ¡°Granddad, something terrible happened.¡± Phillip shouted, with face looking pale. ¡°What the fucking are you shouting for?¡± Henry abused unpleasantly, and continued, ¡°I taught you not to be panic no matter what happened since you were a boy. If you can¡¯t learn what I teach you, how can I not worry to hand over the family business to you?¡± ¡°Granddad, something huge just really happened. The factory was closed and forced to shut down.¡± Phillip looked bewildered. Henry had just rebuked Phillip to stay calm, but now he was also panicked. He bounced up, and irritably eximed, ¡°Shut down? What the hell happened?¡± Phillip shook his head, ¡°I came here as soon as I got the news. Not merely the factory was sealed. The bank also called in to inform us that ourpany is facing bankrupt. If we don¡¯t clear the debts before closing time, the bank will sue us.¡± Henry was shaking and in a faint breath as he heard the news. ¡°Granddad,¡± Phillip was greatly frightened, and hastily supported the quivering Henry. ¡°We must be backstabbed by someone else; otherwise how could it be possible our factory was sealed? And the bank suddenly urged us to pay back the debts?¡± After a while, Henry was sober gradually. Grinding his teeth, Phillip spoke, ¡°We don¡¯t have it in stock. Most of the cash was used in raw materials. And now, if the factory closed down, it will cause us a huge loss. Beyond that, our partners will ask us to deliver inventory goods to them. If we can¡¯t fulfill their needs, they will cancel the agreement, and even worse, they may im a big amount ofpensation ording to the contract. Granddad, Perry n is really going to copse this time!¡± ¡°pping!¡± Henry pped on Phillip¡¯s face, looking so furious, ¡°It didn¡¯t happen yet. What the fuck are you saying! If I had handed over Perry n to you, you are going to give up fighting back, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Granddad, I was wrong. I will never give it up.¡± Phillip gradually calmed down after the p. ¡°This is what my grandson should be. Find a way out whenever you face a difficulty. And never give up until you have no choice.¡± Henry sighed a relief as Phillip admitted. Phillip pondered for seconds and moved his lips, ¡°Granddad, there are two urgent things. One is to persuade our partner to grace us on the deliver time. The other one is to raise capital to pay back the debts.¡± ¡°You are right. These also are our top two problems. For the first one, I think it is not hard to solve. However, for the second one, it must be hard, for even the bank is unwilling to loan us the money, let alone other financialpanies,¡± Henry said, frowning. ¡°Granddad, one thing came across my mind. Was Perry n interested in marrying Yuri? I heard Yuri had received a huge amount of money as betrothal gifts. If we can get that money, our capital issue will then be solved,¡± Phillip said, in a cheerful voice. Henry¡¯s eyes opened widely, and urged, ¡°Now you go ask Terry to give us the money, and tell them that their names can be added back to the family after we get over this crisis.¡± Phillip paused to think, and said, ¡°Granddad, Terry may agree so, but will Tracy agree as well?¡± Henry snorted coldly, ¡°She has to agree no matter how. Terry is just a bastard of your grandmother. If it was not for your grandmother, I would have already removed their name out of the family, and forced them to leave our house long ago. How will I make them leave until recently? And now Perry n is in trouble. They just do what they are supposed to do.¡± ¡°But what if they are unwilling to help us?¡± Phillip was in a pickle. Squinting his eyes, Henry cracked a smile, ¡°If they don¡¯t want to help us, then we ask them to pay us back for how we bring them up.¡± ¡°Granddad, I got your point.¡± Phillip turned and left. In the Perry courtyard, Tracy had just finished her breakfast, and was about to take Lara to the kindergarten. And the door suddenly was forced open by a group of people. Everybody inside was frightened. A familiar figure, following with several securities, as Terry was just to check what happened. ¡°What the hell are youing for?¡± The family got irritated when seeing Phillip. Phillip talked to Terry, with a big hollow smile, ¡°Terry, we have just been trapped in financial troubles. My Granddad asked me toe borrow some money from you.¡± ¡°Humph!¡± Terry coldly looked at Phillip, and said, ¡°Perry n had already removed our name in the family and forced us to leave. And now you are in trouble, do we get anything to do with it?¡± ¡°Terry, how could you say so? We are a family no matter how. After all, we are from the same bloodline. You don¡¯t want to see our family end up with bankruptcy, do you?¡± Phillip smilingly said. ¡°We are poor. You know it, don¡¯t you?¡± Sherry stepped forward, and snapped testily. Phillip said, in an eloquent voice, ¡°Sherry, you are joking. I remember you told usst night that Lewis n had sent some gifts here, which are worth over ten million dors.¡± Sherry drew a long face as Phillip finished. ¡°We have nothing to do with those gifts. They were sent by Lewis n for Baron. We don¡¯t have the right to dispose them.¡± Yuri walked out, said with a cold face. Chapter 26 Utter despair Chapter 26 Utter despair At Yuri¡¯s words, Phillip released a cold scoff. ¡°Come now, Yuri, if you¡¯re going to make excuses, don¡¯t just spin something that tant. Think of the Lewis n¡¯s status! Do you seriously think they¡¯d give some trash like Baron the time of day?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me,¡± Yuri said icily. Tracy was beginning to see red. It hadn¡¯t even been a week since the n banished them, and they were already back to rip them off some more. ¡°See, Granddad says that if you¡¯d just hand over the gifts the Lewis n gave you, you¡¯ll be let back into the n,¡± Phillip said, suddenly all smiles. ¡°Mr. Perry really said that?¡± Sherry was overjoyed. If it had only been a few days prior, she would have taken the opportunity to put Phillip in his ce ¨C but the truth hade outst night. Although the gifts from the Lewis n were indeed in her hands, if Baron so wished it, he could have it all taken away, leaving her with nothing. Phillip snorted disdainfully. ¡°Granddad said so himself. Would he lie? Of course, we¡¯d still need you to hand over those million-dor betrothal gifts, but if Granddad¡¯s happy with them, he might even hand over the position of head of the n to Terry himself. You¡¯ve got only a little to lose and a lot to gain, you know.¡± Phillip didn¡¯t even blush as he promised the world. He¡¯d gone and mmed the seat of the n head right down on the bargaining table, just like that ¨C lighting a fire under Sherry¡¯s ego. ¡°And if we refuse?¡± Yuri, at least, remained resolute. ¡°Shut up!¡± Sherry hissed. Yuri¡¯s face showed only disappointment. ¡°Mom, did you forget how they expelled us without a second thought? Or how Big Sis begged them until she copsed? They¡¯re only crawling back now that they¡¯re in trouble. Do you really think they¡¯ll let us back in after a few favors?¡± Tracy, too, was thoroughly disappointed in her mother. With her eyes still red, she said, ¡°Those things belong to Baron, Mom. You¡¯ve got no right to dispose of them on your own.¡± ¡°See here, Sherry, I know you¡¯re the boss of this family. Seeing as Tracy and Yuri seem to be against this arrangement, you should take a stand and make a decision. This is your one chance to make it back to the n. If the n makes it through this crisis without you lifting a finger, any hopes of you returning to the fold is gone, dashed to pieces.¡± Ever the con artist, Phillip¡¯s words wormed their way into Sherry¡¯s ear, and she began to waver. ¡°I respect my daughters¡¯ wishes. There¡¯s no way I can return to the Perry n at this point.¡± Terry had long since given up on the n. After all, he¡¯d never had any blood rtion with Henry. It was his mother who¡¯d taken him with her when he was still very young. All this time, Henry had never treated him as a member of the family. He never even let him into n-managedpanies. ¡°Terry, what are you talking about? This is our only chance to go back...¡± Before Sherry could finish, Terry spat, ¡°And what are you talking about? You still want to slink back to them after seeing how they humiliated our daughter? Then go back on your own!¡± Terry¡¯s face was dark with rage. He¡¯d always been even-tempered not because he was a coward, but because he wanted a peaceful family life rather than arguing with his wife over every little thing. But this wasn¡¯t ¡°every little thing¡± anymore. After toeing it day after day for her personal gain, she¡¯d finally crossed the line. Sherry froze. The husband who¡¯d never talked back to her, never raised a hand to her, had just yelled at her. After a long pause, she snapped, released a loud wail, and sobbed, ¡°I can¡¯t stay in this house anymore! I want a divorce!¡± ¡°Fine, get one, you think I care?¡± Terry said harshly. ¡°Look, enough of this mummer¡¯s farce. Someone just tell me if you¡¯re handing over the betrothal gifts or not. I don¡¯t have time to watch your little show,¡± Phillip smirked, watching the couple¡¯s argument unfold like a theater performance. ¡°Get out!¡± Terry bellowed, ¡°Get out this instant! I¡¯m out of fucks to give for the Perry n!¡± As he shouted, he picked up a broom lying against the wall and swung it at Phillip. Phillip simply cocked an eyebrow. Two security guards behind him rushed forward, took Terry¡¯s nks, and mmed him to the ground. ¡°Dad!¡± Shocked, Tracy and Yuri rushed forward. ¡°Honestly, we don¡¯t need your permission. You really don¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡± Phillip followed his chilling statement with amand. ¡°Get in there. Take everything.¡± Under his orders, several more security guards filed into the house. Soon, a pair of guards came out carrying a box ¨C the box that the Lewis n had broughtst time. It was full of gold and jewelry, alongside about one million in cash, and even property and stock bonds. Phillip had thought that the betrothal gifts would be worth a few dozen millions at most, but seeing the inside of the box, he realized that it probably all added up to the billions. ¡°Hah! The Perry n is saved! As long as we sell these off, there¡¯s enough here to deal with anything thates our way,¡± Phillip cackled. Ever since Tracy was expelled, there had been no one left in the n who could challenge his authority. Now that Henry was getting old and frail, the Perry leadership was poised to pass into his hands. ¡°Stop right there, Phillip!¡± As the box was carted off into the distance, Tracy and Yuri chased after it, rage written across their faces. But Phillip had brought a swarm of guards with him. What could two women do? The mob ransacked the house and took everything ¨C Phillip even drove off with the Maserati. ¡°Bitch! It¡¯s all your fault for being so full of yourself. Now like where you¡¯ve got us! Nothing¡¯s left!¡± Terry pped Sherry hard across the face, furious. ¡°Terry Perry, you actually hit me!¡± Sherry held her face in disbelief. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I hit you? Phillip¡¯s taken everything! If Barones up and asks for it back, what do we say to him then?¡± Terry raged. ¡°How can that piece of trash make demands of me?¡± Sherry snapped, then thought of something and tugged on Tracy¡¯s hand. ¡°Tracy, didn¡¯t Phillip just say that so long as we hand over the gifts, they¡¯ll let us back in? Let¡¯s go to the n now and meet with your Granddad.¡± Irritated, Tracy shrugged off her hand, scoffing, ¡°If you want to go back, go and beg them on your own!¡± Ever since the day she knelt in the pouring rain to beg Henry ¨C an ordeal rewarded with banishment under the n head¡¯s full authority ¨C she''d decided to wash her hands of the n entirely. Turning, Tracy left. Sherry grabbed at Yuri¡¯s hand next, who shook her off before she could say anything, scolding, ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? Only you want to go back to them at this point. So go back yourself.¡± With that, Yuri left too, without so much as a look back. Terry released a loud humph and then left as well. Sherry was left alone in the garden. She sat down heavily onto the ground, murmuring to herself, ¡°Am I the one in the wrong here?¡± Brone Group, penthouse floor. Baron received a phone call. He now knew everything that had gone down in the Perry garden. He didn¡¯t much care about the gifts from the Lewis family, but his patience with the Perry n was at an end. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Since you¡¯re asking for it so badly, let me show you what utter despair looks like,¡± he snarled. Chapter 27 Begging Yuri Chapter 27 Begging Yuri Henry was all smiles seeing the mound of loot Phillip brought back. ¡°Good work, Phillip. When this crisis is over, I¡¯m passing the position of head of the n to you,¡± he said. At that, those of the Perry n gave a start. Overjoyed, Phillip said hastily, ¡°Thank you, Granddad! When I take over the n, I¡¯ll lead us to even greater heights!¡± ¡°Hah! Good, very good!¡± Henryughed aloud. ¡°This is one bigurel you¡¯ve brought back this time, Phillip. Our n¡¯s troubles are finally over.¡± ¡°Like I said, Phillip¡¯s the only rightful heir to the head of the n. Only he¡¯s suited to lead us!¡± ¡°I fully support Phillip¡¯s session to the head of the n.¡± ¡­... Soon enough, everyone was kissing up to Phillip. Pleased, Phillip forced a humble smile. ¡°The credit belongs to the whole of the family. From now on, we¡¯ll climb our way to the elite.¡± ¡°Well said!¡± Henry¡¯s gaze was full of confidence. Just as the n was collectively envisioning a brighter future, Nancy the secretary rushed in in a panic. ¡°Chairman, sir, Steward Davis from the Honna Group is here.¡± ¡°He¡¯sing here himself?¡± Shock registered on Henry¡¯s face. The Honna Group was thergest coborator with the Perry n. It could be said that the Perry n had only remained standing inrge part due to their rtionship with thispany. Before Nancy could answer, several figures approached. In the lead was the Chairman of the Honna Group himself ¨C Steward Davis. A buttery smile on his face, Henry walked up and extended his hand for a shake. ¡°It¡¯s a great honor for our n for you toe here yourself, Mr. Davis. Wee, wee.¡± Ignoring Henry¡¯s proffered hand, Steward mocked, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be so enthusiastic if you knew why I was here, Mr. Perry.¡± Henry frowned slightly and asked with a nervous chuckle, ¡°You jest, sir. You¡¯re such an important business partner ¨C why wouldn¡¯t I wee you with open arms?¡± Steward sat himself right at the head of the table and tossed out a file holder. ¡°This is a statement of dissolution of coboration between the Honna Group and the Perry n. Look through it if you would, Mr. Perry. If there are no issues, hurry up and sign.¡± ¡°What?¡± Everyone present of the Perry n was struck dumb at the news. Henry, in particr, was astonished. ¡°Mr. Davis, have our two parties not always enjoyed a smooth coboration? Why the sudden dissolution? If you¡¯re unhappy with the terms of our contract, we can make some changes; give you more room for profit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here in person. Do you really think we¡¯re backing down now?¡± Steward sneered. Phillip understood the meaning of Steward¡¯s presence. He was here today solely to dissolve the contract. There was no chance that the Perry n was going to negotiate their way out of this. HisText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. anger began to show. ¡°Mr. Davis, even if you¡¯re dissolving the contract, you have to at least give us a fitting reason!¡± ¡°Kid, the grown-ups are talking. Sit back down in your corner, will you?¡± Steward smirked, treating Phillip as just another inconsequential nuisance. ¡°What - what do you mean by that?¡± Phillip¡¯s temper red. ¡°Shut it!¡± As he barked, Henry already knew ¨C Steward had never nned on letting them off in the first ce. ¡°The brats of the Perry n don¡¯t know their ce. No wonder the family¡¯s declining,¡± Steward was still smirking. Henry forced a grin. ¡°It¡¯s my grandson¡¯s fault for not knowing his ce. No need to lower yourself to his level, Mr. Davis.¡± ¡°Listen, Mr. Perry. Just because we¡¯ve worked together for so long, let me give you a word of advice ¨C you can¡¯t go around offending anyone you want,¡± Steward said out of nowhere. A chill ran down Henry¡¯s spine, and he hurried to ask, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that my n is only in this much trouble because of someone we¡¯ve offended?¡± Steward replied, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Seeing such a reaction, Henry sucked in a fearful breath. He¡¯d suspected that the Perry n had made enemies of some character since yesterday, and whatever Steward was implying, that much was confirmed. ¡°Seeing as we¡¯ve been partners for so long, then ¨C please, Mr. Davis, do tell us who it was that we¡¯ve offended?¡± Henry bowed slightly, his expression sincere. Unmoved, Steward sighed. ¡°Henry, I¡¯ll be honest. I was contacted just now by someone who told me to dissolve our partnership with the Perry n or face bankruptcy. I didn¡¯t take them seriously at first, but the moment I hung up, several other partners of the Honna Group called and dissolved their partnership with us on their own ends.¡± At that, Henry¡¯s face grew ashen. He¡¯d thought that with the gifts Phillip had taken, the n¡¯s future would be secured. But he never imagined that before one crisis could be resolved, they¡¯d face another, greater problem. ¡°I appreciate the information, Mr. Davis,¡± Henry said, sping his hands. Not long after Steward left, the few remaining partners of the n came and dissolved their own contracts as well. In just one hour, the Perry n had lost all its partnerships. ¡°Granddad, who did we tick off? Who¡¯s got this much power? Even the Honna Group was forced to cut ties with us.¡± Phillip¡¯s face was full of despair. Deep in thought, Henry fell silent for a while, then seemed to recall something, shot up, and red at Phillip. A crisp p reverberated across the room. Confused, Phillip asked, ¡°Why are you hitting me, Granddad?¡± ¡°You still don''t understand? We ran into Tracy that day in the Starry Garden Hotel, and the very next day, our factories get closed, and the banks start calling in our debts.¡± Raging, Henry continued, ¡°Just this morning, you went and robbed them of the gifts the Lewis n gave, and now all our partners are cutting ties with us! Do you get it now?¡± Phillip was struck dumb. He wasn¡¯t stupid ¨C quite the opposite ¨C and he caught on to Henry¡¯s meaning soon enough. It was all as Henry had said. Stark white, he said, ¡°Granddad, you¡¯re saying all this was the Lewis n¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°Use your brain! The Lewis family wants Yuri, so they offered up a fortune in betrothal gifts, but you and your mob took it all and stashed them here! You think the Lewis n is just going to let us off?¡± Henry flew off the handle. Shunting all responsibility onto Phillip¡¯s shoulders, he didn¡¯t once mention that Phillip had taken the gifts with his approval. Lowering his head, Phillip clenched his fists, resentment filling him. ¡°All right, Granddad, I know I did wrong. Now what do we do?¡± After a long while, Phillip lifted his head, his eyes red. ¡°Since you started all this, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to have to solve this. Go to Yuri and beg. Beg her to intervene on our behalf with the Lewis family. We¡¯ll only get out of this if the Lewis family allows it,¡± said Henry. Chapter 28 Just desserts Chapter 28 Just desserts Meanwhile, Yuri arrived in front of the office at the exact same time Bonnie did. ¡°Yuri, why are your eyes so swollen? Did someone give you trouble?¡± Bonnie asked, worried. Yuri shook her head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± With that, she went into her own office. Doubt filling her, Bonnie muttered to herself, ¡°Looking at the way her eyes are swollen, she¡¯s obviously been crying. It¡¯s so early in the morning; who would bully her like this?¡± Suddenly, she recalled the Baron that Tracy had mentioned a few days ago, and it all clicked. ¡°It must be that garbage. Who else would provoke Yuri so early in the day?¡± The two of them had been best friends since high school, and they¡¯d even gone to the same city for university. They were practically sisters, and seeing Yuri like this brought Bonnie¡¯s blood to a boil. ¡°Baron!¡± Right then, she noticed a familiar figure stepping out of the elevator. She rushed in and got in his face, blocking his way. ¡°Baron, what kind of man are you? You could have just quietly freeloaded away as a Perry son-inw, but you¡¯ve got some nerve pushing Yuri around!¡± Looking at the self-righteous Bonnie, Baron was equal parts annoyed and amused. The woman¡¯s mannerisms were repulsive, but he had to admit that Yuri had found a great friend. It was just the hour when people wereing in to work, and the lobby was full up. A spectating crowd formed around the scene as Bonnie continued her tongueshing. Baron¡¯s lips curved upwards into a teasing smirk. ¡°You¡¯re not falling for me, are you? Actively starting a conversation with me every time we meet?¡± ¡°What?¡± Bonnie red. She didn¡¯t anticipate Baron saying that of all things ¨C and he¡¯d deliberately said it loud enough for all her colleagues across the offices to hear. ¡°I know you have a crush on me, but there¡¯s a time and ce for things. This is the workce, so do your job properly, and you can chase after me after hours.¡± With that, Baron brushed past her. It took Baron stepping all the way out the building for Bonnie toe to her senses. She shrieked, flushed with embarrassment, and yelled at the spectators, ¡°What are you gawping at? Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± Baron¡¯s smirk grew disdainful. ¡°You¡¯re still far too green to be picking fights with me, little girl.¡± Walking out of the building, he came across a familiar figure. ¡°My sister is an employee at yourpany. I¡¯m just going in to have a few words with her, and then I¡¯m leaving.¡± Phillip was being held up by several security guards, who were refusing his entry. The head of the guards wore an uncaring expression. ¡°If your sister is an employee, then give her a call so she cane out to meet you.¡± ¡°If I could have called her, do you think I¡¯d need to exin anything to the likes of you?¡± Phillip was the favored son of the Perry n, and this sort of treatment was rankling him. He¡¯d already called Yuri several times, but she didn¡¯t even pick up, and had actually cklisted him. Now that all business partnerships with the Perry n were dissolved, a single day¡¯s dy could be fatal. He was in quite the predicament. ¡°You¡¯d better gather your wits and understand exactly what kind of ce this is. Even a first-ss family man wouldn¡¯t dare start trouble here, much less an insignificant little house like the Perry n!¡± the guard chuckled coldly. Phillip actually did gather his wits after hearing that, reaching out to grasp the guard by the arm. ¡°I¡¯m begging you, so just let me in, okay? I have urgent business with my sister. I¡¯ll get out the moment I see her.¡± ¡°Get off me!¡± The guard shoved him away. Phillip tripped and almost fell. At that moment, he saw a familiar figure, and his face grew ugly beyondpare. ¡°Why is it you again, trash?¡± In his eyes, Baron was simply trash. It was ridiculous that he was turned away at the door, and Baron coulde and go as he pleased. ¡®Mr. Owen, sir!¡± The security guards took one look at Baron, stood to attention and chanted out a greeting. The head of the security guards were under Camel directly. Although the details of Baron¡¯s identity hadn¡¯t been exposed, the guards still knew just how important a figure he was. The scene stunned Phillip even more, and he rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he¡¯d mistaken the person in front of him for someone else. But even as his vision blurred from excessive rubbing, the figure before him remained the same. Baron released a cold chuckle. ¡°A piece of trash like me coulde and go from the Brone Group as I pleased, while you, the favored son of the Perry n, couldn¡¯t even set foot through the main doors. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s about time you stopped being so cocky?¡± That enraged Phillip so much he nearly fainted. Instead, he grew even more animated and raged at the head guard, ¡°He¡¯s just some garbage son-inw we expelled from the Perry n! By what right are you letting him in? Are you lot blind?¡± ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± The head guard snarled, ¡°Another careless insult, and we¡¯ll have to get a bit rough.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± Phillip said fervently, ¡°I¡¯m going to file aint. You must have taken bribes or favors from this brat to let him in and out like this. I¡¯d like to see how your boss would deal with you if he heard about this.¡± At that, the head guard merely scoffed, ¡°Sure you can file aint. If you cane in, that is.¡± Camel had personally instructed them to be respectful to Baron, and now this idiot was here trying to make threats. The head guard nearlyughed out loud. ¡°Stand right there, Baron!¡± Seeing that he was about to leave, Phillip rushed forward. The head guard reacted quickly enough, blocking Phillip¡¯s path and saying to Baron, ¡°Mr. Owen, sir, go right ahead. I¡¯ll deal with this trash.¡± Baron graced the head guard with a satisfied nce, then turned to leave. ¡°Let go of me!¡± came Phillip¡¯s furious roars from behind. ¡°Ah shit, he¡¯s attacking us - give him a good tanning, boys!¡± With a suddenmand, half a dozen guards surrounded Phillip and began beating him up.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Phillip hadn¡¯t actually done anything. The guards had simply decided to p a false charge on him as an excuse. The head guard sneered, ¡°Ignorant fool, making enemies of Mr. Owen.¡± Phillip never set one foot inside the Brone Group. Beaten ck and blue, he stood a good distance away from the office building. ¡°I¡¯ll see you dead for this, Baron!¡± he hollered, face twisting. For a whole day, Phillip lingered outside the Brone Group, with security keeping a close eye on him. His wait dragged on until the end of office hours before he managed to catch a glimpse of Yuri. ¡°Yuri!¡± Phillip called from a distance, running over excitedly. Seeing him, Yuri said coldly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Come now, Yuri, no matter what happens, I¡¯m still your cousin. Even if you¡¯ve made it big now, you¡¯re not going to just cut me off like this?¡± Phillip said, brow furrowing. He¡¯d been treated like some burr, with security watching him all day long as he waited for a full day to see her. Now that he finally could speak with her, she was giving him this attitude right off the bat. He was irritated, yes, but he¡¯de to convince her to help out the n. He¡¯d have to grin and bear it for now. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say to you. Even an extra sentence is wasted breath,¡¯ Yuri said mercilessly. Compared to Tracy, she¡¯d given up on the n far earlier. Stamping down his anger, Phillip said with a smile, ¡°I was in the wrong for what happened this morning, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve returned everything exactly as it was. I¡¯m here to sincerely apologize ¨C I¡¯m sorry!¡± With that, he bowed straight down at ny degrees. Yuri was slightly shocked. Phillip was actually apologizing. Of course, that wasn¡¯t going to do anything to change her mind. ¡°Yuri, I¡¯m just asking one thing of you. Because of what happened this morning, the Lewis n has are being shut down. The banks are screaming for their loans back.¡± All teary-eyed and sniffling, Phillip said, ¡°As of now, the Perry n is about to be destroyed! Could you please find it in your heart to contact the Lewis n? Tell them to give us a chance?¡± Tracy gave a start. She didn¡¯t realize things had gotten this bad for the Perry family. But rather than feeling any pity, the only thing she felt was glee. She let out an icyugh. ¡°Phillip, I already told you in the morning ¨C those weren¡¯t betrothal gifts in the first ce. The Lewis n gave them to Baron as THANKS. Even if you¡¯re looking to beg someone for pity, it shouldn¡¯t be me.¡± Chapter 29 You’ve got it all wrong Chapter 29 You¡¯ve got it all wrong With that, Yuri turned to leave. Looking at the shadow of her back, Phillip¡¯s expression grew contorted. ¡°Bitch. I¡¯ll make you pay for this.¡± Henry had tasked him with requesting aid from Yuri, but he didn¡¯t even end up stepping foot through the front door. Not only that, he¡¯d been humiliated by Baron, beaten ck and blue by security, and despite finally making it through to talk to Yuri, she was saying she wasn¡¯t even the right person to talk to. It was the first time that Phillip had been shamed so badly since he was born. He was ready to kill someone. Even before he went back to the n, his phone rang. The moment it connected, Henry asked, ¡°How¡¯d things go?¡± ¡°Sorry, Granddad, but I¡¯ve disappointed you,¡± Phillip said through gritted teeth. He¡¯d barely finished his sentence before the sound of something being smashed from the other end of the call. ¡°I asked you to go and mediate with the Lewis n ¨C are youpletely useless? I handed the whole thing to you on a tter, and you¡¯re not even done yet? Do you want me to chew it up and feed it to you? Moron!¡± Henry bellowed, furious. Phillip¡¯s own temper red. He¡¯d been through enough humiliation today just to suffer the same treatment from his own grandfather. Despite his anger, Phillip didn¡¯t dare throw a tantrum. After all, everything in the Perry family was under Henry¡¯s control. ¡°Granddad, I did everything you said. It¡¯s just that Yuri doesn¡¯t even want to help, the bitch ¨C she¡¯s pushed everything onto Baron! Says that the Lewis n hadn¡¯t given them betrothal gifts, they were gifts of thanks to that garbage! How is that possible?¡± Phillip said, containing himself. ¡°You piece of trash! You must have gone with a bad attitude to have Yuri turn you away! If you can¡¯t settle things with her today, then don¡¯te back at all!¡± Henry roared. He¡¯d only just hung up when the phone rang again. Henry rushed to answer, only to hear a cold voice. ¡°Mr. Perry, today is thest day of the deadline, but you still haven¡¯t paid back your loan. If that¡¯s how you want to y it, you¡¯ll be hearing from ourwyers.¡± ¡°Now hang on just a moment¡­¡± With a beep, the line went dead. They hadn¡¯t even given Henry time to exin. A quick notification, then they immediately hung up. The blood drained from Henry¡¯s face. It took him until this moment to realise that the Perry n had been driven into a corner. The deadline for returning the bank loan was over, but the danger still remained. ¡°Prepare the car!¡± he barked suddenly. Twenty minutester, in the Perry garden, a ck Audi A8 stopped at the door. Henry hade here in person, which sent Terry and Sherry into a panic, thinking he¡¯de to chase them off. ¡°Dad, what are you doing here?¡± Terry said nervously. The very next second, Henry did something that ttered Terry like he had never been before. ¡°Terry, my boy, the Perry n¡¯s treated you too harshly all these years. Come to work at ourpany tomorrow. I¡¯ve always kept the seat of assistant general manager open for you!¡± At that, Terry and Sherry stirred, moved. ¡°Are you serious, Dad? You¡¯re really letting Terry back into thepany?¡± Sherry was stammering from emotion. Henry was the very picture of a doting old man as he smiled, ¡°Of course I¡¯m serious. Do you think this old geezer came all this way to lie to you? Oh, right, this Perry mansion here is too old. Move to the courtyard proper starting tomorrow. I¡¯ll empty out a mansion just for you.¡± Terry and Sherry felt as if they were dreaming. Henry wasn¡¯t just visiting in person, he was giving Terry the job of assistant general manager and moving them into the Perry courtyard itself. The Perry courtyard was a property that had been developed by the Perry n for several decades. There were over a dozen mansions in the courtyard. Aside from Terry¡¯s family, every direct rtive lived there. As for the Perry garden, only one oldpound was left, and it had long since fallen into disrepair. ¡°Thank you, Dad! Thank you so much!¡± The couple raced to show their gratitude. ¡°Where¡¯s Tracy and Yuri?¡± Henry suddenly asked. Terry sighed and said, ¡°Ever since we were banished, Tracy has been out every day looking for work, and she hasn¡¯te home yet. Yuri should be getting back from work soon.¡± ¡°No worries. I¡¯ll have Tracy back at thepany tomorrow. I¡¯ve prepared a position for her as well.¡± Henry was all smiles when he saw a timid Lara looking at him from her hiding spot at the mouth of the stairs and asked, ¡°This cute little thing is Tracy¡¯s daughter, yes?¡± ¡°Lara,e over here and greet your Great-Granddad,¡± Sherry waved at Lara. Lara had grown up never seeing Henry in person. She nestled into Sherry¡¯s chest and said fearfully, ¡°Mom told me not to talk with people I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know him.¡± At that, Terry and Sherry jolted. Afraid Henry would take offense, Sherry immediately barked, ¡°He¡¯s your great-grandfather, not some stranger! Greet him properly!¡± Chagrined, Lara still refused to call out to Henry. Sherry raged, ¡°If you don¡¯t greet your Great-Granddad now, I¡¯m shutting you in the dark room right this instant.¡± ¡°Mom! What are you trying to pull?¡± Tracy had just reached the door when she heard Sherry threatening her daughter, and her anger spilled out immediately. ¡°Mom!¡± Lara ran over and darted into Tracy¡¯s embrace, whimpering, ¡°Mom, I did as you said and didn¡¯t talk to a stranger, but Granny still wants to lock me up.¡± Tracy acted as if she hadn¡¯t seen Henry, and replied calmly, ¡°You were right, Lara. No talking to strangers.¡± ¡°Tracy, what are you on about? He¡¯s your own grandfather; how can you call him a stranger?¡± Hopping mad, Sherry could have struck Tracy right then and there. Tracy said sarcastically, ¡°What grandfather? I¡¯ve been expelled from the family, remember? Let¡¯s get back to our room, Lara.¡± With that, Tracy carried Lara up and made to leave, never even shooting a wayward nce at Henry all Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. the way through. Henry forced his anger back down his gullet and smiled, ¡°Tracy, your Granddad knows he¡¯s done you wrong. I came to apologize. Won¡¯t you forgive me? Come back to the office tomorrow!¡± Tracy had been about to go up the stairs when she stopped in her tracks, eyes reddening, the resentment and indignity threatening to draw sobs from her lungs. Even though she¡¯d said she wasn¡¯ting back, she¡¯d spent such a long time in the n that she still missed it quite a bit. But Henry had still been far too vicious. Recalling the day she¡¯d knelt in the downpour and begged, Tracy grew cold once again, sneering, ¡°I¡¯m nevering back to the Perry n as long as I live.¡± As thest syble dropped, she carried Lara back to their own room. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be mad. We¡¯ll deal with whatever you need Tracy for,¡± Sherry hurried to say. Henry didn¡¯t appear to be angry. He only sighed, ¡°No need to me her. It¡¯s my fault for expecting too much of her, being too harsh. It¡¯s my fault it all ended up like this.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Dad. You¡¯re the elder, she¡¯s the junior. She should be listening to you in the first ce,¡± Terry soothed, feeling a pang of sympathy. Henry kept up his fa?ade of the weak and broken, never once mentioning the business of asking Yuri for help, instead discussing inconsequential family happenings with Sherry and Terry. The sky was dark by the time Yuri made it home. ¡°Yuri, why are you onlying back now?¡± Sherryined. She¡¯d been about to call Yuri, but Henry had stopped her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Instead of answering Sherry, Yuri red at Henry and demanded. Seeing Yuri, Henry stood bolt upright and said, red-eyed, ¡°Yuri, your Granddad was in the wrong. All these years, I¡¯ve treated your family unfairly. I¡¯m here today to apologize, and I hope you can forgive me!¡± If Phillip hadn¡¯t showed up at the office looking for her, Yuri might have been moved by Henry¡¯s performance. Now, looking at the crocodile tears Henry was holding back, Yuri felt only disgust. ¡°As expected of grandfather and grandson, you do things the exact same way. One of you failed, and now the next one¡¯s here to take care of business. If the two of you got into acting, you might just bring home an Oscar.¡± Yuri did nothing to mask her sarcasm. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re saying, Yuri?¡± Sherry lost her temper immediately. Even Terry couldn¡¯t stand by and watch. He scolded, ¡°Your Granddad is here in person to apologize. As his junior, what more do you want from him?¡± Instead of getting angry, Yuri looked at her parents and said, ¡°Let me guess. He¡¯s making all sorts of promises, letting us back into the n, and preparing high-up positions for us, right?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Terry was beginning to catch on. Henry¡¯s face looked very unnatural as well, but he kept up his sincere look. ¡°Yuri, you misunderstood me.¡± ¡°Enough. I¡¯m not your audience in some theatre, so spare me the show. Whatever you want, say it straight. I don¡¯t like beating around the bush,¡± Yuri said impatiently. Henry felt absolutely no shame as he maintained the appearance of a weeping old man. ¡°If you don¡¯t help out the Perry n, Yuri, we¡¯re really going to be destroyed. I¡¯m begging you as your Granddad ¨C ask the Lewis n to be lenient with us, please?¡± At those words, Terry and Sherry found themselves dumbfounded. Even though they wanted back in the n, they weren¡¯t fools, and realized it quickly. After all, Henry was behaving very differently from the way they usually understood him. If they still didn¡¯t get it now, they would really be fools. Tracy, who had been monitoring the situation from upstairs, also finally understood why Henry had feigned. ¡°Heh!¡± Yuri chuckled frostily. ¡°You have a rather high opinion of me. Consider the Lewis family¡¯s status and consider mine. Do you really think they¡¯d give me the time of day if I show up there?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t the Lewis n already given you betrothal gifts? You¡¯re a daughter-inw of the Lewis family now. Why wouldn¡¯t they do you a little favor?¡± Henry asked in return. ¡°Wrong! You¡¯ve got it all wrong!¡± Yuri¡¯s tears fell, and she sobbed, ¡°Edward Lewis doesn¡¯t even HAVE a son! Why would he be giving me betrothal gifts?¡± Chapter 30 Yuri got kidnapped Chapter 30 Yuri got kidnapped Yuri sobbed like a banshee as if she was trying to jettison all the unfairness, indignation, and humiliation she¡¯d endured in just a few days. Of course she¡¯d thought the expensive gifts the Lewis family had brought were betrothal gifts for her. Of course she¡¯d assumed that the feast the Lewis family had taken them to in the Starry Garden Hotel was an engagement banquet. It had taken Edward Lewis denying it in person for her to realize the truth. Henry didn¡¯t believe a word of what she¡¯d said, raging, ¡°Even if Mr. Lewis doesn¡¯t have a son, there are other unmarried males in the Lewis n. It¡¯s all listed as ¡®Betrothal Gifts¡¯ in the inventory, and you¡¯re the only one in your family who hasn¡¯t married yet. If it wasn¡¯t for you, who was it all for?¡± Hearing ¡°Betrothal Gifts¡± finally brought some rity to Yuri, and her face turned ashen. ¡°So they really were betrothal gifts. Just not for me.¡± With that, she turned and left. When Edward hade saying he bore gifts for Baron, she¡¯d had her doubts. The list had actually said ¡°Betrothal Gifts¡± when the items first arrived. She¡¯d thought she had made a mistake then. Now she finally knew. They were betrothal gifts ¨C the Lewis n had passed them to Tracy on Baron¡¯s behalf. ¡°Yuri, don¡¯t go!¡± Seeing that Yuri was leaving, Henry began to panic. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t get too worked up. Give us some time, and we can convince Yuri,¡± Sherry hastened forward and spoke. ¡°If we can¡¯t solve the n¡¯s crisis tonight, then it¡¯s all over!¡± Henry roared furiously, then continued, ¡°The trouble the Perry n is in is all thanks to your household. If you can¡¯t get the Lewis n¡¯s forgiveness by the break of dawn, forget abouting back to the family ¨C I¡¯ll make you all pay!¡± With that, Henry spun and left. Sherry hurried to chase after him. ¡°Dad, you really mean it to make Terry assistant general manager, and give us the courtyard mansion?¡± Henry was far too incensed to reply. He stepped into his car and sped off. ¡°Terry, what did Dad mean by that? I thought he said he would make you assistant general manager. What about our mansion?¡± Sherry wasn¡¯t yet aware of the danger to the Perry n. His wife was so infuriating that Terry had tough. ¡°If you want to live in a mansion, go to the Perry courtyard yourself tomorrow to see if he has one ready for you.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Terry?¡± Sherry snapped, embarrassed. ¡°You imbecile! Don¡¯t you get it yet? The Perry n is going to be destroyed! After tonight, the n¡¯s probably going to die out. Do you think he¡¯d stoop to visiting us if they hadn¡¯t been backed into a corner?¡± Terry yelled. ¡°No, we have to do something! We can¡¯t let the n fold over like this! Look, Terry, if Yuri¡¯s not going to go beg the Lewis n for leniency, we¡¯ll go ourselves!¡± Sherry¡¯s emotions ran wild as she tugged at Terry. ¡°As long as we solve the n¡¯s crisis for them, Granddad will definitely get us that courtyard mansion, get you that general manager¡¯s position, and maybe even let you take over as the head of the n eventually.¡± Even though the Perry n never treated them with respect, the n name itself was an asset. All these years, even if they¡¯d done nothing to show for it, they¡¯d enjoyed a share of the profits every month. If the family copsed, that was all going away. ¡°Get off me!¡± Terry shoved his wife away, growling, ¡°You and your blind greed! Do you really think the richest family of Cona is going to listen to the likes of you?¡± Sherry¡¯s expression dulled. ¡°Is the Perry n really finished?¡± The Raven Bar. Yuri held up a winess and quaffed it. ¡°What¡¯s up with you, Yuri?¡± A voice rang out, taking the ss. ¡°Bonnie, you¡¯re here! Drink with me.¡± Seeing that it was her best friend, Yuri dragged Bonnie to a seat next to her. Bonnie hadn¡¯t known what was going on when she took the call a moment ago, but Yuri had sounded strange, so she¡¯d rushed over. Seeing the empty bottles piled atop the table, Bonnie knew that Yuri was dead drunk. ¡°What happened, Yuri? Tell me, and I¡¯ll deal with it for you.¡± Yuri wasn¡¯t ying about. Hearing Bonnie¡¯s words, she flung her arms around her and sobbed, ¡°Why? Why do this to me? Why?¡± In the middle of her sobs, she pushed Bonnie off her and raised another ss to drink. Bonnie hurried to stop her. ¡°Yuri, please, if you want to drink, let¡¯s head to my ce where we can drink all you want!¡± The males around were staring at them with lustful looks. Bonnie was growing nervous. Yuri had very obviously had too much to drink, and if someone with lewd intentions came around, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to halt their advances. After a fair bit of work, she finally managed to get Yuri out of the bar. At this moment, a ck Audi A6 rolled to a stop in front of the bar. A bruised Phillip was at the driver¡¯s seat. Seeing Yuri leave, he hurried out of the car towards her. ¡°Yuri, if you don¡¯t go over to the Lewis n, the Perry family is well and truly done far. Please, won¡¯t you do this one favor for your cousin? As long as we make it through this, I¡¯ll do anything you want, I promise!¡± Phillip closed in and grabbed her by the arm, pleading fervently. What he didn¡¯t know was that Henry had already tried pleading with Yuri personally, and was still in a panic over the family. Henry had always been heavy-handed. If he failed to convince Yuri to help, Phillip really was going to be expelled from the n. ¡°Get away! Get away from me!¡± Although she was drunk, Yuri still recognised Phillip, and she grew even more agitated. As she raged at him, she sent a kick flying in his direction. Bonnie held her back hastily, apologizing to Phillip. ¡°Sorry, she¡¯s really drunk!¡± Phillip felt a surge of sheer frustration. Tonight was the final deadline for the Perry n, and here Yuri was, drunk out of her wits. By the time she woke, it would all be toote. A sinister notion spread through his mind, and he hurried forward to Bonnie, saying, ¡°I¡¯m Yuri¡¯s cousin Phillip. I¡¯ll take her home. Thanks for your help back there.¡± Bonnie¡¯s suspicions rose. She¡¯d heard what Phillip had said loud and clear. Yuri had obviously refused him before. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ll take her back to my ce,¡± Bonnie said. Before Phillip could say another word, she stopped a taxi and left. Looking at the taxi disappear from view, a warped look shed across Phillip¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re forcing my hand, Yuri.¡± He produced his phone and dialed a number. ¡°I need you to kidnap someone for me¡­¡± Bonnie took Yuri onto the taxi and heaved a relieved breath. Yuri was fast asleep, but tears still marred the corners of her eyes. Seeing Yuri in such a state tugged at Bonnie¡¯s heartstrings. The sound of rubber against asphalt rang out. The pair hadn¡¯t taken but three steps out the taxi before there came the harsh squeal of tires. Bonnie looked behind and saw a minivan stopped next to them. Two brutes with tattooed arms emerged. ¡°What do you want?¡± Seeing the men approach, Bonnie was filled with terror. One of the brutes stepped forward and chopped down with the heel of his hand. Bonnie fell unconscious on the spot. The other brute had already dragged Yuri onto the car. It had all happened within the blink of an eye. Before anyone could notice, Yuri had been taken away. Not far away on the roadside, an Audi A6 was stopped, where Phillip was leering. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can refuse my demands after I get some good photos of your one-night-stand.¡± Bonnie woke to find herself in a bush. She rubbed the aching back of her neck, then remembered the events prior to her cking out and panicked. ¡°YURI!¡± But Yuri was nowhere to be found. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org. The Perry garden. Tracy looked at the time. ¡°It¡¯s past ten.¡± As she mused, she ced a phone call, but it was shut off at the other end, which was disturbing. She left the room, looking over the stairs to Sherry - who was busy watching television ¨C and asked, ¡°Mom, do you know where Yuri¡¯s gone? It¡¯s sote; why isn¡¯t she home yet?¡± Sherry didn¡¯t even lift her head, saying without a care in the world, ¡°She¡¯s no child. How would I know where she¡¯s gone? ¡°Ha ha, what a twist!¡± Completely immersed in the television drama, Sherry began tough callously. Sighing, Tracy went back to her room. At that moment, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing that the caller was Bonnie, a bad feeling began to nag at her, and she hurriedly took the call. ¡°Tracy, Yuri¡¯s been kidnapped!¡± The moment Tracy picked up, she heard Bonnie sobbing. Chapter 31 I could kill you Chapter 31 I could kill you In Peak Hotel, Baron finished a shower and suddenly his phone rang. After taking a nce at it, Baron couldn''t believe it was Tracy, for she had never called him before. ¡°Tracy,¡± Baron answered in a hurry. ¡°Help! Baron, Yuri was kidnapped!¡± Tracy¡¯s worried voice came through the phone instantly. In fact, Tracy didn''t know what to do then after she got a call from Bonnie. At that dire moment, she thought of Baron. ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Boron said soothingly, ¡°I''m gonna find her now, and tell me everything that you know.¡± Boron said, putting on his coat quickly. At the other end of the line, Tracy repeated the conversation with Yuri word for word to Baron. ¡°Charles,e out with me!¡± Baron said, walking out of the vi. A ck luxury car rushed out from the darkness. Charles drove Baron who sat in the back row with a serious face. The expression on Baron¡¯s face was so frightening that Charles felt a chill shiver rippling over his skin, ¡°Baron, where shall we go?¡± ¡°Perry family!¡± said Baron indifferently. At the same time, in a private box of arge nightclub, a youngdyy on the sofa, dead drunk. Beside her, there was an obscene bald man in his thirties watching her eagerly. The youngdy was Yuri, who had been kidnapped not long ago. The man sat opposite was Phillip. ¡°Dude, you are really vicious. You even want to hit on your cousin!¡± The bald looked at him with disdain, but his smile revealed that he was very satisfied. Phillipined bitterly, ¡°She is so ingrate that she herself is the one to me for this. As long as I get her nude photos, she can only be under my control.¡± The bald burst outughing and said, ¡°Ha ha, I''ll help you. Thedy belongs to me tonight.¡± After hearing this, Phillip¡¯s face changed a little, ¡°Wace, she belongs to you just for an hour. I need her for something else. After tonight, she can never hide from you,¡± He said hurriedly. Phillip intended to threaten Yuri by her nude photos to intercede with the Lewis family on his behalf. If Yuri would stay with Wace the whole night, all his efforts would be in vain. ¡°Dude, she doesn¡¯t have a big shot as her backer, does she?¡± said Wace, squinting his eyes. Phillip felt a bit guilty about fooling Wace, because in his view, Yuri was the woman Lewis family wanted. ¡°Take it easy. If there is a big shot as her backer, how can she be thrown out by my granddad?¡± Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org. Wace felt relieved when hearing this, ¡°Even an hour is extremely precious. Leave now. No more dy,¡± he sneered. ¡°OK, I''ll go. Wace. Don''t forget to shoot a video.¡± Phillip made a bow to him and left. Soon, that left just Wace and blotto Yuri in the private box. Wace walked toward Yuri with open arms. ¡°My little dear! I''m here,¡± he said scurrilously. ¡°Ow! ¡­¡± All of a sudden, Yuri threw up. Completely caught off-guard, Wace was fully covered in puke. The stink of vomit was mingled with the smell of wine. The disgusting odor smelled up the whole room. ¡°Shit!¡± Wace roared angrily. He called two waitresses to clean it, ¡°Hurry up! Or you may waste my time.¡± In the Perry courtyard, Henry was sitting in his room alone, looking very gloomy. Aftering back from Tracy¡¯s home, he visited many of his old friends, but he even wasn¡¯t able to meet them. ¡°Does this spell the doom of the Perry family?¡± Henry was not reconciled to his defeat and soon a flicker of evil revealed on his face, ¡°It is all because of you, Yuri! You bitch! Perry family wouldn''t havee to a dead end if you are willing to intercede with the Lewis family!¡± At this point, outside the room a noise suddenly sted out. It sounded like some people were fighting. Henry exploded with rage and rushed outside, ¡°Look at this mess! You are¡­¡± When he saw the scene in front of him, he was startled with wide eyes, speechless. Outside the door, a dozen of bodyguards, were lying on the ground, moaning. Henry was unable to believe what he saw. He spent arge sum of money to build the security team. They were martial arts masters from all over the country. But now, everyone fell to the ground except the two guys. He only knew one of them, Baron. ¡°Oh, so it''s you! A dead dog!¡± Henry looked terrible. Baron moved toward Henry while Charles, standing on the same spot, stared at the bodyguards sharply. Whoosh! Baron rushed toward Henry and gripped him by the throat. Henry¡¯s face turned blue as Baron nearly took his breath away! ¡°If anything bad happens to Yuri, the whole Perry family will disappear entirely,¡± he eximed with rage. As soon as Baron finished, he threw Henry out violently on the ground several meters away. The crash made Henry terrible cough immediately. Every one of the Perry family was totally stunned. He even beat such an old man. ¡°How, how dare you treat me like that?!¡± Now Henry was also infuriated. Step by step, Baron moved toward Henry, who was still lying on the ground. Baron lifted his foot and stomped on Henry¡¯s chest, ¡°Believe it or not, I am going to kill you.¡± As Baron stopped speaking, Henry felt a mighty force was about to overwhelm his chest. Until this moment, he realized that Baron really intended to kill him. ¡°Call Phillip now! Bring Yuri here within ten minutes or he will surely die,¡± said Baron savagely. After all, the old guy was Tracy¡¯s granddad. ¡°You¡¯re a jerk! You want to hurt my son! How dare you! ¡± a middle-aged woman snarled. Baron raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°p her!¡± With the words, a clear sound echoed in everyone¡¯s ears. Before others knew what happened, Charles had reached forward and given her a p. The p was so hard that the middle-aged woman flew out and fainted. Fighting at the frontier for years had turned Charles into a man of great strength. Great horror flooded others in waves! Baron and Charles showed no mercy to neither old guys nor the women! What they didn''t know was that the two men didn¡¯t take all their strength. ¡°Now, 9 minutes left.¡± Baron looked at his watch and told Henry. Henry finally understood the critical situation. Trembling in every limb, he called the number. ¡°What the hell did you do to Yuri! Bring her home in nine minutes without any injury! Or you''re going to die!¡± Henry snarled on the phone. Phillip struggled to contain himself, ¡°Granddad, Yuri cannot leave yet because I need her to finish the task you gave me.¡± ¡°Shut up! You stupid jerk! I am ordering you to bring her back right now!¡± Obviously Yuri was in great danger. What Baron had done to Perry family was far beyond Henry¡¯s imagination. He clearly knew if Phillip hurt Yuri, the whole Perry family might disappear, and even his own life was threatened. A ripple of fear passed through him. He looked at Baron in disbelief. Was the man in front of him still trash? ¡°Granddad, Yuri is in Royal Hotel. It''s far from home so it is impossible to bring her home in nine minutes even by ne. I¡¯m close to finished the task. So, don''t worry and wait for the good news.¡± Then Phillip hung up the phone. ¡°Phillip! Hello! Hello!¡± There was no response any more. ¡°It seems Phillip wants to die. Well, in that case, maybe I can help him.¡± A fierce look came into his eyes. Henry was really freaked out and said beseechingly, ¡°Baron, please! Let him off this time.¡± Henry did say that if Phillip couldn¡¯t resolve Perry family''s crisis, he should never return home. But those were his angry words, Phillip was his only grandson. How could he kick him out of the family? Henry¡¯s only son, Phillip¡¯ father, died from a car ident years ago. And the other son Terry was nothing but a bastard. Henry had no blood rtionship with him. Henry had no rtives except Phillip in the whole Perry family. If Phillip died, he would be left alone. He knew Baron really intended to kill his only grandson, which filled him with horror. ¡°His life depends on Yuri, so you¡¯d better pray for Yuri to be unharmed.¡± He said coldly and turned away. ¡°Wait!¡± Henry thought of something at once. He said hurriedly, ¡°Phillip just mentioned Yuri is in Royal Hotel. Normally, it takes twenty minutes to reach there, but as it is not rush hour now, so it is totally different. If you drive faster, you can get there in ten minutes.¡± ¡°Charles, take the car! Hurry up!¡± said Baron. Like a sh of lightning, the ck car galloped on the road at full speed. It only took eight minutes to get there. Charles braked abruptly, drifting, and parked at the door of Royal Hotel. Chapter 32 Retribution Chapter 32 Retribution Phillip leanedfortably in a luxury car, with a cigarette in his mouth. He raised his hand to look at the watch from time to time, ¡°Twenty minutes went by. I haven¡¯t got any videos from Wace yet,¡± Phillip said impatiently. At that moment, a squeal of brakes thundered in his ear. Phillip took a closer look subconsciously and saw two men getting out of the car and walking into the Royal Hotel. ¡°It¡¯s Baron. Why is he here?¡± Phillip said restlessly. But soon, he seemed to rx marginally, with a scornful smile, ¡°Take it easy! He is just an idiot. There is nothing he could do even if he has found Yuri. Who dare to trouble in here Wace¡¯s hotel?¡± Suddenly, Phillip¡¯s cell phone rang. It was Henry. He answered in a hurry, ¡°Granddad. Don''t worry. I''ll receive the video in a moment. At that point, Yuri will have no choice but to do as I ask and I will resolve our family¡¯s crisis easily.¡± Henry was in a fit of anger, ¡°video? What kind of video?¡± he asked on the telephone confusingly. Phillip realized that he spilled the beans. But five years ago, in order to get Samho Group, he yed the same trick on Tracy, and his granddad helped him hide the truth. Thinking of this, he decided to be honest to Henry. ¡°Granddad. The reason why Perry family came to a dead end is the little bitch Yuri. I have taken her to Wace Scott, the owner of the Royal Hotel. As long as I receive their sex videos, I will threaten her to ask the Lewis family for help. I will manage to finish the task before midnight. So, you can rest assured!¡± said Phillip. ¡°You''re crazy! How could you do such a thing? You piss me off,¡± Henry roared angrily, ¡°Get your ass back here right now! Hide from Baron or you''re a dead man!¡± Henry¡¯s anger came to a boil, but Phillip was his only grandson. Even if he made a rather big mistake, Henry would help him unconditionally. ¡°Granddad. Baron is no more than an idiot. Even he could know everything what I did, but what else can he do?¡± Phillip said. Phillip didn¡¯t take Henry¡¯s words seriously. ¡°I saw him rushing into the Royal Hotel just now. I am afraid he is dying now. That''s it, Granddad. I can''t wait to have a look at it,¡± He said, sneering, and hung up the phone. In the Perry courtyard, Henry made several calls to Phillip, but there was no answer. ¡°You''re a jerk! Are you insane?¡± Henry snarled. ¡°Take the car! Go to the Royal Hotel immediately!¡± Henrymanded. In the Royal Hotel, Baron and Charles sted their way into it. ¡°Excuse me, sir¡­¡± a waitress asked while standing at the lobby. But her words were interrupted abruptly by Baron¡¯s cold eyes. ¡°Where is Wace?¡± Baron asked coldly. Their threatening tones drew the attention of the strong bodyguards. The waitress froze with terror, ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Dude, what''s the meaning of this?¡± A strong man said. He, followed by several his men, together came straight towards Baron and Charles. ¡°Where''s the girl Wace brought?¡± Baron asked angrily. The mention of Yuri shocked the strong man. He also realized the two guys were going to make trouble here. From the expression on the man¡¯s face, Baron knew he got the right ce. All of a sudden, Charles came to the strong man instantaneously and gripped him by the throat. Totally unbelievable, Charles lifted the strong man up over his head with one hand! Others stood aghast at the sight of the weird scene with pale faces. ¡°Why didn''t you answer Mr. Owen¡¯s questions?¡± Charles said. Charles¡¯ hand was round the man¡¯s throat, nearly taking his breath away. The man tried to flee, but it didn''t help at all. Others were scared out of their wits, not to mention helping him. Baron stomped with horribly heavy steps, making the man frightened to death. Seeing that the man in his hand was nearly fainted, Charles threw him out. The man flew down and hit a stone column with a ringing crash. ¡°Can you lead the way now?¡± Baron moved towards him and looked down at him. The man was trembling from head to foot with tremendous fear. Yuri was nothing but a miserable wretch. Why did she have two powerful men to protect her? How could it be possible? ¡°I¡­I''ll take you there.¡± The man pushed himself to his feet, suffering from the extreme pain. As Phillip arrived, he was disappointed to find that Baron had left already. He didn¡¯t have the chance to see how Baron got beaten, and what he saw was horror written on everyone¡¯s face. At the penthouse of the Royal Hotel there was a president suite, where Yuri was right there. She had been cleaned up by two waitresses. Now shey on a big bed, in a pink nightgown. Yuri was not aware of theing danger entirely as she still didn''t wake up. A camera was set up beside the bed. Yuri was very beautiful. Lying idly in the bed in a drunken stupor, she was more charming than before. Wace, only in underpants, looked at the beauty obscenely. The look upon his face was lustful. ¡°What a great gift!¡± Wace gave a satisfied smile, heading to Yuri, ¡°Little darling, Here I am!¡± he said and jumped her. Just then, the security door fell down with a big bang. Everyone was shocked by the unimaginable scene. The security door was so firm that it couldn¡¯t be broken in by a human being. The huge noise made Wace jump. He turned his head to the two men and said angrily, ¡°Get the hell out of here!¡± He was unaware of the danger, because he was the king of this ce, where no one had the chance to bully him. Baron looked at the drunken Yuri who was still dressed in a nightgown. Then he shot a nce at Wace, who was still in his underwear. He let out a sigh in relief. All these showed that Yuri dodged aContent from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. bullet this time. ¡°You are so lucky,¡± Baron said quietly. Wace wrapped a towel around himself. He stared at Baron, full of a murderous rage, ¡°Who do you think you''re talking to? How dare you! I have never seen an audacious man like you over the years.¡± After hearing this, Charles took a step forward, preparing for a battle. After Wace pped his hands for three times, immediately a dozen of men rushed in and stood around Baron and Charles. ¡°I''m in a good mood today, so I will pass over your rude behaviors as long as you two disable your own arms,¡± Wace said, leaning on the sofa leisurely. ¡°Disable our arms?¡± Baron said and took a look around, said with a chuckle, ¡°Charles, disable their arms! All of them!¡± ¡°Yes! Sir.¡± At the words, Charles was already gone. For an instant, he got a strong man by the arm which was fractured with a crack. The sudden crack of bone echoed in the quiet president suite made everyone¡¯s blood freeze. ¡°Ouch!¡± The man let out heart-rending yowls incessantly and the shouts resounded in the whole room. Wace stood up and looked at Charles in disbelief. The lit cigar fell to the ground from his hand. Others without exception were terrified to death. ¡°You stupid jerk! Don''t blink or you''ll miss the most exciting part.¡± Charles said to Wace and turned back, with a cruel smile. Charles moved swiftly, leaving a shadow in the crowd. Whenever he stopped, the crack of broken bones was sounded. Neatly and brutally, it only took him one second to disable a man¡¯s two arms. Within several seconds, not a single person was spared. The room echoed with painful wailing. Wace started shaking uncontrobly. He had run his businesses for years in Cona, dealing with all kinds of people every day, but he had never been terrified like this. ¡°Wace, why haven''t you got the video?¡± At this very moment, a familiar voice boomed from the outside, and then Phillip appeared. At first, he gave a puzzled nce at the scene in the room, and then he understood everything. He sat on the ground, pale as a ghost. Chapter 33 A beast in human face Chapter 33 A beast in human face Wace¡¯s face was congested with anger when he saw Phillip. If it hadn''t been for him, he wouldn¡¯t have suffered the burning shame. Baron cast a scornful nce at Phillip, as if to say, "You are a dead man.¡± After the fierce fighting, Charles went back coolly and dispassionately, standing close behind Baron. Without a hint of mood swing, even his breathing was steady, as if he didn¡¯t disable someone¡¯s arm just now. "Still want to disable our arms? Get over yourself! You''re not eligible!" Baron said with a sneer as if Wace¡¯s life was on the line. Wace felt overwhelmed by the enormous pressureing from Baron and could not help kneeling down to him. He implored, "It is all because of Phillip. He is exactly a jerk! He gave me money to rape Yuri and record the sexual video!" Watching the scene, Phillip was scared out of his wits. He had always believed that Wace looked like a superman and seemed just as invincible. But now the superman was kneeling on the floor and pleading with Baron, the one he always regarded as an idiot. Then he took a look around. Dozens of people were lying on the ground, groaning with pain. As he thought about what he had done during this period, his nerves were shot to pieces. He wetted his pants unconsciously. ¡°Five years ago, the affair which caused a remarkable sensation in Cona was also done at Phillip¡¯s instigation, right?¡± Baron suddenly asked Wace. Wace looked distinctly horrified when the past events were mentioned, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It seems you have done so many evil things that you can''t remember which one. So, let me remind you!¡± Baron looked cid. None but Charles knew beneath the cidness was most awful. ¡°Five years ago, Tracy, the most beautiful girl in Cona and the president of Samho Group, unexpectedly had sex with a security guard, the most useless one. It is strange, isn''t it?¡± Baron continued. At this point, it was alling back to Wace now. He no longer had the balls to trick the devil in front of him, so he poured out the whole story, ¡°It was all Phillip¡¯s fault. He directed the whole thing. In addition, he arranged for me to make trouble in every possible way in Samhopany, and finally caused her to go intobor early.¡± Just as Wace reveled in the talking, he didn¡¯t notice that Phillip looked rather pale. When Phillip looked up and his eyes met Baron''s, his whole body was damp with sweat. ¡°Mr. Owen, what I said was true, I swear! It''s entirely Phillip¡¯s fault. He instigated me to do it¡­¡± Before he finished, he was kicked away by Baron. Hended beside Phillip with a dull thump, with blood spraying out of his mouth. Looking at the dying Wace, Phillip was paralyzed with fear and nearly fainted. ¡°Since you like fooling others so much, I will let you feel how it feels,¡± Baron said. Then he snapped out an order, ¡°Charles, since everything''s ready, let''s do it. Feed them with drugs and remember to record the video.¡± While hearing this, Charles looked at Baron in some surprise, but he followed Baron¡¯s order. ¡°Mr. Owen, forgive me! I swear I will never, never do that again!¡± Wace begged for mercy, but it didn¡¯t work. Charles came into a room with Wace in one hand and Phillip in the other. ¡°Come here!¡± Charles said to the man who led the way a moment ago. "Here I am, at your service." The man said obediently, but he was shivering with great horror. Charles gave him a phial, filling with white powder, ¡°Give them to eat and then take a video.¡± When the man saw the directions on the medicine bottle, he understood Baron¡¯s intention. He was shocked but still obeyed. He went into the room, with the phial in his hand. Soon, from the adjoining room came a volley of noises, mixed squeals, and moans, but they were not painful sounds. After some time, the man came out, with a camera in hand. Charles took the camera and had a look, ¡°Well done!¡± he said, with satisfaction. ¡°Baron, what shall we do with the video?¡± Charles asked. ¡°Post it on the inte!¡± Baron said, with a sneer. When others heard these words, all of them got shocked. Once the video had been published online, it would bring shame on Perry family and Scott family, even the two families might eventually crash and burn ever after. The Perry family was small and weak, but the Scott family was totally different. At this moment, Henry rushed into the room confusedly. He saw Baron sitting on the sofa leisurely, and dozens of people were groaning with pain all over the ground. ¡°Baron, where is Phillip?¡± Henry asked, quivering. Henry pinned all his hopes to Phillip. If Phillip were to die, the Perry family and its property would perish byck of a suitable heir. ¡°It is thest time! Next time, Phillip, together with the whole Perry family will disappear from this world forever.¡± Baron said coldly. At this moment, Baron was powerful and invincible, like a god of war. Henry¡¯s heart sank a little for the words, ¡°I admit that you are powerful, but our Perry family is also not too weak. Watch out for my revenge!¡± he said angrily. ¡°We''ll wait and see,¡± Baron said with a contemptuous sneer, ¡°Phillip is in that room. Take him away!¡± Henry quickly walked over. When he got into that room, he almost passed out. He happened to see the startling scene-- Phillip was having sex with a man! ¡°You stupid jerk! Are you insane?¡± Henry snarled. Wace¡¯s orgasm was suddenly interrupted by the voice. ¡°Fuck off!¡± he roared to Henry. And Henry discovered that the man on top of Phillip was Wace Scott! Wace¡¯s scolding made him shake with fear. If the servants hadn''t held his arms, he would have fallen in a faint. Henry was afraid to offend the Scott family. Finally, he could do nothing but leave. ¡°Baron, what on earth did you do to them?¡± Henry questioned. In fact, he had guessed what happened. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Baron pped a coffee table nearby heavily. The coffee table was made of marble, but it had been broken into pieces at that moment. ¡°Phillip even can do such a thing to his own cousin. Do you know what would have happened if I hadn''t been there in time? So, did you have the gall to question me?¡± Baron was so inwardly furious that he wished he could kill Henry at once. Frightened by the tone of Baron, Henry couldn¡¯t say a word. But his feeling was at a high pitch of indignation. Then all went quiet in the next room finally. ¡°Get the hell out of here with Phillip while you''re still alive!¡± Baron said and turned to the waiters of Royal Hotel, ¡°Take Wace out of here!¡± Then Henry took Phillip out of this house shamefully. When there was no one around, Baron walked toward Yuri, who was still unconscious and knew nothing about what happened at all. Baron was still a little angry with her. If he hadn''t shown up in time, she would have been raped. Five years ago, the same thing happened to Tracy and Baron. At that time Tracy lost her virginity, but unlike Wace, Baron was devoted to Tracy. If she bedded with another man tonight, how could Yuri live with the weight of that humiliation. For a long time, Baron heaved a sigh of relief. Given some medicines, Yuri was sober finally. When she opened her eyes, a familiar face came into view. She found herself lying in a strange room and wearing only a nightgown, without any lingerie. Shepletely misunderstood the situation, and pped Baron heavily on the face, with tears streaming from her eyes, ¡°Baron, You¡¯re a jerk! How could you do this to me? You''re my brother-in-