Only the crackling wood in the fireplace broke the silence of the grand dining hall. Jackson sneaked a few glances around the room. The stoic master, Damien Shaw, enjoyed his rustic soup, whereas his beautiful daughter simply dipped her bread.

The dining room was large. Only three people enjoyed the table in the middle, which was big enough for a dozen people. Over their heads a shining chandelier with candles which illuminated the entire room.

A few doors scattered about, guarded by muscular men in suits, and the windows had velvet crimson drapes guarding them from the outside world. Jackson was sure the sky darkened, but he had no way of confirming it.

His fast-beating heart wouldn’t rest. He ate nervously while monitoring the situation. He quenched his thirst with a full glass of wine. Apparently, the alcohol eased his racing mind.

Damien Shaw coughed to get their attention. His voice hinted at a sense of self-discipline, which Jackson lacked. 

“My Rina said she had a chat with you.”

He could only nod. He willingly refused to let out his childish voice in the presence of that man. Damien noticed his reluctance and chuckled.

 “Ease up, youngster. I, too, wanted to see the man that piqued my daughter’s interest!”

“What do you mean?”

“First impressions matter!” Damien’s laugh filled the room.

“You had your cousin massage your feet!”

“It wasn’t part of the plan, but it felt good!”

The girl who, up to this point, sat silently interrupted their conversation.

“Daddy, if there’s nothing else…”

Before she could finish her sentence, her father’s thunderous voice stopped her. “Alicia, wait!”

“What is it?”

“I want you to work closely with this young man.”

Both Jackson’s and Alicia’s eyes widened. In a single voice, they exclaimed in surprise. “Huh?!”

This wasn’t part of Jackson’s plan. At least for now.

“Daddy?”

Damien Shaw mischievously shrugged his shoulders. “He passed the test!”

Jackson thought back to when they bumped into each other. Ticked by his statement, he stood up.

“You staged that?”

The bearded man chuckled. He sounded exhausted when he exclaimed. 

“Not exactly! She ran away in the middle of the night, because she thought I would have her marry you, like I did with her sister!”

Jackson felt manipulated. He walked past them towards the exit. To his surprise, the bodyguards didn’t stop him.

“Get your daughter out of the Raven family. I’ll burn them to the ground in one week!”

What he heard next stopped him.

“You will need our help with that. Their backer is the Brown family of Eastward!”

“Eastward?!”

Jackson turned around. He glared at Damien Shaw. A glint in his eyes sent chills down their spines. “My dad’s company was in Eastward!”

All the shameful memories came back. He clenched his fists to the point the doorknob cracked a few seconds later.

“Terrence showed up one rainy night and asked me to help you, his only son. By the time I arrived, the Raven family had already kicked you out. We kept a lookout from the shadows, making sure they wouldn’t come after you.”

“Why did my dad ask you to do that?”

“He stumbled on his family’s shady dealings with the Brown family by mistake.”

Damien Shaw then stood up and faced Jackson. With saddened eyes, he uttered after a respectful bow. 

“Let me apologize and offer my sincere condolences.”

Alicia gasped. “D-Daddy?”

She never once before did she see him be this distressed, let alone bow to anyone.

Jackson’s eyes glinted with a coldness that could freeze the room. After giving it some thought, he sighed. His voice became deep and domineering. 

“What did you mean earlier? What kind of work?”

“The Shaw family will give you their full support! I want Alicia to become your advisor!”

“What will you get from this?”

“As a daunting father, I hope my girls find a good man. In the future, I want you to marry my daughter and become my son-in-law!”

Alicia blushed at her father’s words. “D-D-Daddy?”

By the minute, it’s getting more troublesome. Jackson thought of how complicated the entire thing became. All the painful memories of the past flooded his mind. He gritted his teeth while his mind ran rampant.

“As long as I can have my revenge on those people!”

Although his goals may at some point meet up with Damien's, he didn't want other people meddling in his affairs. Already the situation was more than he could handle. Now this person wants to become his father-in-law. If nothing else, he already had a bitter experience once.

"I don't know what the future holds, but I annulled my engagement to the Kraft girl the other day!"

Damien burst out laughing.

"Haha! I heard about that! That was you? Now I'm more determined to have you be my son-in-law!"

His gaze turned to the other interested party. When she thought her father would marry her off, she ran away. To his surprise, though, as soon as their eyes met, she blushed and looked the other way. Not only did she not object, but after a while, she even appeared to be willing.

Jackson sighed. "So, advisor?"

"Indeed!"

"What would that entail? I never had one!"

Damien chuckled. "Basically, Alicia will be at your disposal and act as your second in command. She's trained since young to read the room and offer solid advice. Also, her studies allow her to understand the business world."

Jackson still tried to get out of it.

"My path apparently is quite treacherous. I may become dangerous to her. I can't worry about anyone else."

Alicia blurted out. "I don't mind. After hearing Mr. Jackson's story, I want to help you reach your goal! Although my skills may lack, I'll do everything I can to support you!"

Seeing no other way out, he blurted. “Fine!”

Warren, pleased with how it turned out, uttered with a smile.“Very well!”