Following that, Derrick—whose bodyguards surrounded the group of three—led the duo into the building, leaving the previous employees staring at their backs, completely stupefied. Throughout their many years working here, they had never seen their chairman being so close with anyone, not that they had many chances to see him in the first place… Whatever the case was, the trio soon got into an elevator and headed to the top floor… The entire floor was Derrick’s office, and the elevator doors opened, Gerald and Aiden were greeted by the sight of at least a dozen young individuals running here and there. From the way they were dressed, they appeared to be Derrick’s secretaries… “This way, please!” said Derrick as he gestured for Gerald and Aiden to continue following him, ignoring the chaotic scene. Once they got to his table, Derrick took his coat off before making some tea. Before he sat at the table again, he made sure to get a pack of cigarettes—that had been given to him by the

Listening as Derrick shared that old tale, Gerald couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile. After all, Gerald had done plenty of similar things for others, so he didn’t particularly view saving Derrick as anything special. Regardless, it was almost an hour and a half later when they finally finished their meal. By that point, Derrick had already drunk most of the white wine, and his reddened cheek was now pressed against Gerald’s thigh as he continued mumbling about that year’s incident… Despite that, Gerald wasn’t annoyed by Derrick’s actions. Instead, he simply continued replying to Derrick’s words which were getting increasingly incoherent… Thankfully, a secretary soon entered. Upon seeing her, Gerald gestured for her to come over before saying, “Go get more people to help your chairman up. He deserves some rest.” Nodding in response, she then left before returning with more secretaries who then helped Derrick up before moving him into another, more private room… Once

“That’s right! I didn’t expect all these years to pass by so quickly… Still, shortly after our cooperation ended, my family started to decline…” replied Takuya with a nod. Truth be told, his family’s cooperation with the Fareast Consortium was the peak moment for the Futabas. “I see… seems that my consortium has brought bad luck to your family!” joked Derrick. “Please don’t say that! My family only ended up that way because of internal issues. You had nothing to do with my family’s decline…!” exclaimed Takuya, who took Derrick’s joke extremely seriously. “Don’t worry, it was just a joke… Regardless, has your family not recovered since then?” asked Derrick. “Unfortunately not… Though truth be told, all this is only happening because ‘certain individuals’ misused their positions, pocketing the profits for themselves until all the family’s wealth was drained… Don’t worry, once the contracts are signed, I’ll be sure to kick all the troublemakers out! I won’t let history repeat itse

Truth be told, part of the reason why he was acting so stubborn was because he hadn’t fully sobered up yet. Whatever the case was, Derrick then patted his chest—wanting to show Gerald how reliable he was with his current status—before declaring, “Not to worry, brother Gerald! I know quite a few people from the military to the point where some of their leaders show respect to me! With that said, getting Chef Yamamoto to serve us first is nothing!” “So it seems,” replied Gerald with a nod. He, for one, knew that Japan was a country where wealth was paramount. While it was true that there was a slight divide between the Japanese and those from the Western Union, they both operated the same way. As long as one had money and power, they would surely be able to stand firm in their respective countries… Either way, the waiter soon returned to notify them that Chef Yamamoto had agreed to prepare their dishes first. He also told them that the chef had estimated the food to be ready in the n

Chuckling in response, Takuya then said, “…Well, it’s fine if you don’t wish to tell me. Either way, I truly am grateful for all your help. With these two contracts, my family will now be able to make a comeback!” Takuya now realized that no matter who Gerald truly was, it didn’t really matter. What mattered was that he had never done Fujiko or his family members any harm, and that was more than enough for him. Thinking back, Gerald was honestly the blessing his family needed when they were at their lowest… Whatever the case was, it was nearing eleven when they finally got back to the manor. The second they entered, Takuya wasted no time and immediately began sending messages to all the members of his family, telling them to gather for a family meeting. Since half of the family was already waiting for Gerald outside the manor, the second they received their messages, they instantly began laughing with joy. To them, if another family meeting was being held so soon, it must be beca