"I can make it seem like nothing ever happened to your records." She sat on the floor, her hair messy and clothes disheveled. Her eyes were determined and confident, though. Marion felt her offer was one they couldn't resist, and she was stunned to hear Darius snort contemptuously."I thought I'd made myself clear, especially since you were standing so close to me the last time I said this, but it seems I overestimated you. I'll only say this once more, so listen closely. I couldn't care less about my records and Kingston University because I have enough money to buy the university itself. The same can't be said for your mysterious backer, though." He gave her a scornful look.Marion's breathing hitched as despair washed over her. She knew she was out of bargaining chips. Her eyes turned red as she shakily asked, "I-is there nothing I can do to salvage the situation?"Darius raised an eyebrow and looked at her like she was a fool. "I have to say, it's rare to meet someone as dumb as y

Edward didn't hesitate any longer. He ran in the direction Darius' life force was coming from, knowing it would lead him to Darius. When he was sure Darius was somewhere nearby, he called, "Mr. Reid?"Darius' voice immediately rang out from a nearby path. "I'm here."Edward looked around. When he was sure there wasn't a way for him to walk to Darius, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching him, then channeled his life force to his legs and levitated himself shakily. He landed before Darius a few seconds later and asked, "Mr. Reid, what happened?"Darius' face was frosty. Edward lapsed into silence when he saw this, feeling nervous. Darius sighed when he sensed Edward's nerves; he didn't want to stress Edward out, so he tried to keep his tone neutral as he said, "Pearl's gone. I don't know whether she's in danger now."Edward's breathing hitched. He turned to look at Darius anxiously. "What should we do now?"Darius took a deep breath. "She should be safe for now; I don't th

The old man said politely, "Excuse me, Mr. Reid. There is indeed something down there, but we can't enter from here."Darius raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. His voice was frosty and filled with fury as he said, "Give me a reason."The old man's expression turned awkward, and he clenched his jaw, seemingly afraid of Darius. Still, he forced himself to say, "Because the entrance isn't here, sir. And I'm afraid I don't know its exact location—that's not part of my job scope."Darius' gaze bore into the old man. It looked like he was merely appraising the old man, but Darius' rage was obvious to someone like Edward, who knew Darius well enough and could look past his exterior. And so, Edward decisively moved to stand before the only entrance to the storage shed so that no one could leave or enter.The janitor didn't seem to expect such treatment. He paled and crumpled to the floor as his knees gave away. Then, he looked at Darius pleadingly and said, "Mr. Reid, please let me

Then again, Darius didn't really care. He shrugged nonchalantly with his hands still in his pockets and smiled mockingly. "You make me laugh. Your anxiety and nerves are fully on display, yet you're trying to make it seem like you're unafraid of anything. You might be hidden behind a surveillance camera somewhere, but there's no hiding the shakiness and tremor in your voice. It doesn't necessarily mean you're afraid, but it does mean your emotions aren't as stable as you'd like them to be." He started strolling around again as if the clapping hadn't bothered him.Whoever hid behind the camera obviously hadn't expected this, and his face darkened. He parted his lips to say something, but no words came to him. After a long silence, he sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Alright, then. I'll appear before you so you can see whether you made the right call." The mastermind thought he'd see a mocking or fearful look on Darius' face, but Darius didn't even blink. All he said was,

"Besides, the people in your country who know anything about this are few and far between." Teivel narrowed his eyes. Darius took a deep breath. "I think I know what you mean." He was the only person who could see and hear Teivel, so in Stephen's eyes, Darius was standing in the darkness and talking to himself. Stephen frowned. Was there something wrong with Darius? If so, there was no way he could possibly be appointed as the Reid family's heir. He glanced at the surveillance footage and smiled as an idea formed in his mind. Darius wasn't aware of this. He proceeded deeper into the darkness, eventually coming to a point where the path abruptly ended to reveal a gaping hole at least thirty feet deep. Wooden sticks rose from the bottom of the hole to provide footholds that were barely wide enough for him to step on, and he knew he would plummet to his death if he were to miss any of them. He sighed and stepped forward. Behind the camera, Stephen slammed a hand on the table, shooti