"What do you mean by that, Father? Today’s matter concerns the vital interests of our Cooper family. As members of this family, how could we possibly stay away?""Look—even Joseph is here. How could we not be?"Hugh Cooper, the second son of the Cooper family, said with an ingratiating smile."Now that’s not quite right, Jianren. What do you mean ‘even Joseph is here’? Our Cooper family has prospered all these years entirely because of him. Anyone else may be absent, but Joseph cannot be. We simply cannot do without him."Hugh Cooper’s wife quickly corrected him."Yes, yes, my mistake—I spoke poorly. Compared to our former nephew-in-law, what are we, really?"Hugh Cooper said with exaggerated courtesy, his face full of flattery."The family business has been thriving lately, largely thanks to our former nephew-in-law. Matters within the family should be discussed with him more often."At this moment, Bernard Cooper, the third son, spoke up.Standing beside the old master, Joseph remai

He had brought quite a number of men with him, but compared to the Cooper family, they were vastly outnumbered.If a conflict were to erupt now, he would gain nothing from it.“You… you!”Toby Cooper was so furious he could barely speak, and beneath the anger, a flicker of fear crept in.At that moment, Old Mr. Cooper raised his hand again, signaling the crowd to quiet down.“Young man from the Metropolis City Cooper family—if you’ve come here merely to flaunt your power and indulge your sense of superiority, then you may leave at once.”“Do not flatter yourselves. The Metropolis City Cooper family and the Nova City Cooper family have long since gone their separate ways.”“Everything you’ve said is meaningless.”Old Mr. Cooper rebuked him coldly.The others immediately voiced their agreement.“Fine. Then I’ll get straight to the point.”“These are two letters from my father. You may read them.”“You would do well to follow the instructions within. Otherwise… you may come to regret it.

“Release it to the public.”Joseph answered.“Release it?”Old Mr. Cooper and Fiona exchanged puzzled looks, not immediately grasping his intent.“The countless citizens of Elysia only know that my master has gone missing. They do not know he is dead—let alone that he was murdered.”“It is time they learned the truth. Once this video is made public, public sentiment will shift to my side.”“The three great elders of the Central Council will come under scrutiny, drawn into the vortex of public opinion. They will not dare act rashly against me.”“From that moment on, if anything happens to me, the people of Elysia will look to them first.”Joseph spoke, his gaze distant and resolute.“You’re securing your own safety—brilliantly.”Old Mr. Cooper’s eyes lit up.“Not only that. I am also buying us time—time we desperately need to grow.”“I intend to use public opinion to form a standoff with the three great power families of the Central Council, to create a fragile equilibrium.”“That bala

“It wasn’t entirely secure before, but now it is.”Old Mr. Cooper looked to be in high spirits.“How so?”Old Miss Cooper asked with evident curiosity.“My dear, whether you like hearing it or not, among the younger generation of our Cooper family, aside from Heidi and Fiona, there are hardly any who can truly be relied upon.”“If only we had a young man like Joseph in the Cooper family, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”Old Mr. Cooper spoke with a trace of emotion.“Heidi and Fiona are quite good as they are. Some things can’t be forced. Some people are simply destined to be ordinary.”“Besides, I think those two girls are quite capable.”Old Miss Cooper added.“To have granddaughters like Fiona and Heidi is enough for me. Though they are women, if either of them could marry Joseph, it would be as if our Cooper family had gained an outstanding successor.”As Old Mr. Cooper mulled it over, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight.“You certainly dream big—both of them, no less. F

“No need for a massage. After dinner tonight, I still have other matters to attend to.”Joseph replied evenly. There was no way he could have missed the implication in Mason Alvarez’s suggestive remarks.He deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere.“Professor Wilson, you really are busy.”Mason Alvarez couldn’t help but complain.Joseph merely smiled and focused on driving.More than thirty minutes later, the three of them arrived home.As soon as they stepped inside, they saw Heidi seated in the living room, busy with something.“Professor Wilson, Senior Mason Alvarez, Alice—you’re back.”Heidi greeted them one by one.“How’s it coming along?”Joseph asked as he walked in.“The main editing is basically done. You can come take a look.”“I came over in person because I was worried that sending it online might risk the video being leaked.”“So I brought it here directly.”Heidi explained.“Let me see.”Joseph sat down at her spot and began reviewing the video on her laptop.Mean