The golden lamps in Riss Smith’s private study glowed with a quiet menace, casting stretched shadows across the leather-bound books and antique chess board that adorned the far wall. He sat behind a carved blackwood desk, a glass of golden whiskey in one hand, and a sealed envelope in the other.His father’s words still echoed in his mind like a mantra.“The one who marries Thea Walton… inherits it all.”Forty-seven hospitals. Pharmaceutical dynasties. Medical research empires. Titles. Legacy. Power.And all that stood between him and the throne was a woman who refused to kneel.Thea Walton.She wasn’t just beautiful. She was dangerous. She had honor braided into her spine and stubbornness carved into her bones. She was not the type to be wooed with roses and poetry. Her heart was forged in battlefields, not ballrooms.And Riss Smith… he was a tactician, not a poet.But this time, he couldn’t rely on brute wealth or cold strategy. No. Thea Walton would not fall like other women had.T

The atmosphere inside the Smith Mansion was tense with unsaid words and rising testosterone. The grandiose living room, adorned with gold accents and oil paintings of past generations, echoed with the subtle sound of polished shoes pacing on marble. King Smith strolled in with a noticeable swagger, the corner of his lips curled with a self-satisfied smirk.He threw his jacket carelessly onto the velvet couch and plopped down like he owned the entire world.“Where have you been?” Vonn asked, arms crossed, standing in front of the fireplace. His deep voice vibrated with restrained irritation.King didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached for the crystal decanter on the glass table, poured himself a drink, and sipped it slowly. Theatrics. He wanted to be seen. He wanted them to notice.“I just came back from seeing her,” King finally said, deliberately emphasizing the pronoun as if Thea Walton had become some sort of divine entity to be worshipped.Vonn’s nostrils flared. “You went

“The War God got some balls to actually walk in here and ask us to come compete against each other in order to win her hand in marriage. I have always known that she was a bold and prideful woman but I never knew it was to this extent.” Vonn complained bitterly to his brothers after they got inside.“I just think you didn't expect to meet a woman that would match upon your pride.” King said with a smirk on his face. “Did you see your face when Riss told us, she walked into the room. You looked like they told you Mom rose up from the dead.”“That is not supposed to be a joke,” Riss said in a stern voice as he didn’t buy the silly joke King made about their late mother. “ Vonn is not entirely wrong, that woman is prideful and I must teach her to know her place right after I make her my wife. Who does she think she is to be speaking to us like she is the prize?”“But she is indeed the prize. Father intends to give his fortune to her if she marries any of us, so what is your point?” King

“Mrs Gisele Cole and her husband.” The leader spoke up at once.His assumption was right, after she came to his place yelling alongside her son. Only she could pull that. He would have been surprised if they had given him another name. His father’s relatives never failed to show their true behaviour.After taking over his father’s company and splitting most of his properties amongst themselves, they still dared to issue some debts on his parents name.“I am going to ask another question and you must answer me honestly. Who is the one that is truly owing you money or is this some facade My Uncle and his wife has put you all to?” He demanded in a sifter tone.All of them were still shivering on the floor, as they feared what may happen to them. They also knew that lying would not help at all, so they decided to come all clean to him.“Well, since Mrs Gisele took over the company from her husband, we have been running through some financial crisis, they have not paid our salaries for abo

“Sister, you know my Jacob was the one that managed to find that rascal, please do not forget to recommend him to your husband when the promotion comes up at the company,” James Cole faced his sister.Jacob had not been interested in the company nor did he want to run it, he had been interested in the automobile business. SInce James and his wife could not afford to set one up for him due to their lavish lifestyle, they found a job for him where Vivian Cole’s husband worked as the executive general manager at the headquarters.James might be a spoilt little kid but he had offered to work his way through the top by first working as a junior sales rep. His parents had tried to talk him out of it, asking him to take a breed but he told them to set up his own shop for him if they could not bear him working for someone else.“Hmm, that is true, one of the head staff is resigning and that position is open, we could fix him there. Her pay is about ten times what he is earning right now, an