“What do you mean?”Martin frowned.“What do you mean? You can still ask that so calmly? Look! Look at this!”The sales associate held up Martin’s black card in her hand.“You’re trying to scam me with this fake card, aren’t you? You’re lucky I didn’t call security to throw you out earlier, and now you dare go even further!”“What? What part of it is fake?”Martin still didn’t understand why the woman kept spewing nonsense about him—and the card he handed over.“That card alone could buy every shirt in this place.”“Martin, calm down.”Quinn tugged at his arm unconsciously, her voice soft.A wave of discomfort was rising in her chest.“There’s no need to continue this. Let’s just leave.”Martin didn’t say a word. He would listen to whatever Quinn said.But the staff clearly had no intention of letting the matter end just like that.“Oh, so now that you’re exposed, you want to leave? Not that easy! You two will pay for what you’ve done!”The staff grabbed her phone, scrolled to a conta

Inside the meeting room of the building where the Hayes Family Office was located.“Madam, this is the annual report you requested.”A bald man in his fifties, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, placed several sheets of paper filled with numbers on the table.He was Neil Johnson, the CEO of the office.Before taking this position, he had been a senior banker who had assisted the Hayes family’s businesses for the past twenty years.“What is this? Do you think I want to read something like this?”A woman in her seventies—her hair still black and wearing a cream knee-length dress—let out a weary sigh.With a single push, she slid the stack of papers to the side.She was Eleanor, the matriarch.“I don’t pay you to give me a headache. Give me a report that’s clear and to the point. Just get straight to it.”“Mmm… yes, madam.”The CEO loosened his yellow tie before continuing.“Over the past year, our profit has gone up slightly, especially in the—”Neil spoke technically for several min

“Aunty, are you sure you’re okay doing this?”Gianna glanced at the senior staff member’s face before the woman stepped into the manager’s Mercedes S-Class.“Yes. I’m fine, ma’am.”Dorothy nodded firmly, though her expression still showed a hint of tension.After all, she would be attending the Christmas celebration hosted by the Mercer family—one of the most influential families in Havenport and a name that had never had a good relationship with their brand ever since it established itself in the city.For Dorothy to go in the manager’s place was no different from walking onto a battlefield.“If anything happens—anything at all—don’t hesitate to contact me.”“Yes, ma’am.”Gianna helped close the car door, and the black Benz drove out of the rooftop parking area.Moments later, a voice sounded behind her.“Still planning to play it safe and avoid confronting that mafia family?”From behind Gianna, a young woman dressed entirely in black, a long-range rifle resting against her right ar

“Looks like someone's wearing the best outfit of his entire life!”Lucas snickered the moment he saw Martin coming down the stairs.“Mr. Ethan, look at that,” he pointed at Martin.“I swear it’s even better than the suit he wore on his wedding day.”“I wasn’t there, but I’ll take your word for it. Hahaha!”The two men burst into laughter.“At the very least, I wanted to dress him well… to close out his final chapter in this house.”Ethan didn’t hesitate to say it out loud, laughing even harder afterward.The idea of bringing Martin to the Hayes mansion was entirely Ethan’s.He was even the one who bought Martin this suit.Not out of respect—But to mock him.“Alright. Shall we get going? Time’s running short.”Jonathan rose from his seat and headed toward the door.He pretended to be in a hurry, but the truth was he was simply sick of seeing Martin’s face.He couldn’t understand how a man could be humiliated repeatedly without ever fighting back.“This kid will die from insults before

"Never expect to get anything from me! That will never happen!" Catherine shouted as she stepped out of the Audi. Slamming the car door shut, she strode hastily across the wide Hayes estate lawn toward the mansion’s front entrance. "Remember my words! You’ll starve to death out there—without warm clothes and without a place to stay!" The front lawn surrounding the mansion stretched roughly five hundred square meters, not including the sides and the back of the estate. Although the sun hadn’t fully set yet, the small lights strung across the many Christmas trees and placed on the tables throughout the yard were already glowing brightly. There were many tables and chairs. Yet all of them were empty. As Martin stepped out of the car, he frowned. "Why isn’t anyone here?" He had never attended a Christmas celebration at this place, but he knew one thing: events like these usually did not start late. Even in the late afternoon, crowds would already gather. But Martin didn’t have