All Chapters of Benjamin Wayne's Rise to Power : Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
95 chapters
Chapter 31
The corridor on the second floor was unusually quiet.Elise stood near the railing, one hand resting against the cold metal as she stared down into the living room below. Voices drifted faintly upward, but she barely registered them. Her mind was still tangled in the scene that had just unfolded downstairs, replaying her parents’ sharp words over and over again.She had thought they would be welcoming. And even if she already had prepared herself for awkwardness, for discomfort, even for disappointment. What she had not prepared for was the outright disdain in her father’s eyes, or the way her mother’s words had cut without hesitation. They had spoken as if Benjamin were a burden she had foolishly brought into their home, someone unworthy of even basic courtesy.And Benjamin had heard every word.That realization sat heavy in her chest.She bit her lower lip, fingers curling tightly around the railing as guilt crept in. She had invited him here with such excitement, so certain that to
Chapter 32
“It’s Terence Lin.”Benjamin’s expression did not change, but his attention sharpened all the same.“The heir of the Lin Family?” he asked.“Yes.” Iris nodded. “That Terence Lin.”The soft lighting of the bar washed over polished wood and glass, casting warm reflections that softened the sharp lines of the space. Quiet conversations floated in the background, muted by distance and music, but the name Iris had spoken cut cleanly through it all. In the City, Terence Lin was not just a name. He was a symbol of unchecked privilege and inherited dominance.Benjamin leaned back slightly, one arm resting against the back of the chair. His posture was relaxed, but there was a subtle alertness beneath it.“I’ve heard of him,” he said after a brief pause. His voice remained calm, almost indifferent. “His family, the Lin Family, has been moving aggressively lately. There were talks of a cooperation deal even.”Iris watched him closely. “With the Lawson family.”Benjamin met her gaze. “Yes, I'm a
Chapter 33
“For now.” Benjamin said subtly.The words were quiet, almost casual, but there was a deeper meaning beneath them. Iris Reed heard it clearly. She lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening slightly around the cellphone in her hand before relaxing again.Benjamin leaned back against the chair, his posture composed. He studied her expression for a moment, then asked, “But then again, why is Terence Lin so determined to pursue you?”The question was direct.Iris paused. The faint noise of the Bar drifted around them, the soft clinking of cutlery and muted conversations forming a distant backdrop. She let out a slow breath, as if weighing whether she wanted to answer honestly.Finally, she sighed.“To him, I’m the ideal marriage candidate,” she said.Benjamin’s eyes narrowed slightly, not in surprise, but in focus. He waited.“We’re from the same city,” Iris continued. “Our families know each other’s backgrounds. There are no unknowns, no risks. And most importantly…” She hesitated, then f
Chapter 34
“Well,” Ryan said as he came closer, his voice light. “This is unexpected.”Rose’s gaze lingered on Benjamin a moment longer, unreadable.The atmosphere around the table shifted once more.Benjamin straightened slowly, his expression neutral.“Ryan,” he said calmly. “Rose.”Ryan pulled out a chair without waiting for an invitation and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes never left Benjamin.“I didn’t think this was your kind of place,” Ryan said with a faint smile. “What are you doing here?”Rose remained standing, her arms loosely at her sides. She glanced briefly at the empty seat across from Benjamin, then back at him. “Yes,” she added coolly. “I’m curious too.”Benjamin didn’t answer immediately. He looked at Ryan for a moment, then spoke in an even tone.“I could ask you the same thing.”Ryan chuckled. “Fair enough. But I asked first.”Benjamin leaned back slightly. “I’m here for a conversation.”Ryan raised a brow. “With who?”Benjamin
Chapter 35
“Umm... what the hell just happened?” Rose asked Ryan, her expression no longer calm.Ryan didn’t answer her immediately. Instead, his gaze lifted slowly, locking onto Benjamin.Benjamin met his stare, calm and composed. Then he smiled. Not the subtle kind, but the kind that reeked of mockery.Ryan’s face darkened immediately.“That smile,” Ryan said slowly, his voice tight, “is getting really annoying.”Benjamin didn’t bother hiding it. The smile lingered for a moment longer before fading into something cooler, more detached.Rose shifted her attention to Benjamin now, her brows furrowing. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said. “When did you get bodyguards and how can you even afford them?”Benjamin leaned back slightly, resting one arm against the chair. “Bodyguards?”He tilted his head, as if considering the question. “I suppose it was after I found out about your affair with Ryan.”The words fell cleanly into the space between them.Rose stiffened.Her lips pressed together, an
Chapter 36
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he said coldly.Benjamin leaned back, his posture relaxed.“I beg your pardon?”“I said,” Ryan repeated, his tone sharp and deliberate, “don’t get ahead of yourself.”The air between them seemed to tighten. The low hum of conversation around the bar continued, but it felt distant, as though an invisible line had been drawn around the table, isolating the three of them from everyone else. Glasses clinked somewhere behind Ryan, laughter rose and fell, yet none of it reached his ears.Benjamin studied him calmly, eyes steady, almost curious. There was no anger on his face, no panic. If anything, he looked faintly amused.Ryan scoffed. “You really think you’ve won something here? After everything you’ve done?” He straightened, his shoulders squaring. “Let me make this clear. What you’re doing now is mutual destruction. And I’m not stupid enough to keep playing along.”Benjamin’s eyebrow lifted slightly. “Mutual destruction?” he echoed. “That’s an interesting
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“Mocking? Never. We simply were just pointing out facts.” Ryan scoffed.“Facts?” Iris repeated. “All I hear is insecurity dressed up as arrogance.”Rose’s expression hardened. “Do you even know who you’re standing up for?”“Yes, I do.” Iris said without hesitation. “The real question now is, do you?”The surrounding noise seemed to vanish in an instant.The chatter, the mocking laughter, the clinking of glasses. Everything fell away, leaving only the tense silence that spread outward from the four of them like a ripple. Dozens of eyes locked onto the scene, uncertain, curious, eager for something explosive to happen next.Ryan was the first to recover.His brows knit together in disbelief as he stared at Iris, then at Benjamin, then back at her again. “Iris Reed?” he said slowly, his voice edged with confusion. “Wait a minute… what the actual fuck is going on here?”He knew her. Of course he did. Anyone who moved within the upper circles of Memoville University knew who Iris Reed was,
Chapter 38
“Iris!” he snapped. “You do know that was completely unnecessary!”Iris didn’t back away. “Was it?” she asked quietly. “You seemed perfectly fine with letting her mock and humiliate someone else earlier.”Ryan faltered, just for a second.That single hesitation was all Rose needed to notice.Her cheek was still burning, the sharp sting of the slap lingering like an insult carved into her skin. She stared at Ryan in disbelief, her eyes wide, glossy, trembling with a mix of anger and wounded pride.“Ryan,” she said, her voice tight. “Didn’t you see that?”Ryan didn’t respond immediately.Rose stepped closer to him, lowering her voice as if trying to reclaim control of the situation. “She humiliated me in front of everyone,” she continued. “Are you just going to stand there and pretend nothing happened? Aren’t you going to teach her a lesson?”The words had barely left her mouth when Ryan turned.The sound echoed through the bar, louder than the first slap.Rose’s head snapped to the side
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“Yes, I don't.” Iris’s lips curved into a faint sneer. “Whether he owes three hundred thousand or three million has nothing to do with me.”Her eyes hardened. “And it certainly doesn’t give you the right to slander him in public.”The words fell with quiet authority, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. The surrounding chatter dimmed, replaced by an uneasy silence that pressed in from all sides. Ryan stood a few steps away, his posture stiff, his expression caught somewhere between irritation and disbelief.For a brief moment, he did not respond.Then he laughed.It was not loud. It was the kind of laugh that came from forcing reason onto a situation he refused to take seriously. Ryan exhaled slowly and shook his head, as if everything had finally clicked into place.“So that’s how it is,” he said to himself, though his voice carried clearly enough for others to hear. “I should’ve known.”He glanced at Benjamin again, his gaze sharp and dismissive. “For someone like Iris Reed,” Ry
Chapter 40
Benjamin did not stop until Ryan collapsed to the floor.The room was silent except for the harsh sound of breathing. Chairs had been knocked aside, and several people stood frozen, mouths open, unable to process what they had just witnessed. Ryan lay curled near the marble table, one hand clutching his stomach, the other bracing weakly against the floor. His face was swollen, his hair disheveled, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.No one dared step forward.Benjamin stood over him, chest rising steadily, knuckles reddened but steady. There was no wild rage on his face. Only something firm and settled, like a decision that had been made long ago.For a moment, Ryan did not move. Then humiliation surged hotter than pain.He coughed and forced himself up onto one knee, glaring at Benjamin through blurred vision. His voice came out hoarse but loud enough for everyone to hear.“You… you bastard,” Ryan spat. “How dare you hit me like that?”His words trembled, but his pride fo