Later that night, after Bruce had tucked Michaelangelo into bed and kissed his forehead, he made his way to the dining table. The house was silent, save for the distant crash of waves against the shore. Bruce opened his laptop and set up a conference call.Victoria's face appeared first, followed by Oswald and Alistair."Thank you for joining me," Bruce said smoothly. "Victoria, let's start from the beginning. What do we know about Woodlock Industries?"Victoria nodded, her fingers tapping against her tablet. "Woodlock Industries is owned by Jerry Woodlock, a private investor who built his fortune in real estate and infrastructure development.""Over the past few months," Victoria continued, "his company has been quietly purchasing properties across the city. As of today, they have acquired approximately 60% of the city."Bruce's forehead creased in a frown. "Sixty percent? That's almost the entire city. How is that possible?"Victoria hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Accordi

Sofia lowered her hand, narrowing her eyes as she confronted Bruce with arrogance written all over her face. She gestured toward the men in black suits who had arrived with him, her voice sharp and commanding."What's going on? Why are you with him?"The lead man's face was pale, his voice trembling. "Miss Woodlock, please, you need to stop this. Just leave them alone."Sofia's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about? You're my employees. You work for me, not for him. Why are you acting like this?"Before the man could reply, Bruce stepped forward, his eyes moving toward the engineers and bulldozer operators. With the ring of power, he commanded, "You are all dismissed. Go home."Without a moment's hesitation, the engineers turned and walked away. The bulldozer operators climbed down from their machines and followed suit, their eyes vacant. One by one, they left the property, disappearing down the street.Sofia's mouth dropped open in surprise. She spun around, her

Days went by, and Sofia became more and more restless. Her father seemed to have completely forgotten about Bruce Smith. He never brought up the topic during breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Whenever Sofia attempted to steer the conversation toward the subject, he deflected with vague excuses or changed the topic entirely. It was as if the incident had never happened.But Sofia was no fool. She knew something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones.She hired a private investigator and paid him generously to uncover the truth about what really happened that night at the beach house between her father and Bruce Smith. The results came back within three days.Bruce Smith had never been arrested. He had never been to prison. He had been spotted multiple times at Isabella's beach house, and at Lucy's home. He was living his life as if nothing had happened.Sofia felt her blood boil. She had been lied to. Her father had lied to her.One afternoon, she stormed into her father's office, he

Jerry Woodlock put down his fork, his brow knitting together in confusion. "Sell the city back to you? I'm not sure I follow, Mr. Shepherd. We just acquired it. The contracts have been signed, and the deals are finalized. The city is ours."Bruce leaned forward, his hands steepled thoughtfully. "I like your vision, Jerry. A futuristic city could be exactly what this city needs. But I don't like the idea of it being used as a business venture for investors."He paused, letting his words sink in."When investors get involved, the people become secondary. Profits come first, families are displaced, and small businesses get crushed. The soul of the city gets sacrificed for the sake of quarterly returns. I've seen it happen before, and I won't let it happen here."Jerry opened his mouth to respond, but Bruce raised a hand, cutting him off."Let me finish. This is my city. I was born here, built my life here, and my family lives here too. I will do whatever it takes to protect it."Bruce pa

The following day, Bruce wasted no time and invited Lucy and Isabella to the Shepherd estate without their sons.This was the second time in four years that Bruce brought Lucy and Isabella together in the same room, just as he did when he first disclosed his identity.Both women sat opposite him, their faces filled with curiosity, as Oswald served them tea.They engaged in small talk for a while until Oswald finally excused himself, leaving Bruce alone with them.Bruce took a deep breath, his eyes moving between them. "I know you're both curious about why I asked you to come here today.""Yeah, Bruce, it's been ages since you invited Isabella and me to a meeting without the boys," Lucy said with a chuckle. "I hope we're not in any trouble."Bruce smiled. "No, you're both fine.""Then what is it?" Isabella asked kindly."Well," Bruce said, clearing his throat. "I've been doing some research, and I've found something I think will be good for the boys,"The two women leaned in, eager to