"I don't believe you," Kael interrupted, shaking his head. He immediately took a step toward the dorm entrance, intending to walk inside and check the room himself.Brian panicked and quickly jumped in front of Kael, blocking his path. "Come on, brother Kael! What are you trying to do? It was just a normal thing! Don't go in there trying to pick a fight, those boys in there are crazy.""Crazy?" Kael caught the slip of the tongue immediately, his tone rising with annoyance. "That means they did bully you!"Kael genuinely liked Brian as a brother. Having suffered through constant verbal abuse himself in the past, he absolutely hated seeing his genuine friends get bullied."No, that's not what I meant!" Brian pleaded anxiously. "Look, we've already spent ten minutes on this, are we not going to be late for wherever we're going?"Hearing those words, Kael finally halted his steps. Brian was right, they couldn't afford to be late for the banquet."I know what to do," Kael whispered quietly

Brian turned to Kael, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you serious?"Kael nodded calmly. "Of course."Brian stared at him for a second... and suddenly broke into loud, uncontrollable laughter.Dax, Jax, and Pax froze in the back seat, completely stunned by his reaction.Brian wiped a tear from his eye, still laughing. "They already told the truth, Kael! Are you really trying to pretend it's real just to act big again? Come on, brother, you don't have to do all that!"The three brothers glanced at each other in the back seat, leaning close to whisper under their breath. Who is this guy?They had been terrified that Kael would be angry at them for blurting out the price, so they had quickly lied to protect his secret identity. Now Kael himself had stated the truth, yet Brian was thoroughly convinced the brothers' lie was real!Kael looked at Brian with a faint, calm smile. "Why do you think it's fake? Don't mind them. They were only trying to cover up for me. It's actually very re

"Really? Are they really that rich?" the young heir gasped, his eyes wide as he stared at the group walking up the VIP carpet. The older tycoon nodded slowly, his expression deeply solemn. He raised a hand slightly, subtly pointing toward the figures advancing under the bright plaza lights. "That old patriarch leading the way is Lord Balthazar Khorvash, the supreme ruler of their entire global enterprise," the tycoon whispered in a low, reverent tone. "Behind him is his eldest son, Marcus Khorvash, who controls all of their upstream oil extraction, drilling rights, and major refineries." ​"Beside Marcus is the second brother, Evander Khorvash. He manages their international oil tankers, global pipeline networks, and overseas fuel distribution. And that young man at the back tapping on his phone is the third brother, Valen Khorvash, the youngest son, who oversees global energy fut

Chapter 288Huh?” Vera was stunned hearing her name.She had been sitting quietly, watching the families argue without any interest in their drama. She was completely caught off guard when her grandfather suddenly called out her name to the entire platform."Grandpa..." Vera whispered in surprise, her eyes wide."Stand up right now and show proper respect to Lord Balthazar," Alistair said quickly in a firm, low voice.Vera immediately stood up from her seat and offered a polite, graceful bow toward the Khorvash patriarch."Lord Balthazar," Vera said smoothly. "It is an honor to meet you and your family tonight."Lord Balthazar smiled warmly, visibly impressed."Ah Vera, I have heard great things about your business talent from our northern trade partners.”"Thank you, sir," Vera replied with a graceful smile.Right after that, she immediately took a step closer, looking right at Valen with a warm, charming grin."Hello, nice to meet you," Vera said politely, keeping her tone cool and

Outside the brightly lit Citadel, five men moved across the perimeter in crisp, dark security uniforms. To any bystander or guest arriving, they looked like standard event guards on patrol, complete with official badges clipped to their chests.In reality, they were hired operatives from the Obsidian Syndicate, contracted for a single high-stakes hit: eliminating Lucian Vespera and his sister, Odin.Near a shadowed turn beside the outer promenade, the five men slowed their pace and seamlessly split into two groups, three stepping back toward the courtyard perimeter, while two continued toward the main entrance."You said they arrived?" one of the two asked under his breath, adjusting his collar. "You said they saw them with their own eyes?"The second man gave a brief, subtle nod. "Yeah, they saw that guy and his sister enter just a short while ago, we need to get inside now. Two of us will go through the doors, and the three of you stay out here to lock down the exit routes and watch