Rudra Helverton looked at Lord Dominic with a serious face."Lord Dominic," Rudra said, his voice deep and clear. "You have addressed him as your Young Master three times now. You were not joking about this.""Why would I joke about something like that?" Lord Dominic replied calmly.Rudra nodded slowly. "Then how is he your young master? Which family do you work for? I am truly confused."At that moment, everyone in the room leaned in, eager to hear Kael's real background.Lord Dominic was about to say the name of the great Aldridge family. If he said that name, every leader in the room would instantly know who Kael really was. But then, he remembered Old Master Midas's warning. He knew he could not reveal the secret story yet, or it would bring great danger to Kael.So, Lord Dominic changed his words quickly."Some time ago, my father and my men were attacked on the street," Lord Dominic said. "It was Young Master Kael who stepped in and saved us all. Since that day, I have considere

"Why would you do that?" Seraphine asked, looking at Kael in utter disbelief. "You gave all your winnings to a lady?"Kael shrugged effortlessly. "I bought the raw stone for her in the first place. Besides, it was just pure luck, so whatever was won, she deserved to keep."Hearing those words, both Seraphine and Vera felt a sharp pang of jealousy hit their chests. To heiresses of families worth tens of billions, a single million dollars was nothing to care about. What truly bothered them was the thought of Kael treating another woman with such effortless devotion and generosity! A disturbing question immediately flared up in both of their minds: Does Kael actually have a girlfriend?Vera couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. "Kael... when we came to pick you up downstairs earlier, you weren't actually with any lady. So I am wondering, who was she, exactly?"Kael looked at Vera calmly. "Just a friend I happened to meet do

Before Kael can take two steps toward the door, Rudra Helverton stands up quickly."Wait, Kael," Rudra says, raising a hand. He steps forward, dropping his arrogant tone. "Do not be hasty. We spoke out of line. I apologize."Rudra looks at Kael with urgent eyes. "I will pay you twenty million dollars cash right now. And a forty-percent cut of all profits. Stay and work with the Halverton family."Lord Rothmere jumps up from his chair immediately. He cannot let his biggest rival win."Do not listen to him!" Lord Rothmere shouts, stepping right into Kael's path. "I offer you twenty-five million dollars upfront! Plus, I will give you a five-percent equity share in the Rothmere gemstone corporation, you will be a partner, not just a worker!"Lucian freezes, his eyes go wide. Equity in the Rothmere corporation?! His family head is offering a permanent ownership stake to a country boy?!Beside Lucian, his sister Odin reached out and gently grabbed his arm, her expression calm and collected.

Kael looked at Lucian not with anger, but with a look of genuine, profound perplexity. At first, the young master's arrogant barking had just been standard background noise, but now it was starting to look completely abnormal. “Why did this guy keep inserting himself into a situation that had nothing to do with him?”Leaning back in his seat, Kael rested his chin on his hand and shook his head slowly."You keep crying about everyone seeing you as a laughingstock," Kael said. "Which honestly makes me wonder..."He paused, letting the silence stretch across the table before continuing."I don't even know who your Vespera family is. Moreover, you aren't even from this city, right? So I don't even know wherever you're from. And even if we're talking about the heavy hitters I'm actually dealing with tonight, the Vesperas certainly aren't among them. So why on earth do you care so much about protecting the pride of families you don't even belong to?"The words hit Lucian like a physical sl

Hearing Kael ask that question, Lord Dominic suddenly fell short of words. He sat frozen, completely unsure of how to thread the needle of a story he was bound by oath and loyalty to keep hidden. He was terrified that saying too much would directly violate old man Midas's strict warnings never to reveal these guarded truths to Kael. Seeing the veteran guard lapse into such a heavy, impenetrable silence, Kael felt a soft wave of astonishment ripple through him, wondering quietly what could possibly have struck the formidable old man dumb. "If the Aldridge family vanished, leaving a massive power vacuum, the Vesperas should have naturally stepped up to claim the absolute top spot," Kael pressed gently, his sharp, analytical eyes fixed on Dominic. "So why did they leave as well? What actually happened to them?” That single, piercing question sent a sudden jolt of electricity through the room, instantly peaking everyone's interest. Lucian and Odin leaned forward in unison, their breat