Elara’s brows immediately furrowed.If what her parents were saying was true, then Kade grabbing her father and threatening him was a serious matter.She looked toward Kade. “Kade,” she said seriously, “is what they’re saying true?”Before Kade could even open his mouth, Diana exploded.“What do you mean is it true?!” she cried out. “Are you calling me a liar now?”Elara immediately felt another headache coming. “Mom—”“No!” Diana interrupted. “I just told you with my own mouth what happened, and instead of believing me you’re asking him to confirm it?”Elara pinched the bridge of her nose. The past few weeks had been exhausting enough already. Losing her family. Losing her company. Starting over from nothing. Now this.She took a deep breath before answering. “Of course I need to hear his side.”Diana looked offended. Roland wasn’t much better.Elara turned back toward Kade. “Kade. Tell me exactly what happened.”Kade’s expression remained calm. “It isn’t true.”“Liar!” Diana immedia

Elara stared at him for several seconds before suddenly laughing.A soft, amused laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head.“Wait.”She pointed at him.“Is this supposed to be a joke?”Kade calmly took another sip of tea.“I don’t joke often.”That answer only made her laugh harder.“Kade.”She placed her cup down.“The Business Excellence Gala isn’t some random event.”Kade remained silent.Elara leaned back against her chair and began explaining.“Do you know how difficult it is to attend that event?”“Every year only the most influential companies in South City receive invitations.”She started counting on her fingers.“Top CEOs.”“Corporate founders.”“Business tycoons.”“Government officials.”“International investors.”“People whose companies are worth tens of billions.”Her expression became helpless.“And then there’s me.”She pointed at herself.“A woman whose company hasn’t even officially started operations yet.”Kade nodded.“I know.”Elara rolled her eyes.“Then you sh

Mountain Gaika.One of the tallest mountains in all of Asheville, Mountain Gaika towered over the land at an astonishing height of nearly 8,900 meters above sea level. Its peak disappeared beyond the clouds, making it seem as though the mountain itself connected heaven and earth. For centuries, it had been regarded as a sacred place by cultivators and spiritual practitioners because of the incredibly dense concentration of aether energy that naturally gathered there. Many believed it was one of the most spiritual locations in the entire world.At the summit sat an old man.His long gray hair danced gently in the cold mountain wind while his beard flowed down to his chest. He wore a simple traditional Asian robe that looked worn by time, yet there was an indescribable majesty surrounding him. Despite sitting motionlessly on a flat stone platform, he felt more imposing than the mountain itself.Master Zucker.For one hundred consecutive days, he had remained in meditation without consum

The white-robed elder’s eyes burned with fury as he watched the ashes of his three subordinates scatter into the raging winds. Those were not ordinary warriors — they were Dragon Lords, men who stood at the peak of mortal power — yet in less than a minute, Master Zucker had erased them from existence as though they were insects, and the old man’s calm expression only made the humiliation worse. “You monster,” the white-robed elder growled. Zucker merely smiled. “Monster? No. You simply overestimated yourselves.” The elder’s grip tightened around the massive war hammer resting on his shoulder. His aura exploded with a BOOM that trembled the mountain and swirled the clouds overhead into a vortex, and without another word he shot forward like a meteor, the enormous hammer whistling through the air as it descended toward Zucker’s skull with enough pressure to split the air itself. Zucker simply took one step sideways. WHOOSH. The hammer missed. The mountain behind him exploded, an ent

The room remained silent as everyone waited for Roland’s verdict.Elara’s heart was pounding.Diana folded her arms confidently, already preparing to expose Kade.Meanwhile Kade simply stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking completely unconcerned.Finally, Roland lowered the invitation card.His expression was ugly.Very ugly.Almost as though he had just swallowed something bitter.“Well?” Diana asked impatiently. “Is it fake?”Roland remained quiet for a moment before finally nodding.“It’s real.”The words landed like a bomb.“What?!” Diana nearly screamed.Elara immediately let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.A smile appeared on her face.“It really is?”Roland reluctantly nodded.“It’s authentic.”“The seal is genuine.”“The signature is genuine.”“Even the registration number is genuine.”Diana snatched the card from his hand.“No.”“No way.”She inspected it herself.The more she looked, the worse her expression became.Then suddenly she found