Night fell quietly over the Ashford villa.Inside the brightly lit dining room, the lively atmosphere from the afternoon's celebration was finally winding down.Aunt May walked out of the kitchen carrying a large porcelain tureen, a warm smile on her face as she placed it in the center of the table.The rich, soothing aroma of medicinal herbs immediately filled the room.It was the special nourishing soup Leon had taught her how to brew a few days ago."Drink another bowl, Brother-in-law!" Allen grinned from ear to ear, practically jumping out of his seat to ladle a full bowl for Leon."After watching Second Uncle's face turn green at the conference today, I feel like I could eat three cows!""Eat your own food and stop talking so much," Camila scolded lightly, though there was no real heat in her voice.In fact, a rare, gentle curve lingered at the corners of her lips all evening.Leon chuckled, accepting the bowl from Allen before taking a slow sip."Your acting today wasn't bad," Le

The silver sports car glided smoothly into a reserved spot in the VIP underground parking lot.Allen turned off the engine, whistling a cheerful tune as he grabbed a leather folder of asset transfer documents from the passenger seat.Grandmother Anna had signed off on all the properties recovered from his two uncles this morning, and Allen couldn't wait to deliver them to Camila and Leon.He pushed the car door open and stepped out onto the concrete floor.However, before he could even lock his car, four massive shadows stepped forward from both sides, completely blocking his path to the elevator."Huh?" Allen froze, blinking in confusion as he looked up at the four burly men in black vests.Right behind them, Damon Blackthorn strolled over with his hands in his pockets, a sinister grin spreading across his face.Well, talk about a stroke of luck!He had just been wondering who to grab as leverage against Camila, and her precious younger brother practically delivered himself straight t

The heavy iron-plated doors of the Blackthorn Private Club tore right off their hinges, flying ten feet across the polished marble floor before crashing down with an ear-splitting boom.Dust and splintered wood scattered through the air as every conversation inside the luxurious grand lobby died down in an instant.Wealthy businessmen and club attendants stopped on their tracks, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as they stared at the gaping entrance.Who in the world had a death wish big enough to kick down the front gates of the Blackthorn family's private stronghold?Outside the doorway, the two burly gate guards lay groaning in a heap, clutching their caved-in chests while blood trickled from their mouths.Leon on the other hand strolled calmly through the drifting dust, both hands tucked lazily inside his trouser pockets as he stepped right over the groaning guards.At the far end of the hall, on the elevated VIP platform, Damon Blackthorn was lounging on a velvet sofa

"Ouch! Brother-in-law, go easy on my cheek!"Inside the bright living room of Dark Knight's secluded villa, Allen winced and sucked in a sharp breath as a cool green herbal paste touched the purple bruises around his jaw."Stop whining and sit still," Leon chuckled, shaking his head as he dabbed the last bit of medicinal ointment across the boy's split lip,"You didn't cry when Damon's bodyguards were kicking you on the ground, so why are you yelling over a bit of herbal medicine?""That's different!" Allen muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as his face flushed slightly,"Back there, I couldn't embarrass you and my sister in front of that bastard Damon.""If I begged him for mercy, how would I ever look you in the eye again?"Leon paused for a second, raising his brows as he looked at the young man sitting on the sofa.Compared to the spoiled, cowardly playboy who used to get tricked by his uncles into drinking himself to death at nightclubs, the current Allen had chan

Half an hour later, Leon met a beaming Alice outside the front gates of Bio Pharmaceuticals and got into the passenger seat of her compact red sedan.All the way toward the southern hills of Oakdale, Alice chattered non-stop about her acupuncture notes, her eyes shining with admiration every time Leon lazily corrected one of her medical theories.Soon enough, the car wound up a quiet, tree-lined mountain road and pulled through the carved wooden gates of the Reed Family Estate.Unlike the flashy modern villas of the Blackthorn family, the Reed estate was built in a classical courtyard style surrounded by bamboo groves and antique stone lanterns."Grandpa, Uncle Howard, I brought Dr. Leon!" Alice called out happily as she led Leon into the spacious main hall, which smelled faintly of bitter boiled herbs.Inside the hall, a white-haired old man in his seventies, Old Master Walter Reed, was leaning against a carved rosewood couch wrapped in a thick wool blanket despite the warm weather.H