By the time Serena left, Aaron had already called for Coldwraith.Whenever he went out, Coldwraith was almost always the one behind the wheel. If Aaron hadn't ridden in Serena's car tonight, Coldwraith would have been here from the start.Cars were pulling away from Whitfield Estate one after another. In barely an hour, every last guest had departed. The estate sat against the hills just outside Haven City, and once the visitors were gone, the surrounding darkness was absolute. Beyond the warm glow of the Whitfield compound itself, there was nothing but black, the hills swallowed whole by the night."Aaron. Mind if we talk?"Landon Whitfield emerged from the estate gates, his tone unhurried, hands clasped loosely behind his back.Aaron glanced at him. "About what?""Nothing serious. Just thought I'd invite you in for a cup of tea." Landon's smile didn't quite reach his eyes, the kind of expression that looked friendly from a distance but hollow up close

Ironwolf lasted less than a minute under that storm of blows before blood spilled from the corner of his mouth and he collapsed, utterly unable to fight back.The shock in his heart was beyond words. He was Ironwolf, the man who had once dethroned eight consecutive champions in the underground arena. And yet he had been defeated by someone who was supposedly just a driver and bodyguard, unable to hold out for even two minutes. It was a slap in the face. When word got out, the humiliation wouldn't belong to him alone; it would tarnish the Northern Sovereign's name as well."How is this possible?" Ironwolf stared at Coldwraith, coughing up another mouthful of blood. "You're no bodyguard or driver!"Coldwraith didn't even spare him a glance, as though what he'd just done was barely worth noting.Among everyone present, probably only Aaron Holmes truly understood what had happened. Martial artists trained to strengthen the body, and underground fighters were certainl

"You?"Serena blinked, caught off guard.What could Aaron possibly bring to the table? She used to think the same way, that he was nobody worth considering. But now his friend was Quincy Thornton of The Skyhall Lounge, the man who had helped him connect with Riverstone Corp and even secure an invitation to the Governor's welcome gala, where he'd earned Governor Ashford's personal favor.If Aaron asked Quincy for help, he might genuinely be able to cause problems for the Vale family.Serena hesitated, torn between action and restraint. She truly didn't know whether she wanted to move against her own family."I don't even know what to do anymore," she admitted quietly.Aaron watched her wavering expression and understood the conflict behind it. He softened his tone. "Alright, no rush. We'll set the Vale family aside for now and focus on solving the business partner situation first."Serena nodded slowly. "Okay."Meanwhile, at the hospital.

"They'd have to actually believe it first," Aaron Holmes said with a laugh.In truth, he was already trying to smooth over Serena's embarrassment. His meaning was simple enough: since the rumors had already spread, trying to deny them now would be pointless. Better to let people think whatever they wanted to think.The two of them had barely stepped through the entrance of the Watermere Bay sales center when a tall woman in professional attire approached with a warm smile."Sir, miss, welcome to Watermere Bay. Are you here to look at properties?""Yes. What do you have available?" Serena wasted no time with pleasantries.The saleswoman maintained her smile and gestured for them to follow. "Right this way, please. We have a wide selection of units available, including two-thousand-square-foot duplexes, three-bedroom and four-bedroom layouts. You can choose your preferred floor as well."She led them to the display area and began her pitch, but she had ba

"I hit you because you deserve it!"Bennett Carver was furious, his voice sharp enough to echo through the showroom.Sometimes he genuinely wondered whether this fool shared his blood. All Dante ever did was eat, drink, and chase pleasure. He never bothered with a single productive thing. If he had even glanced at the current state of affairs in Haven City, he would have recognized the woman as the eldest daughter of the Vale family.And the man beside her was Aaron Holmes.The rumors outside said Aaron Holmes relied on women, that he was nothing more than a kept man living off his wife. But of everyone who had crossed paths with Aaron Holmes, how many had come away unscathed?The Tyler family had gone bankrupt. The Thornton heir had been hauled into the Marshal's Office. Even the patriarchs of the Four Founding Families had ended up hospitalized not long ago. One only had to think about it for a moment to understand that none of it could be separated from A