Quiet footsteps entered the kitchen.All the sounds in the room seemed to be sucked away the moment the newcomer came clearly into view beneath the kitchen lights.Julian Hart.The Minister of Economy stood in the doorway, dressed in a neat, dark formal suit. Two plainclothes bodyguards followed a few steps behind, maintaining a respectful distance. The calm aura he usually carried on television was now present in person, right in the middle of the kitchen’s smells of cooking oil and spices.Marcus stared wide-eyed.Vincent Cole turned pale.“The Minister…?” Vincent’s voice nearly broke.Julian calmly surveyed the kitchen, his expression unreadable, before his gaze settled on Thaddeus. He gave him a brief, deeply respectful nod—clear enough for anyone paying attention to notice—before turning his eyes toward Vincent and Marcus.“I heard there was a problem,” Julian said calmly. “Mr. Thaddeus should have been able to return to work here by now. Is there someone who failed to understand

Two days later, an invitation arrived.A formally dressed courier handed a thick black envelope with a gold embossed seal directly to Shein, who had opened the door. The moment she opened the envelope, her eyes widened.“This… is a gala invitation,” she said, almost shouting toward the living room. “The Aurelia Circle Annual Gala. It’s an exclusive event. A lot of conglomerates and government officials usually attend.”Noura immediately took the invitation from her daughter’s hands. The more she read, the straighter she sat. But her expression changed when her eyes caught the name on the main line.“Under the name… Thaddeus and Family?” Noura frowned deeply. “Thaddeus? Not Yilna?”Hans, who was sitting on the sofa, immediately leaned forward. “What? Let me see.”The invitation was passed to him. The name was clearly written there. It was not Yilna Kincaid and Family. It was Thaddeus and Family.A brief silence filled the living room.Shein laughed awkwardly. “Maybe it was a typo. Or

Yilna swallowed hard. Her fingers, which were gripping the designer handbag at her side, trembled slightly. Thaddeus's words had struck much deeper than she had expected.“Don't... don't say things like that here,” she whispered hoarsely, trying to suppress the emotions churning in her chest. Her face had gone pale, but her eyes remained sharp and demanding. “You've gone too far, Thad. I only asked why those important people were treating you with such respect. As your wife, I have the right to know what's really going on.”Thaddeus looked at her calmly.“You're asking as if I've just committed some serious crime,” Thaddeus replied quietly, his voice remaining flat without rising even slightly. “When all that's happening out there is people greeting me politely and appropriately. If something as trivial as that makes you feel embarrassed... maybe the problem isn't with me, but with the way you see things.”Yilna opened her mouth, ready to fire back with a sharp retort, but the words c

The crowd of elite guests around the VIP buffet table grew increasingly crowded, all competing to be the first to taste the masterpiece prepared by the Executive Chef.Amid the steady stream of praise, Thaddeus slowly approached the side of the buffet table, driven by his professional instincts, which refused to stand by and watch the obvious potential health disaster unfolding right before his eyes.Thaddeus's calm footsteps came to a stop beside a decorative black marble pillar. However, his expressionless presence did not escape Marcus's sharp eyes. Marcus was standing on a small stage with several company directors. The moment he saw his former subordinate standing near his prized beverage with an examining gaze, Marcus's expression immediately hardened. His suppressed dislike surged into a desire to humiliate Thaddeus in front of the city's most influential figures.With a confident, arrogant stride, Marcus left the group of high-ranking officials and approached Thaddeus, carryin

What they saw left everyone stunned. Even the Kincaid family stared in shock as they collectively wondered what had happened to Thaddeus. With nothing but a shout, he had sent the two security guards flying several feet backward.The two guards also looked like they were in pain, but they quickly got back on their feet because no one else seemed to care. Everyone was too focused on the lieutenant governor lying motionless on the floor.Only the Kincaid family had noticed what had happened between Thaddeus and the two security guards.“Look, Thaddeus is causing trouble! Luckily, no one is really paying attention. If they actually saw what happened, our family’s reputation would be ruined!” Hans said.Although the Kincaids were stunned by what they had witnessed, they still considered Thaddeus to be the one causing trouble.The panic inside the main hall of Aurelia Circle exploded like a dam breaking apart. Hysterical screams, frantic footsteps, and the crashing sounds of overturned cha