The Man Behind The Empire

Chapter 6

Judy’s eyes lit up like she’d just heard she’d won the world’s biggest lottery. All her irritation at Harvey vanished, replaced by exploding excitement.

“Are you sure? Mr. H is really back online?” Her voice jumped a full octave.

Kane, standing beside her, suddenly tensed. His arrogant smile shifted into a hungry stare. “Mr. H? The strategist and cyber legend who has European tycoons lining up? Your assistant is sure?”

“Yes! This just hit the exclusive network of top-tier executives!” Judy looked almost breathless before she ended the call.

She gripped her phone tightly, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. “I’ve been waiting for him for so long. With him back, my plans for a much bigger expansion can finally happen!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you meet him. We’ll set up an appointment with his assistant.” Kane sounded completely confident, clearly impressed with himself.

Harvey hid a small smile as he listened. He muttered under his breath, “Idiots.”

Lily, still holding Kane’s hand, looked up in confusion. Her little fingers tugged at the edge of his jacket. “Mom, Uncle Kane, who’s Mr. H? Why do you both look so happy?”

Kane crouched down, holding both of Lily’s shoulders while throwing a contemptuous glance at Harvey, who was still sitting calmly on the wooden bench.

“Mr. H is the king above every other king in business, Sweetheart.” He explained with open admiration, his voice loud enough for nearby walkers to hear.

“He’s the richest, most influential, and most brilliant man there is. His wealth is on a scale someone poor like that could never even imagine.” He deliberately aimed the dig at Harvey.

Judy chimed in proudly. “That’s right, Lily. Mr. H is like the sun at the top of a mountain. Completely different from the dull man sitting on that bench. That guy isn’t even good enough to be a janitor in Mr. H’s office!”

Lily clapped her small hands, eyes sparkling. “Wow! So Mr. H is better than anyone, right, Mom?”

“Obviously!” Judy answered quickly. Then she turned her gaze on Harvey, looking at her ex-husband with pure triumph and peak superiority.

“Kane and I are going to hold the most luxurious wedding this city has ever seen. Kane already promised we’ll use every connection we have to invite Mr. H as our guest of honor!”

Kane grinned wide, wrapping an arm around Judy’s waist in a protective pose. “The moment Mr. H sets foot at our wedding, our companies will shoot straight to the top internationally. And you! You’ll only be able to watch our success from the gutter!”

Lily bounced on the sidewalk. “Yay! Uncle Kane is so amazing! I can’t wait to have a rich new dad like Uncle Kane! I’m so proud of him!”

Judy smiled sweetly and patted her daughter’s head, then looked back at Harvey with a cold stare that cut like a needle.

“Your chance is over, Harvey. Don’t you dare interfere with my wedding to Kane later. Marrying you was the biggest regret of my life! Back then you couldn’t even give me the wedding of my dreams, just a cheap, embarrassing little party!”

She glanced at Kane with full affection. “But Kane is different. He’s a real man who promised to give me the dream wedding I always wanted, in the most luxurious ballroom in the city.”

Harvey still leaned back against the wooden bench. The fingers holding his phone had stopped moving. His face stayed completely flat, no surprise, no hurt, no jealousy.

Lily suddenly turned toward Harvey again, interrupting with the kind of innocent question her mother had clearly trained into her. “Mom, if Dad doesn’t come with us, will he become some other kid’s dad?”

Judy let out a loud scoff and looked Harvey up and down with pure contempt. “Some other kid? What stupid woman would want a child with a broke man who has no future like him? No woman will ever want him. He’s going to die alone on the side of the road!”

Hearing the endless insults, Harvey didn’t explode. He simply adjusted his seat, crossed one leg over the other, and curved his lips into a thin smile, a smile full of quiet, cutting contempt. His eyes moved between Judy and Kane.

“Invite Mr. H?” His voice was soft, but every word landed clearly.

“Dream as high as you want. Mr. H would never show up at a trash event like yours.”