Jeremy pped Rachel hard once again, sending her stumbling to the ground. Her head hit the corner of the coffee table, splitting open and bleeding, causing her dizziness and pain.


    “I asked you, did you and Emery be someone else’s dogs, huh?” Jeremy, furious, had veins bulging on his neck. “Do you still care about the Gustin family vi?”


    “…”


    Seeing Jeremy in such a rage, Rachel finally understood why Emery secretly returned to the country back then and only confided in her, not even their parents.


    The Gustin family vi had enjoyed a century of glory, and Jeremy had been all-powerful for most of his life. Even while imprisoned, he couldn’t tolerate the thought of his children relying on other powers; it was a huge humiliation for him.


    “The Gustin family vi?” Rachel wiped the blood off her head and sat on the ground, leaning against the coffee table. She sneered, “Father, the Gustin family vi is no longer what it once was. The Gustin Group is in Enrico’s hands. He got sick, and he’d rather hand the group over to Jaden than to you. Do you really think you’re still the revered patriarch of the Gustin family vi? You need to wake up. All you have left is yourst name.”


    “Bastard!”


    Jeremy raised his hand to hit her again.


    “Why do you think Emery had to rely on someone else? If you had the power to take back the Gustin Group, he wouldn’t have needed to,” Rachel continued, meeting his blow.


    “…”


    Jeremy’s hand froze in the air as he red at Rachel.


    Though Jeremy was a cold-hearted man, if there was anyone among his four children he cared about, it was Emery. Fawn and Enrico had the blood of the Davis family, essentially madmen, and Rachel, an adopted daughter, was insignificant. But Emery was different-he had hope for his son, yet now he was gone.


    Seeing Jeremy’s hesitation, Rachel knew she had hit a nerve. She stood up again, smiling bitterly. “You’re deluding yourself, thinking that because Enrico gives you the freedom to attend parties, y with women, and stay in the capital, you’re still the head of the Gustin family. But you’re not. You haven’t been for a long time.”


    “…”


    “When Emery’s finger was cut off, what could you do? When Enrico was chasing me, forcing me into hiding, where were you?”


    Rachel’s eyes turned red. “If we don’t rely on someone else, are we just supposed to wait for Enrico to kill us all because of Paige?”


    “…”


    Jeremy staggered back two steps and copsed onto the couch, his shoulders slumping. “Then why didn’t you tell me? You two are so young and naive,pletely unaware of how you’re being manipted! Look at where Emery ended up!”


    His son, Emery, had chosen to be someone else’sckey.


    “I didn’t know what was going on either,” Rachel choked through her tears. “I was also wondering why Emery hadn’t contacted me recently, only to be informed by that power that they were willing to invest in Artisans to help us expand quickly.”


    She had only learned from the newspapers that Enrico and Paige had shown up in River Town, and Emery had returned in a coffin.


    “What kind of power is this?” Jeremy asked with a grim expression.


    “Emery didn’t tell me much. It seems to be a foreign power that’s unwilling to reveal itself in this country. He said they want to incite chaos in Country A, simr to the battles between financial ns a century ago,” Rachel confessed.


    Hearing this, Jeremy’s body shuddered. “They have quite the appetite!”


    “Three years ago, they tried to use Paige’s identity and Enrico’s affection for her to stir up trouble, but when Paige faked her death, it didn’t create the waves they wanted,” Rachel exined.


    “Faked her death?”


    Jeremy was confused.


    Rachelid out everything that had happened in the past few years, bit by bit.


    After hearing it all, Jeremy chuckled coldly, “I knew Paige was a capable one the moment I saw her. Truly impressive.”


    “Father, Paige is still alive. What wasn’t aplished three years ago can be done now,” Rachel urged, ignoring her head injury and sitting beside him.


    “You still want to be that power’s pawn? What good does destabilizing Country A’s economy do for you?” Jeremy’s face darkened.


    “It’s not being a pawn, it’s a partnership,” Rachel corrected. “Father, Enrico alreadyid a hand on Emery, proving that he no longer cares about theirte mother’s will. Who’s next? You? Me?”


    “…”


    Jeremy’s expression turned ice cold.


    “Enrico’s tactics are well-known. If he had any weakness, you would’ve taken back the group long ago. To deal with Enrico, we must first handle Paige,” Rachel continued.


    “…”


    “Destabilizing the economy isn’t beneficial for me, but if Enrico’s guns are aimed at us, what choice do we have but to protect ourselves?” Rachel spoke with helplessness.


    Jeremy pondered for a moment before looking at her. “What’s your n?”


    “The finance summit before the election is the perfect opportunity. All the powerful figures will be there, but the major financial ns and families are more divided now than they were three years ago,” Rachel exined. “You’re the only one who can unite them.”


    Jeremy might not have actual power, but he had reputation. And in times of chaos, he could rightfully take control of the Gustin Group, giving other financial ns and families the confidence they needed.


    “This is something we can do ourselves. There’s no need to rely on any other power,” Jeremy said coldly.


    “…”


    Rachel looked at him. “Father, have you forgotten that ever since our failed partnership with the Smith and Grissom families, Artisans hasn’t gained much momentum? Without their investment, we won’t even qualify for the finance summit.”


    “Useless,” Jeremy scolded. “If Enrico were in charge, he’d have flipped that much money by now.”


    Does he really need help from others?


    “…”


    Rachel bit her tongue, holding back her anger.


    “How can I contact this power? I’ll need to discuss terms before proceeding,” Jeremy added.


    Seeing him relent, Rachel knew the n was set. A calcting glint shed in her eyes.


    Paige, even if you make it back alive, what wasn’t finished three years ago will bepleted now.


    …


    Abroad, in a beautiful garden, flowers bloomed, and vines climbed the walls, swaying gently in the wind.


    In the yard, an elderly many in a rocking chair, wearing reading sses and holding a newspaper. The front page showed a picture of Paige, dressed in mourning ck, bowing at a funeral.


    The soft chime of wind bells could be heard as two maids whispered nearby:


    “The old master is reading that newspaper again.”All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    “Ever since he arrived here, he hasn’t smiled once. He spends all his time reading news from River Town in Country A.”


    “I heard the old master’s beloved apprentice is there, but no matter how much he hopes, the apprentice refuses to help. It’s been hard on him.”