《Salute To The General》 Chapter 1 Ares Of The North Chapter 1 Ares Of The North Chapter 1 Ares Of The North The entire city of Channing was on high alert. A military aircraft was making itsnding at the Channing International Airport. Hundreds of soldiers from the special forces aligned themselves into neat rows at the airport. Each soldier was dressed in full battle gear. None of them could tear their adtory eyes away from the aircraft that had justnded. There was a sense of eager anticipation in the air. Nathan Cross made his way down the aircraft''s stairs after he had exited. His ckbat boots creaked with every step he took. ¡°Attention!¡± ¡°Salute!¡± The strident voice of the officer pierced through the air with a note of authority and discipline. The troops raised their right hand uniformly to give their salutes while greeting him concertedly, ¡°Wee to Channing, Sir!¡± He was their general, whose actual name was Nathan Cross, although they liked to refer him as the Ares of the North. That was because he had never lost a battle in his distinguished military career, since the day he had joined the army as a young chap. His track record for the past five years had been jaw-dropping when he had led the troops to several significant victories in the north. He had repeatedly defended the borders from invading enemies. The country owed it to his tactical genius and strategic astuteness for the peace and prosperity that it was enjoying today. With a tall and muscr physique, Nathan Cross was an attractive man. His luminous eyes sparkled like diamonds in the dazzling sunlight. Nheless, he seemed a little displeased. Knitting his brows together, he muttered to Colin Dunne, captain of the National Guards, ¡°Didn''t I tell you to keep a low profile?¡± ¡°That''s what I''ve been telling the Channing''s authorities, Sir. I''d never expected that they would make such a fuss about it,¡± Colin Dunne replied abashedly. ¡°Send the troops back and inform them to lift the red alert status, reverting everything to its usual course. The same goes for you - I don''t need you to follow me around. I have my own arrangements.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Colin Dunne pped his heels together and saluted. Nathan Cross strode out of the airport alone, apanied by a sudden myriad of strange emotions that tugged at his heart, which was a huge departure from his usual calm demeanor. Five years ago, the grief from his mother''s passing had forced him into a drunken stupor and left him sleeping on the streets. A kind-hearteddy took pity on him and tried to give him a hand. But his desires, aroused by drunkenness, got the better of him as he forced her to have sex with him. By the time he had woken up, thedy had left. It had been five grueling years for Nathan as he exhausted all the possibilities to find thedy. Unfortunately, all his efforts hade to naught. It was only until recently that he finally got a hold of the information he had been looking for. His sources had informed him that her name was Penny Smith, and that she was still unmarried. She had given birth to a daughter, Queenie Smith, a corory of their one-night stand. It pained him to think about the dreadful life that the two had to face over the past few years. Penny, Queenie, I know it must have been hard for both of you. Now that I''ve found you, I assure you that there will only be joy and happiness in your lives from now on, he solemnly vowed. I shall give you the wonderful lives that you both deserve. ... In the meeting room of Diva Limited, Penny Smith was amidst a discussion with her client, Derek Harvey. Dressed in a smart suit, Penny appeared business-like, yet stunningly attractive. However, her face was full of rage as she red at the fat, pudgy man in front of her. ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Harvey, but I''m unable to oblige your request. I''m not one of those who would give myself away merely for the sake of a contract,¡± she rejected him indignantly. With that being said, she stood up and turned to leave the meeting room. Derek Harvey stretched out his bby arms to block her from leaving. ¡°Don''t be mad, Ms. Smith.¡± His lips widened into a nauseous grin, like a hungry wolf baring its fangs. ¡°All I''m asking is for you to put on yourpany''stest lingerie design for couples so that I can get a better sense of how they look on one''s body.¡± Leering, he tried to persuade her, ¡°Just a small feast for my eyes, that''s all I ask!¡± ¡°Why don''t you just model them for me? I''ll ce an order for fifty million immediately if I like what I see. That''s my stance, take it or leave it.¡± ¡°And to top it off, I''ll give you a big fat tip of one million as well. How does that sound to you?¡± ¡°Please stop harassing me and show me some respect, Mr. Harvey!¡± ¡°Respect for you?¡± Derek Harvey shrilled at the top of his voice. ¡°Who would respect someone like you after they''ve found out about your dirty past, our beloved daughter of the Smith Family? Every member of Channing''s upper ss would cover their mouths and giggled at this open secret. Stop pretending like you''re like some pure and innocent virgin in front of me!¡± A shiver ran down Penny Smith''s spine. Her face immediately paled when he brought up that ugly incident - it was the ghost that would haunt her for the rest of her life, a perpetual shame that would forever gue the reputation of the Smith Family. Just the mention of it was torture to her. She had never expected Derek Harvey to use it, trampling all over her dignity. ¡°I don''t see the need to exin my personal life to you,¡± her beautiful face turned frigid, ¡°And I''ve decided to call off our business cooperation with you. There''s nothing left to discuss, goodbye!¡± With his eyes pinned on Penny''s alluring body, Derek Harvey refused to relent. He darted his eyes over to the lingerie samples on the table and threatened, ¡°No woman can escape from me once I have my eyes on her, Ms. Smith. Don''t me me for getting rough if you insist on defying me.¡± His words still resounding in her ears, Penny was instantly cornered by two bodyguards with crooked smiles on their faces. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Penny immediately grew alert. Her voice was thick with rage and fear. ¡°I''m just trying to have some fun with you, Ms. Smith. Don''t you know how much I adore you?¡± Derek Harvey smiled his obnoxious, lewd smile, ¡°But since you are such a pig-headed fool, I''m afraid that I''ll N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. have to resort to physical means to make you submit to my demands.¡± A pang of horror shot through Penny when he uttered those words, making her cheek twitch with fear. Abruptly, she dashed for the door in a bid to escape. The two bodyguards grasped her wrists and held her back. ¡°Help! Someone help me, please!¡± Penny screamed at the top of her lungs. ¡°Hehehe, save your breath, my dear. I''ve picked this hour for our meeting as all of your staff have already left for home.¡± Derek Harvey shed a grotesque grin, ¡°You can shout all you want, nobody will Tears welled up in Penny''s eyes as she plunged into despair, feeling like a trapped animal. She had never expected Derek Harvey to be such a vicious monster. ¡°Oh baby, why are you crying? Daddy is here...¡± Derek Harvey pressed closer to her with a sneer on his repugnant face, spinning his nasty web around Penny, who had been pinned down by his bodyguards. Bang! A thunderous thud reverberated around the room. The meeting room''s door was booted open with such force that it flew off its hinge andnded with a thud right under the nose of Derek Harvey and his men, leaving them in shock, mouths agape. A man walked into the room. His strong, lean body looked as fit as a professional athlete, while his exquisite looks appeared good enough to grace the cover of magazines. He was Nathan Cross. Penny gave a start the moment she saw Nathan - it''s him! She had fought back her tears even when Derek Harvey had almost molested her, yet the sight of Nathan made her tears run like rivulets down her cheeks. A sharp pain stung Nathan''s heart upon seeing Penny cry like a baby, melting theyers of ice within him. Five years ago, she had saved him in a chance encounter. Yet, in his inebriated state, he had taken her by force and had non-consensual sex with her. Over the past five years, Nathan had never stopped looking for her. Her face filled his dreams every night; she was incontestably the most unforgettable woman he had met. Now that they found each other again, the inexplicable look in their eyes spoke a thousand words. Derek Harvey''s voice snapped both of them back to their senses. ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± His eyes were narrowed and full of menace as he assessed Nathan, who was dressed in civilian clothes. ¡°Come with me!¡± Nathan beckoned to Penny with his gaze fixed on her. He did not answer Derek Harvey''s question, nor did he spare him a nce. Penny shook her head fervently. Her tears were streaming down like waterfalls. This was the man who had raped her five years ago, bringing shame to her family as he turned her into theughingstock of the entire Channing. Her own resilience amazed her - she survived the scathing tirade of mockery and insults that the others hadunched at her. Yet the same man who was now standing in front of her had not shown the slightest bit ofpassion to her plight. The first sentence he had uttered was a condescending order to leave with him. What do you take me for, a ve? Derek Harvey had been so close toying his hands on Penny, but Nathan''s sudden appearance thwarted his grand scheme. His eyes bulged angrily while his bby chin quivered with rage when he heard that Nathan was going to take Penny away with him. ¡°How dare you meddle in my affairs, you punk!¡± He snarled, ¡°Quin, Luke, I want you to smash his legs and make sure that he''ll never be able to walk again!¡± ¡°Yes, boss!¡± The two towering bodyguards spread their ws and lunged at Nathan Cross. Boom! Bang! With two firm kicks, Nathan sent them flying backward, and theynded heavily on the floor. The force had broken their ribs, leaving two huge indentations in their chests. Both the men fell unconscious. With the two bodyguards taken care of, Nathan sauntered towards Derek Harvey with his cold killer stare. ¡°How dare you? What do you think you''re doing?¡± Derek Harvey tried to put up a brave front, even though he knew he had beenpletely overpowered by Nathan. ¡°Don''t you know who I am? I''m Derek Harvey, the boss of Mingda Corporation!¡± ¡°No one dares to touch me in the whole of Channing, knowing that I''ll beat the shit out of them should they even harm a hair of mine.¡± Nathan stood directly in front of him with a disinterested look. ¡°Are you done with your nonsense?¡± His reply astounded Derek Harvey, who was under the impression that everyone would shun away with fear when they heard his name. But this guy seemed impervious to his threat. Unwarily, Nathan raised his leg and stomped on Derek Harvey''s left leg with brutal force. Crack, came the sound of his fractured bone. Nathan had broken Derek''s left fib, which sent Derek Harvey rolling and writhing in pain on the floor, wailing like a banshee. With an unconcerned look, Nathan turned and walked towards Penny, who was watching with eyes as big as saucers. ¡°Come with me?¡± His tone had softened. ¡°No way!¡± She bit her lip resolutely; it was impossible to forgive a monster like him who had utterly ruined her life. ¡°I''ve been looking for you everywhere since I first met you five years ago. I shall never let you leave my sight again.¡± With that being said, he scooped her up and strode out of the room. Chapter 2 The Reunion Of Father And Daughter Chapter 2 The Reunion Of Father And Daughter Chapter 2 The Reunion Of Father And Daughter Penny did not struggle in his arms. It was as if she had lost her will to fight. The only sign of defiance was the tears that spilled over the corners of her eyes. She had lived her life in the past five years like a zombie, benumbing herself to the relentless insults and humiliation targeted at her. She had thought of ending her life several times to escape from the pain and misery, but each time, her daughter''s face would surface in her mind. With her daughter as her sole anchor, Penny gritted her teeth and forged onward. It was all because of this devil who had torn her life apart! Nathan was the one who had brought the relentless misery and despair upon her and her daughter. She swore that she would strive to work hard and stay single for the rest of her life. Her only purpose was to make up for her daughter''s sufferings by giving her a blissful and promising future. Little did she know that the man who had started the tragedy five years ago and brought upon the most torturous times of her life was now back to haunt her. It was like rubbing salt in her wound. Upon his reappearance, all the poignant memories which had been long buried came back to life, shing across her mind like indelible ghosts. How she yearned for a break. She prayed to God for a little salvation, earnestly begging the heavens to stop piling up on her hardships. The sight of Penny''s piteous state was unbearable to Nathan. He gently put her down and let her stand on her feet. ¡°Can you give me a chance to make up to you and our daughter, please?¡± A stony-hearted creature like him was aplete stranger to tenderness, but he begged for the first time in the gentlest manner he could muster. ¡°For the sake of our daughter, and for you as well, please give me a chance,¡± he pleaded. Penny quivered uncontrobly when he uttered ''our daughter''. It gifted her with a glint of hope as she slowly lifted her eyes. ¡°Trust me, I know what kind of hell you both have gone through over the years,¡± Nathan continued to plead in his soft voice, ¡°I know that you loathe me too, but please give me a chance to make amends.¡± ¡°Children from single-parent families are more prone to suffer from personality disorders, which may affect their overall well-being.¡± ¡°Please give me a chance, Penny.¡± Penny''s eyes reflected a whirlwind of emotions as she ruminated on his words. Queenie was growing up fast and getting more sensible by the day. A family without a father could never beplete, let alone offer a sense of normalcy and oneness to the child. It broke her heart whenever she saw the pitiful look on Queenie''s face when she asked for her papa. Yet, she could only turn away and wipe her tears as she had no answer for her dear daughter. Yes, Queenie needs a father! The determination in Nathan''s eyes only fueled her conviction. It took her a long time to decide, but she finally agreed, ¡°Alright, I''ll give you a chance to reunite with your daughter.¡± ¡°I''m giving you the chance because she needs a papa in her life. But let me give you a stern warning - do nothing that might upset her.¡± ¡°And just to be clear, the fact that Queenie calls you papa does not mean you are my husband, do you get it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nathan nodded his affirmation. Nathan knew well that Penny was giving him the opportunity to reunite with Queenie because she wanted the young girl to have a bright future. It would take a lifetime for her to forgive him for the pain he had inflicted on her, let alone take him as her husband. Those years of suffering in silence had spun an invisible web within her, creating a deadly mess of entangled knots. He knew that it would take time to untwine and unravel those knots of pain and grievances. ... Meanwhile, inside the elementary ssroom of Golden Apple Kindergarten, the teacher was nowhere to be seen! A pudgy boy decked in designer wear was gloating with delight, pulling on a rope. The other end of the rope was tied to the neck of a little girl who was being towed along like a puppy. The fat boy tugged on the makeshift leash impatiently and shouted at her, ¡°Don''t you know you''re my C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. dog, Queenie? Dogs are supposed to bark, do it now!¡± The victim crawled on her limbs like a puppy, her grubby face stained with chalk dust. She was a little girl around the age of four. Underneath the grime and dust was a well-defined face with the winsome features of a pretty, innocent young girl. The fat boy kept tugging at the rope around her neck, which left her gasping for air. Unsatisfied with her inaction, the fat boy pestered her again, ¡°Queenie, I''m warning you, bark, or I''ll get everyone to wallop you. You''re a stupid b****** who doesn''t even have a father...¡± Her eyes red-rimmed, Queenie sobbed pitifully, ¡°No, don''t call me a b******, I''m not...¡± ¡°Listen, I am the king of this ce and when I say you''re a b******, you''d better act like one. Now, do as I say and bark like a dog!¡± The fat boy was relentlessly cruel and demanding. The rest of the kidsughed at what they saw, as if they were watching aical cartoon. Nathan and Penny had just reached the entrance of the ssroom. The sight of her daughter being leashed like a puppy threw Penny into a state of shock. She rushed forward and lifted Queenie into her arms. She untied the rope from Queenie''s neck and tossed it away as if it were a repulsive snake. ¡°What happened to you, Queenie?¡± She asked worriedly, her eyes burning with anger. Queenie could not withhold her tears any longer upon seeing her mother. Like a dam that had exploded, she sobbed until her little body trembled, ¡°Mama, Max Zahn has said that I''m a b****** and that he wants me to bark like a dog, otherwise, he would get everybody in the ss to beat me up...¡± What? Gripped with rage, fury coursed through Penny''s veins, making her quiver. She was well aware of this fat bully named Max Zahn. He always picked on Queenie as his target. It stunned her when she saw the inhumane treatment that Queenie was receiving from him. Penny held Queenie dearly as she consoled her, ¡°You have a papa, Queenie. They''re wrong to call you a b******.¡± Queenie sobbed and replied through hups, ¡°No, Queenie has no papa...¡± ¡°No, Queenie, you have a papa. I''m your papa!¡± eximed Nathan, whose heart was ripped apart when he heard Queenie''s heart-wrenching cries. Queenie stopped sobbing as she turned quizzically to her mother. ¡°Mama, is he really my papa?¡± ¡°Yes, he''s your papa, Queenie. He just retired from the army.¡± Penny nodded fervently. ¡°Papa...¡± Queenie was overwhelmed with joy as she raced towards Nathan, who picked her up into his arms as his heart filled with incandescent love. With her little arms wrapped around his neck, Queenie was consumed with such intense happiness that she could not stop calling him, ¡°Papa, papa.¡± Nathan was equally swamped with tenderness and love as he responded to her whimpers with passion and affection. Penny observed the interaction between the pair, full of giggles and chuckles, from the sideline. She shuddered with joy as it all seemed so warm and cozy, yet it was unbelievably real. This was the first time Queenie felt the warmth and love of a father. Still huddled close to her father, Queenie repeatedly called him ¡°papa¡± till her voice became hoarse. His appearance filled her small world with such jubtion, giving her a sense of pride that she had never experienced before in her young life. She turned around and smirked at the fat boy, ¡°Look here, I''m not a b******, I have a papa too.¡± The fat boy rebutted sarcastically, ¡°He isn''t your papa. My mummy says that you''re a b****** because your mother is a loose woman who sleeps around with men. She got herself pregnant, and that''s how you came along. That''s why you have no papa.¡± A shadow slipped across Nathan''s face when he heard those words. Penny could not hold back any longer. She cautioned the fat boy in a stern tone, ¡°Hey, little fellow, watch your words. If you keep being mean and disrespectful, I''m going to tell your teacher about it and make sure that you receive a good lecture from her.¡± Wah! The fat boy squalled with fear when he heard what Penny had said. ¡°What happened to you, my sweetie? Did someone bully you?¡± Just then, a high-pitched, prating voice pierced the air like the shrills of a witch. A plump woman scurried into the ssroom; her fury so apparent that one could imagine steam spurting out of her ears. She looked to be middle-aged and was d head-to-toe in designer clothing. Lavish jewellery and diamonds weighed down her stubby fingers, making her appear ostentatious. The tacky woman was the mother of the fat boy. She was here to pick him up after school. The moment he saw his mother, the fat boy pointed at Penny and cried, ¡°It''s her, mummy. She''s bullied me and hit me!¡± Chapter 3 Soon It Will Be Payback Time Chapter 3 Soon It Will Be Payback Time Chapter 3 Soon It Will Be Payback Time ¡°How dare you hit my son, b****! I''ll beat the shit out of you!¡± Without giving Penny any room for exnation, Mrs. Zahn raised her fleshy arm and swung it towards Penny''s delicate face. Penny Smith tried to exin the situation to Mrs. Zahn, but Mrs. Zahn''s demeanor was simply overbearing, to the point of being barbaric. Mrs. Zahn appeared to be the kind of woman who would raise her hand on a whim. Caught off guard, Penny could not dodge the assault in time. The flesh on Mrs. Zahn''s arm jiggled from her force, and her palm was about to strike Penny''s face. Nathan stepped in at the nick of time. With Queenie held in his left arm, Nathan immediately extended his right arm to grasp Mrs. Zahn''s wrist. Mrs. Zahn''s meaty palm was mere inches away from Penny''s face. Even so, it hung stationary in mid- N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. air as if it had been frozen; her palm was unable to inch forward. p! Before she knew it, Nathan had withdrawn his hand in a sh andnded a harsh p on her face. Nathan pped her as if he were swatting an irritating mosquito. The p was of such great magnitude that it almost caused her to see stars. Her hair that had been arranged in a posh updo was now disheveled. She stared incredulously at Nathan as she covered her swollen cheek with her hand. ¡°How dare you p me in such a manner?¡± she screeched. ¡°You deserve this for being a lousy role model for your kids. How could you treat others with such insolence, without even bothering to uncover the truth of the matter?¡± Meanwhile, the teacher was back from her bathroom break. Stupefied by the sudden outbreak of events, she rushed over frantically and tried to cate everyone, ¡°Are you okay, Mrs. Zahn?¡± Mrs. Zahn had barely recovered from the shock of being pped by Nathan. She brushed the teacher aside with and shrieked hysterically at Nathan, ¡°You have the guts to p me? Are you trying to die? Just wait and see what will be of you!¡± With that being said, she pulled out her phone and dialled a number. After a few minutes, the screeching sound of the car tires travelled from outside the room. Two Mercedes Benzes'' sped into the kindergartenpound, charging through the entrance at breakneck speed. They came to a sudden halt upon arriving at the ssroom building. Five men dressed in slick outfits alighted from both cars. Their leader was a hulking man with a face that was contorted with menace and cruelty. He stormed into the ssroom, nked by four bodyguards, and roared like a savage beast, ¡°Who was the idiot who''d bullied my wife and kid?¡± ¡°What took you so long to get here, honey?¡± Mrs. Zahn was over the moon when she saw his repulsive face. She waddled over to him like an inted goose, her fat hips swaying from side to side. ¡°Don''t you know he could have beaten us to death if you''d arrived a tad bitter?¡± The man cast a bestial look around the room and demanded, ¡°Who''s the idiot who had the nerve to beat my wife? Doesn''t he know who I am? I''m Walter Zahn!¡± This man is Walter Zahn? The worried look in Penny''s eyes intensified when she heard the name. Notorious in Channing for his wealth and status, he was a ruthless and cruel character. Mrs. Zahn pointed towards Nathan and Penny. ¡°That is the sickening couple who bullied us, honey.¡± She scoffed, ¡°I demand that you make thempensate me with a hefty sum, or I''ll move out with our son, leaving you for good.¡± Walter Zahn slit his eyes and sneered, ¡°That''s just a piece of cake for me, my dear. I''ll p the woman till she loses all the teeth. As for the man, I''ll chop off the hand that hit you.¡± The fat boy cried out in excitement, ¡°Daddy, don''t forget their daughter, Queenie, as well. I want you to beat her up for bullying me.¡± Walter Zahn smiled as he caressed his son''s head, ¡°Sure, my boy. I''ll tie her on a leash and make her crawl on the floor so that you can treat her like a dog.¡± As if Walter Zahn''s words were the most beautiful arias to their ears, his wife swooned with delight while his fat son pped his hands ecstatically. Everyone in the kindergarten, including teachers and parents who hade to fetch their children, was watching with horror from a distance. They all felt sorry for Nathan and his family upon hearing Walter''s deration. As if it had been set in stone - Thou shall not offend Walter Zahn lest you feel suicidal. Even Penny was getting worried. She stepped forward and tried to exin, ¡°Please let me exin the matter to you, Mr. Zahn. I''m Penny Smith from the Smith Family. This is all a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Don''t give me that crap, I don''t need any exnation.¡± Walter Zahn snorted, ¡°Nobody would dare to defy me. It''s my word that counts.¡± ¡°Besides, what is the Smith Family to me? Don''t waste your time trying to intimidate me with thatme family of yours.¡± ¡°And don''t think that I''m unaware of your dishonored past too. You''re the shameless daughter from the Smith Family, who had slept around with men and given birth to a child without a husband. You should count your blessings that your old man still keeps you in the family.¡± ¡°How dare you get a sucker like him to bully my wife? I''m going to teach you a bloody lesson today on behalf of your family, and I''ll make sure that it''s the most painful lesson in your life!¡± Walter Zahn shouted at his four bodyguards, ¡°What are you guys waiting for? Move!¡± ¡°Got it, boss!¡± The four of them gave a synchronous answer and ferociously lunged at Nathan and his family. ¡°Go to hell!¡± They yelled. A cold spark shed across Nathan''s eyes as he turned to Penny, ¡°Shield Queenie''s eyes, don''t let her see this.¡± Penny was grappling with the meaning of his instruction, but she soon realized what he was going to do. She immediately covered Queenie''s eyes with her hand. Nathan stepped forward and delivered a knockout punch to the first man who had charged at him. Boom! Boom! Boom! With a few thuds, the men fell to the ground in session, like dominoes. Everyone present gasped in awe at Nathan''s agility and aggression. He then walked directly to Walter Zahn. mping his hand on Walter''s shoulder, he ordered sharply, ¡°Kneel!¡± His hand seemed to weigh like a ton of bricks on Walter''s shoulder and he crumpled to his knees. Thump! Walter Zahn''s knees mmed on the floor, and his features twisted in agony. p! Before he could even scream, Nathannded a series of thunderous ps on both his cheeks. Walter Zahn''s face began to swell as blood dripped from the corners of his lips. ¡°You have such nerve to hit me like this!¡± He stared fixedly at Nathan with a venomous look. ¡°Wait till you find out who you''re dealing with, you little muppet!¡± He spat. ¡°Don''t you know who my boss is? He''s someone who can squash you like a cockroach forying your hand on me! He''s Thomas Dunn!¡± ¡°Trust me, I can make your wife and child perish with a single phone call!¡± Yes, Thomas Dunn! The almighty Thomas Dunn! Thomas Dunn was the captain of the Armed Forces in the Eastern District. Simply put, they regarded him as the warlord of the Eastern District. Ruthless and rapacious, he was infamous for turning a blind eye to the vices of the filthy rich. Walter Zahn had always been in his good books. Hence, Thomas regarded him as one of his right- hand men. Everybody cast a sympathetic look at Nathan when they heard the mention of Thomas Dunn, fearing the worst for Nathan and his family. They were convinced that Nathan would soon be doomed as they murmured a prayer for him. Even though they were impressed by Nathan''s sublime skills, there was simply no way he could defend himself against an army. Theymented Nathan''s sorrowful fate. Instead of losing a leg, it would now cost him his life. Penny was no less concerned than the rest as she watched from afar with Queenie in her arms. The turn of events filled her lovely face with unease. Nathan seemed undaunted by Walter''s threats. His eyes took on a frosty look as he mocked, ¡°Sounds too good to be true.¡± ¡°Do you think that I''m lying?¡± Walter''s eyes seemed to bulge out of his skull as he red menacingly at Nathan. ¡°Let me make that call, and I bet you''ll be crying like a baby in ten minutes'' time. I''ll make you wish that you could crawl back into your mother''s womb!¡± Thump! He had barely finished his sentence when something was thrown at his face. It was a rugged, shock-resistant mobile phone! Walter darted his eyes between the phone and Nathan, looking nonplussed. ¡°You have ten minutes to call for help,¡± Nathan uttered indifferently. ¡°Mobilize all your men and show me what you''ve got, and make sure that you get all your big guns here to support you.¡± ¡°Whether you''reing at me or my family, just bring your A game!¡± Chapter 4 What A Spectacular Scene Chapter 4 What A Spectacr Scene Chapter 4 What A Spectacr Scene What an outrageous, pompous ass! Walter Zahn seethed and cursed as he picked up the phone and called Thomas Dunn to seek his help. His voice sounded like a foghorn. ¡°Soon you''ll get to experience living hell!¡± He grinned grotesquely at Nathan after he had made the call. Everybody was shaking their heads,menting Nathan''s folly. To the onlookers, Nathan hadmitted a suicidal act. Rather than using the opportunity to escape, he had just sent himself to the gallows when he allowed Walter Zahn to seek help from Thomas Dunn. Anxiety was all over her face as Penny scurried over with Queenie in her arms. ¡°We should leave now, Nathan,¡± she persuaded, ¡°Thomas Dunn is the big daddy here in Eastern District. He''s a vicious guy who sides with vile people like Walter Zahn.¡± ¡°Just leave it to me, Penny,¡± He said coolly, ¡°It''ll save us the trouble of dealing with them one at a time. Let me take care of them in one go.¡± It took less than ten minutes before the second round ofmotion broke out again in the otherwise harmonious kindergarten. This time, it was an even bigger one. Someone stared out of the window and shouted in amazement, ¡°Wow, what a spectacr sight! Look at the troops of soldiers who are standing outside, even the military trucks have arrived in dozens!¡± One by one, dozens of military trucks rolled stridently into the kindergarten with the grandeur of a military procession. ¡°Quick!¡± ¡°Quick!¡± Thousands of soldiers in camouge uniforms dismounted from the trucks when they came to a halt and assembled themselves in an organized formation. Soon after, a brawny man with thick sideburns stepped out of a military jeep. He was Thomas Dunn, the person whom Walter Zahn had called for help. ¡°Squad One and Squad Two, seal off the streets. I want this kindergarten to be fully enclosed.¡± ¡°Without my permission, not even a bird can enter or leave the vicinity.¡± Thomas Dunn''s orotund voice resounded like a gong as he belted out the orders. ¡°Understood, Sir! We shall do everything to ensure aplishment of mission!¡± Squad One and Squad Two answered in synchrony as they sprang into action immediately. In the blink of an eye, the kindergarten was surrounded. Thomas Dunn drew out a handgun from his waistband and gestured towards his remaining squad, ¡°Follow me!¡± ¡°Let''s find out who has the audacity to touch my men. I''ll make sure to beat the hell out of him!¡± One by one, the soldiers barged into the ssroom, wielding weapons that ranged from bays to machine guns, and even grenades. They surrounded the whole kindergarten in a sh, with every corner guarded by soldiers. ¡°Freeze!¡± The sight of Thomas Dunn was enough to send shivers down everyone''s spines, and they felt increasingly sorry for Nathan and his family. Now that he had the backing of Thomas Dunn, Walter Zahn was back to his arrogant self. ¡°Hehe, your end is near,¡± he gloated with malignant pleasure. Next, he turned to Thomas Dunn and buttered him up, ¡°I''m so d that you''re finally here, Mr. Dunn. Please ept my heartfelt gratitude for helping me to seek justice. Please take pity on my family and don''t let him escape scot-free!¡± ¡°Indeed, Mr. Dunn.¡± Mrs. Zahn joined in the plea with their fat son and wept crocodile tears, ¡°Look at how cruel he is, torturing us! Please give us the justice we deserve!¡± Thomas Dunn frowned at the sight of Walter Zahn''s bodyguards lying on the floor, writhing in pain. ¡°What happened?¡± He turned to Walter, whose face was smeared with blood. ¡°All thanks to him.¡± Walter Zahn pointed at Nathan with scathing resentment. ¡°This savage hooligan not only bullied my wife and my kid, but he also assaulted my bodyguards and made me kneel in front of him.¡± Thomas Dunn''s gaze followed Walter''s finger. His eyes met Nathan''s steady gaze. There was a discernible change in his demeanor, and his eyes flickered. ¡°I''ve never been humiliated in such a way before, Mr. Dunn.¡± Walter Zahn sulked in defeat as he stood beside Thomas Dunn. ¡°He turned me into theughingstock of Channing. Please help me seek revenge.¡± Thomas Dunn''s eyes lingered on Nathan for a while before he turned to Walter Zahn, ¡°So, what would you like me to do?¡± As if he were about to receive an honorary award, Walter Zahn straightened his back and lifted his head high with his chest puffed out. He tauntingly side-eyed Nathan and his family before addressing everyone in his loud and unpleasant voice, ¡°Well, everyone in Channing knows that I''m a man of my word.¡± ¡°Since I''ve promised to break his arm, I need to stick to my word. But the number has changed - I want to break both of his arms instead of one.¡± Mrs. Zahn jumped in, ¡°We should not let that b**** leave unscathed. p her until she''s left with no more teeth!¡± ¡°Well said!¡± Thomas Dunn looked impressed. N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. With that being said, he turned to face his soldiers andmanded, ¡°Take them down.¡± He pointed at Walter Zahn and his wife, ¡°Break both the arms of the man and p the woman until she''s toothless.¡± What? Everybody at the scene stood transfixed, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Nobody saw thising. They all expected Nathan and his family to perish instead of Walter Zahn and his wife. They were utterly dazed - what just happened? Walter Zahn and his wife were shocked to the core too. The soldiers sprang into action once Thomas gave his orders, ready tounch a blistering attack on the couple. ¡°What''s going on here, Mr. Dunn?¡± Walter Zahn floundered as he struggled in vain to free himself. ¡°Is this some kind of mistake, Mr. Dunn?¡± Mrs. Zahn''s voice quivered with fear, ¡°Shouldn''t it be targeting the wretched couple instead of us...¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Thomas Dunn bellowed at them before pointing at Nathan, who was standing idly at a distance with his hands behind his back. ¡°Do you know who he really is? And how much he means to me? He is my God, my faith, and my belief all in one!¡± ¡°I have pledged my life and soul to him, and I would never defy him. I swore to serve him wholeheartedly, with every ounce of my strength.¡± ¡°Who do you think you are to insult my hero? You''re just some dispensableckeys of mine.¡± Walter Zahn and his wife were stumped. They gazed despairingly at Nathan, horror evident in their eyes. They knew that they were in deep trouble for offending Thomas''s beloved idol. He had made it clear that he worshipped Nathan like his god. Their faces turned ashen. With one forceful thrust of their legs, Thomas Dunn''s soldiers kicked Walter Zahn to the floor before he could even open his mouth to beg for his life. Crack! Crack! They broke both his arms. ¡°Ah!¡± The room was filled with Walter Zahn''s blood-curdling shrieks. Two men in suits grasped Mrs. Zahn by her arms while another man unleashed a series of unforgiving ps on her cheeks. One by one, her teeth popped out from her mouth, stained with blood. Thump! Thump! Bothy prostrate in front of Nathan; Walter Zahn with his broken arms and Mrs. Zahn, who had lost all her teeth. Thomas Dunn quickly approached Nathan. He started to get down on his knees in a gesture of respect. ¡°I am Thomas Dunn, General...¡± ¡°Generally speaking, you''re no longer working under me, so there''s no need for the formalities.¡± Nathan stretched out his arm and halted him from kneeling. Initially, the name ¡°Thomas Dunn¡± did not ring any bells with Nathan. But the penny dropped when he saw Thomas Dunn''s face. He was one of Nathan''s personal guards. Generally speaking? Thomas Dunn started when he heard Nathan''s queer response, but it took him less than two seconds to decipher the intention behind his response - Nathan Cross wanted to keep his identity a secret. He replied earnestly, ¡°It''s my honor to have served you in the North, Sir. I''ll forever be under your Thomas Dunn had suffered an injury while he was a personal guard of the General, hence they had transferred him to the Eastern District hitherto. Given his proximity to Nathan, his admiration for the general was inexorably greater than the other soldiers. He idolized Nathan to the extent of worshipping him as a pir of his faith. It was like a dreame true for him to meet his hero again. His churning emotions almost moved him to tears when he saw Nathan. A sense of defeat washed over Walter Zahn and his wife when they saw Thomas Dunn going down on his knees in front of Nathan. He resembled a tamed lion bowing down to its majestic master. They knew that this was not their day. Gone was their smug and overbearing insolence. Even the slightest tinge of hatred had faded away from their eyes, leaving behind fear, despair, and regret... Chapter 5 He Used To Work For Me Chapter 5 He Used To Work For Me Chapter 5 He Used To Work For Me Nathan nced at Walter Zahn and his wife, who were both lying half-dead on the floor. ¡°Are they your subordinates?¡± he asked Thomas Dunn. ¡°Yes, he works for me,¡± Thomas Dunn acknowledged with shame, ¡°His name is Walter Zahn.¡± Nathan instantly flew into a rage, ¡°Tell me, who gave you the authority to send out the armed forces for no valid reason, other than to parade them around like troupers?¡± ¡°That was my mistake, Sir. I will ept any punishment.¡± Thomas Dunn was full of remorse. ¡°Hand in your resignation once you''ve returned to camp. You are not fit for the post!¡± ordered Nathan. ¡°Yes, Sir. Thank you for your advice. I shall reflect on my mistake,¡± Thomas Dunn said humbly and reverently. ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± Thomas Dunn won a nod of approval from Nathan for his positive attitude. Thomas Dunn then turned towards the couple on the floor. ¡°What are you still waiting for?¡± He barked at them, ¡°Get on your knees and apologize! If you upset my Sir again, I''ll make sure you won''t live to see the next day.¡± Walter Zahn and his wife mbered to their knees, groveling for forgiveness at Nathan''s feet. ¡°Go and apologize to my wife and daughter.¡± Nathan was impassive to their plea. They scrambled hastily to kneel in front of Penny and her daughter while sobbing with grief, ¡°Mrs. Cross, Ms. Cross, it was all our fault. We were simply blinded by our own foolishness. Please have mercy on us and let us go, we beg you!¡± Penny had recovered from her initial shock and fear. Her kind-hearted nature was easily swayed. Looking at the pathetic couple before her, she suggested to Nathan, ¡°Why don''t we give them a chance, since they look like they have genuinely repented? Besides, they have already received the punishment that they deserve.¡± ¡°Sure, as long as it pleases you, my dear.¡± Nathan''s lips curved into a rare, tender smile. His cheeky reply made her flush red. Thomas Dunn could tell from the softness in Penny''s eyes that she had already forgiven them. ¡°What are you two still waiting for?¡±He shouted at Walter Zahn and his wife, C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org. ¡°Scram!¡± The frantic couple seized the opportunity and stumbled to the door in feverish haste with their fat son in tow, as if they were running away from a huge catastrophe. Thomas Dunn offered to throw avish weing party for Nathan, but thetter rejected his offer, making known his desire to spend some quality time with his family instead. With a knowing look in his eyes, Thomas Dunn disappeared promptly and left Nathan with his family. Nathan carried Queenie in his arms as the trio made their way out of the kindergarten. ¡°You''re so awesome, Papa.¡± Little Queenie beamed with pride as she gazed at her father. ¡°Now that you''re back, I''m sure that nobody would dare to bully Mama and me again.¡± ¡°That''s right, my princess,¡± Nathan said in a tone full of indulgence. ¡°Papa will never let anyone bully you and Mama again.¡± Penny listened quietly from the side with tears rolling down her cheeks. Queenie''s ted face was a sight to behold. ... Asiatic - the center of the city. Penny lived in an old, dpidated building that was located downtown Asiatic. There were no elevators in the building. With Queenie in his arms, Nathan climbed up six-stories to get to Penny''s house. ¡°Come in, the ce is pretty cramped and messy,¡± Penny invited Nathan in as she opened the door. Inside the living room, Benson Smith, Penny''s dad, was reading the newspaper with his reading sses on. Her mum, Leah Smith, was making dinner in the kitchen. It surprised Benson to see his daughter bringing a man home with her. This was the first time Penny had ever brought a guy home. She had vowed to stay single and had insisted that she would raise Queenie on her own, tantly refusing to attend the matchmaking sessions they had arranged for her. Benson set down his papers and walked up to greet them. ¡°Hello, who is this gentleman?¡± He looked puzzled when he saw Queenie in Nathan''s arms. Penny tried to structure a suitable reply, but little Queenie had already answered in her bubbly voice, ¡°He''s my Papa, Grandpa. My Papa is back.¡± ¡°Does that mean that you''re the beast who raped my daughter five years ago? So it''s you who turned our lives into a living hell!¡± Benson Smith was a soft-spoken, humble man who hardly raised his voice. He flew into a rare fit of rage when he discovered that the man standing in front of him was none other than the culprit who had raped her daughter five years ago. He was the one who had ruined her life by impregnating her and letting her raise their child on her own. ¡°I can''t believe you have the audacity toe and look for her! I swear I''ll chop off your head!¡± A shrill voice prated the air when a woman ran out from the kitchen, swinging a cleaver madly. Leah Smith''s body was quivering with rage. Wah! The sudden outrage from her grandparents shocked little Queenie to the core, and she started wailing. Penny held back her mother with all her might. ¡°Mum, please don''t----¡± she pleaded. With Penny clinging tightly to her body, Leah could not budge. ¡°It''s all because of you that we were kicked out of the family mansion by Benson''s dad.¡± Leah pointed her cleaver at Nathan as she spat, ¡°You''ve ruined Penny''s life utterly and brought her nothing but pain. You''re worse than a beast! You''re a monster!¡± It aggravated Benson to see that his usual calm and orderly world had been upturned by Nathan''s sudden reappearance. The Penny and Queenie''s wails almost drove him mad. ¡°That''s enough!¡± Benson let out a roar that was uncharacteristic of his soft-spoken nature. His bellow effectively brought Leah''s wild emotions under control. Benson seized the opportunity to take the cleaver away from Leah''s hands. He pulled her into his arms to soothe her. ¡°Get out of our house! Don''t ever show your face again!¡± He shouted at Nathan scornfully, ¡°The hurt you''ve inflicted on my daughter is irreparable. We''ve had enough of the pain and torture. Leave us alone!¡± ¡°I will not leave.¡± Nathan met his gaze with a determined look in his eyes. With Queenie in his arms, his insistence to make up for his family was reflected in his solemn and sincere tone. ¡°Trust me, I know the torment Penny went through all these years.¡± ¡°I will never let them suffer in silence anymore. They deserve a life that is happy and blissful, and their future will be a path paved with diamonds. They are my family, my queen and my princess, and I''ll make sure that they have the whole world under their feet.¡± Happy and blissful life? A path paved with diamonds? The whole world under their feet? It sounded like mere empty promises to Benson. To him, only a guy full of crap would say such things, and those were the type of people he disliked most. Only young, vulnerabledies like Penny would fall for his honeyed words. ¡°Hey you, didn''t you hear what my husband just said? He asked you to leave!¡± Leah bawled at Nathan, ¡°Now get the hell out of my house!¡± Her tone was harsh and unforgiving. ¡°That''s right. I''m going to call the police if you insist on staying,¡± Benson warned. Truth was that Benson would have already done so when he found out that Nathan was the homeless man who had raped his daughter. Nheless, he refrained from doing so as he could not bear to let Penny go through the torment again. At that point, Penny wiped the tears on her face and said calmly, ¡°Dad, Mum, please let him stay.¡± What? Both Benson and Leah stared incredulously at their daughter. ¡°Are you out of your mind, Penny?¡± Leah asked worriedly. ¡°No, Mum. I''m fine.¡± Penny shook her head. ¡°I''m doing it because of Queenie.¡± ¡°She''s starting to understand all that''s going on, and she needs a father.¡± ¡°Dad, Mum, please give him a chance and let him stay with us for the time being.¡± Her words led Benson to consider what would be in Queenie''s best interest. Besides disbelieving the vagabond''s bold ims, Benson also seriously doubted his ability to fill up the void in Queenie. Yet, it was impossible for him to turn a blind eye to the pleading look on his daughter''s face and his granddaughter''s heart-wrenching sobs. He ultimately sumbed to their pleads and sobs, giving his approval with a helpless sigh. His approval drew a loud cry of disbelief from Leah, who could no longer control her rage. She stormed back to her room and shut the door with a thunderous bang. Her weeps and whimpers could be heard from the other side of the door. Leah refused to leave the room when it was time for dinner. Absentmindedly, Benson took a few bites from his te before scooping some food onto his te and heading back to his room to join his wife. Only Nathan, Penny, and Queenie were left in the dining table. Penny eyed him while she fed Queenie her dinner. ¡°There are only two bedrooms in the house,¡± she exined, ¡°Queenie sleeps with me in my room. You can share the same room with us, but you can only sleep on the floor.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Nathan agreed breezily. After dinner, Penny selected a set of Benson''s unused clothes and gave them to Nathan so that he could change into them after his bath. Soon after Nathan entered the bathroom, someone pounded at the door. ¡°Open the door!¡± The loud thumps brought Benson and Leah out of their room. ¡°It sounds like Samuel,¡± Benson said as he pricked up his ears to listen. ¡°Quick, open the door.¡± Upon opening the door, they were greeted by a mean-looking middle-aged man who appeared to be around the age of fifty. The man was tall and had a wide frame. His hair was heavily streaked with grey, and he wore a scrutinizing expression. His most prominent feature was his hawk-like eyes that looked at them shrewdly. His name was Samuel Smith, and he was the de facto leader of the Smith family''s business. Benson was over the moon when he saw that Samuel had shown up unexpectedly at his door. ¡°What brings you here, Samuel? Come on in.¡± ¡°No, I''ll stay here.¡± Samuel glimpsed the shabby and narrow house while he tantly rejected Benson''s offer, ¡°It''s too filthy inside.¡± His cruel remarks stabbed Benson and Leah''s hearts like a dagger, filling them with burning shame. Other than their shared surname, the brothers had absolutely nothing inmon. There was a sea of difference in terms of their wealth, status, and just about everything else. The moment he caught sight of Penny, Samuel''s eyes turned cold, ¡°I heard that you''ve patched up with that homeless guy who raped you. And you even instructed him to beat Mr. Harvey, our most important client.¡± ¡°No, Uncle Samuel, please let me exin.¡± Penny tried to rify the situation. ¡°Look, I''m not here to listen to your exnation.¡± Samuel cut her off rudely, ¡°You''ve brought enough shame to our family for getting involved with this homeless guy, and giving birth to a fatherless child. I was the one who took pity on you and pleaded with your grandpa not to banish you from our family. I even let you keep your job in ourpany.¡± ¡°How could you have the audacity to let that homeless bum leech off you like a parasite? Just because you can''t find yourself a husband doesn''t mean that you have to act in such an ignominious way. Don''t you know you''ve just turned our family into the biggest joke in town?¡± ¡°I demand you to apologize to Mr. Harvey in person and ask for his forgiveness.¡± ¡°If not, you can forget abouting back to thepany. Your entire family will have to live on breadcrumbs if you lose your job!¡± After unleashing his tirade of insults, Samuel turned swiftly, walking away. Penny was left wallowing in despair as tears formed in her eyes. Benson drooped his head and puffed at his cigarette. Leah thumped her fists on Benson''s chest like a petnt child, ¡°Look at you, what a weakling you are!¡± She ranted, ¡°You''re so uselesspared to your brother. He takes the helm of the family empire, and he owns everything. But what about you? You don''t even have the guts to ask him for your share.¡± ¡°You have kept silent even when he used our daughter and bad-mouthed us in front of your dad. He even got booted us out of our family mansion! But all you did was turn a deaf ear to everything.¡± ¡°And you''re still as timid as ever, even when hees here to trample all over us like dirt. What kind of man are you? How could you be such a wimp? Ah!¡± She let out a mournful wail. Nathan was baffled when he came out from his bath. It seemed like a major upheaval had taken ce while he was taking his shower. He creased his brows in concern as he tried to ask around about what had happened. All he could discern were the sullen looks and sorrowful sobs. It was his daughter, Queenie, who finally approached him. Pulling at his sleeve, she said timidly, ¡°Uncle Samuel was here, Papa. He wants Mama to apologize to somebody, or he will sack Mama from her job and banish us from the Smith family.¡± Nathan winced with disgust when he heard Queenie''s words. The cruelty of these people from the Smith family was abominable. He vowed to make these people pay for their cold-bloodedness! Chapter 6 An Apology In Person Chapter 6 An Apology In Person Chapter 6 An Apology In Person Nathan lifted Queenie into his arms and consoled the rest of them, ¡°Let''s not get upset over it. Who knows? Derek Harvey might turn up at our house all of a sudden and offer his apology.¡± His words only aggravated them and elicited a slew of angry remarks. ¡°What nerve you have to say such a thing!¡± Leah vented all her rage on him, ¡°Don''t you know that it''s all because of you? If you didn''t beat up Mr. Harvey and May, Samuel wouldn''t havee to our house and made a big fuss about it!¡± Penny could not me Nathan since she knew that he had done so because of her. ¡°You must be out of your mind to say such a thing, Nathan.¡± She heaved a frustrated sigh, ¡°Why in the world would Mr. Harvey apologize to us? I''ll be counting my blessings if he doesn''t hold us responsible for beating him up, and it''ll be a miracle if he continues his business rtionship with Diva.¡± ¡°Just rx, everybody,¡± Nathan said with an air of nonchnce. ¡°I am sure that he will turn up tomorrow to apologize. You can take my word for it.¡± Penny and the rest knew better than to take his word. It was simply against Derek Harvey''s insolent nature to apologize when he had been humiliated in such a devastating manner. Pigs could fly if that came true! Even if he found his conscience and became repentant, it was practically impossible for him to show up at their house and apologize, at least from a physical standpoint. That was because Derek Harvey was still lying in the hospital nursing his broken leg, all thanks to Nathan. Would it be possible for Mr. Harvey to leave the hospital on crutches and drag himself here to offer an apology? It was simply inconceivable. Benson''s lips curled in disdain at Nathan''s whimsical bbers. ¡°This is not the time for fantastical ideas,¡± he quipped soberly, ¡°Let''s get down to business and think about how we can offer an apology that would please Mr. Harvey.¡± ¡°Penny, we''ll go to the hospital tomorrow to visit Mr. Harvey and seek his forgiveness. Nathan, you''d bettere along with us.¡± With those instructions, Benson hoped that they could appease Mr. Harvey when they visited him at the hospital tomorrow. Soon, he and Leah retired for the night. Meanwhile, Penny brought Queenie to the bathroom for her bath. Nathan took this opportunity to step outside to the balcony and called Colin Dixon, ¡°Colin, I want you to get hold of Thomas Dunn and make sure he...¡± That night, Penny struggled to get ustomed to having Nathan sleep in her room with Queenie, even though he was only sleeping on the floor. She briefed him on some house rules before she went to bed. ¡°I''ve heard of the unsightly behaviours when men sleep. I''d appreciate it if you could behave yourself and show us some basic decency.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Nathan was at a loss for words. ¡±Sure!¡± He replied amusedly. Queenie watched with curiosity as Nathan rolled out a mattress onto the floor. ¡°Mama, why isn''t Papa sleeping with you?¡± Penny blushed at the question, trying to pass it off as anger. ¡°What silly question is that?¡± She chastised, ¡°What makes you think that Mama and Papa have to sleep together?¡± ¡°Isn''t that what they always do on television?¡± Queenie blinked her innocent eyes. ¡°Those programs are having a bad influence on you.¡± Penny admonished, ¡°No TV for you for two days.¡± Queenie pouted her lips and sulked, wondering what she had done to deserve this. ... The next morning, the Smiths woke up to a wonderful aroma. When they noticed the scrumptious spread Nathan had prepared, the adults exchanged nces at each other while Queenie bubbled with joy, ¡°Wow! Yummy!¡± It was a breakfast packed with nutrients. The table was filled with cereal, eggs, milk, and fruits. Benson kept hisposure as he sneaked a glimpse at Nathan. ¡°Tuck in, everybody.¡± He pulled out a chair and sat down, ¡°There''s a long day ahead for us. We need to drop Queenie off at kindergarten and buy some fruits and flowers before we visit Mr. Harvey at the hospital.¡± He muttered, ¡°Let''s pray that he would forgive us and not pursue the matter any further.¡± He had barely ended his mutterings when somebody knocked at the door, ¡°Hello, is anybody at home?¡± Came a polite voice from outside the house. ¡°Who could it be at this hour?¡± frowned Leah. ¡°Probably some salesperson looking to sell us some water purifiers? Let me get it,¡± offered Penny as she headed for the door. ¡°H-How could it be...¡± Penny''s eyes popped out when she opened the door, ¡°W-what are you doing here?¡± She let out a loud gasp of surprise. ¡°What''s the matter, Penny? Who''s at the door?¡± Benson and Leah were worried when they heard Penny''s gasp. They put down their bowls hastily and rushed to the door. They ended up motionless at the door with their mouths hanging wide open. A bald, middle-aged man donning a white patient''s robe was standing at their door. He was leaning on crutches with his left leg in a ster cast. A few men in suits stood behind the bald man. They appeared to be his bodyguards. Benson and Leah''s faces were filled with confusion as they were still grappling with what was going on. ¡°Hello, I''m Derek Harvey, President of Oceana Corporation.¡± The bald man introduced himself with a cheesy grin on his face, ¡°I''m deeply sorry for having offended Mr. Cross and Ms. Smith yesterday. It has hit me with such terrible remorse that I could scarcely sleep or eat. That''s why I''m here this morning to offer my sincerest apology.¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. What? His words left the Smiths gawking at him with unbelieving eyes. As if their brains were clogged and their throats stuck with bewilderment, they hardly knew what to say. It hit them with a pang as they recalled what Nathan had told themst night. His words hade true - Derek Harvey would show up at their house to offer his apology. Synchronously, the three of them twisted their heads to look at Nathan, who was sitting at the side of the table feeding Queenie from her bowl of cereal. The same question popped up in their minds - could it be him who made this happen? Penny gulped down her shock as she tried to pull herself together. She turned suspiciously to Derek Harvey, ¡°Are you serious, Mr. Harvey?¡± Derek Harvey jerked with fear when Penny posed the question. ¡°Of course, I''m serious,¡± he replied nervously, ¡°I am here today to express my deepest remorse for causing so much distress to you and your family.¡± ¡°To prove my sincerity, I''d refused to let them help me when I was climbing up the stairs just now. It took every ounce of my strength and determination to take each step at a time on my crutches, until I finally reached your house.¡± His words only made the Smiths feel as if an avnche of shock waves were banging their heads. Yet it was evidently clear to them that Derek Harvey was speaking nothing but the truth, judging by the redness of his face, his sodden robe, and his heavy panting. How could it be possible? Hell must have frozen over if someone as haughty as Derek Harvey, who behaved like he wore a halo of superiority above his head, to climb six-stories of stairs on crutches to offer his apology in person. This was virtually as good as asking the sun to rise from the west! The muted response from Pennypounded the anxiety and fear in Derek Harvey. He desperately needed her to forgive him. With a clench of his fists, he resorted to using his most persuasive approach. ¡°It seems like Ms. Smith is still unconvinced about my sincerity,¡± he announced through gritted teeth. ¡°I wouldn''t me you at all, Ms. Smith.¡± He exined humbly, ¡°My arrogance and snobbery has made you doubt my earnestness. Please believe me, Ms. Smith. I''m down on my knees now to beg you, please.¡± As if he was determined to follow through with his proims, Derek Harvey threw his crutches aside and attempted to get down on his knees, disregarding the heavy cast on his left leg. His move threw Penny and her family into aplete state of profound shock. ¡°Please don''t force it, boss.¡± His bodyguards came up to him and pleaded, ¡°It could turn you into a cripple if you knelt on your broken leg.¡± Derek Harvey dismissed their pleads in a spurt of rage, ¡°Get away from me, you fools! Don''t you know that I''ll be as good as dead if I can''t get Ms. Smith to forgive me?¡± Derek Harvey almost turned hysterical when he shrugged off the helping hands from his bodyguards, insisting on getting down on his knees. Meanwhile, Nathan casually walked up to the door with Queenie in his arms. ¡°It appears that Mr. Harvey is genuinely sorry for his wrongdoing, honey.¡± He suggested to Penny, ¡°Why not we just give him a chance then?¡± His suggestion struck her like a bolt from the blue and sharpened her mind instantly. ¡°Yes, I forgive you, Mr. Harvey.¡± She gesticted at him, ¡°Please don''t kneel and hurt yourself, it would only get me into more trouble.¡± ¡°Is that true, Ms. Smith?¡± Derek Harvey asked in his quivering voice. ¡°Do you mean that you''ve epted my apology?¡± ¡°Yes, I''ve epted your apology.¡± Penny was in fact brooding with fear that he might hurt himself andnd her deeper in trouble. She was more than happy to ept his apology. ¡°Hurrah! I''ve made it! Ms. Smith has epted my apology!¡± Derek Harvey was in a state of euphoria as he pped his hands as if he had just won the biggest lottery in town. Giggling and chuckling with ecstatic delight, he retrieved his crutches and turned around to leave. His men rushed over frantically to carry him down the stairs and whisked him off from the sight of Penny and her family. ¡°Do you think that he has gone out of his mind?¡± Penny wondered. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Nathan shed an enigmatic smile, ¡°He''s simply ted.¡± Penny and her family exchanged quizzical nces with one another. It seemed like a mystery that they could never fathom. Chapter 7 A Discarded Treasure Chapter 7 A Discarded Treasure Chapter 7 A Discarded Treasure The unexpected appearance of Derek Harvey left Penny and her family reeling from the sudden, inexplicable turn of events. Curiosity got the better of Benson when they were back at the dining table, continuing their breakfast. ¡°Your words came true when you¡¯d said Mr. Harvey would show up today to apologize in person.¡± He cast an inquisitive nce at Nathan, ¡°Do you have something to do with this?¡± ¡°How could this be possible? I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s merely a coincidence.¡± Leah snorted, ¡°He hardly had stepped out of the house the entire night. There¡¯s no way that he could be involved,¡± she insisted. ¡°Besides, what makes you think that a homeless bum like him could get Mr. Harvey to show up with his apology?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that this is due to his conscience that has been haunting him with horrible nightmares, reminding him of what karma would befall on him if he¡¯d continued with his vices.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he showed up at such wee hours of the morning.¡± She shrugged, ¡°He was merely following his conscience, that¡¯s all.¡± Leah was a devout believer who had never skipped a prayer throughout her life. Hence she would attribute all unexined events to karma, fate, and retribution. Benson was skeptical of Leah¡¯s exnation; he found it wrought with superstition. Yet he could not agree more with Leah when she proimed that Nathan was incapable of performing such a heroic feat when all he had done was loitering around doing nothing. How could he get Derek Harvey to show up and apologize, let alone if he could not even get himself a proper job? He spected that it had all boiled down to Derek Harvey¡¯s own conscience, which had prompted him to feel remorseful. A different vibe struck Penny about the whole matter. She reckoned that it was likely masterminded by Nathan and executed by Thomas Dunn. It takes a monster to kill a monster. There would be no suitable candidate for the job, other than Thomas Dunn, who was a hundred times more ruthless and diabolical than Derek Harvey. While she was d to escape unscathed from the turmoil, she knew that it was all due to the influence of Thomas Dunn, whom of which Nathan had already helped Nathan on two asions. She firmly believed it would be impossible for Thomas Dunn to help them again for the third time. Their luck would run out soon, and it was vital for Nathan to rein in his rashness. ... Meanwhile, at the Royale Vi Residences, the Smith Family¡¯s Mansion. Sean Smith, the patriarch of the Smith family, together with Samuel Smith and Paul Smith, his eldest and his third son, was having a conversation in the study. ¡°I found it simply outrageous,¡± Paulined. ¡°How could Mr. Harvey let Penny off the hook and, calling us up to inform us that he would continue to partner with us?¡± ¡°Mr. Harvey is a shrewd businessman. I bet that he would not want to meddle with Penny¡¯s lunatic boyfriend A mad and penniless guy like him has nothing to lose. Mr. Harvey knew better than to waste his time with that hooligan, subjecting himself to unnecessary risk.¡± Samuel exined, ¡°It¡¯s better for him to drop it altogether and let the matter pan out.¡± Sean expressed a scornful grimace the moment he heard Samuel talk about Penny and Nathan. ¡°It sickens me to the core whenever I hear her name. What have I done to deserve such a shameless granddaughter like her? She has utterly ruined our family¡¯s name!¡± Samuel came up with a baneful suggestion, ¡°Dad, since we¡¯re having your seventieth birthday banquet tomorrow, why don¡¯t we banish Benson and his family from attending the party, using this opportunity to disown them from the Smith family?¡± Paul yed along, ¡°Yes, Dad. Wouldn¡¯t it be an utter humiliation in front of our friends and rtives to let them attend your anniversary party?¡± ¡°Let theme.¡± Sean waved his hands in disagreement, ¡°Now that Mr. Harvey had the leniency to let them off the hook, what would others think of us if we expel them from our family? It would look bad on us and make us look petty and callous if theypare us to an outsider like Mr. Harvey.¡± In the afternoon, Penny and her family were delighted to know that they had been invited to her grandpa¡¯s seventieth birthday banquet, which would be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. That meant that they were still regarded as part of the Smith family since Sean had given them the green light to attend the banquet. Nheless, it was a thorny issue when they had tried to think of a suitable birthday present for Sean. ¡°I know that we can¡¯t afford somethingvish, but we shouldn¡¯t give him something too cheap either, or it could reflect badly on us.¡± Penny suggested, ¡°We should think of a present that is moderately priced, yet useful and meaningful to him in a certain way.¡± They racked their brains to think of one, but it was easier said than done. It was Nathan who finally made the bold call, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just leave it to me? I assure you that we¡¯ll give Sean an extraordinary present which would mean the world to him.¡± ¡°Nathan, are you sure about this?¡± Penny eyed him skeptically, ¡°Do you really think that you can find a present that would please grandpa on his seventieth birthday?¡± ¡°Trust me, I know what to do.¡± Nathan offered her a confident smile. Soon after, he walked out to the balcony, giving Colin Dunne a call, ¡°I need a present for Sean Smith, who will celebrate his birthday tomorrow. The present doesn¡¯t have to be mostvish, but it must be the best for him.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir!¡± Colin Dunne answered with absolute subservience. ... The following day. It was a big day for Penny and her family, as they prepared themselves for Sean¡¯s birthday banquet. Just as they were about to leave the house, Penny asked Nathan whether he had the present ready. It had almost slipped her mind. ¡°Here it is.¡± Nathan smiled, unearthing a small box. It was an inconspicuous, worn-out box. What was inside the box was a pill, all sealed up in stic. It was almost the size of a marble. Penny and her family brooded with fear. They dreaded to think of Sean¡¯s response upon seeing such a preposterous present at his seventieth birthday banquet. ¡°How could this tiny little pill be our birthday present? Are you out of your mind, Nathan?¡± Penny was on the verge of tearing at her hair. ¡°This is no ordinary pill, Penny.¡± Nathan exined benignly, ¡°This pill was cultivated more than sixty years ago, its name is Phoenixia. It was made with the rarest and most precious medicinal herbs and ingredients that have a miraculous effect on illnesses caused by what wemonly termed as the three highs - hypertension, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. These are the three harmful killers that could lead to typical chronic diseases such as stroke.¡± Unbeknownst to them, it was a gift carefully chosen by Colin Dunne, as required by Nathan. After conducting a thoughtful analysis on Sean Smith, Colin Dunne knew that Sean was flushed with cash; he was never short of money. His greatest worry was his health since he was aging and gued with the three highs; hypertension, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. These three highs were potential killers that could lead to illnesses such as stroke, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Colin Dunne splurged an enormous amount of money to get ahold of the miracle pill which could work wonders at treating such chronic diseases. That was how it had ended up being the birthday gift for Sean Smith. Penny and her family were taken by surprise when they heard about the miraculous effect of this unsightly pill. Besides, they could hardly afford anyvish gift because of their shoestring budget, not to mention they were running out of time to get themselves another present. ¡°Are youpletely sure of this, Nathan? This pill could really work wonders?¡± Penny needed a double confirmation to dispel her doubts. ¡°Absolutely.¡± Nathan asserted. So they gave him the benefit of doubt and made the pill their birthday present. All they could do was pray hard that what Nathan had said was true, that this was indeed a miracle pill. Otherwise, they couldnd up heading home with their tails between their legs. With Queenie in his arms, Nathan andpany showed up punctually at the entrance of Grand Hyatt Hotel - the venue of Sean¡¯s birthday banquet. The whole of Peony Hall of the hotel had been reserved for the grand asion of Sean¡¯s seventieth birthday banquet. Fifty tables were spread across the hall, which was bustling with activity. Donned in a ssic tailored suit, Sean was busy weing their guests at the reception area, apanied by his two sons, Samuel and Paul. ¡°Compliments from Mr. Joseph Jenkins, President of Harvest Corporation, a M masterpiece with his message, Happy birthday to Mr. Sean Smith.¡± ¡°Compliments from Mr. Zack Tyler, President of Sky Property Group, a century-old Pine Bonsai Tree with his message, All the best to Mr. Sean Smith on your seventieth birthday.¡± The staff at the reception announced the names of the arriving guests and even the nature of their gifts and birthday messages. When it came to Nathan andpany, the staff read out aloud, ¡°Compliments from Benson Smith and his family, a tattered, broken pill with their message, Best Wishes and Happy Birthday to father.¡± A tattered, broken pill! The words sent a burst of roaringughter from the hundreds of guests in the hall. This made Sean see red. His cheeks were puffed, like two blobs of red paint as he red heatedly at Benson, who had juste up to Sean, about to greet him. ¡°What kind of shit are you giving me as a birthday gift, Benson?¡± Sean spat out at Benson, furiously. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up, Dad.¡± Benson exined nervously when he saw the rage in Sean¡¯s eyes, ¡°This is a pill called Phoenixia; it is said to be a miracle pill against chronic diseases caused by the three highs in...¡± ¡°What do you mean by that, Benson?¡± Samuel cut him off with a sardonic grin. ¡°Are you trying to say that you can¡¯t wait for Dad to catch those chronic diseases? Is that the reason why you have given him the pill as your present?¡± ¡°No, Dad, Samuel. That¡¯s not what I mean...¡± Benson¡¯s face turned deathly pale. Plop! An old-looking, worn-down box was thrown to the floor, right in front of Benson and his family. It almost shattered the box to pieces. A tiny round pill came rolling out of the broken box; it was Phoenixia. It was Miles Smith, the son of Samuel Smith, who had thrown the box to the floor. ¡°Look at the broken pill you¡¯re giving us here,¡± scoffed Miles. ¡°Save it for yourself!¡± Rage and shame were all over the faces of Benson, Leah, and Penny, who was carrying Queenie in her arms. Nathan gave them a cold, hard stare before he bent over and picked up the pill. ¡°Wait till you find out the monstrous prowess of this tiny pill. You¡¯lle back begging on your knees for it.¡± He uttered impassively, ¡°And you¡¯ll live to regret throwing away a piece of treasure like this. ¡° ¡°Huh? A broken pill like this is a rare treasure? Save it for yourself, we¡¯ll never beg you for it! Haha!¡± Samuel snorted, while the rest of his menughed mockingly. Chapter 8 The Cloud Palace Chapter 8 The Cloud Pce Chapter 8 The Cloud Pce Sean gave Benson and his family a dismissive nce and announced, ¡°We have no tables for you in the main hall. There¡¯s a small table in the corridor that would be enough for your whole family. Tuck in now; dinner is about to be served.¡± All eyes in the room turned towards Benson and his family as if they were some strange-looking aliens who had just descended on earth. While everybody sat in the main hall, which was the Peony Hall, Benson and his family had to squeeze themselves to fit into the miserable, tiny table in the corridor. Nothing could be more humiliating than to be treated like some downbeat outcasts. How they had wanted to walk away from the banquet, snubbing all the insults. Nheless, Benson and his family put up with the embarrassment with gritted teeth and clenched fists. They did not want to be seen as impertinent and rude, simply walking away from his dad¡¯s birthday banquet. They walked over to the lone table in the corridor and sat down, under the mocking eyes of their guests and rtives. The banquet had officially begun! The guests at the banquet were treated to a sumptuous feast with sessive delectable, mouth- watering gourmet dishes. All except for the solitary table in the corridor. They waited till the guests had finished theirst round of desserts, yet there was still no food served on their table. When the dinner was almost finished, Samuel came over and ordered the servers to serve the leftovers to Benson and his family. As if it was the final straw, Benson and his family could not contain their rage and resentment anymore. What do they take us for? Beggars or dogs that are only entitled to leftovers? As if he had reached the tipping point, Benson gave an uncharacteristic scowl and stood up abruptly from the table. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he urged stoutly. ¡°We¡¯re done with the banquet.¡± Sean was merrily clinking sses with some of his most distinguished guests at his banquet when Samuel approached him and whispered in his ear, ¡°Dad, Benson, and his family have skipped the dinner and left the banquet. They¡¯d seemed rather displeased.¡± ¡°Huh! Serves them right for giving me a rotten pill for my birthday. What are they thinking? Are they really here to celebrate or to curse me? Why should I feed them with all the wonderful food? I¡¯d rather feed the dogs.¡± ... The moment they exited the hotel, Leah, who was bitter,shed out at Nathan. ¡°Look at you and your dumb idea. We¡¯d assigned you the task of finding a suitable birthday present for Sean. What the hell were you thinking, presenting him with an embarrassing pill as a gift? Thanks for making us look like a fool in front of everybody, making them feed us with leftovers as if we were some kind of beggars. What an ingenious idea of yours!¡± Penny tried to cate her mother, ¡°I¡¯m sure that Nathan hadn¡¯t intended so, Mum.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop arguing.¡± Benson suggested gloomily, ¡°We¡¯ve utterly embarrassed ourselves in front of our friends and rtives today. I¡¯m sure that dad would only find us more repulsive than ever. Our situation would only take a turn for the worse.¡± ¡°Just calm down, everybody. Soon they¡¯ll be knocking at our door, begging us for the pill,¡± Nathan asserted. Penny shot him a rueful smile, ¡°Come on, Nathan. We¡¯ve had enough of your nonsense. How could that be possible?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they just throw the pill away in front of everyone? What makes you think that they would eat their words and beg us for it?¡± ¡°Even if grandpa would fall sick, he has the cash and means to seek out the best medical treatment. He doesn¡¯t need your pill at all.¡± But Nathan had no qualms about his prediction, ¡°Just rx, I¡¯m convinced they¡¯ll eat humble pie and return to us for the pill.¡± His assuring demeanor was no different from when he had predicted Mr. Harvey¡¯s appearance for his apology. Penny and her family were befuddled by his words. What made him so sure of his prediction? Their thoughts were interrupted when Queenie mewled pitifully, ¡°Queenie is hungry, Papa. When can we have our lunch? I saw them having so much food on their tables earlier! It makes me so hungry.¡± Queenie was referring to the scrumptious and appetizing food that was served at Sean¡¯s seventieth birthday banquet. The exhaustive list was made up of morous and expensive dishes that had included Wagyu beef, foie gras, caviar, abalone, lobsters, and many more. Any single dish could cost them a month to even a whopping full year¡¯s sry, burning a hole in their pockets. ¡°Those dishes are far too expensive, Queenie. We can¡¯t afford them.¡± Penny exined to her daughter, ¡°Mama will cook you something else when we get home.¡± But Nathan insisted, ¡°What makes you think that we can¡¯t afford them? Come on, let¡¯s treat ourselves to a good meal today.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have the money, Nathan...¡± Penny trailed off in a diffident tone. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let me pay for the meal. I do have a few pennies for that,¡± Nathan reassured her. Though he was never obsessed with money and wealth, Nathan was pretty sure that he had a bankroll of up to tens of millions. It had all meant nothing to him, as they were just figures. Cloud Pce - the most expensive restaurant in Channing. It was situated at the highest level of the highest building in Channing - The Pinnacle. The upscale restaurant overlooked the most breathtaking panoramic view of Channing, boasting the most premium ingredients and the most aplished chefs who would whip up dishes that could swoon your pte with delight. Cloud Pce was exclusive, being avable to only those who could boast excessive wealth, power, and status. Those who were filthy rich butcked the prestige and position in society would be snubbed at Cloud Pce. Nathan brought Penny and her family to the Pinnacle, taking the exclusive elevator to the top of the building. Penny and her family were daunted by the poshness of the ce when they learned that Nathan was taking them to Cloud Pce for lunch. ¡°This ce looks so fancy andvish, Penny,¡± Benson intercepted nervously. ¡°I guess it would cost a bomb to dine in here.¡± ¡°This ce is extremely costly; a simple dish could cost up to tens of thousands.¡± Penny stated taciturnly, ¡°It is one of the most expensive restaurants in Channing, but it doesn¡¯t just cater to the rich, you¡¯ve really got to be somebody in order to dine inside.¡± Her words gave Leah the chills as she gasped, ¡°My god, this is as good as daylight robbery. Where would we find the money to dine here? It would cost us our lifetime¡¯s wages to simply have a meal here. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Nathan tried to ay their worries with a tranquil smile, ¡°Come on, guys. Don¡¯t be silly, how much could a simple meal cost? Just let me take care of the bill.¡± With those words, Nathan andpany were on their way into the restaurant. They were stopped at the entrance by a few men in well-tailored suits, who appeared to be the security of the restaurant. A man who seemed to be their supervisor gave them an unfriendly look and announced, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ording to our dress code, we deny entry to people who are not appropriately attired.¡± Nathan andpany were bemused by what he had said. Despite not being dressed in Gi, Armani, or some designerbels, they had certainly appeared presentable and well-dressed for the asion. A man dressed in a creased tank top, loose crumpled shorts, and flip-flops walked past them and strode into the restaurant casually as if he was walking into a supermarket. Nathan pointed at him and asked the security, ¡°What makes you say that we are inappropriately dressed? What about him then? Why wasn¡¯t he barred from entering?¡± ¡°That man is a property magnate who owns dozens of properties. So what if he is dressed in tank tops and flip-flops?¡± The supervisor sneered, ¡°What makes you think that you¡¯re on the same level as him?¡± ¡°Do you know how much we charge for our dishes? A simple meal could easily cost you over a hundred grand. This is not a ce for paupers like you to dine in.¡± Penny¡¯s life savings were merely over a hundred thousand, which meant that she could hardly afford a decent meal in this ce. ¡°Forget it, Nathan. Let¡¯s find another ce for dinner.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no reason for us to leave.¡± Nathan insisted, ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m taking you guys out for dinner. I insist on treating you guys to a good meal.¡± ¡°Hey, you, I want to see your boss. Get him here.¡± The supervisor and his men cackled inughter. ¡°We have a dozen bosses here, which one are you referring to?¡± the supervisorughed a humorless ¡°The one who has the final say,¡± Nathan answered, indifferently. ¡°I¡¯ll shut down your restaurant if your boss does not appear in front of me in ten minutes¡¯ time,¡± he warned. ¡°What a load of hogwash!¡± The supervisor sniggered, ¡°How dare you talk in such a manner? Do you know who¡¯s our big boss?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Thomas Dunn!¡± ¡°Get your asses out of here before he throws you out from the window!¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Unbeknownst to Nathan, Thomas Dunn had already submitted his resignation as instructed by Nathan, and he was no longer the armed forces¡¯ chief of Eastern District. Following his resignation, he bought over Cloud Pce and had now be a businessman cum restaurant owner. Plucky and big-hearted, he was still a man with significant influence, given his previous post in the armed forces and his resourcefulwork. He remained the undisputed big daddy of the Eastern District. When he heard that Thomas Dunn was the owner of Cloud Pce, Nathan gravely took out his phone and dialed the number of Thomas Dunn. ¡°It¡¯s me, Thomas. I¡¯m right outside your restaurant.¡± Thomas? The supervisor and his men burst out in another round ofughter. It seemed ludicrous to them that Nathan coulde up with such an idiotic idea to pretend that he was on the phone with Mr. Dunn. Theirughter resonated like those who were watching a hriousedy inside a cinema. All of a sudden, a bare-footed man dashed out from the management office of the restaurant towards them. The man was tall and stout with prominent side-burns on his face. He was Thomas Dunn. A woman ran yelling behind Thomas Dunn with a pair of shoes in her hands. She was his secretary cum foot massager, ¡°Your shoes, Mr. Dunn! You¡¯ve forgotten to put on your shoes...¡± Thomas Dunn had been pampering himself to a foot massage when Nathan had called. He sprang up from his chair like an stic spring the instant he heard Nathan¡¯s call, scrambling out of his office, without even bothering to put on his shoes. Overwhelmed by Nathan¡¯s sudden appearance, he greeted him with an unctuous grin, ¡°Wee to Cloud Pce, Sir!¡± The supervisor and his men stood transfixed, as they were utterly lost when they saw the barefooted Thomas Dunn address Nathan as ¡°Sir¡±. It turned their mouths wide-opened as bagels and their eyes were almost popping out from their sockets. ¡°Yes, I am here to try out your restaurant.¡± Nathan muttered with a disinterested tone, ¡°But your security has barred me from entering because he said that I¡¯m a pauper.¡± Chapter 9 Phoenixia Chapter 9 Phoenixia Chapter 9 Phoenixia Thomas Dunn¡¯s unctuous expression took a pause as his face turned beet-red with ring nostrils the moment he heard those words from Nathan! He turned and red at the security supervisor and his men, ¡°What a bunch of idiots! You are all fired, scram!¡± He sacked them on the spot and chased them away immediately. He then turned to Nathan and resumed his fawning smile, ¡°Please follow me, Sir.¡± Nathan glimpsed at his bare feet and reminded him, ¡°You¡¯d better put on your shoes first.¡± Thomas Dunn was dazed when he lowered his eyes and saw his two bare feet. He realized with a pang that he hadpletely forgotten about his shoes when he rushed out in a frenzy. His secretary came over and squatted down to help him put on his shoes. Thomas Dunn slipped back into his shoes and stifled an awkward grin before he invited Nathan into the restaurant, ¡°Sir, this way, please.¡± After aical encounter, Nathan andpany finally stepped into Cloud Pce. As if they were stepping into a real pce, they were awed by its interior, which was exquisitely furnished and exuberantlyvish. ¡°Pleasee this way, Sir. This is our best VIP room.¡± Thomas Dunn led them to arge room. Leah fidgeted and suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just dine in the main hall? Let¡¯s skip the VIP room.¡± She knew that it would cost much more to dine in a VIP room. It was the unwritten rule in every entertainment or dining outlet. The lush decor of this ce made the pces she had seen on television pale inparison. Fearing that they might not have been able to pay for the bill, Leah suggested skipping the VIP room. ¡°So my mother-inw doesn¡¯t like to dine in a VIP room,¡± Nathan ryed her suggestion to Thomas Dunn. ¡°Oh, I see. Do you like a more cozy feel? Let¡¯s sit in the main hall then. I¡¯ll get you a table by the window so that you can enjoy the view as well.¡± Thomas Dunn presented them a gummy smile. ¡°That would be fine,¡± Nathan agreed. So they tucked in at a table near the window while Thomas Dunn asked for the menu from his captain. He would personally take their orders. Penny and the rest held their breath as they saw the prices on the menu. Wagyu beef at eight thousand per pound, caviar at thirty grand per pound, bluefin tuna at nine thousand per pound... As if he was sitting on a boiling cauldron, Benson was about to eject from his seat in fear, ¡°These are way too costly for folks like us. There¡¯s no way that we can afford it. We shouldn¡¯t stay any longer, let¡¯s leave now.¡± ¡°Wait, don¡¯t be rmed by the prices.¡± Thomas Dunn exined, ¡°How could I let you pay a single cent for the meal? Don¡¯t you see what it means to me to have Mr. Cross and his family dine in my restaurant? It¡¯s an honor that no money can buy.¡± ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you¡¯ll never have to spend a single dime to dine here for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°Just take this to be your house. Come and dine whenever you feel like it. There¡¯s no need for the formalities with me, please.¡± Are you kidding? Free for the rest of our lives? Benson and Leah exchanged a stupefied nce with one another, their mouths hanging wide open as if they had been gagged by an invisible cloth. ¡°Dad, Nathan has a very good rtionship with Mr. Dunn, that¡¯s why...¡± Penny struggled to make them understand. Nathan jumped in and exined, ¡°Thomas used to be my subordinate, that¡¯s why he treats us like his family, there¡¯s no need to feel uneasy about that.¡± Thomas Dunn was almost moved to tears when he heard Nathan mention that he was like their family, ¡°Yes, oh yes, that¡¯s so true...¡± He quivered in his strident voice, ¡°We are family. It was Mr. Cross who took pity on me when I was down and out. I wouldn¡¯t be what I am today if not for Mr. Cross. Please make yourselffortable, don¡¯t stand on ceremony here.¡± Despite his reassuring speech, the Smiths were still hesitant to order their food. Thomas Dunn took the liberty and ordered his captains to serve them the most sumptuous dishes of the restaurant, including lobsters, Wagyu beef, and more. Thomas Dunn even ordered ice-cream and desserts for little princess Queenie. To top it up, he opened up a bottle of grand Chateau Lafite, which could cost up to a hundred thousand grand per bottle. Nathan lifted his drink and cleared his ss with Thomas Dunn. ¡°I do not wish to be disturbed when I¡¯m having a meal with my family. Do you get what I mean, Thomas?¡± he demanded. Heated by wine, the Thomas Dunn¡¯s face was flushed with ecstatic joy. The chance to have a drink with Nathan filled his heart to the brim with pride and satisfaction. ¡°Sure, I got it, Sir. I¡¯ll leave you and your family to enjoy a quiet meal,¡± he replied while nodding with gratification. After leaving the table, Thomas Dunn instructed Jack, his sidekick, to ensure that nobody would disturb Nathan and hispany while they were enjoying their meal. Penny and her family were served a session of exquisite cuisines that would cost over three years of theirbined ie. ¡°What wonderful food we¡¯re having here!¡± Queenie let out an ted mewl, ¡°They all taste so yummy. Look, Papa, there¡¯s even ice-cream. Don¡¯t you think that they are better than what we saw at great grandpa¡¯s banquet? I love you, Papa, you¡¯re my hero.¡± ¡°Are you sure, Nathan?¡± Benson cast him a skeptical look, ¡°That your bond with Thomas Dunn runs that deep as he had said?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Nathan gave a brisk nod. ¡°And he¡¯s not charging us for this meal?¡± Leah wanted to double confirm. ¡°Not just for this meal, Leah. Every meal would be free when you dine here,¡± Nathan promised her. ¡°Looks like Thomas Dunn really treasured his bond with you.¡± Penny grinned ruefully, ¡°Because you¡¯d given him a hand when he¡¯d needed it the most, he felt indebted to you for the rest of his life.¡± ¡°But I think that we shouldn¡¯t rely on him to bail us out every time. Besides, it¡¯s better we cook for ourselves than to eat out.¡± ¡°We should strive to work things out on our own effort. It¡¯s too much to be troubling him all the time.¡± ¡°Yes, sure,¡± Nathan smiled warmly. It had been such a topsy-turvy day for Nathan andpany. While they left the banquet with an empty stomach, they ended up with a meal that was far more sumptuous than the banquet had offered, making it all the more jolly and appetizing when they could finally tuck in and enjoy their lunch. Finally, there was a sense of sce to their depressed souls. While Nathan andpany were enjoying their lunch, something disastrous happened at the banquet. After Nathan andpany left the banquet, several high-ranking government officials arrived unannounced at the banquet. These were officials of such authority whom Sean and his sons would not dare to antagonize. Yet their unexpected appearance at his birthday banquet caused Sean to beam with pride and delight. As a gesture of appreciation, he gave each of these officials a round of toasts and he had ended up drinking almost twenty bottles of wine. The officials left the banquet when they had enough of the booze. Soon after the officials had departed, Sean felt a strong difort in his body. His doctor had strongly advised him not to take a single drop of wine, since he had a medical condition of the three highs - hypertension, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. But today he had turned a deaf ear to his doctor¡¯s advice, drinking a whopping twenty bottles of wine, just to please the government officials. He suffered a stroke right at the scene of the banquet! What was supposed to be a joyous asion turned chaotic and ghastly all at once. It terrified everyone at the banquet. Thankfully, Samuel Smith had been informed that a famous professor of cardiology, Tony Lynch, was dining in the room next to their ballroom. Instead of waiting for the ambnce to arrive, he raced over to seek immediate help from Tony Lynch. Tony Lynch rushed over to check on Sean¡¯s condition. After a brief examination, he shook his head and concluded, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that his condition doesn¡¯t look too good, given that he was suffering from the three highs. He shouldn¡¯t have been drinking. Let¡¯s get him to the hospital and see how it goes. But I¡¯d advise you to be mentally prepared for the worst.¡± His words dropped a bombshell on Samuel andpany, who could tell that their father was in a N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. critical condition! ¡°Is it really that bad, Professor Lynch? Is there any way to save my father? Or is there any kind of special medication for him?¡± asked Samuel Smith, who had been shaken by the state of his father¡¯s condition. Tony Lynch sighed, ¡°Strokes are one of the most challenging illnesses of modern medicine.¡± he exined, ¡°We can only rely on preventive measures to avoid getting a stroke, applying passive treatment to treat it. The chances of recovery from a stroke are more determined by luck instead of treatment.¡± ¡°As far as medication is concerned,¡± the professor halted as he seemed to recall something, ¡°there is a kind of pill that could work wonders.¡± ¡°Really?¡± His words were a real shot in the arm of Samuel and his men. ¡°What kind of pill is it? We¡¯ll do whatever it takes to get the pill, regardless of the price.¡± ¡°They called it Phoenixia,¡± the professor described, ¡°it was a pill cultivated over half a century ago with nine of the most exotic and rare ingredients, including wild medicinal herbs and animal parts of tigers, rhinoceros, and others which have a marvelous effect on strokes. It was made during the time when they had yet to ban the use of these rare ingredients for cultivation and medicinal purposes. That¡¯s what makes Phoenixia such a precious and miraculous pill.¡± ¡°No sooner when they finished the cultivation of Phoenixia, they imposed a ban on using these ingredients. That marked the end of Phoenixia¡¯s production as well.¡± ¡°It is now extremely rare to find any more Phoenixia. Someone paid ten million for Phoenixia some years ago at an auction.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s meaningless for you to know all about Phoenixia since it is almost impossible to find one of the pills these days.¡± Samuel mused over the words of the professor. The name, Phoenixia, seemed starkly familiar to Samuel. It all returned to him now, as he shouted a loud question to his men, ¡°Didn¡¯t Benson just bring a pill called Phoenixia for dad¡¯s birthday present?¡± His question prompted Miles Smith to scurry across the room, picking up an old, worn-out box on the floor. It was the box which was used to contain the pill. The name of the pill vaguely sounded like Phoenixia, as Miles recalled. He had dumped it on the floor. Tony Lynch cried out in surprise when Miles showed him the worn-out box. ¡°T-This is the box that stores Phoenixia. So do you have that miracle pill?¡± ¡°Give it to your dad now, I¡¯m sure it would improve his condition dramatically. He needs to consume the pill within twenty-four hours from the urrence of his stroke, or its effect would wane significantly.¡± Chapter 10 To Beg In Person Chapter 10 To Beg In Person Chapter 10 To Beg In Person Back in the Cloud Pce, Nathan was enjoying his lunch together with Penny and her family, soaking in some wonderful, quality family time. Suddenly, the Benson¡¯s phone let out a loud shrill. He could not believe his eyes when he saw the number on the screen, ¡°Wait, it¡¯s Samuel calling. Why would he call me all of a sudden?¡± ¡°My instincts tell me he must have called for the pill,¡± Nathan stressed out, with an indiscernible curl of his lips. With that being said, heid out the pill on the table. The pill had been sealed up to preserve its ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. freshness and effect. It had dawned upon Benson and his family that Nathan had seen thising when he had said that it would be a matter of time for Samuel and his men toe begging for the pill. With a smidgen of skepticism in his eye, Benson put the call on speaker mode, ¡°Hello?¡± Samuel¡¯s voice resonated across the other end of the call, ¡°Benson, dad is in terrible shape now and he needs Phoenixia to save his life. Bring the pill over now, right away.¡± Benson¡¯s startled eyes grew bigger and rounder when he heard Samuel¡¯s quivering voice asking for the pill - It¡¯s true! Nathan had hit the bullseye again! He shed an unbelievable look at Nathan and was about to open his mouth to agree to Samuel¡¯s request. Benson had always been wary of his elder brother; he would never dare to defy Samuel. Leah snatched the phone away before he could say a word. ¡°Huh! So you¡¯re asking for Phoenixia now?¡± She cried scornfully, ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys throw it on the floor and say that it was a rotten pill? And you even told us to save it for ourselves?¡± ¡°What makes you think that you can just take it back now since you¡¯ve treated it like dirt?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that it¡¯ll be so easy to take it back just like this. Come and beg us if you really want it!¡± With an angry grunt, she hung up the call. The phone shrilled again the moment she hung up; it was Samuel again. She switched off the phone altogether, along with her own and Penny¡¯s phone. ¡°Didn¡¯t they just put us to shame in front of our friends and rtives when they¡¯d dumped our present to the floor?¡± The red- faced Leah spoke agitatedly, ¡°Not to mention how they singled us out by making us sit outside the banquet, feeding us with leftovers.¡± ¡°Yet they have the guts to demand us to hand over the pill as if they have every right to own it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to give in unless theye to us and plead for it. Not over my dead body!¡± Penny could not tear her eyes away from Nathan. It was unfathomable to her how he could say things with absolute uracy. This was just like the previous asion when he expected that Mr. Harvey would show up at their door with an apology. It had turned out to be true. Now his prophecy seemed to materialize again when he said that Samuel and his men woulde back for the pill, and he was right again. Samuel had just called Benson asking for Phoenixia. It dawned upon Penny that Nathan had always kept his word; his prediction was never wrong. ¡°You¡¯d better be upfront with me and tell me what¡¯s this all about,¡± Penny demanded with a scrutinizing tone. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± chided Nathan with a lighthearted smile, feeding Queenie with her food. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look.¡± Penny puffed at him, ¡°What made you think that Samuel woulde and beg us for that pill? How did you know that in advance?¡± Her words prompted Benson and Leah to fix their suspicious eyes on him. ¡°When I was mulling over what should be the best birthday present for Sean, I heard that he had a medical condition of the three highs, which was prone to illnesses such as stroke,¡± Nathan exined. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to give him the pill as a present.¡± ¡°As for what makes me so sure that they woulde back and beg us for the pill, it all began at the banquet when I saw him offering rounds of toast to his guests.¡± ¡°Drinking is thergest cause which has led people with such medical conditions to fall ill, hence I¡¯ve secretly feared the worst for Sean.¡± ¡°I was sure that Samuel and the rest would be bound to find out about Phoenixia from the doctor, should anything have happened to Sean. That¡¯s why I said that he woulde to us and ask for the pill in order to save Sean.¡± As if they had just unlocked the greatest mystery on earth, Benson and Leah gave out a revtory expression after they had heard Nathan¡¯s exnation. Though Penny was still feeling skeptical about the whole matter, the exnation from Nathan sounded usible to her. ¡°So is it true that Phoenixia can work wonders for those illnesses caused by three highs?¡± Benson asked, awed by the miracle pill. ¡°Yes, it really does.¡± Nathan nodded firmly. ¡°I presume that it would cost a bomb?¡± Leah wheezed. ¡°It would be extremely difficult to find such an ancient pill these days,¡± Nathan acknowledged with a smile, ¡°thest time they saw one was at an auction. It was sold for ten million.¡± Ten million! Penny and her family gasped in awe when they heard its price tag. ¡°Since it¡¯s such a precious thing,¡± Benson immediately handed back the pill to Nathan, ¡°you¡¯d better keep it somewhere safe.¡± ¡°This thing only cost a few bucks in the old days.¡± Nathan exined, ¡°Now its price has soared to some astronomical figure, thanks to those rich men who had found out about its miraculous effects and wanted it for the sake of their own health.¡± ¡°Yeah, but even a few bucks in the old days was still quite a sum of money for this pill. How did you get the pill, Nathan?¡± Penny inquired. ¡°It had always been with my family.¡± Nathan gave a beguiling wink, ¡°It wasn¡¯t costly when we first had it.¡± ¡°But this pill has be so precious now. You¡¯d better take it back and make sure you keep it well,¡± Leah stressed. ¡°Since Samuel had asked Benson for the pill. I believe that it has got to do with Sean¡¯s condition. Why don¡¯t we let Benson decide on what to do with it?¡± Nathan suggested with a friendly smile. His message was obvious to Penny and her family. Knowing that Sean needed the pill badly for his condition, Nathan wanted Benson to have the pill, empowering him with not just the choice of giving or keeping the pill, but with the choice of saving Sean¡¯s life. ¡°Yeah, this was what we had wanted to give Sean as his birthday present, but he had thrown it on the floor and made a scene out of it. Think about how he made us sit on a solitary table outside the banquet, feeding us with leftovers.¡± Leah red at her husband reproachfully, ¡°Should you dare to give the pill to them just like that, I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯ll never get a day of peace in the rest of your life,¡± she warned. Nathan jumped in to offer his support, ¡°My mother-inw is right, Benson. Sometimes we need to flex our muscles and let them know that we have our pride too.¡± His words were music to the ears of Leah, who would usually have chided Nathan for calling her as his mother-inw since she hardly had a favorable impression of him. However, things seemed to have changed for the better now for Nathan in Leah¡¯s eyes, as she began to see him in a more positive light. ... An ambnce arrived at the Grand Hyatt Hotel and rushed Sean to the hospital. Samuel sent his wife and kids along with the rest of the rtives to wait at the hospital, while he beckoned for Paul, his young brother, to follow him to a discreet corner at the hotel for a secret chat. ¡°I¡¯ve called Benson up, asking him to send over the pill, Phoenixia. But he just hung up on me,¡± Samuel grumbled, ¡°and now he¡¯d even turned off his phone.¡± ¡°I bet he¡¯s pissed off with us now,¡± spat Paul, grudgingly, ¡°he doesn¡¯t even give a damn for dad¡¯s condition.¡± ¡°Dad is getting on in age. This may be hisst straw and he could leave us forever.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that a good thing for you, Samuel? With dad¡¯s gone, you could take over as the patriarch of our family.¡± ¡°The problem is that dad has not made a will, Paul.¡± Samuel shook his head in frustration, ¡°If dad should pass away so suddenly in the absence of a will, Benson would get up to one-third of the family¡¯s fortune too, ording to the inter-statews.¡± ¡°What? What gives him the right to such a im?¡± Paul cried out in exasperation. ¡°Being the son of Sean Smith, he¡¯s entitled to dad¡¯s fortune, just like you and I,¡± Samuel exined. ¡°What should we do now, Samuel?¡± Paul was running out of patience. ¡°We need to ensure that dad stays alive so that we can get him to make a will. It should only include you and me as the beneficiaries to his estate.¡± Samuel said with a grave voice, ¡°I¡¯m sure that I can get dad to do that since he listens to me.¡± ¡°But we need the pill from Benson to save dad. By any means, I need you to go to Benson now and get the pill from him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± Paul shed a sinister grin, ¡°I¡¯ll take Dico and his guys along with me. They¡¯ll beat the shit out of Benson if he refuses to hand over the pill.¡± Chapter 11 A Violent Threat Chapter 11 A Violent Threat Chapter 11 A Violent Threat Paul discovered that Nathan and Benson¡¯s family were dining at Cloud Pce. Together with Dico and his gang of thugs, Paul Smith and his party were about to storm into Cloud Pce to look for Benson. A dozen security guards were dressed in suits, standing in front of the entrance like human barricades, barring them from entering the restaurant. Exasperated, Paul Smith roared at the group of guards, ¡°Get out of my way!¡± A man with arge greenish birthmark on the left side of his face stepped up. ¡°We have been instructed by our boss, Mr. Thomas Dunn, not to ept any guests into our restaurant for the time being. Some very important guests of his are dining in our restaurant right now, and Mr. Dunn doesn¡¯t want them to be disturbed,¡± he announced coldly. ¡°Get out of my sight, you green-faced monster.¡± Dico yelled at Jack with a menacing look, ¡°We are here with Mr. Smith to look for somebody, not to wine and dine. Move aside!¡± ¡°What nerve you have toe to Mr. Dunn¡¯s turf and make a scene here? Who do you think you are?¡± Jack tossed his head, ¡°I¡¯m giving you onest chance to get lost, or I¡¯ll make sure that they carry you away in stretchers instead.¡± It was an open secret in the Eastern District that Thomas Dunn was the undisputed big daddy in town and that Jack was his most trusted sidekick, who was known to be extremely cruel and ruthless. As Paul looked over Jack¡¯s shoulder, he could see Nathan dining with Benson and his family inside Cloud Pce. Given that this was Jack¡¯s territory, Paul knew that he was outnumbered by Jack¡¯s men. Besides, it was only the pill that he had wanted, not a confrontation with Jack and his men. ¡°Look here, Jack. The guy I¡¯m looking for is sitting right inside. Can you do me a favor and let me in?¡± Paul Smith turned to a more civilized approach. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. But the answer was still the same from Jack, who kept his unapproachable tone, ¡°No. Our guests of Mr. Dunn are still having their meals now. Nobody shall be allowed inside the restaurant. Get your ass out of here or I¡¯ll make you pay for your stubbornness.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the n now, Mr. Smith?¡± Dico muttered to Paul. Paul sucked in a deep breath to clear his mind, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get out of here first,¡± he ordered, ¡°but leave a guy here to keep a close eye over them, and get him to call us once Benson steps foot out of the ce.¡± Knowing that he was no match for Jack and his men, Paul did not dare to stir up trouble in Thomas Dunn¡¯s territory. So he took off with his men and left a guy behind to keep a close tab on Benson and his family. With Paul and most of his men out of the way, Jack did not mind letting the lone guy stayed behind to act as the watchman for Paul, since he knew that Paul was targeting a guest in the restaurant, and not the restaurant itself. After finishing their lunch, Nathan and Penny¡¯s family walked out of the restaurant. Paul¡¯s watchman was standing at some distance away from the restaurant when he called up Paul instantly, ¡°Mr. Smith, Dico, they areing out of the restaurant.¡± Bang! Bang! In no time, Paul and Dico, along with a dozen of their men, stormed out of the emergency staircase and charged towards the restaurant. Benson greeted Paul with a slightly surprised look, ¡°What brings you here, Paul?¡± he asked. Paul had never treated Benson with respect. Now that Benson had made him wait for half an hour outside the restaurant, his resentment towards Benson was only increased. ¡°Stop pretending and give it to me now!¡± Paul demanded. ¡°What is it you want from me?¡± Benson knitted his brows, looking puzzled. ¡°Give me back my Phoenixia and I¡¯ll let you go.¡± Paul threatened, ¡°Don¡¯t make me use my fists on you.¡± ¡°Since when did Phoenixia belong to you?¡± His insolence enraged Leah, ¡°Watch your attitude, Paul. Is this how you would ask for a favor from somebody?¡± ¡°Phoenixia was given to dad as his birthday present. We have every right to im it.¡± Paul presented a smirk and retorted. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t belong to you anymore, since you¡¯d tossed it to the floor,¡± Leah shouted back at him. ¡°It was given to us as a gift and we have the right to do whatever we want with it.¡± Paul insisted, ¡°We can choose to eat it or dump it, what has it got to do with you?¡± ¡°Better heed my call and hand over the Phoenixia immediately. Or else I¡¯ll make you suffer a hefty price for not listening to my advice.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we seen enough of your bullying and taunting? Do you think that we¡¯ll be intimidated by that?¡± His words would only aggravate Leah¡¯s rage to the optimum, as she rolled up her sleeves and seethed, ¡°Show me! I can¡¯t wait to see what other tricks you¡¯ve got up your sleeve!¡± Their confrontation was turning nasty, and a smell of violence was in the air, which made Queenie shrivel in Nathan¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, Papa.¡± Nathan turned to Penny and her family and informed them, ¡°There¡¯s an amusement park at level nine, Penny, Benson, and Leah. Why don¡¯t you guys take Queenie with you to the park and let me deal with this?¡± Given the significant value of Phoenixia, both Benson and Leah agreed that Nathan should have the final say about Phoenixia since it came from his family. Things would only getplicated if they were to deal with Paul, who would me them for refusing to save Sean, using them of being unfilial. So they left the matter to Nathan and took Queenie with them to the amusement park at level nine. Penny stayed behind with Nathan; she was worried for him. ¡°Stop where you are!¡± Paul howled at Benson and Leah as he forbade them from leaving. ¡°The pill is with me.¡± Nathan showed him the pill, ¡°They have nothing to do with the pill and it belongs to me. Talk to me if you want the pill.¡± He exined calmly. Since it was the pill he was after, Paul let Benson and Leah take Queenie away to the amusement park. His eyes had not left the pill since Nathan had taken it out, cing it on his palm. ¡°Hey, you! Give that pill to me now.¡± Penny refused to give in, ¡°What is this, Paul? You guys had rejected the pill and had even thrown it away when we had given it to grandpa as his present. How could you even have the face toe back asking for it?¡± ¡°So what if we throw it away? It belongs to us once you¡¯ve given it away and we can do anything we want with it.¡± Paul rebuffed smugly, ¡°I¡¯m leaving you with two choices now, hand over the pill and I¡¯ll pay you a hundred grand, or I¡¯ll throw you over to Dico and his gang.¡± ¡°You know a good bargain, don¡¯t you?¡± Nathan remarked sardonically, ¡°Paying one hundred grand for a pill that costs over ten million? Fat hope!¡± His words took Paul by surprise. He did not expect Nathan to know the price of the pill. Palpitating with fury and fear, Paul snapped, ¡°I¡¯ve had been trying to be kind to you, kiddo, but you¡¯re asking for your own death!¡± ¡°Dico, grab the pill!¡± His shout nged like a bell that spurred Dico and his gang into action. Soon a dozen of them surrounded Nathan and Penny. Dico bared his gums in a grotesque grin, ¡°Time to break some bones here, kiddo! Hehe...¡± Nathan did not bat an eyelid when he ordered his men in his cool demeanor, ¡°Seize him.¡± Jack, who had been still as a statue, sprang into action the instant Nathanid out his order. A violent brawl broke out, turning the entrance of Cloud Pce instantly into a bloody battleground. It suffused the air with wild, bellowing growls and the tangy, nauseous smell of blood. Penny trembled with fear as she covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming amidst the wave of savage howls and growls. One by one, she watched with horror as Jack and his men knocked down Dico and his gang like dominoes. The fight was over in a sh. Paul was left stranded on his own when all his men were down on the floor, soaked in a pool of their own blood. ¡°Y-You....y-you guys....¡± Paul¡¯s voice quavered as his eyes flickered between Nathan, Penny, and Jack; his face was drained of all color, as cold as a cadaver. ¡°We¡¯ll spare no one who¡¯s dared to be rude to the guests of Mr. Dunn,¡± Jack prodded in his cold, menacing tone. ¡°Take him.¡± His men stepped up and reached out for Paul. Penny intervened at thest minute, ¡°Let¡¯s leave him alone, Nathan. After all, he¡¯s my uncle.¡± Nathan responded with a gentle smile, ¡°Sure, honey.¡± He turned to Jack andmanded, ¡°Let him go, Jack. Didn¡¯t you hear what my wife has said?¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Cross.¡± Jack halted his men and answered servilely. ¡°Get Samuel toe and beg Benson and Leah in person if he wants the pill to save your dad,¡± Nathan said to Paul, who was still shaking uncontrobly in horror, ¡°Make sure you tell him that one needs to be humble if you are asking for a favor.¡± With that being said, he took Penny¡¯s hand and strode away. A blush made its way across Penny¡¯s cheeks when he addressed her as his wife. It sent her heart into a wild frenzy when he held her hand. Chapter 12 Beg In Person For The Pill Chapter 12 Beg In Person For The Pill Chapter 12 Beg In Person For The Pill Nathan and Penny came to the amusement park on the ninth floor to find Queenie ying at the slides and having a jolly good time. Benson, on the other end, looked pensive and appeared to be deep in thought. Anxiously, Benson and Leah inquired about the matter when Nathan and Penny showed up at the park. ¡°I have chased them away.¡± Nathan replied with a subtle grin, ¡°I¡¯ve told them to get Samuel here to plead the both of you if he wants to get that pill for Sean.¡± ¡°Well done, Nathan!¡± Leah was extremely pleased. She then turned and reminded Benson, who was still in a pensive mood, ¡°Let me warn you again, Benson. This is no ordinary pill, as it costs a whopping ten million for it. Don¡¯t you dare give it away to Samuel as if it doesn¡¯t cost a dime. Think of how he had bullied us all this time. Don¡¯t expect I¡¯ll let you off easily if you dare to go against my words.¡± Benson opened his mouth, fumbling for an answer, but all he could give was a muted whine. Time passed quickly when they were having fun watching Queenie enjoying herself at the yground. Half an hour passed when a group of men dressed impably in suits came up to them. Leading the pack was none other than Samuel Smith, the de facto leader at the helm of the Smith family¡¯s empire. Samuel was not his usual arrogant self, as he was beaming with friendliness when he walked over in quick steps. ¡°Hello, my dear Benson and Leah, I¡¯m so d to see all of you here!¡± he greeted them with feigned affection. ¡°Since when have we be so dearly close to you, Samuel?¡± Leah seemed unimpressed. ¡°Hello, Samuel.¡± Benson reciprocated tensely. ¡°I know that dad and I have been too hard on both of you over the years, my dear brother and my sister-inw.¡± Samuel exined apologetically, ¡°It made me feel really sorry for that. Let me offer my sincerest apology to the both of you.¡± With that being said, Samuel looked like he was about to kneel in hopes of their forgiveness. Nheless, Benson rushed over to hold him back from kneeling. ¡°No, Samuel. Please don¡¯t...¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Leah huffed at his fakery, ¡°What¡¯s made him turned humble and kind to us all of a sudden? There must be something he¡¯s wanted from us.¡± ¡°Come on, Leah. Since Samuel has already apologized to us, can¡¯t you just stop picking on him?¡± Benson found himself on the horns of a dilemma, as he tried to cate his wife. It only made Leah see red, ¡°Are you finding me picky and pushy? So that you can y the saint while I¡¯m the viin?¡± She wrung her hands and shouted at him, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wash my hands off this matter and let you do whatever you wish!¡± Leah turned and stormed away towards Queenie, staying with her at the yground. Leah¡¯s petnt behavior left Benson feeling awkward in front of Samuel, who was quick to offer him his sympathy. ¡°You can¡¯t me her, Benson. It was our own making that had caused her to loathe and resent us. I know Dad, Paul, and myself included, have been too harsh on you and your family in the past.¡± His words would only elicit the empathy of Benson, who had always been a soft-hearted creature. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at her, Samuel. Leah might look like a sourpuss, but deep inside she has a very tender and kind heart.¡± Benson tried to speak up for his wife. ¡°Oh, of course, I understand that. How could I be mad at Leah?¡± Samuel said in an understanding tone, ¡°We are all family, right? We are brothers of the same blood and flesh, our bond is unbreakable. Don¡¯t you just agree with what I¡¯ve said?¡± Benson nodded diligently, ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± ¡°That goes the same with our dad, Benson.¡± Samuel pressed on when he saw that Benson was getting sentimental, ¡°Even though he had been unkind to you, he¡¯s still our dad.¡± ¡°It was supposed to be such a joyous day for him to celebrate his seventieth birthday. But he took a sip too much andnded in the hospital with a stroke. The doctor has warned us that his life is under threat.¡± ¡°Notwithstanding his shorings, he is still our father who¡¯s brought us to this world. Do you want to be haunted with shame for the rest of your life for watching our father suffer in pain and not doing a thing about it?¡± ¡°I beg you to give me the pill, Benson. Can¡¯t you see our dad¡¯s life is hanging by a thread and he needs the pill badly?¡± His words tugged at the heartstrings of Benson, who had always been a sentimental and good-natured person. His love for his father overshadowed all the unpleasant memories of how they had mistreated him and his family in the past. Tears began streaming down his cheeks. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to beg me, Samuel. He¡¯s my dad and I will do all I can to save him.¡± He clutched Samuel¡¯s hand and cried intively, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Nathan for the pill and we¡¯ll give it to dad at the hospital.¡± A gloating expression gleamed across his eyes as Samuel nodded eagerly, ¡°Sure, sure!¡± Nathan watched with his cold, steady eyes the pretentious act put up by Samuel, who had wickedly exploited Benson¡¯s soft-hearted nature with all those mawkish and sentimental talks. He was a sly and shameless monster, in Nathan¡¯s opinion. Benson finally wiped away his tears and walked towards Nathan and Penny. ¡°I need a favor from both of you, Nathan, Penny...¡± he began diffidently. ¡°Sure, Benson. I know what you are asking for. I¡¯ll do anything you want me to.¡± Nathan intervened, ¡°It¡¯s nothing but a pill.¡± Nathan knew perfectly well that Samuel was only putting up a show to trick Benson into giving him the pill. Yet he could not ignore the consequences should Benson refuse to give him the pill. It would only make Benson looked callous and selfish, and everyone in Channing would ridicule him as one unfilial son who had refused to save his dying father by letting him have the pill. If he gave the pill to Sean, Nathan was aware that it would be in Benson¡¯s interest by sparring him from being attacked by such criticisms. Besides, it could help rebuild the rtionship between Benson and Sean, enabling him to get back into Sean¡¯s good books by offering him the pill. It all seemed like a good bargain in Nathan¡¯s eyes. Even though the pill came with a jaw-dropping ten million price tag, it meant nothing to Nathan. Benson was quivering with inexplicable gratitude when he took the pill from Nathan. ¡°What a good- hearted fellow, my dear son-inw!¡± he gushed. Penny¡¯s face was flushed red to her scalp as she stole a sidelong nce at Nathan. This guy seems full of tricks, she mumbled to herself, look how he has easily won over my dad! With the pill, Benson took Nathan and Penny along with him, as they followed Samuel to the hospital. It angered Leah to discover that her husband had given away the pill to save his dad. It filled her with such burning rage that she had refused to go with them to the hospital. She took Queenie home with her instead. At the First Hospital in Channing, Benson handed the pill over to the attending doctor of Sean Smith. With the help of the nurses, the attending doctor gave the pill to Sean for immediate consumption, for he was well aware of its miraculous effects. Samuel, Paul, Benson, Penny, and the others were pacing outside the ICU room, waiting impatiently ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. for the doctor to update them on Sean¡¯s condition. The doors of the ICU swung open. ¡°How was it, doctor? Did the pill work for my dad?¡± Samuel and the rest waited for his reply with bated breaths. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle, it¡¯s simply miraculous!¡± The doctor announced excitedly, ¡°Sean¡¯s condition improved drastically after he had taken the pill. Though it is unrealistic to expect instant recovery after taking the pill, it would still require some time for him to recover from a critical illness such as stroke.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too worried about it, I estimate that it would only take about ten to fourteen days for Sean to see a full recovery.¡± ¡°The patient is still in a state of delirium, and he needs to recuperate after taking the pill. I¡¯d advise you guys to leave him alone and let him have a good rest,¡± advised the doctor. They thanked the doctor and took note of his advice. ¡°We owe it to you, Benson,¡± Samuel exined with a pretentious grin after the doctor left them and returned to his office. ¡°That¡¯s alright, Samuel. As long as Dad is fine.¡± Benson was genuinely happy that Sean had made it through. ¡°But there must be some reward in return for your help.¡± Samuel insisted. ¡°Speaking of which, didn¡¯t Penny graduate with a civil engineering degree? Wouldn¡¯t it be such a pity to make her work in Diva, that subsidiarypany of ours? I know that she has been asking for a transfer to Grande Group in the past few years.¡± ¡°How about this? Since I¡¯m the CEO of Grande Group, I¡¯ll approve for Penny to be transferred to Grande Group to be our General Manager. How does that sound?¡± Both Benson and Penny could not be more surprised and delighted with his suggestion. Getting into Grande Group was the only way to have ess to the central core of the power of the Smith Family empire. ¡°Are you sure about this, Uncle Samuel?¡± Penny shrilled with delight until her voice cracked. ¡°Do I sound like I¡¯m lying, silly girl?¡± Samuel guffawed, ¡°Though dad is still the President of the Benson and Penny were both over the moon when they heard his proposal, except for different reasons. With Penny now belonging as part of the central core of power, Benson read it as a recognition of their status within the Smith dynasty. From Penny¡¯s perspective, it was the opportunity that she had been waiting for to showcase her talent and skills. Benson was still on cloud nine when he left the hospital with Nathan and Penny. It all seemed so surreal to him as they were simply too good to be true. ¡°Don¡¯t you find Samuel such a nice guy?¡± he quipped as they made their way home. Back in the hospital, the few of them, including Miles and May, gathered around Samuel with a concerned look in their eyes. ¡°How could you do this to me, Dad?¡± Miles raised his voice in anger, ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that you¡¯d let Penny join ourpany. But how could you let her take over my post? What do you expect me to do now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right, Dad.¡± May jumped in, ¡°How could you let that b**** hold the important position of general manager?¡± ¡°Penny has brought such great shame to our family. Don¡¯t you think that it would only cause us more embarrassment to make her the general manager of Grande Group?¡± Paul resented. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I intend to do, guys.¡± Samuel responded to theirints with a sardonic smirk, ¡°Let her make a fool out of herself!¡± Everyone gazed at Samuel puzzledly, as if he was speaking Greek. ¡°I have gotten the script ready, so let¡¯s just put up a good show.¡± Samuel exined his sinister n, ¡°Wait till dades round, we¡¯ll simply tell him that Benson had used the pill to threaten us into giving Penny the post of general manager of Grande Group, or he would refuse to give us the pill to save Dad.¡± ¡°Left with no choice, we had to swallow the bitter pill and give in to his outrageous demand to allow Penny to be the general manager of Grande Group.¡± His vicious n was music to their ears, which caused them to gloat with wicked grins. ¡°This is such an ingenious idea, Dad.¡± approached Miles, ¡°I¡¯m sure that it will make Grandpa loathe them even more.¡± Samuel gave him a pat on the shoulder and shed a gratifying grin, ¡°Just be patient and let the b**** warm your seat for a few days, Miles. Soon we will boot her out of thepany when your grandpa ¡°I¡¯m afraid that he wouldn¡¯t the matter rest so easily, given Grandpa¡¯s fiery temper.¡± Miles chuckled, ¡°Not only he would kick her out of thepany, but he¡¯ll kick her entire family out as well.¡± Chapter 13 I Knew You Would Succeed Chapter 13 I Knew You Would Seed Chapter 13 I Knew You Would Seed Benson was still bubbling with joy when he was back home from the hospital. He simply could not hide his delight! It was the most gratifying thing to see his dad¡¯s condition take a drastic improvement after he had been administered the Phoenixia. What pleased him further was that his rtionship with his brothers had taken a turn for the better, when Samuel offered Penny the post of general manager in Grande Group. It signified their eptance into the central core of the power of the family dynasty and gave him the recognition that he had always yearned for. The slew of good news gave him a good reason to get Leah to prepare a few dishes so that he could hold a small celebration with his family. To top it up, he even took out a bottle of his vintage wine to have a drink with Nathan. ¡°I need to thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for us, Nathan.¡± Benson thanked with a hearty smile, ¡°First and foremost, it¡¯s your pill that has saved my dad, which has given Penny the opportunity to join Grande Group as general manager.¡± ¡°I owe it to you, Nathan. Let¡¯s have a drink.¡± ¡°Sure, Benson. Let¡¯s cheers!¡± Nathan could feel the sheer joy emitted by Benson. Leah was utterly delighted as well. ¡°Benson was right. It¡¯s Nathan who has given us back our pride and dignity.¡± ¡°We owe you a huge favor, Nathan,¡± Penny nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°Come on, what¡¯s all these formalities for?¡± Leah eyed her daughter reprovingly, ¡°Isn¡¯t a husband and wife supposed to help each other out?¡± Penny strived to hide her blush, which had made her cheeks turn as rosy as two little cherries. It swamped her heart with a shyness, making her lost for words. When she stole a nce at Nathan, who was sitting beside her, he was wreathed in smiles. She lifted her heels and nudged at his leg. Hey, what are you giggling about? Did I agree to be your wife? The string of good news had certainly lifted their spirits, but they were not certain that Samuel would stick to his word. They did not have to worry for too long though, as Penny had received the transfer notice the next Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. morning, informing her that she would be the general manager of Grande Group. Penny majored in civil engineering, while the principal business of Grande Group was in property development. Working in Grande Group was where Penny had really felt like she was in her element. For years, they had neglected her, to the point where they had despised her. She was determined to well use the opportunity to prove herself and show her mettle. She wanted to make everyone in the Smith family proud of her, not viewing her as the shame of the family. Penny had been working extremely hard for the week that followed, spending long hours in the office. Even when she returned home, she would continue with her work till midnight. It was past midnight when Penny finally stacked her files. She stretched and smiled with satisfaction, Finally! The proposal is done. The door opened with a soft creaking sound; it was Nathan. Penny saw the bowl of hot sizzling noodles in his hands. It warmed her heart. It had been the same for the past few nights. Nathan had been making supper for her while she burned the midnight oil. His thoughtful gesture swelled her heart with warmth and gratitude. ¡°Hmm, smells yummy!¡± Penny took a deep sniff and giggled. ¡°I know that you like noodles. I¡¯ve added an egg and vegetables as well.¡± Nathan approached lovingly as he ced the bowl of noodles on her table, ¡°Let¡¯s dig in before the food gets cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to call it a night,¡± he ordered in a light and caring tone, ¡°take a bath after you finish your noodles and go to bed. It¡¯s been a long, hard week. You¡¯d fall sick before you can even prove yourself. ¡° His orders made her heart glow, as it was asforting as his food. ¡°You know it is the opportunity that I¡¯ve been waiting for, for so long.¡± She told him while she slurped her noodles, ¡°Now that I¡¯m the general manager of Grande Group, I need to give this job my very best.¡± ¡°I have it all panned out. I need to show some results while grandpa is still recuperating in the hospital.¡± ¡°So that I can give him an enormous surprise by the time he gets out of the hospital.¡± ¡°What sort of results are you referring to?¡± Nathan asked. ¡°That¡¯s the one I¡¯m talking about!¡± Penny handed him the proposal while she took another slurp of the noodles. It was a document with ¡®Tender document for the construction project of Asiatic Shopping Mall ¡® written on its surface. ¡°There would be a tendering up soon.¡± Penny exined, ¡°They are going to tear down Asiatic Vige and build a new shopping mall called Asiatic Shopping Mall.¡± ¡°Since Grande Group is a property developmentpany, this is a massive project that we can¡¯t afford to miss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tender for this project, which I¡¯m sure that grandpa would be delighted with if I could win it.¡± ¡°But it won¡¯t be that easy though,¡± she sighed with a brooding look on her face, ¡°Everybody is eyeing this project, including the heavyweights of our industry. I am fairly worried about our chances of winning the project.¡± Nathan curled his mouth into an enigmatic smile while his eyes dazzled with a mystic charm, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey.¡± he pronounced with an air of nonchnce, ¡°I¡¯m sure that you would win the tender and bag the project.¡± ¡°Yeah, how I wish the same too!¡± Penny muttered. Nathan walked out to the balcony and dialed the number of Colin Dunne, ¡°I want you to find out about the Asiatic Shopping Mall project in Channing. Are they currently inviting bids for the project?¡± ¡°I want them to let Penny win the project.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Colin answered reverently. Ten dayster, the tendering process for the Asiatic Shopping Mall project was carried out ording to schedule. Wyatt Ziegler, Director of the Asiatic Development Department, along with several Channing officials attended the tendering process. After several rounds of evaluation and elimination, Mr. Ziegler announced that the Asiatic Development project was awarded to Ms. Penny Smith of Grande Group. The project involved the tearing down of Asiatic Vige to make way for a new shopping mall named Asiatic Shopping Mall, and Ms. Penny Smith would be in charge of the entire project. His announcement was greeted by a thunderous roar of apuse. ¡°Congrattions, Ms. Smith, you¡¯ve won the tender for the project.¡± Mr. Ziegler gave her a broad grin as he weed Penny to the stage. As if it were a dream, Penny could not believe that she had won the tender and bagged such a massive project as Asiatic Shopping Mall. With the inked contract in her hands, Penny was so intoxicated with the unexpected sess of winning the project, ¡°Pinch me, Nathan. Is this really happening, or is it just a dream?¡± she asked Nathan with an unconvinced expression. ¡°It¡¯s true, Penny. You aren¡¯t dreaming.¡± Nathan gave her a reassuring smile of confidence, ¡°It¡¯s time to spread your wings now, the sky is your limit.¡± ... Samuel was having a game of golf when he received a call from his son, Miles Smith. ¡°What? Penny had bagged the project for Asiatic Shopping Mall?¡± He let out a cry in surprise when he heard the news, ¡°Are you absolutely sure?¡± ¡°That¡¯s absolutely true, dad.¡± Miles confirmed in his exhrated voice, ¡°Penny had signed the contract on the spot. The project is now officially under ourpany.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s a big one!¡± Samuel rubbed his palms together excitably. His heart was almost bursting into a tumult of tion. ¡°Completing the project could shoot us up the ranks to rub shoulders with the most affluent elites of Channing. We could even see a several-fold increase to our family¡¯s fortune.¡± ¡°I know, dad. But it was Penny who clinched the project, would she be taking the credit for everything if we let her stay as the general manager?¡± Miles perceived a probable concern amidst their sea of joy. ¡°Do you think it would make grandpa take a liking for her and her family when he finds out about her capabilities?¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Samuel¡¯s heartyugh slipped into a dark grin, ¡°We have let her taste the sweet sess as a general manager, it¡¯s time to take it back from her and kick her out of thepany.¡± Chapter 14 Cut All Ties Chapter 14 Cut All Ties Chapter 14 Cut All Ties At the hospital, Sean walked around the yard twice with Paul and May¡¯s help. He then took a break on a bench. Sean thought he was about to meet the Grim Reaper when he got the stroke from drinking. He was overjoyed to have survived this episode. Suddenly, two familiar figures came into view. Rushing over, they were his son, Samuel and grandson, Miles. Sean greeted them with a grin, ¡°It¡¯s so good to see you here.¡± Samuel carried a deep sense of grievance, ¡°Dad. I¡¯ve tried to keep this from you but I can¡¯t do so any longer.¡± Sean puckered his eyebrows, ¡°What is it?¡± Samuel reported in agitation, ¡°I told you that my brother let you have the Phoenixia when you¡¯d had a stroke, right?¡± Sean nodded his head with a stiffened face. He remembered how he refused to ept the pills, giving Benson¡¯s family the cold shoulder that night. Sean was slightly embarrassed because he was ultimately saved by Benson¡¯s pills. Samuel revealed, ¡°Actually, he was unwilling to let you have them.¡± Sean was thunderstruck, ¡°What?¡± Paul added, ¡°I can confirm this, dad. The doctor said Phoenixia was powerful enough to save your life, so I went to him with my men. Not only was he unwilling to hand it over, but he¡¯d also beat up my men. Heter requested to make a deal with Samuel.¡± Sean¡¯s guilt for Benson dissipated. Instead, it was reced by rage, ¡°What kind of deal?¡± N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Samuel ranted, ¡°He wanted his daughter to be Grande Group¡¯s general manager. Only then did he give us Phoenixia.¡± Sean exploded, ¡°Unbelievable!¡± Miles added fuel to the fire with teary eyes, ¡°Grandpa, Penny was the worst. After she¡¯d gotten the position, she won the bidding for the Asiatic project by stealing my proposal.¡± Sean grabbed Miles¡¯ hands in surprise, ¡°Really, we got the big shoppingplex project?¡± Miles¡¯ tears were streaming down, ¡°Yes. It¡¯s good news for the family, and I shouldn¡¯t cry about it. However, the proposal was my blood, sweat, and tears. I wanted to seed in the bid for you so that I could celebrate with you after you¡¯re discharged. I can¡¯t believe she stole that from me.¡± Sean was fuming at this point, ¡°Benson and his daughter are out of line this time!¡± Samuel added, ¡°She stole both the position and Miles¡¯ credit. You have to do something about it, dad. If this continues, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯d soon lose power in thepany.¡± Sean squinted his eyes and dered coldly, ¡°They don¡¯t get to control anything. Not our family, and definitely not Grande! Sam, get the paperwork done. I need to go home and settle this matter today!¡± Samuel, Paul, Miles and May were all secretly delighted by his reaction. Shortly after that, Samuel took care of the paperwork, while the whole group drove back to Royale Vi Residences. The first thing Sean did was to summon Benson¡¯s whole family home. Benson, Leah and Penny rushed to the vi. Walking into the living room, Benson saw that many rtives filled the space. He was d to see Sean home, ¡°Dad, they¡¯d let you out of the hospital?¡± Sean sat on his throne of a chair and sneered, ¡°I know you want me to stay there longer - even die in there. Right?¡± Penny defended, ¡°Grandpa, that wasn¡¯t what dad meant.¡± Sean shouted, ¡°You, shut up!¡± Penny froze as she felt the blood drain from her face. She failed to understand her grandfather¡¯s wrath. Benson shared the same confusion, ¡°Dad. What¡¯s going on?¡± Sean burned Benson¡¯s family a stern look, ¡°I heard that you weren¡¯t willing to save me when Paul asked you for Phoenixia. You also had Nathan beat up Paul¡¯s men. Is that true?¡± Benson¡¯s face sank in anxiety, ¡°Please listen to me...¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want an exnation. Just answer me directly!¡± Benson admitted hesitantly, ¡°Yes, but...¡± Sean interrupted him again, ¡°That¡¯s all I need to know. Did you hand over the medicine only after Samuel had begged you?¡± Benson bit his lips then answered quietly, ¡°Yes...¡± Thud! Sean mmed the table and roared, ¡°You b******!¡± Benson dropped to the floor on his knees, and his family followed suit. Voice shaking, he pleaded, ¡°Please allow me to exin.¡± Sean coldly refused, ¡°No! I¡¯d raised you! I admit that I¡¯d never shown you much affection, but that¡¯s because of how unaplished your family is. Never in a million years would I expect you to hate me so much as to want me dead. You even took advantage of the situation to make your daughter the manager. Wasn¡¯t that what you¡¯d requested in your deal? Penny! She was even more shameless. She had the audacity to steal Miles¡¯ bidding proposal for her own use, in hopes to benefit from it alone!¡± Benson and Penny could not believe what they had just heard! ¡°Dad, hear me out!¡± ¡°Grandpa, that¡¯s not what happened!¡± They knew that it was necessary to rify everything. Unfortunately, Sean was uninterested. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear another word from you. As Grande Group¡¯s president, I hereby announce that Penny Smith is sacked. Additionally, as the head of this family, I am throwing out Benson¡¯s family. All of you will be removed from all the legal documents. From now on, we are no longer kin.¡± Benson shouted, ¡°No-¡± Leah and Penny were both as pale as ghosts. Witnessing their whole world crumbling, tears trickled down. On the other hand, Samuel, Paul, Miles and May curled their lips sarcastically. They were seemingly happy with this turn of events. Rumbling thunder released a wild and heavy downpour. Benson and his family exited the vi like dead ducks. Letting the aggressive raindrops hit their limp bodies, they continued walking in despair. Suddenly, Penny no longer felt the rain. She looked up to see Nathan, holding an umbre with one hand and their daughter with another. He smiled, ¡°Hi, honey!¡± Their daughter also greeted Penny warmly, ¡°Mama!¡± Penny gazed at her husky, loving man and their daughter. It triggered her to burst into tears as she buried her face into Nathan¡¯s wide chest. Penny¡¯s parents exined with a bitter smile, ¡°We got disowned by the n and Penny lost her position.¡± Nathan seemed unfazed. In fact, it almost appeared as if he had anticipated it. He shed another smile, ¡°Congrattions!¡± Penny and her parents were both dazed to hear that. Nathan then exined, ¡°Those people are toxic to you. They did nothing but control your lives. Thankfully they¡¯ve finally released you. You can now leave the nest, fly away and never return!¡± Nathan put the situation in such a way that it was shocking to hear. It took Penny and her parents a while to take it in. At the same time, two Rolls-Royces led thirty ck Audis down the street, before stopping in front of them. Thomas and a hundred men in uniformed suits stepped out of their cars with ck umbres. Lining up next to their cars like soldiers, they shouted in synchronization, ¡°Congrattions on your new freedom!¡± This over-the-top greeting caught Benson¡¯s family off guard. In the vi, the rtives peeked out, expecting to spectate Benson¡¯s family¡¯s pathetic misfortune. To their dismay, they witnessed a whole army of people congratting them, ready to pick them up with luxury cars. The whole family was astonished, to say the least. Thomas approached Benson cordially, ¡°Sir, we are here to take you home.¡± Benson and Leah immediately understood that it was a stunt staged by Nathan to make them look good in front of their rtives. This act¡¯s hidden message was that their lives were only going uphill from here. Benson and Leah straightened their backs and held their heads up high, ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go!¡± Nathan turned to Penny with a grin, ¡°Honey,e on.¡± Pressing her body against Nathan¡¯s, this was Penny¡¯s first time realizing how safe and supported Nathan could make her feel. She looked up and wiped away her tears. Breaking into a smile, Penny professed, ¡°Thank you, Nathan. I never thought I¡¯d say this, but I feel like things could get better from now on.¡± Chapter 15 Daughter Abducted Chapter 15 Daughter Abducted Chapter 15 Daughter Abducted After Nathan and Penny returned to their home in Asiatic City, Thomas left with his men. Penny expressed her gratitude again, ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for doing this. At least we didn¡¯t look like losers in front of the whole n.¡± Nathan smirked, ¡°It was nothing, Hehe. Remember, this is not a defeat but a new beginning. You will rise up from the ashes.¡± Penny was puzzled, ¡®What are you talking about? We no longer have the n¡¯s support. Besides, I¡¯m jobless now. How would I rise up from this?¡± Nathan casually suggested, ¡°You mean, you¡¯re not working for Grande anymore. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re jobless. You still have the shoppingplex project! Why don¡¯t you open your ownpany? When youplete the project, your personal worth will exceed the n¡¯s for sure.¡± Penny was taken aback, ¡°Nathan... You¡¯ve got it wrong. I¡¯d signed the contract on behalf of the Nathan responded in aid-back manner, ¡°Nah. It stated clearly that you were the party B, not Grande. I also talked to the director of their development department, Mr. Ziegler. He said that they¡¯d only recognized you as the developer instead of Grande. In other words, only Penny Smith gets to build the shoppingplex!¡± It went without saying that Penny and her parents were over the moon to learn that. Penny even gave Wyatt Ziegler a call to confirm. His answer matched Nathan¡¯s earlier statement. Penny thanked Wyatt in excitement before she ended the call. However, the excitement did notst long. Penny had to now face the challenge of finishing the project on her own. Can I pull it off? If I do as Nathan suggested and found our ownpany, where would I get funding? Nathan read her mind, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of the money. You just focus on the project. Okay?¡± N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Penny and her parents were beside themselves. They thought today was the darkest day of their lives, having lost everything. Thanks to Nathan, they now saw the silver lining. Penny stared at Nathan gratefully, ¡°We¡¯re in your debt. I don¡¯t know what we¡¯d do without you this time.¡± Nathan looked at Queenie, who was in his embrace, ¡°Pumpkin, what do you think about Mama thanking me?¡± Queenie chuckled, ¡°Mom and dad are family. We don¡¯t have to thank our family for helping us because loving and being loved are equally gratifying.¡± That speech brought joy to Nathan and his inws. Penny¡¯s delicate face turned red. She gave Queenie the side-eye, ¡°Where did you learn that from?¡± Queenie proudly admitted, ¡°TV shows, Hehe.¡± Penny replied, ¡°Well, then you¡¯re banned from watching TV for the next two days.¡± Queenie¡¯s jaw dropped. Her puffy face immediately crumpled. Royale Vi Residences. Sean was consumed by fury. He red at Samuel, Paul, Miles, and May, ¡°What do you mean you got kicked out by Mr. Ziegler? Let me get this straight. You asked him when to start the construction, and he said that Grande wasn¡¯t the developer, but Penny was?¡± Samuel was just as upset as his father, ¡°Yeah! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s got into them.¡± Paul borated with a long face, ¡°I reread the contract and only found Penny¡¯s name on it. Grande was not mentioned at all.¡± Sean banged the table, ¡°Ugh. They plotted this all along. Those nasty, ungrateful wretches!¡± ¡°For the sake of your health, try and calm down,¡± rmended Samuel. Sean went on, ¡°There¡¯s no way I can calm down. We¡¯re talking about a pivotal project that could make us the most significant family in town. Not only did we draw a nk, but we also let those good-for- nothings have their way.¡± Samuelforted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They won¡¯t win. Penny is nothing without Grande. There¡¯s no way she could move forward with a project so momentous. Penny will yield with a little nudge on our part.¡± Sean was intrigued, ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Samuel sneered, ¡°Doesn¡¯t her darling daughter go to Golden Apple Kindergarten? I can get in touch with a few ouws to have them kidnap her and ask for a ransom of ten million bucks. When Penny Sean was satisfied, ¡°Great. I¡¯ll let you take care of it. We have to get the project back, no matter what.¡± ¡°I hear you, dad.¡± Nathan gathered five million of seed money in a few days. Penny assumed it to be a favor from Thomas to Nathan. Therefore, she promised herself to do her best not to disappoint him. With a million, Penny registered for apany under the name Cross Corporate, as a tribute to her husband¡¯s support. Penny utilized the rest of the money to rent an office space and hire staff. The basics of her establishment wereing together in a short amount of time. At dusk, Penny and Nathan left their office to fetch their daughter. When they reached the kindergarten, a teacher notified them that Queenie had already left. The teacher inquired worriedly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you send someone to pick her up?¡± Penny tensed up, ¡°I did not!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t either. Could it be your parents?¡± Nathan lowered his eyebrows. Penny quickly whipped out her phone to ask her parents, but their answer was the same. Penny¡¯s face went white as chalk. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, ¡°They said no... Lord, who took her?¡± The teacher was shaking like a leaf. It was the kindergarten¡¯s rule that only parents could take the children away. However, Nathan left an awe-inspiring impressionst time he domineered Walter and his wife. Hence when a man came to pick up Queenie, the teacher presumed that it was Nathan¡¯s subordinate and did not dare to question him. Nathan sensed the danger of this situation and turned to reassure Penny. Before Nathan could say a word, Penny¡¯s phone rang. It was from an unknown caller. Penny was thrown off, but she still picked up. She heard Queenie¡¯s wailing as soon as the call connected. Penny¡¯s heart dropped and her voice broke, ¡°Queenie!¡± Penny then heard a man¡¯s frigid tone, ¡°Heh, I¡¯m sure you could recognize your daughter¡¯s voice.¡± Penny was shell-shocked, ¡°Who are you... What do you want?¡± The man let out a deviousugh, ¡°Money, of course. Ten million for your daughter. If it is one cent short, or you call the cops, then that was thest time you¡¯ll ever hear from your daughter.¡± Penny choked up, ¡°You got the wrong person. We are not rich.¡± The man found it amusing, ¡°Is that so? Are you telling me that the princess of the Smith family can¡¯t even afford ten million?¡± Penny pleaded, ¡°The family already cast us out. There is no way I can give you that much money - even if we sell all we have. Let her go. I beg you!¡± The man menaced indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t care how you get the money, but you have three hours. Go ask your grandfather or get it yourself. I don¡¯t care. Either or, no money, no daughter. You gave birth to such a pretty girl. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get a good price anywhere I sell her.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Dream on then.¡± The man hung up. When Penny called back, it showed that his phone was already turned off. She felt the whole world spinning around her. Body shaking horribly, Penny ryed the message to Nathan, ¡°Queenie was abducted. He demanded ten million in three hours, or we¡¯ll never see her again.¡± Penny paused, biting her lower lip before she continued, ¡°There¡¯s no way we cane up with such an amount. I think that we can borrow the money from my rtives. If we agree to let them have the Asiatic project, I¡¯m sure they will be okay with it.¡± Nathan shook his head as he found this to be fishy, ¡°Don¡¯t. I can handle this.¡± Then, Nathan called Colin, ¡°My daughter has gone missing. I need to know where she is in ten minutes!¡± Chapter 16 I Brought A Few Hundred Million Chapter 16 I Brought A Few Hundred Million An abandoned factory sat in the suburbs outside of Channing. Several fierce-looking men lounged inside with beer and snacks. They all surrounded a girl who was tied to a chair. Her tear-streaked face came to view - it was Queenie. Those men belonged to a gang of ouws. The leader was Cobra, who was also the caller from earlier. Another man with a pockmarked face approached Cobra, "Boss. Will Penny Smith really give us the money?¡± Cobra narrowed his beady eyes and chuckled, "Who cares? With those murders in Channing, we have to be on the road anyway. We''ll take her daughter with us if she fails to pay. We can easily get a million or two, selling that pretty girl to some elite brothel." A few men sniggered wickedly, "Smart! I heard that many wealthy men have a fetish for virgins. I''m sure she''ll make us rich." Cobra kept an impassive smirk on his face as he nced at Queenie. After intense crying and struggling, Queenie''s face was messy. Yet, there was still a hopeful look on her face. She warned, "My dad is very powerful. He won''t let you get away with this!" Cobra snorted, "Oh, yeah? If he''s that great, howe he''s not here saving you?" The moment Cobra finished his mocking, he heard a voice, "I''m right here!" Cobra and his gang shot up nervously to look at the door. They saw two figures walking towards them. One was Nathan and the other was Penny. Colin had ordered his teams locate Queenie immediately after receiving Nathan''s call. Those units, which consisted of a few thousand people, got to work immediately. They filtered numerous data before sending over the gang''s information and location to Nathan in less than ten minutes. Cobra did not expect to be found shortly after he called Penny. Queenie''s face lit up, "Papa! Mama!¡± Penny''s heart broke when she saw her daughter in such a state, "Queenie!¡± Before Penny could dash towards Queenie, the pockmark-faced man dragged Queenie to him andid N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. a dagger on her neck. He threatened, "Stay where you are!" Penny froze and implored in a shaky voice, "Okay. Whatever you say. Please don''t hurt her." Apparently flustered, Cobra squinted his eyes, "Well, well. Look at you. I wasn''t expecting any guests. What did you do to my men outside?" Nathan did not care to answer. Instead, he shot a sharp look at the pockmarked-face man, "Release her if you want to live. This is yourst chance." Cobra and his men shared a look and cracked up as if they had just heard a ridiculous joke. Cobra turned around to stare at Nathan, "Sure. We can let her go. What about the ten million I asked for?¡± Nathan mellowly stated, "I have a few hundred million with me. I hope that you don''t find that overwhelming." Cobra sneered, "There''s no such thing as too much money. If that''s the case, I have my ways to The pockmark-faced man noticed that Nathan and Penny were empty-handed, "Cobra, don''t fall for his game. We''re already on the run anyways. We might as well kill the man and take the babe.¡± He sized Penny up with a lewd smile, "Damn. Look at her pretty face and killer bod. We can have our way with her before selling her for good money. What do you say?" The whole gang agreed with the same filthy smirk. Cobra casually negotiated with Nathan, "Did you hear that? Show us the money now. If not... Hehe." Nathan emitted a strong killer vibe as the air thickened. He frigidly asked, "Are you sure?¡± Cobra answered directly, "Of course." Nathan told Penny and Queenie to close their eyes. Then, he raised his right fist. This was when Cobra understood the danger he was in. Before words left Cobra''s mouth, a loud bang cut him off. A huge bullet prated through a window to hit the pockmarkfaced man''s right arm. "Ah!" The arm fell off his body, and the man copsed to the ground. Along with the other men, Cobra struggled to react to this unexpected twist. A few thunderous blows followed, and their tin roof was peeled away. Strong sunlight flooded in, the thugs looked up to see three heavily armed helicopters above them. Four military tanks crashed the rotten walls from outside. After they made themselves the entrances, they immediately barged in. They advanced toward the middle of the factory and encircled Cobra and his gang. That was more to it. Two thousand heavily armed and uniformed men marched in from all directions, covering the perimeter. "First and second troop, lock down this ce. Not even a bird is allowed out!" A man in a colonel uniformmanded, after hopping off an off-road vehicle. "Sir! Yes, sir!" Sixty soldiers shouted in affirmation. Their deafening voices echoed. Instantly after that, the colonel drew out a handgun, "Everyone else, follow me in!" The soldiers jogged in and filled every inch of the space. "Freeze! Get on your knees and put your hands above your heads!" The soldiers ordered as they were charging in. ng! The thugs dropped their weapons involuntarily. Panic-stricken, their faces fell, eyes bulging out. Holy cow... the army? Is this for real? They had never seen anything like it, let alone ever be prepared for it. Naturally, they were left with no choice but to wave the white g. All eyes were on the colonel when he strutted to Nathan and saluted him solemnly and respectfully. "Colin Dunne, colonel of Dragonfury Special Forces. I have rallied two thousand fighters here. Your order, sir!" Chapter 17 Get Ready For Combat Chapter 17 Get Ready For Combat Nathan apathetically scanned the ouws, "Get ready forbat. Open fire on anyone who attempts to flee!" "Sir! Yes, sir!" Another ear-shattering response. Cobra became aware that this was the end of it. He finally understood what Nathan meant by a few hundred million - it was a few hundred million''s worth of weapons and manpower. Nathan strode over and lifted Queenie up. He interrogated, "Who''s behind this?" Cobra confessed in a trembling voice, "A gangster called cky told us about this gig... We don''t know the employer." "Great.¡± Nathan replied in a frosty tone. He then turned away with Queenie in his arms. Colin closed in on Nathan and asked softly, "General, what do we do with them?" "Execute those scums.¡± Colin saluted loudly, "Sir! Yes, sir!" After Nathan left with Penny and Queenie, Colin looked down on the ouws, who were all shivering at this point, "Anyst words?" Already on their knees, the men bowed their heads, "Please have mercy on us. We won''t do it again!" Colin kept a stone face, "I take it that you don''t have anyst words then." It dawned upon Cobra that there was no escaping from this. He looked up with hateful eyes, "Can you grant me a wish before I go? Tell me who Nathan Cross is." N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. "Sure. You have the right to know who brought you this. He is Ares of the North -the youngest General in the nation with three hundred thousand men under him,¡± disclosed Colin. The news hit them like a thunderstorm. Colin then waved his hand coldly, "Open fire!" Nathan''s return with his wife and daughter finally set Benson and Leah''s mind at rest. Penny handed Queenie over to her parents. While they showered Queenie, Penny pulled Nathan into their room. The door was shut tightly. Penny inquired in a serious tone, "What was that?¡± "What was what?¡± Nathan blinked innocently. Penny red at him, "No. Don''t y dumb with me. Thousands of men came to Queenie''s rescue. Don''t you think that you owe me an exnation?" "Ah! You mean the troop." Nathan beamed. Penny snorted, "What else could I mean? Come on. Fess up!" "That was nothing. I''m the Ares of the North, after all. Of course, I could mobilize some men if I''d wanted to." Nathan told her the whole truth, yet Penny responded by rolling her eyes. "Nathan Cross! Stop blowing things out of proportion. I want the true story!" Nathan was utterly amused, even though he was misunderstood. Therefore, he fibbed to make the story believable for Penny, "Alright, alright. I served in the military for a few years and still keep in touch with a senior officer. He happened to be conducting anti-terrorist drills in Channing. So, I called him up to try my luck. I didn''t expect him to be willing to help, to be honest. He thought it''d be a great opportunity to train his men in a real-life situation, so he brought them over." Penny was dumbfounded, "Jeez! We must be the luckiest people on earth! Thank god your old boss was kind enough to help out. If not, how else could we save Queenie? You have to thank him properly when you get a chance!" "I will!" Nathan winked yfully and paced to the balcony. He did give Colin a call as Penny suggested, only it was not to thank him, "Find the culprit behind the abduction!" "Roger that!" Chapter 18 The Domineering Alpha Chapter 18 The Domineering Alpha Benson and Leah asked them about the incident at dinner. So, Penny excitedly narrated the whole story in detail. Benson and Leah were distressed to hear the story even though it was now history. They agreed with Penny and felt fortunate that Nathan''s former leader happened to be around. Cross Corporation was quickly established in the next few days. Penny was nearly ready to start the demolition process of Asiatic Vige. At the same time, Colin updated Nathan with his discovery. cky had gotten into a bar brawl with a few hooligans. His head had taken a few hits by an iron pipe and he was now in aa at a hospital. As a result, they were not able to extract any information from cky. Nathan let out a sigh, "It''s fine. I have a rough idea of who''s behind this. I hope they don''t provoke me again -1 don''t mind wiping out their whole n. Also, send some guards to watch over my daughter discreetly." Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Colin nodded his head, "Yes, General." Smith family vi. Sean unleashed his anger on Samuel. "What''s going on? It''s been days, and we still haven''t heard from those ouws. Penny has already started a newpany and is taking down the vige any time now." Samuel was at a loss. He had hired the ouws through cky with themission of a million. Yet, he received no update until he learned that cky had been admitted to a hospital. Samuel let out a sour smile, "Dad. I didn''t know that cky was so unreliable." "It''s toote to say that now. Penny is already kick-starting the project." "It''s not toote yet.¡± "Why? Do you have another idea?" Sean knitted his eyebrows in confusion. Tve heard that Penny took out a second mortgage on her house to get five million as Cross'' startup fund. Asiatic shoppingplex could cost her billions. There''s no way she could proceed smoothly. All we have to do is to undermine her with an obstacle and offer to bail her out of it, given that she transfers the project to us." Sean was interested, "What kind of obstacle?¡± "Asiatic Vige belongs to West City. I happen to have a good rtionship with their underground boss, Dan Hugh, also known as the Novem Dragon. With a little bit of money, he will cause a scene and halt the demolition." Sean was surprised, "You mean the legendary War God of West City? The one who killed nine men with a knife in a fight?" Samuel grinned, "Exactly. That''s a story from his earlier days. He now operates a whole gang behind the curtains and he doesn''t need to get into fights anymore. He has hundreds of people working under him.¡± "Fine. Go talk to him. I don''t care how much it takes, just sabotage Penny''s project." "Consider it done!" That night, Samuel met with Dan in an entertainment club. Dan was a burly and rough-looking man. He essorized with a huge gold watch and a thick gold chain around his neck. He left two buttons of his floral shirt undone to expose a tattoo of nine dragons on his chest. Upon listening to Samuel''s n, Dan assured him, "Ah. That''s a piece of cake. I can do it for ten million." Samuel clenched his eyebrows, "Isn''t that a bit high?¡± Dan gave him the side-eye, "Mr. Smith, the vige is in West City. It''s my territory, meaning that I''m the only man who can do this job. Moreover, you came to me first. If you walk away without making a deal, you''re wasting my time. That''s a big petpeeve of mine. I never let people get away with it.¡± Chapter 19 Looking Down Your Nose Chapter 19 Looking Down Your Nose Dan sounded intimidating but Samuel found it satisfactory. That was precisely the attitude that Samuel was looking for. Only a roughneck like Dan Hugh could wreck the project well enough. Hence, Samuel smiled contently, "I like how domineering you are. Fine, you''ve got the job. I will transfer five million now and five more when it''s done!" Danughed and raised his ss, "To our sess!¡± Samuel raised his ss as well, and they made a toss. The next day. Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Nathan took Penny and her family to a BMW store, nning to gift her a new car. Penny was now the president of apany, yet she was still driving a cranky old Polo car. Nathan reckoned that car did not suit Penny''s current status. If a president could not afford a proper car, one might underestimate herpany''s prosperity. To Penny, it was an extravagance to own a BMW - a luxury that she felt was excessive. Leah did not know much about luxury cars. Stepping into the showroom, she was amazed by anything and everything. Her body stiffened as she felt overwhelmed. She whispered to her husband, "These cars have to be pricey, right?" Benson replied, "Yes. They range from two hundred thousand to two million." Leah gasped, "Two million? Lord! I only earn two thousand a month cleaning houses. I''ll need to work a hundred years to be able to buy that!" The sales team had spotted the family from the moment they had walked in. However, they had seen people from all walks of life. From the way the Smiths dressed, the sellers figured that the family was not very well-off. After overhearing Benson and Leah''s conversation, the sellers shared a look as they curled their lips. Instead of entertaining the customers, the sellers lounged on their chairs while ying on their phones. Penny scanned the array of different types and shapes of cars, then turned to Nathan, "I only have a hundred thousand budget. I can''t even afford the cheapest model here. Why don''t we shop next door?" Nathan assured her with a smile, "I brought you here today. Clearly, I''m paying for it. I think that this is a good brand. Let''s shop around and see if you find anything that you like." Nathan pointed to a BMW Five Series car and suggested, "This looks good. Can we get a seller here?" Despite having looked in his direction, none of the sellers got up. A female seller pouted, "Tsk. I hate it when they act like they can afford anything here. We don''t have time for imposters here." She was not loud, but the family had heard every word of it. The Smiths were so embarrassed that they all lowered their heads. On the contrary, Nathan''s eyes were filled with fury. He lowered his gaze and saw her name tag. Lily Z. Nathan confronted her, "What did you mean by that?" Lily was texting away on her phone. She leisurely looked up and shot Nathan a dirty look, "I meant, a BMW is not for everyone. I suggest you continue cleaning houses until you can pay for a car here." Chapter 20 Point Of No Return Chapter 20 Point Of No Return Leah''s face flushed red, knowing that Lily must have heard what she said about earning merely two thousand monthly. Penny and Benson were irritated by Lily''s intentional humiliation. A young seller rushed over and politely offered, "Hi, sir. Could I show you around? If you don''t mind having an intern as your seller, I am at your service." Nathan declined indifferently, "No, thanks. I''d rather have Lily tell me the price for this Five Series." Though Lily was taken aback, she continued mocking them, "What''s the point of knowing the price? It''s not like your budget allows it." Nathan''s response was picking up a chair and hurling it at the car! Bang! The windshield cracked and left a cobweb pattern. Everyone was in shock. Even the other customers became motionless as they stared at Nathan. It was as if time had stopped. Nathan then casually inquired, "May I know the price now?¡± Lily struggled to recover from her fright, but the thought that she might lose her job was not helping. She screamed, "It costs five hundred thousand! How could you break it? You''re so done..." Nathan interrupted her by taking out his credit card, handing it over to Mia, "It''s mine now." Mia stuttered, "Sir... It''s already damaged. Are you sure? How about we look intopensation? That''d be a cheaper option." "There''s no need for that." Everyone else was still blown away. Lily was at a loss for words, as her jaw dropped to the floor. She could not believe how Nathan did not have to think twice before smashing the car, only to pay for it in full. Miapleted the purchase momentarily. Lily could have profited from themission of selling a Five Series. The rest of the sales team regretted not talking to Penny''s family earlier. They all watched as the handsomemission fell into the intern''sp. It went without saying that Lily''s face was the most entertaining and satisfying to watch. Mia returned the credit card to Nathan as she suggested, "Mr. Cross, we will need to fix the windshield. What do you think if you leave it here? I''ll let you know when it''s ready." Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Nathan replied in a neutral tone, "No fixing is needed. Can you help me find my wife a better car?" Mia''s eyes widened, "Then this one..." "-it''s damaged. I don''t want it anymore. You can have it if you want!" What? Is he really tossing away a half-million-buck car just because the windshield is shattered? The rest of the sellers were increasingly astounded. They shot Mia an envious yet resentful look. Especially Lily, who was green with jealous rage by now. Mia''s heart throbbed fast as her face flushed - this was the most that she had earned so far. After thanking Nathan repeatedly, she rmended a car from a higher-range for Penny. "Mr. Cross, this is our most premium model, M760Li xDrive. It''s 26.5 hundred thousand. What do you think about it?" Nathan remarked, "It seems so-so, but we''ll take it." Nathan let Mia swipe his card again. The way he bought two cars in a row got the manager''s attention. Not to mention one of them was a Seven Series with deluxe essories. Wade, the manager, stood beside Mia to oversee the transaction. This was when he realized that Nathan''s card was actually a supreme ck card. Only twelve people in the nation owned this type of card. Undoubtedly, all twelve of the owners were extremely affluential and influential. The card gave Wade a huge blow. He held it with both hands as if it was a bible, then paced towards Nathan with Mia. Handing Nathan the card, Wade buttered him up, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Cross. I am the manager here, Wade. It''s our honor to have you here. I was wondering if we could exchange contacts." Chapter 21 Nathan Is Filthy Rich Chapter 21 Nathan Is Filthy Rich Lily was the most puzzled person amongst everyone. It did not make sense that Wade, who was worth over ten hundred million, would bow to Nathan. N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Nathan put the ck card away, "I don''t see that happening, but it''d be nice if you sack her." Evidently, he was referring to Lily. Wade swiftlyplied, "You''re fired. Get your pay from ounting and leave!" Lily could not hold her tears any longer. She knew that there was nothing that she could do to reverse the situation. She was at the point of no return. Mia took care of the procedure and gave them a temporary number te. In the end, they drove out in an M760Li xDrive as Wade saw them off. On their way back, an awkward silence fell in the car. Be it Penny at the front, or the rest of the family in the back, they were all hesitant to talk about the elephant in the room. Nathan smiled at Penny as he drove, "You look like you have something to spill." Penny let out a yful hum, "What else are you keeping from us?¡± "Nothing. I always answer your questions honestly." "Fine. Let me ask you this. Where did you get all that money from?" Nathan gave her a cheeky wink, "Ah. I''m the great General of the North. Money means nothing but numbers to me." No one took that statement seriously. They all rolled their eyes at him. Penny pulled a long face, "None of your exaggeration again. Give us the unvarnished truth." "Okay, okay... As you all know, I was in the military for a few years. I saved a billionaire''s life once in a mission. So, he gave me the card as a token of gratitude. I''m not sure how much money I can spend with it, but I figured that buying a BMW shouldn''t be a problem." I see! It was too good to be true, the family was stunned to learn that.If it could pay for this car, there has to be a hundred million... even a billion credit in the card. They had always perceived Nathan as a jobless house-husband. This incident made them realize how loaded Nathan actually was. Leah stared at Nathan empathetically as she bit her lower lip, "Even so, I hope that you don''t squander it all on us. Okay?" Benson agreed, "Yeah. We aren''t used to owing others favors. On top of that, we already owe you a lot for offering my father Phoenixia." Nathan pulled over on the roadside smoothly before he turned to Benson and Leah, "Mom, dad, Penn. I know I have made life hard for you these years. I can''t thank you enough for forgiving me. Not only did you allow me to be with Penny and Queenie, but you also epted me into your family. For that, being a responsible father, husband, and son-inw is the least I can do. It''s my job to protect you. That means no one can ever bully or humiliate you. Never." Benson and Leah had held a grudge against Nathan when he had first showed up. However, their perception of him changed after he saved Sean''s life. And now, this deration. Needless to say, they were happy that Nathan was now part of the family. Leah opened up to him, "Maybe we were biased against you, but I am d to learn how kind and generous you truly are. From now on, we are family." "Yes. I am sure you will make Penny very happy." Benson added. Penny started flushing. Her parents finally recognized Nathan as their official son-inw after getting to know him. She coyly turned to Nathan, who was all smiles, "What are you simpering for? I never really said I wanted to be your wife!" Chapter 22 Get On Your Knees And Apologize Chapter 22 Get On Your Knees And Apologize As the demolition process would be effective in Asiatic City shortly, Penny had to look for a new ce for her family. In the afternoon, Nathan and Penny came to Riverside Gardens'' sales center to scout for a new apartment. Riverside Garden was one of the most notable estates in Channing. It was unquestionable that the residents here were all rich and famous. Nathan was interested in this ce because the new apartments were well-renovated and furnished. Therefore, it would save the family quite time and trouble. Other than that, the family was in such a rush that they didn''t have the option to purchase a cheaper apartment and wait for the interior to be done. This time, the family also went in casual wear. In some way, they did not look the part - the usual deep- pocketed customers. One of the agents still greeted them cordially out of professionalism, "How are you today? I''m Gina. I am the assistant manager here. May I ask if you are interested in making a purchase today?" Nathan answered in aid-back manner, "Yeah. What do you rmend?" "Here we have deluxe apartments and a few vis. Which type is your preference?" Penny had seen how Nathan spent money before. Although she understood that there were plenty of funds in his card, she still did not want him to splurge. Hence, she answered for Nathan, "A vi is a bit extra. Let''s go for an apartment."? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Right after she finished her sentence, they heard a mean voice, "Heh. Weren''t you the big shot who bought two BMW''s in a row? What, you can''t even afford a vi now? It looks like someone''s got a tight budget to keep, and it was just a show earlier." The whole group turned around to the source of the voice and found a familiar face. It was Lily. Wrapping her arms around a fine man, she was the seller who had just beenid off earlier the day. It turned out that Lily''s boyfriend was the sales office''s manager, Mason Hayes. Lily hade toin about her day right after she had left her old job. She was surprised to see Penny''s family again when they walked past. For Lily, it was ironic to hear Penny''s request for an apartment after what had happened earlier. She had to take advantage of the situation. Nathan warned, "Haven''t you learned your lesson?" Lesson? Lily''s eyes were full of bitterness. She sneered, "Don''t you bring up the sore subject. Who do you think you are? Buying two BMW''s doesn''t mean shit! Do you know who my boyfriend is?" Lily bragged as she pointed at the man in a suit, "I hope you''re ready for this. He''s Derek Harvey''s only heir, Mason Harvey. Namely the future president of Oceana Corporation.¡± Derek Harvey''s son? Everyone in the family had an inexplicable expression upon hearing that piece of information. Nathan had just broken Derek''s leg not long ago after his attempted sexual assault on Penny. The whole family still remembered how Derek climbed up to the sixth floor with a walking cane to beg for their forgiveness. How ridiculous was it, that Lily was now threatening them with Derek''s son''s title? Nathan and Penny''s family tried to hold in their peals ofughter so much that their faces had looked wry. From Lily and Mason''s perspective, Nathan appeared as if he was intimidated. Mason glimpse at Nathan arrogantly then inquired, "Baby, is that the guy that''d got you fired?" "Who else could it be? Although I did n on quitting now that we''re together, having him do that was still infuriating." "Let me take care of it for you!" Mason''s face turned solemn as he turned to Nathan, "Get on your knees! You owe my woman an apology!" Chapter 23 Do Not Stop Me Chapter 23 Do Not Stop Me Lily tilted her head up and crossed her arms with a smug look on her face. This was Mason''s territory. It was a known fact that he ruled this ce. No one had ever defied Mason here. Nathan''s lips curled. He studied Mason and Lily as if he was amused, "People kneel to me, not the other way around. Who are you to make me do it?¡± When Lily told them about Mason''s identity earlier, she had misread Nathan''s facial expression. Therefore, they did not expect Nathan''s disdainful tone. Mason was used to domineering others and expected to be awed. He coldly ordered, "Perhaps you need a push. Guards, teach him how to kneel." Several towering husky guards approached Nathan-"-Don''t you dare!" The guards were rooted to the ground. Everyone stopped and turned to the entrance. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline entered in a wheelchair. Besides having a man in a suit push him, he was also escorted by an entourage. Lily had just met Mason not long ago. Despite having heard all about Derek, Lily had never seen him. She was ready to relish the moment when the guards could torment Nathan. To her dismay, it was paused before it could happen. Worked up, Lily yelled, "You stupid cripple. This is none of your business!¡± Smack! Lily took a p on her face. Covering her cheek, Lily looked at Mason in disbelief and stupefaction. Mason barked, "What the heck did you call him? Do you have any idea who he is? He''s my father, the president of Oceana." Lily was awestruck through and through. A deep sense of remorse and hopelessness reigned her. Lily thought that Mason was her golden ticket to the upper ss. Yet she had made the mistake of insulting her future father-inw. Lily knew that she had screwed up the only shot she had gotten to marry rich. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. After pping Lily, Mason jogged towards Derek and lowered his body to his father, "Dad. What''s brought you here from the headquarters?" Smack! Mason received what he had given Lily earlier. Mason was stunned to the core. He was not alone. The emotion was mutual among the staff. Mason covered his cheek as his eyes widened, "Dad... you hit me..." "So what if I did? You brainless, shameless brat!" Derek was beyond livid. He reached to the side of the wheelchair for a walking stick and started attacking his son with it. Mason was caught off guard by Derek''s sudden outburst. His skin was bruised, and blood seeped out. After a while, Gina and the guards finally recovered from their shock, rushing towards Derek, "Please calm down. You''re killing him!" Derek was unwilling to listen, "Stay away! I''d rather kill him myself than have Mr. Cross get his hands dirty." Chapter 24 Thomas Dunn Works Under Him Chapter 24 Thomas Dunn Works Under Him The guardster pulled Mason away, but he had already been heavily wounded. This was the first time Mason had experienced this kind of violence from his father. He was too shaken up to know how to react. Feeling that he did not deserve the punishment, he asked, "Why did you hit me?" Lily seized the moment and stepped forward, "Mr. Harvey. It was wrong of me to offend you. It was all my fault. Please don''t me him for it." Derek''s breathing was still uneven from his anger. He pointed at Nathan then loudly rified, "That man is Mr. Cross. He is Thomas Dunn''s chief and the person whom I respect the most. It was shocking to see you two disrespect him. Either you apologize now or I''ll beat you to death!" Thomas Dunn! Mason was rmed. Thomas Dunn was the underground boss of the Eastern District, who was known for his brutality. Operating with an iron fist, he had made himself the top dog in two years. Despite having left his position in the Armed Forces for years, it did not make him any less powerful. Thomas Dunn was also known as Hades the Annihtor. The story behind it was chilling. A group of ouws provoked Thomas Dunn, and as a result, they were all eliminated. From then on, no one wanted to get on the wrong side of him. Mason was also informed about the episode where his father had offended Thomas Dunn''s chief. That was how his father had be disabled. Even after his injury, he had to visit the family to beg for mercy. Staring at Nathan, Mason finally came to realize his true identity. This was the man behind his father''s misery! Mason''s face looked as if he had seen a ghost. His knees felt weak, and he fell on his knees. At the verge of weeping, Mason had to squeeze the words out of his closed-up throat, "Mr. Cross... I... I was too ignorant. I know I deserve the worst punishment... but... please forgive me this time..." Lily witnessed as her mighty Mason dissolved into tears. This man had be someone she did not know. Yet, that also gave her an idea of how influential Nathan was. Nathan appeared unbothered by this. He looked at Mason and Lily emotionlessly, then smirked, "Didn''t you demand my apology?" Lily was speechless. Before she could say a word, Mason yanked her down to kneel next to him. Mason crawled closer to Nathan, "I''m so sorry. I truly regret it." Lily was shivering uncontrobly, "Please ept our sincerest apologies... It won''t happen again.¡± Derek watched them nervously. He had punished his son in hopes that Nathan would let Mason go easier. He desperately hoped it would work out that way. However, Mason and Lily''s attitude toward Nathan was outrageous. It was never Nathan''s style to forgive and forget. Still, he was moved by the earnest look in Derek''s eyes. Never in a million years would his loveless father act this way. Penny''s whisper also helped the situation, "Nathan. They''re aware of their misbehavior. Let''s just let it ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. go." Nathan turned to Penny with a gentle look, "Okay, honey. As you wish.¡± Derek and Mason felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. They bowed their heads to express their thankfulness. Understanding that Nathan was here for a new property, Derek ordered Gina, "Show Mr. Cross the best vis we have. No matter which one he chooses, start the paperwork immediately. It''ll be a gift from me." Derek dropped yet another bomb. No one could wrap their heads around this, considering that each vi could sell for ten million at the very least. Nathan understood Derek''s gesture, but he was not a man who would exploit others. He declined indifferently, "Thank you for your kind gesture. However, I''d much prefer paying for my own house. It''s only a vi we''re talking about anyway. I don''t need help for it." Nathan cast an intense nce at Lily. Derek was observant enough to get the hint. This girl must have mocked Nathan for not being able to buy a vi. So, he instructed the guards, "Take her out!" The guards charged towards Lily as if they could devour her, then hauled her out forcefully. Chapter 25 Blowing Your Savings Is Not Sustainable Chapter 25 Blowing Your Savings Is Not Sustainable The office''s top agent, Gina, gave them the top service and apanied Nathan and Penny''s family to different vis until they decided on one of them. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Nathan paid in full as per his previous purchase. The biggest advantage of moving into Riverside Garden was that their properties were ready-to-use. Their slogan was,The only thing missing is you.Aplete five-star home where you could move in with a suitcase. Nathan had suggested moving here because they had urgently needed a new ce. The vi''s market price was eighty million, yet only ten million was charged. It was clear to Nathan and Penny''s family that the discount came from Derek. After the two incidents, Derek had learned to walk on eggshells around Nathan - he could not afford to rub Nathan the wrong way again. Nathan liked to handle issues swiftly and decisively. Additionally, the Asiatic Vige''s demolition was starting in a few days. This was the best time to move out. Right after he purchased the vi, Nathan promptly contacted some movers and started packing up. They settled into their new home in the same evening. Penny, along with her parents and daughter, all felt like it was just a dream. They had started their day in an old apartment and had gone out for groceries in a run-down car. In a matter of hours, they ended up in avish vi with a shy car parked outside. They prepared an borate meal to celebrate, yet their house-warming party was simple. They did not include any guests - just the family savoring this sweet moment together. After having a few drinks with Nathan, Benson joyfully announced, "This is all thanks to you, Nathan. I can''t imagine how our family would end up without your help." "I was always a loner until I met you. I only have a family now because you epted me. As your family, I''ll make sure you never suffer any more." Leah softly gazed at Nathan as she recalled wanting to kill Nathan initially. Leah was happy to be proven wrong about Nathan. He was always on their side. Be it when he offered to save Sean with Phoenixia or when he defended the family''s dignity multiple times. She felt increasingly blessed by the second, to have Nathan as her son-inw. Leah gave Nathan a piece of advice, "Nathan, you have been spending money on Penny''spany, the cars, and now this vi. I''ve figured that there''s not much credit left in the billionaire''s ck card. It''d be better if you try to control your spending. Currently, nothing''sing in, but you''ve been taking a lot out of this card." Benson added, "We don''t expect you to make a fortune. But we hope you can have a stable source of ie and not ever have to worry about making ends meet." Benson and Leah were not the type of parents who had highly valued money. Their wish for Nathan was that he would not live off someone else''s wealth, not to mention blowing it. They had seen countless individuals obtain sudden wealth, spending it all frivolously. None of their stories ended well. They said that to encourage Nathan. Now that he was their son-inw, they came to care about him. Nathan looked at Penny with his usual warm smile, "Don''t worry. As long as Penny and I work together, nothing can stop us. We will be a power couple, make sure thispany prospers, and prove everyone wrong." Penny''s cheeks turned pink. Who said that we''re a couple? I didn''t give my consent yet. Chapter 26 Tear Down The Building And You Are My Next... Chapter 26 Tear Down The Building And You Are My Next... Most of the residents moved out of Asiatic Vige in the next two days. Cross Corporation was also set to begin the demolition process around this time. However, something was off as soon as the demolition team arrived. More than thirty vicious-looking men popped out and surrounded the team with weapons. Their intention was crystal clear. Without any warning, they destroyed the excavators, trucks and even injured many workers. When they were done, those gangsters dered, "As the residents of Asiatic Vige, we refuse to move until we''re happy with ourpensation. Whoever dares tearing down the buildings will be our next victim.¡± Penny was apprehensive when she heard the news. She knew for a fact that almost all of the residents had signed their agreements. The few who did not manage to make it back in town had also given their verbal consent and agreed to the terms ofpensation. So why are these people showing up out of the blue? Nathan appeared unflustered, "Sounds to me someone is purposely making a scene. Let''s go check it out." Penny had never encountered a tension this difficult. She figured that Nathan coulde in handy in a violent conflict. Furthermore, having him by her side helped with her peace of mind. They came to Asiatic Vige''s entrance to see eight excavators and more than ten trucks torn into pieces. Broken parts covered the ground, leaving the vehicles nothing but their frames. Smoking and chatting away, the gangsters lounged around casually in the scatters of automotive parts. Their leader was a yellow-haired man named Dogbreath. He was Novem Dragon''s right-hand man. The way those workers hid in a corner gave Dogbreath an ego-boost, not to mention the crowd they have attracted and the awe on everyone''s faces. Intoxicated by the self-assured hubris, he ordered, "Keep an eye on them. Break their legs if they try again." Suddenly, an M760Li xDrive sped over fast and furious beforeing to an abrupt halt. An attractive pair came down. They were Penny and Nathan. The leader of the construction crew, Bob Hoffman, walked over with his men, "Ms. Smith. Thank god you''re here." Penny scanned the surroundings quickly and furrowed her eyebrows, "Bob. Any update?" "Those are the people who''ve caused the trouble. A few injured men were sent to the hospital." "Did you call the cops?" Bob whispered, "I did. They said they''d be here, but it''s been forever." N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. "Let me do the talking." Before Penny finished her sentence, Dogbreath and his gang had already advanced toward them. Dogbreath looked Penny up and down smugly, "You''re the president of Cross?" "I am, indeed. I''m open to negotiation. I''m happy to fulfill your terms as long as you keep them sensible." Dogbreath grinned, "We''re long-time residents here and we refuse to be rid of with some chicken feed. Our demand is simple, ten million more for each of us!" Penny''s brows were pulled lower now, "The Demolition Office had already made terms with each and every one of you. Ourpany is only responsible for the construction of the shopping mall. If you''re unsatisfied with thepensation, you''re wee to talk to the office again. There''s no need for this much damage." Dogbreath scoffed, "Quit the buck-passing. I don''t care whose responsibility it is. I just want the money. Before that, there''s no telling what we''ll do to stop this. You might even lose a life or two!" Chapter 27 You Are Nothing Chapter 27 You Are Nothing Penny was highly strung. She paused to form a proper argument. Nathan helped her out, "You im to be the residents, yet most of them have already signed the contracts. Do you really live here?" Penny was just as suspicious, "Right! Let me register your I.D.''s. I can negotiate with the Demolition Office on your behalf. How about that?" Dogbreath''s eyes darted before he let out a sneer, "There''s no way we''d let you have our personal information. Who knows what you''ll do with it?" He then turned to Bob menacingly "Let me make myself extremely clear here. Do you see our weapons? They are not just for looks. So, don''t even think about going forward with this. Or else-" Penny was so infuriated that she was speechless for a moment. So, Nathan proceeded, "I suggest that you use that thug threat on someone else." Dogbreath inspected Nathan then let out a disrespectful huff, "Who are you to tell me that? I see that you''re eager to be your boss'' hero. But you know, we rule Channing''s West City." He waved his hand, ''''You, break his legs! Someone can use a good lesson!¡± A beefy man, Osborn came to the foreground with an iron bar in his hand. He darted towards Nathan like a lion preying its victim. Penny warned, "Watch out!" Nathan reacted the same time Penny yelled. He kicked his leg high, and a loud smack followed. Osborn''s head was spun to the side, as a broken tooth flew out along with some blood. His chunky body copsed. It was a knockout blow. Everyone was staggered to see Nathan crushed the hundred and fifty kilogram Osborn with ease. Before Dogbreath knew it, Nathan hade to him, striking his face. Smack! Disoriented, Dogbreath stumbled as he made a whirl. His cheek swelled up, and he eventually hit the dirt. Nathan took a step further and ced his foot on Dogbreath''s chest. Dogbreath was a solidly built man. However, he was unable to resist Nathan''s strong pressure. His rib cage sounded like it was cracking. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. Dogbreath looked like a helpless fish at the shore. He opened his mouth widely, but he could not bring himself to make a sound. The look on his face made it apparent that he was in agony. Nathan looked down indifferently, "So you rule West City, huh? I''m sorry to break the news, but you''re nothing to me." Dogbreath was terrified that his rib cage could break at any moment. With all his might, he squeezed out an order, "Guys... move it... kill him!" The thugs finally snapped back from their state of shock. "How dare he hit our boss? Let''s go!" They all came after Nathan frantically to circle him. Nathan let out a cold snort as if it was child''s y. After telling Penny and Bob to back up, he walked up to meet them. Bang! Nathan initiated his attack by thumping on a thug''s chest. The thug appeared as if he was hit by a train. His body shot back, but the blood from his mouth traveled in the opposite direction. Whoosh! An iron bar aimed for Nathan''s head. Yet, Nathan was moving like lightning. He gripped the bar with his left hand and punched the man''s chin with his right. It sounded like bones were fractured. The man wailed and dropped to the ground. Nathan then took the iron bar from him and used it to block three machetes. In a swift moment, he threw a flying kick towards their heads. The impact lifted them off the ground. No matter how big Dogbreath''s gang was, Nathan was not intimidated. None of the men could manage toe close to Nathan. Nathan took them down swimmingly with grace and sophistication. This was his dance and the opponents'' shrieks were his music. No one was on a par with him. In less than two minutes, thirty-something injured bodies were on the floor. Whines and groans filled the air. The construction workers, pedestrians, and Penny were filled with amazement and disbelief. Dogbreath wiggled his body in an attempt to stand up, but Nathan approached him. Dogbreath''s gaze traveled from the iron bar to Nathan''s apathetic face. A deep sense of fear arose when his eyes met Nathan''s. In a trembling voice, he bluffed, "Hey... what do you think you''re doing? I''m Big Brother Draco''s man. If anything happens to me, he will make you pay for it!" Chapter 28 Nine Tattoo Dragon Dan Hugh Chapter 28 Nine Tattoo Dragon Dan Hugh Nine Tattoo Dragon, Dan Hugh! When everyone heard the title, their faces paled immediately. Dan Hugh was a terrifying force to be reckoned with in Channing City. He had once cut nine enemies to pieces using only a knife, which happened to be the battle that had earned him the title. That was also how he rose to power as the war god of the Western District. Everyone in Channing knew exactly how ruthless he was. When they heard that Dogbreath was another goon of Dan Hugh''s, their expressions turned to one of fear. There were few who would dare to anger Dan Hugh. Dogbreath tossed out Dan Hugh''s name to scare Nathan Cross, yet he had remained strangely calm. "So the Nine Tattoo Dragon has instructed you toe and stir up trouble?" He asked. Dogbreath stared at Nathan Cross incredulously. Looks like this guy doesn''t fear him at all! ,he thought. Was he just ignorant of Big Brother Draco''s tyranny, or did he just have a lot of guts? Dogbreath would never confess that the Dragon himself had sent him to make such a scene. "Dude, can''t you ask around a bit and find out what kind of presence Big Brother Draco has here in Channing?" "You''d better kowtow to me right now, or else I''ll make you suffer in the worst way possible!" Nathan Cross scoffed, "You''re not going to say it? Fine, I''ll settle it my way." Dogbreath had a bad feeling when he heard Nathan Cross'' words. "You were going to break my leg, am I right?" Nathan Cross asked. Dogbreath looked nervously at Osborn, who was sprawled on the ground, unconscious. He swallowed. He had indeed ordered Osborn to break Nathan Cross'' leg, and thest thing he had expected was for him to knock Osborn out cold with one kick. Nathan Cross simply drawled, "I can tell that you are all gangsters." "Isn''t ''an eye for an eye'' your motto?" "If you want to break my leg, then it would make sense for me to break yours as well, no?" When Dogbreath heard that, he immediately broke out into a cold sweat, "l-if you evendare to touch me, I''ll make sure that Big Brother Dracoes after you!" Nathan Cross'' lips curved upwards. Suddenly, he raised the metal bar he had been holding high up, bringing it down on Dogbreath''s right leg. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Dogbreath squeezed his eyes shut and screamed. However, Nathan Cross simply tapped Dogbreath''s right foot lightly with the metal bar. When the pain he had been expecting never came, Dogbreath slowly opened his eyes and stared at Nathan Cross with a look of confusion. Nathan Cross smiled, "I haven''t even hit you yet, why are you screaming already?" "I''m keeping my promise though. If I said that I''m going to break your leg,m going to break your leg.¡± Dogbreath was going to break down, and he opened his mouth to plead for mercy. Before he could do so though, a Land Rover and two Chevrolets rushed into the scene, tires screeching. A well-built man with hawkish eyes alighted first, followed by a dozen of his men. When Dogbreath saw them heading his way, relief flooded him. The hawk-eyed man was no other than Dan Hugh''s brother, Leo Hugh, also known as the Prowling Leopard. As it turned out, someone had run off to report to him, while Dogbreath got into a fight with Nathan Cross. Leo Hugh immediately rushed to the scene with several of his men. "Big Brother Leo! Help me!" Dogbreath shouted at the top of his lungs. However, the only thing Leo Hugh saw was how Dogbreath and his men were sprawled across the floor, utterly defeated. Nathan Cross was still holding onto his metal bar, preparing to bring it down on Dogbreath''s leg. Leo Hugh''s eyes widened as he bellowed, "Stop! I''m the Prowling Leopard of the Western District. How dare you disrespect my men in my territory?" Nathan Cross nced at Leo Hugh before lifting the metal bar and letting it fall with a loudwhoosh. Dogbreath''s leg was smashed into pieces immediately. "AHHH-" Dogbreath let out a piercing scream. Leo Hugh''s eyes twitched in both surprise and anger. If not for Nathan Cross'' tant show of his terrifying power, he would already have ordered his subordinates to deal with the situation. He looked from Dogbreath, who was writhing around on the ground in pain, to Nathan Cross. "Not bad. Looks like none of my subordinates would have a chance against you. Why don''t you tell me who you are?" Nathan Cross tossed the metal bar away and wiped his hands on his handkerchief. "I don''t care about you. Call the Nine Tattoo Dragon now and tell him to ask for my mercy. I wantpensation from him as well." Chapter 29 Kill You A Million Times Chapter 29 Kill You A Million Times Leo Hugh scoffed and took out his phone to give his brother Dan Hugh a call. Soon, Dan Hugh picked up, and his intimidating voice boomed from the other end of the line, "Are you done?" Leo Hugh lowered his voice and professed, "Not yet, bro." Dan Hugh was unhappy. "You can''t even settle such a small matter?" Leo Hugh nced at Nathan Cross before whispering, "Bro, there''s a guy from Cross Corporation who''s beating everyone up." "He knocked out thirty of my men and broke Dogbreath''s leg right in front of me despite my warnings. He even wants you toe and kowtow to him." Dan Hugh was angered. "He''s looking for trouble!" It had been ages since anyone in Channing dared to cross paths with Dan Hugh, much less ask him to kowtow. Nathan Cross was the first ever person who had dared to even try. Leo Hugh nced at the crowd from Cross Corporation and smirked, "My bro''s personallying after you, since you''re so eager to die!" Penny Smith and Bob Hoffman, as locals, knew exactly how the Nine Tattoo Dragon went about doing things. When they heard that Dan Hugh was going to beat Nathan Cross up in person, genuine fear crept onto their faces. Penny Smith whispered to Nathan Cross, "Dan Hugh is well-known in the Western District and the underground answers to his orders only. If he wants someone to disappear, they will evaporate from the face of the earth. If we anger him, we''re dead for sure!" Nathan Cross was unfazed. "The Cross Corporation is in charge of the Asiatic Shopping Mall project. They''re the ones messing things up before the construction has even started." "If we don''t teach them a lesson now, they''re going to be a nuisance to us forever." "Don''t worry, I''ll settle this." Penny Smith was still worried, but she knew that Nathan Cross was on good terms with the underground boss of the Eastern District, Thomas Dunn. However, Nathan Cross had bothered Thomas Dunn one too many times already. Besides, the person whom they were dealing with this time was Dan Hugh, the underground boss of the Western District. He might have been stronger than Thomas Dunn in all ways possible, as he had been around for a longer time. Penny Smith felt that Thomas Dunn would not be able to help them even if he were to appear at the scene. After Leo Hugh made his call, the gangsters of the city came from all directions, be it in vans or on motorbikes. They crowded around the entrance of Asiatic City. Within a couple of minutes, hundreds of gangsters had gathered at the scene, sporting rainbow-colored hair, intimidating tattoos and about a million types of weapons in their hands. All of them were Dan Hugh''s men. Crowding around Leo Hugh, the men had all cried out, stirring up a Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. ruckus. Penny Smith''s face paled by the minute. She had called the police several times over the past few minutes, yet they were nowhere in sight. Bob Hoffman and his army of construction workers were increasingly desperate. If not for the human barrier around them, they would have dispersed immediately. The only person who was calm happened to be Nathan Cross. Leo Hugh red at Nathan Cross. "Why don''t you kowtow to me, before my brother arrives? Maybe I''ll spare your life, just maybe. Haha!" Nathan Cross nced around at the army of rowdy gangsters around Leo Hugh, while scoffing, "You think you can force me to bow before you withthese good-for-nothings?" Leo Hughughed, "Well, my good-for-nothings can kill you a million times over today." Chapter 30 Big Brother Draco Is Here Chapter 30 Big Brother Draco Is Here Suddenly, someone yelled, "Big Brother Draco is here!" The crowd of gangsters gave a collective roar. They stepped aside to form an aisle in the middle. A ck Mercedes Benz S600L appeared before the crowd. The car te number had nothing else but the number ''6'' repeatedly, which was how one would identify the ride of the Nine Tattoo Dragon. Leo Hugh immediately rushed up to open the car door, greeting his brother, "Wee, Big Brother." A tall man in a red dress shirt and a ck suit alighted from the Mercedes. He had his hair trimmed short and a scar was adorned on his left eyelid. Two buttons at the top of his dress shirt were unbuttoned, leaving on disy the unmistakable tattoo of nine dragons on his body. This had confirmed his identity as the Nine Tattoo Dragon Dan Hugh, leader of the underground in the Western District. Dan Hugh red at Leo Hugh and his army. "If I hadn''te, my reputation would have been ruined by all of you." Leo Hugh lowered his head in silence. Dan Hugh nced around at his five-hundred-men-strong army. Nathan Cross, Penny Smith and the others from the Cross Corporation were trapped in the middle. On the floor were several casualties who looked absolutely miserable. At that moment, Dogbreath dragged himself to Dan Hugh''s side. Despite the excruciating pain in his right leg, he managed to utter, "Big Brother Draco, you''re finally here! That guy there beat up thirty of our men singlehandedly and even broke my right leg!" Dan Hugh looked down upon Dogbreath, who was struggling to sit up, on the ground. "Your right leg''s broken?¡± He asked, emotionless. "Yes!" Dogbreath answered. "What about your left leg?" Dogbreath froze for a moment before answering, "My left leg''s fine!" Upon hearing that, Dan Hugh immediately raised his foot and brought it down upon Dogbreath''s left leg, with a crisp sound of bones snapping. AHHH! Dogbreath''s chilling scream pierced through the air yet again, and everyone was startled. Dan Hugh merely turned to his assistants and instructed, "Take this useless piece of trash away!" Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Within a second, Dogbreath was dragged away from the scene by a few of Dan Hugh''s aggressive- looking assistants. When Penny Smith andpany witnessed this, they could not help but feel sorry for Dogbreath. Dan Hugh turned around and looked at Nathan Cross'' party. "Who beat up my men and told me to Everyone''s eyes turned to Nathan Cross. Dan Hugh looked at him as well. Nathan Cross merely stared at Dan Hugh with an unreadable expression, as he stepped up, "It''s me." Nathan Cross'' body was lean and slim, which was the kind that one would slowly fall in love with after some time. Dan Hugh could sense Nathan Cross'' undying resolve, and he figured that he had a history in the military. He would not have been able to injure thirty people at one go otherwise. Dan Hugh scoffed, "That''s so brave of you, though it''s also really stupid of you." After that, Dan Hugh turned to his five hundred men and hollered proudly, "Brothers! What should we do with this man who''d beat up our men?" "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" As the war god of the Western District, Dan Hugh had no shortage of bloodthirsty warriors at his and waving their weapons in the air. Chapter 31 Where Nathan Cross Came From Chapter 31 Where Nathan Cross Came From Dan Hugh raised his right hand to get his subordinates to quieten down. Then, he turned around to face Nathan Cross and his pale-facedpanions. "You want to fight?¡± He asked, lips curved upwards into a nasty grin. Nathan Cross returned his smile. "You sure?" Dan Hugh was about to say something snarky but was cut off by the sound of sirens in the distance. Soon, several anti-hijacking vehicles carrying the elite members of the police force arrived at the scene, sirens ring. As Dan Hugh and his subordinates watched with widened eyes, the police surrounded them with their vehicles, leaving no room to escape. An army of ck-d paramilitary personnel swiftly emerged from their vehicles, each of them carrying submachine guns. Within seconds, Dan Hugh and his forces werepletely engulfed by the paramilitary personnel. As everyone watched in awe, a colonel strode to Nathan Cross and saluted smartly, "Senior Officer Colin Dunne of the Dragonfury Special Forces reporting for duty, Sir. We have a thousand elite fighters ready for operation." Nathan Cross looked at Dan Hugh andpany, who werepletely frozen in fear. "Let''s fight!" He yelled. One thousand elite fighters faced the gangsters and hollered in unison, "Let''s fight!" nk! The metal bar in a gangster''s hand fell onto the floor with a loud tter. He raised his hand and admitted in a trembling voice, "I surrender..." nk, nk, nk... The gangsters began to toss their weapons away like they were burning hot, before raising their hands in a collective show of defeat. nk!! The machete in the Nine Tattoo Dragon''s hand fell to the floor as well. With fear in his eyes, he raised his hands as well, admitting defeat together with his subordinates. He had a terrifying presence in the underground of Channing. He could make someone evaporate off the face of the earth if he had wanted to. Yet, when faced with a fully equipped elite force, he was helpless. He might have just wet his pants from being held at gunpoint, let alone from fighting. Thetter would mean certain death. Not only were Dan Hugh and his gangsters in a state of shock, Penny Smith and the others from Cross Corporation could not help but stare with their mouths agape. Bob Hoffman and his workers looked at Nathan Cross as they tried to guess his backstory. How did he get the senior officers of the elite forces to answer to hismand? N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. Penny Smith had gotten mentally stronger after taking part in the operation to save her daughter, and she figured that Nathan Cross must have gotten the help of the old chief. She felt that Nathan Cross was really lucky to retain the fondness of the old chief even after leaving the armed forces. Seeing that Dan Hugh had surrendered, Nathan Cross red at him. "What do you mean by this? Weren''t you asking for a fight just now?" Dan Hugh forced himself to speak, "I''m sorry, I underestimated you. Just let me go, I''m begging you! I''ll Piak! Nathan Cross pped Dan Hugh across the face just as he finished his sentence. It was such a robust p that two teeth fell out of his mouth, his cheeks swelling like dough left to rise. Nathan Cross scoffed and said, "How about those lives of ordinary people that you''ve ruined? I can''t believe you''re actually askingme for mercy now." Chapter 32 I Do Not Need To Blackmail You Chapter 32 I Do Not Need To ckmail You Dan Hugh was terrified by Nathan Cross and his forces, yet it did not change the fact that he had mercilessly ended countless lives. Even so, he almost went berserk when Nathan Cross pped him, though the malicious glint in his eyes disappeared as quickly as it came. He covered his face with his hands and lowered his head in silence.Fine, I''ll let you have your way this time. I''m probably only going to get three years in jail for disrupting public order anyway, he thought. I''lle back to haunt you in three years'' time. Nathan Cross''s lips curved upwards as he looked at Dan Hugh. "Let me guess, you''re thinking about how you''re going toe back and murder my family after a couple of years of jail for disrupting public order?" Dan Hugh looked up in shock, yet he refused to admit it. "I wouldn''t dare..." Nathan Cross red at Dan Hugh and scoffed, "It doesn''t matter if you admit it or not. Just forget about ever getting a chance to do that." Dan Hugh shivered when he heard those words, as though he hade to a kind of realization. "I N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. know you''re rich and powerful and all, but you can''t punish me for private matters in front of everyone here!" He yelled desperately. He suddenly turned to the workers from Cross Corporation and the passers-by and yelled, "He''s punishing me for private grudges! Hurry up and record this! I need someone to be my witness!¡± "He wants me to die for disrupting public order! If something happens to me, someone has to seek justice for me!¡± Nathan Cross nced at Dan Hugh, who was still shouting like a clown. "Are you done?" Dan Hugh froze, before giving a frightened look to Nathan Cross. "I don''t even want to try counting the number of crimes you''vemitted over the years. It''s probably enough to get you the death penalty ten times over anyway. Too bad you ended up in Dan Hugh went pale at the sound of that. His eyes were filled with fear, yet he continued to struggle against reality. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Are you trying to ckmail me?" "ckmail?" Nathan Cross scoffed, "Do I need to? I can dig out all your crimes with just one phone call," he announced, before calling Colin Dunne to his side. Understanding what he had meant, Colin Dunne immediately pulled out his phone to make a call. Within five minutes, Colin Dunne''s phone rang. He answered the call and pressed the speaker button. A loud and clear voice came through, cutting through the still air like a knife. "In ''03, Dan Hugh went to gamble in Alberesque City, but he''d lost. He suspected that the investor Bet Xander had cheated during the game, so he sent a hitman after Xander to get him killed." "In the same year, Dan Hugh escaped to Channing and gathered a gang of locals to stir up trouble all over the city. He killed nine people with a knife singlehandedly once." "In ''05, he was bribed by a local merchant to kill the family of Caleb Lance, who was a foreign businessman..." Dan Hugh''s face was ashen as he stared at them with widened eyes. His past crimes had all been swept under the carpet long ago, and yet someone had managed to unearth them for the world to see. The person speaking read each one of his wrongdoings aloud, and his desperation grew with each passing minute. He stared at Nathan Cross with genuine fear in his eyes. A simple order from Nathan Cross was enough to uncover all the unsolved crimes he hadmitted over the years, which had only proved how powerful Nathan Cross was. Everyone standing around them red at Dan Hugh. Most of them knew that he was not a good citizen, but they had underestimated how much of a monster he truly was. The voice continued to expose his heinous crimes. Suddenly, Nathan Cross interrupted the person on the phone, "Alright, stop. All this is enough to send him to hell." Dan Hugh went boneless and copsed onto the ground with a loud thump. He turned to Nathan Cross and pleaded for mercy like a dying animal, "Please, let me go..." Nathan Cross merely scoffed and pronounced, "Why don''t you tell that to Hades himself?" Chapter 33 Punishment For Your Crimes Chapter 33 Punishment For Your Crimes "Send these people and evidence of their crimes to the police, and make sure no one escapes. They will be dealt with severely," Nathan Cross told Colin Dunne. "Yes, Sir!" Colin Dunne gave Nathan Cross a resounding salute, beforemanding his forces to take Dan Hugh and his goons away. Bob Hoffman and his workers had only recovered from their shock after the special forces left the scene. Penny Smith whispered to Nathan Cross, "Can you exin this? Why do you need so many elite fighters to arrest Dan Hugh?" Nathan Cross blinked and smiled. "Didn''t I tell you? I used to be in the military. My former chief just happened to be in Channing with his troops for an antiterrorism operation, so Dan Hugh was just really unlucky." "Then...why did that officer just now address you as his senior?" Bob Hoffman asked curiously. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. Penny Smith looked at Nathan Cross as well, waiting for an answer. Nathan Cross''s smile was unwavering. "They were probably just being nice to me for the chief''s sake." That managed to convince the others that Nathan Cross was merely an ordinary retired soldier. Dan Hugh and his gang had been really unlucky to run headfirst into an antiterrorism operation, which had resulted in their arrest. That was the punishment for all their crimes. However, Penny Smith continued to stare at Nathan Cross with a doubtful expression. Nathan Cross'' story seemed reasonable enough, yet she could not help but wonder if there was more to it. Nathan Cross changed the subject, "Alright, the troublemakers are gone now, so let''s get back to work, shall we?" Night fell, and the broadcast of the news of the day began. Meanwhile, in the Smith family mansion... The important members of the Smiths sat around the dining table for dinner while watching the news on TV. "Samuel, if I remember it correctly, Cross Corporation is demolishing Asiatic vige today, yes? How''s the deal with the Nine Tattoo Dragon?" Sean Smith asked. Samuel Smith grinned. "I got some intel from Big Brother Draco this morning. He had already sent people to wreck the machinery that Cross was going to use, as well as to beat up the workers on the project. That should be enough to scare them off." "I didn''t manage to get any more updates after that because of my meeting this afternoon." Sean Smith was satisfied with his answer. "Very good. Give him a call now, and tell him to stir up as much trouble as possible. Penny Smith needs to understand that she''s incapable of managing this project on her own." Samuel Smith nodded and took out his phone to call Dan Hugh. However, he froze the moment he started the call. Everyone at the table looked at Samuel Smith in confusion. "What''s wrong?" Samuel Smith was just as bewildered as they were. "It''s saying that his phone is off. Did his phone run out of battery or something?" Suddenly, Miles Smith pointed at their huge LCD TV mounted on the wall. "Look! It''s Big Brother Draco!" Everyone whirled around to look at the screen, only to see troops of paramilitary loading the gangsters into their vehicles. The camera then cut to one of them, who had happened to be the Nine Tattoo Dragon himself. The voice of the newscaster resounded, "An anti-crime operation was carried out in the city today, which resulted in the capturing of a group of dangerous criminals. They are headed by Dan Hugh, who hasmitted a number of serious crimes over the past few years. He will be dealt with severely..." The Smiths took a while to recover from their shock. "Big Brother Draco...got busted?" Samuel Smith croaked after a long moment. Chapter 34 Unsuccessful Call For Investments Chapter 34 Unsessful Call For Investments The Smiths could only sit in silent shock after seeing the Nine Tattoo Dragon get busted on TV. Soon, Samuel Smith managed to figure out what had exactly happened to him using his connections. After he hung up hisst call, he gave his family a pained smile. "Apparently, a military chief was in town with his troops for an anti-terrorism operation, and Big Brother Draco just happened to fall into their trap." The members of the family exchanged looks amongst themselves upon hearing that. "No wonder Penny Smith could summon the elite fighters to deal with Big Brother Draco! Looks like they just got lucky!" Paul Smith blurted out suddenly. Sean Smith scowled, "That little bastard! How did she even get so lucky?" "Dad, I believe that it''s time to increase pressure on Penny Smith." Samuel Smith said. Sean Smith frowned. "With Dan Hugh in prison, how else are you going to force Penny Smith to hand Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. over the project?" "Joseph Myers from the Central Summit Corporation has expressed his interest in this project," exined Samuel Smith with a smile. "I can try persuading him to pressure Penny Smith into handing the project over." Sean Smiths'' eyes lit up immediately. "Central Summit is a robustpany, so I highly doubt that Cross will stand a chance if they enter the picture." "She''ll definitelye back to us once she realizes that she''s in deep trouble." "If that happens, the project wille back to us once and for all.¡± Samuel Smith nodded before continuing, "That''s right. Once we wrestle back ownership of the project, we can work in tandem with Central Summit toplete it. Perhaps we can even propose marriage between our kids and their kids so that we can join the ranks of the Myers family." Sean Smith was slightly taken aback. "Marriage? What do you mean?" Samuel Smith gave him a nasty grin. "Joseph Myers has also expressed interest in marrying Penny Smith, Dad." Everyone was shocked at the sound of that. Joseph Myers was a fifty-year-old man who had gotten married three times, only for all of his wives to die early. Even so, he still ranked high amongst the nobility of Channing, considering his position as CEO of the Central Summit Corporation. Sean Smith frowned. "Penny Smith had a child outside of wedlock, and I don''t even know what''s going on between her and that jerk Nathan Cross. Would Mr. Myers even agree to this?¡± Samuel Smith''s smile was unwavering. "You don''t have to worry about that, Dad. Mr. Myers is especially fond of young women like Penny Smith.¡± Samuel Smith heaved a sigh of relief, "Fine then. If that''s true, then I guess that little bastard can thank the Gods." For the next few days, workersmissioned by the Cross Corporation worked tirelessly to demolish the aged buildings at Asiatic Vige. Every shovel of dirt they threw aside was like the money that was poured into this project. Since the start of the project, the Cross Corporation''s funds were constantly draining out their inventories. Penny Smith had taken five million from Nathan Cross as start-up funds when she had first set up the Cross Corporation. He threw another twenty million into the mix soon after they had started on the project. Even so, Cross Corporation''s budget was still rather tight. Penny Smith began to worry about money, yet she did not bring it up in front of Nathan Cross. She figured that Nathan Cross had already spent a lot on cars, houses and Cross Corporation itself, so she did not want to burden him any further. However, the Asiatic Shopping Mall construction project was still in its early stages, and they would need a ton of money to pay for both current and future expenses. Penny Smith pondered over it for a long time, and she figured that the only way to get around this issue would be to get sponsorship. She actively sought out several reputable foundations and presented them with the business ns she had carefully curated beforehand. To her horror, all of them rejected her proposal. Most of them were fond of the project but were concerned with how inexperienced Penny Smith was with managing such a youngpany. As a result, Penny Smith could not get a single partnership. Chapter 35 You Need To Control Yourself Chapter 35 You Need To Control Yourself At night, Penny Smith dragged her tired body back home. Benson and Leah had just prepared a sumptuous dinner for all of them, while Nathan Cross was ying with his daughter on the sofa. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. When the little girl saw her mother, she immediately ran over and giggled, "Wee home, Mama! Let''s y!¡± Penny Smith bent down to peck a kiss on her daughter''s face. "Mama is really tired from work. Can we y during the weekends?" She whispered. Queenie Smith nodded. "Alright then. Can you sit down, Mama? I''ll ask Papa to give you a massage." Queenie Smith pulled Penny Smith over to the sofa and started giving her a shoulder massage. "Papa, can you massage Mama''s feet? Mama has been really busy earning money for us," requested Queenie Smith. Penny Smith''s face was scarlet, and she tried to wave it off. However, before she could protest, Nathan Cross had already yanked her high heels off her feet. He ced her stockings-d feet onto hisp and gently massaged them. "Queenie is right. Mama has been really busy, so Papa has to be nice to Mama.¡± Penny Smith''s face grew a shade darker, as she tried to wriggle herself out to no avail. To her relief, Leah Smith emerged from the kitchen and yelled, "What are you up to? It''s time for dinner." Penny Smith swung her legs off Nathan Cross''sp hurriedly and slipped into her high heels again. "Yeah, let''s go eat." Leah Smith smiled warmly and pretended to not see what was going on. She picked her granddaughter up and walked towards the dining room. Penny Smith felt humiliated, and she whispered to Nathan Cross, "It''s all your fault! I bet Mom thinks we''re weird now." Nathan Cross simply chuckled, "You seem pretty busy these days. Did something go wrong? Why don''t you tell me about it?" Penny Smith shook her head. "Nothing much. It''s just that we were having some difficulties finding sponsors for this project since none of them are particrly fond of us." Nathan Cross hummed, "Don''t worry. They''ll be begging to secure a deal with you in a couple of days'' time.¡± Penny Smith did not know how she should feel about it. "Yeah, dream on.¡± Soon after, the family sat down to enjoy their delicious meal. However, Penny Smith only managed to take a few bites before her phone rang all of a sudden. She walked to the balcony to answer it, and when she came back, her expression was grim. "What''s wrong?" Nathan Cross asked quietly. "It''s Joseph Myers from the Central Summit Corporation. He said that he wants to invest in this project, and would like to have a discussion about it at the Juno Hotel." "Weren''t you desperate for sponsors? Why the long face?" Nathan Cross asked. "However, it''s not like I''d asked them for help in the first ce, so why are they actively contacting me about it?" She paused for a second before continuing, "Besides, I''ve heard that Joseph Myers was a rather...shady person. Should I still go and meet him?" "If that''s the case, then I''ll drive you there. I''ll check if he''s being serious about this," offered Nathan Cross. In reality, Penny Smith was going easy on him when she described him as ''shady''. He was infamous for being a pervert, so many businesswomen did all they could to steer clear of him. Penny Smith was relieved to hear Nathan Cross'' offer to drive her to the meeting. "Sure. Though, I must remind you to keep your temper in check. You can''t be beating up people as you please." Nathan Cross smiled. "Don''t worry. I won''t go around picking fights, but I won''t fight for nothing as well." Chapter 36 Nathan Cross Is My Husband Chapter 36 Nathan Cross Is My Husband The Jade Chamber, Juno Hotel. A fifty-year-old plump man by the name of Joseph Myers was enjoying some wine with Miles and May Smith as a couple of uniform-d bodyguards stood guard with their hands by their sides. May Smith stood up to pour wine for Joseph Myers. "We''re your juniors, Mr. Myers, so it would be great if you could help us out in the future as a senior.¡± Joseph Myers studied May Smith''s bodyhugging gown as he took the ss of wine from her. He stroked her hand andughed flirtatiously, "There''s nothing like being around young people that makes me happy. I''m particrly fond of pretty ones like you, Mrs. Smith." "You jerk!" May Smith spat. Miles Smith offered out a silly grin from where he sat. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a gorgeous couple, led by a waiter. "Ms. Smith is here, Mr. Myers," announced the waiter, bowing his head low. It had turned out that the pair that had just arrived were Nathan Cross and Penny Smith. Penny Smith only realized that Mr. Myers hadpany after she entered the room. She lost all respect for the Smith family after getting kicked out of it. When she saw Miles and May Smith, she froze for a moment before saying, "So, you guys are here too. I guess there''s no need for me to be here anymore." She turned around to take her leave. Before she could do so though, Miles Smith stood up and questioned, "What are you doing, Penny Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Smith?" May Smith walked over as well. "You''re here to discuss sponsorship with Mr. Myers tonight, am I right? It isn''t right to get your personal grudges involved when you''re talking about business." Joseph Myers smiled, "Ms. Smith, let''s not get distracted by our emotions when we''re talking about business. I hope that you''re not going to embarrass me by walking out when I''ve already offered you a huge sum of money for sponsorship." Penny Smith considered their words for a second. It would indeed be pretty foolish of her to walk out when herpany was already desperately short on funds. After all, the Myers were amongst the richest of Channing, and Joseph Myers himself often dabbled in both legal and underground businesses. If she got herself into his bad books, she could forget about doing business in Channing ever again. She forced herself to stay calm and stered a smile onto her face. "You''re right, Mr. Myers. I shouldn''t let my emotions get in the way. Well then, shall we start the discussions?" Joseph Myers smiled, "That''s the way to go. Come, let''s sit down." He reached out for Penny Smith''s waist to guide her to hisp. However, before his hand could reach her, Nathan Cross stuck out his hand and grabbed it in a handshake. Nathan Cross looked at Joseph Myers with a faked smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Myers." Joseph Myers shot him a re. "Who are you?" Penny Smith had already noticed Joseph Myers'' hand moving towards her waist and was about to sidestep it, so she was not expecting Nathan Cross to stop the molestation attempt before that. She looked at Joseph Myers apprehensively and announced, "This is Nathan Cross, my husband." Chapter 37 The Best Wine In The World Chapter 37 The Best Wine In The World Joseph Myers stared at Nathan Cross and forced a smile onto his face. "So you''re Ms. Smith''s husband. What do you do for a living?" "I protect the country." Nathan Cross said lightly. Joseph Myers'' eyes widened. "What?" "Don''t listen to him, Mr. Myers. He used to be a poor soldier who quit not long ago. He''s unemployed now," chided Miles Smith with a grin. Joseph Myers scoffed after he heard that. "Huh. I''ve never seen a poor soldier talk so highly about themselves." He yanked his hand out from Nathan Cross''s grasp after that, since he did not want to shake hands with some unemployed thug. Miles and May Smith gave Nathan Cross and Penny Smith mocking nces. Penny Smith looked at Nathan Cross anxiously, expecting him to fly into a rage and start beating people up for hurting his ego. He was not the type to let even the smallest insult slide. Penny Smith grabbed Nathan Cross and spoke up for him, "No soldiers means no peace. Their duty is to protect the country for all of us. I don''t see anything wrong with what Nathan Cross just said, and besides, being a soldier is a huge honor itself!¡± Joseph Myers was too distracted by Penny Smith''s curvy figure to continue the argument. "That''s right, that''s right. I''m convinced. Let''s sit down, shall we?" The five of them took their seats at the table.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Joseph Myers told his assistant to bring them a bottle of wine, and it turned out to be a top-tier La Romanee-Conti that could cost well over a million for a bottle. La Romanee-Conti was regarded as the best wine in the world, and even the famed Lafite would pale inparison to it. Joseph Myers clearly wanted to prove his wealthiness to Penny Smith. He figured that no woman would be able to resist such an extravagant disy of wealth, let alone someone like Penny Smith whosepany was in desperate need of money. Both Miles and May Smith were shocked when they were presented with the bottle of La Romanee- Conti. There was no shortage of people in the world who owned expensive cars, but it was rare to find someone who could spare the money for a bottle of wine that costs millions. May Smith took it upon herself to open the bottle and pour the wine into a decanter, before serving the wine to everyone at the table. Joseph Myers picked up his ss of wine and smiled. "Let''s have a toast for Ms. Smith, Miles, May and uh...who''s that again?" "Nathan Cross!" Penny Smith eximed. Joseph Myers smiled apologetically. "Right, for Nathan Cross. Well would you look at that! My memory''s failing me." Everyone could tell that Joseph Myers was just poking fun at Nathan Cross for being a minor figure that was too insignificant for him to take note of. Nathan Cross smiled. "It''s alright. You won''t forget me after this." Joseph Myers sensed some kind of fierceness in Nathan Cross'' words, and he scoffed, "I probably will. After all, I''ve met countless prominent figures and gotten many deals, so I probably won''t remember an ordinary person after one meeting." Penny Smith could feel the tension in the air and decided to intervene, "Let''s drink!" She raised her ss and emptied it in one shot. Joseph Myers smiled and picked up his wine ss together with Miles and May Smith. However, he suddenly turned to Nathan Cross after only a light sip and asked, "Let me guess. You''ve never had such fine wine before, am I right?" Miles and May Smith sneered at Nathan Cross upon hearing that. They could tell that Joseph Myers said it on purpose. Showing off his wealth in front of Penny Smith and degrading Nathan Cross at the same time... It would definitely impact Penny Smith''s view on both Nathan Cross and Joseph Myers. Joseph Myers would be able to topple Nathan Cross from his ce in her heart and win her over for sure. He''s truly a master of this game! Everyone''s gaze turned to Nathan Cross, expecting to see him seething with anger and desperation. Penny Smith began to worry for her husband''s ego, and she considered walking out to save her husband some face. Even if she loses the deal, she will not allow her husband be trampled over. However, Nathan Cross was strangely calm. With everyone''s eyes trained on him, he picked up his ss of wine and took a sip, before spitting it out unceremoniously and thumping the ss back down. "It''s fake." Chapter 38 The Chief Sommelier Noah Boros Chapter 38 The Chief Sommelier Noah Boros Everyone stared at Joseph Myers in shock and disbelief. Joseph Myers'' face darkened as he growled, "Now, boy, you can eat crap, but don''t you dare talk crap." "I took out my best wine for this gathering, and you''re calling it fake? If you can''t prove it today, I''ll make sure to stuff the bottle down your throat!" It was never a good idea to anger Mr. Myers. The Smith couple looked at Nathan Cross smugly. How dare he use Mr. Myers of such atrocious deeds? If Nathan Cross fails to back up his allegations, the bodyguards standing around would definitely be forcing the whole bottle down his throat. Penny Smith began to panic when she saw Joseph Myers flying into a rage. Protecting her husband from Joseph Myers'' revenge schemes mattered more to her than the sponsorship deal itself. She immediately stood up and pulled Nathan Cross by the arm. ¡®Tm sorry, Mr. Myers. My husband doesn''t drink much wine, so he probably isn''t that knowledgeable about it. Can I apologize on his behalf?¡± "Honey, you don''t have to. I do prefer domestic wine over foreign ones, though I must say that it''s pretty obvious that this La Romanee-Conti is fake," assured Nathan Cross calmly. He turned to look at Joseph Myers with his cold gaze. "If you want to invest in this project, I''m more Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. than happy to ept your offer, even if you have ulterior motives. What I can''t ept is how you tried to bluff everyone with this counterfeit wine, Don''t even get me started on how rude you''ve been to me since the beginning." "Fine then! If you keep insisting that the wine here is fake, why don''t you prove it?" Joseph Myers snarled. "If you can prove that it''s real, I''ll let you do whatever you want with me," relented Nathan Cross. Joseph Myers gave him a cruel grin. "Alright. If I can prove that this wine is real, then you''ll have to swallow the bottle. If you resist, I''ll get my bodyguards to force it down.¡± "And if I manage to prove that it''s fake?" Nathan Cross asked with a smile. A hint of fear shed across Joseph Myers'' eyes, though it faded as quickly as it appeared. ''TH letyou do whatever you want with me,¡± He dered. Nathan Cross smiled. "Sure. If I can prove that this wine is fake, I''ll just smash your big fat head in with this bottle then." The Smith couple sat by the sidelines as witnesses and watched the drama unfold with huge smiles on their faces. Penny Smith had not expected Nathan Cross to start challenging Joseph Myers, nor did she see this beting. It was toote for her to stop him. She grabbed Nathan Cross''s hands anxiously. "How could Mr. Myers'' wine be fake? Why are you getting into a conflict with him over this? We''re dead meat if you lose.¡± "Whether or not he has the money to sponsor you has nothing to do with the authenticity of this bottle of wine. By the way, we won''t lose. This is definitely a counterfeit," announced Nathan Cross with confidence.. "Such an arrogant thug! I''ll make you regret your life choices tonight," sneered Joseph Myers. He turned to one of his assistants. "You! Go and find the chief sommelier of this hotel. I want him to prove that this wine is the real deal!" "Yes, Sir!" The assistant said, before exiting the room. Within minutes, the assistant returned with the chief sommelier of Juno Hotel, Noah Boros. Juno Hotel was one of the most well-known five-star hotels in Channing, while Noah Boros was its chief sommelier who specialized in red wine appraising. Joseph Myers waved his hand the moment he saw Noah Boros approaching him. "Mr. Boros, thank you so much foring. This person here is using me of bringing fake La Romanee-Conti to the table. Why don''t you try it and tell us if it''s fake or not?" Chapter 39 Richest Man Of Channing Zachary Schulz Chapter 39 Richest Man Of Channing Zachary Schulz Noah Boros walked over quickly and shook hands with Joseph Myers. "La Romanee-Conti, the best red wine in the world. I''ll take this very seriously." May Smith had already prepared a small ss of wine using the decanter. She handed the ss over to Noah Boros. Tve seen Mr. Boros'' wine tasting workshops on TV. I''m very impressed by your expertise in this field, and we would be very honored to see you in action." She announced with a smile. Noah Boros took the wine and smiled. "You''re being too nice.¡± Joseph Myers began to get impatient. "Mr. Boros, please taste it. I want these ignorant thugs to know that they messed with the wrong crowd today!¡± Noah Boros nodded as he swirled the wine around for a few moments. After that, he closed his eyes and put the ss under his nose to get a whiff of its scent. A satisfied expression appeared on his face immediately. He took a light sip from the ss and immediately looked enchanted by its taste. He opened his eyes. "It''s the unmistakable taste of La Romanee-Conti from 1990!" He eximed N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content. excitedly. The moment Noah Boros said that Penny Smith''s anxious expression turned to one of horror. Miles Smith picked up the bottle, and printed on the bottle was a line in French proving that it was produced in 1990. "Wow! Mr. Boros is such a professional. This is indeed top-tier 1990 La Romanee- Conti." May Smith grinned. "Well then, it seems that you have lost the bet, Nathan Cross." Joseph Myers andpany collectively turned their gazes towards Nathan Cross. "You''ve lost. Now eat the bottle, before I get my bodyguards to help you," sneered Joseph Myers. Penny Smith panicked and was about to plead for mercy, but Nathan Cross spoke up before she could say a word, "Did I really?" He asked, grinning. Joseph Myers''s face grew darker. Tve already gotten a professional to taste this wine, and you''re backing out of the deal now?" Nathan Cross nced at Noah Boros jeeringly. "Your so-called ''professional'' took a sip, looked at you like he just cleared his bowels after days of constipation and said that it''s real. You''re going to believe him?" Noah Boros flew into a rage. "You ignorant brat! How dare you insinuate that I don''t know my wine!" Joseph Myers scoffed, "Looks like you''re not going to concede defeat. Can someone get here and stuff this bottle down his throat?" Right after he uttered those words, the door to the room flew open. A group of people, led by a plump, redfaced old man in ancient-style robes, swarmed into the room. The old man was holding on to a bottle of wine, and he started to look around the moment he entered the room. "Mr. Cross? Is Mr. Cross here?" "Oh my, look who''s here! It''s the billionaire of Channing, Mr. Zachary Schulz!¡± Joseph Myers eximed out of shock. "Oh, you''re here too, Myers!¡± Zachary Schulz announced. Joseph Myers may be a prominent figure in Channing, but he was nothingpared to Zachary Schulz. "That''s right. Why are you here, Mr. Schulz?" Joseph Myers asked with a forced smile. Before Zachary Schulz could open his mouth, a square-faced man beside him spoke up in a loud and clear voice. Tve been ordered to send this bottle of wine to Mr. Nathan Cross along with Mr. Schulz." Joseph Myers froze when he saw the square-faced man. He was no other than Henry Jacobson, the head of the Channing City Agri-Food and Pharmaceutical Inspection Authority. Chapter 40 I Am Nathan Cross Chapter 40 I Am Nathan Cross Joseph Myers stared at Schulz and Jacobson incredulously. "Y-you came to deliver wine to Nathan Cross?" He stammered. Everyone else in the room were shocked as well. The richest man in Channing, together with the leader of the inspection authority for food and medicine, had taken it upon themselves to deliver wine to Nathan Cross. How powerful was Nathan Cross, really? "That''s right. We''re here to deliver this wine to Mr. Cross. Where is he?" Schulz asked. "That would be me,¡± answered Nathan Cross, smiling. The crowd immediately closed in on him, and Schulz carefully handed over the wine in his hands like they were some kind of treasure. "Mr. Cross, I heard that you''d wanted some top-quality La Romanee- Conti, so allow me to present this bottle to you. It''s from 1990, and I''ve kept it for a long time." Zachary Schulz and Henry Jacobson had received a call from an officer named Colin Dunne who had asked them to bring a bottle of La Romanee-Conti to Mr. Cross. When they heard that this Mr. Cross had served as the Captain under the General of the National Guards and was well-loved by the General, they immediately set off with the bottle of wine in tow. Nathan Cross took the wine that Zachary Schulz handed over and studied it for a couple of seconds. "Mr. Schulz, Mr. Jacobson, you came just in time. Joseph Myers was boasting about his bottle of La Romanee-Conti just now, so I would really appreciate it if you could help me determine if it''s a counterfeit or not." Joseph Myers'' face paled the moment Nathan Cross said that. Zachary Schulz frowned. "There were only seven thousand, four hundred and forty bottles of La Romanee-Conti produced in 1990. I highly doubt that many of them still exist now, since it''s been three decades. I collect top-tier wine for a hobby, so if there really is another bottle of 1990 La Romanee- Conti, then it would definitely be in my wine cer." N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. "I don''t even need to look at that bottle to know that it''s fake.¡± Nathan Cross smiled. "No, I insist. We have a bet here, so please inspect it thoroughly.¡± The two men inspected Joseph Myers'' bottle of wine carefully. Zachary Schulz had an extensive collection of the finest red wine in Channing stowed away in his wine cers, so his wine-tasting skills were pretty much indisputable. As for Henry Jacobson, he worked his way up from the bottom in the inspection authority and had been put in charge of sniffing out fake wine and medicine sold in the market for decades. He was highly capable of determining the authenticity of Joseph Myers'' wine. They came to a conclusion very soon. Zachary Schulz red at Joseph Myers and Noah Boros. "You''re saying that this crap is the real deal?" Noah Boros shook with fear and he stammered, "M-Mr. Schulz, I was told to lie about it when Mr. Myers'' assistant came to find me..." "He gave me thirty thousand to do it. I''m sorry!" Joseph Myers'' dignity was in shreds. His face turned increasingly ashen. He nced at Nathan Cross fearfully. "Fine, you win this time. Who knew that you could get the help of Schulz and Jacobson? I''ll get you next time." After that, he made a move to leave with his assistant. However, Nathan Cross stopped him in his tracks. "Hold up. You''re just going to leave after the big reveal?" Joseph Myers opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Nathan Cross had already picked up the bottle from the table and brought it down on his head in a sh. With a loud pop, the wine bottle shattered into smithereens, and blood gushed down Joseph Myers'' face. Nathan Cross threw the broken bottle aside and scoffed, "I just wanted to teach you a little lesson. If you dare to mess with my wife ever again, you''ll die a horrible death." Chapter 41 The Confidence That Nathan Cross Had Chapter 41 The Confidence That Nathan Cross Had The doctors had just finished patching up Joseph Myers'' head wound at the hospital. The Smith couple and a few of Joseph Myers'' assistants stood at the side, cowering in fear. Joseph Myers had never been so humiliated in his life. If the public heard of him getting a bottle smashed on his head by some jobless guy, his reputation would be ruined forever. Suddenly, a man in an Armani''s suit burst into the room along with a few of his subordinates. It was Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. John Miller, the young master of the Juno Hotel. Turns out, John Miller had panicked when he heard that Joseph Myers had been beaten up within the walls of Juno Hotel, so he rushed over to visit him. Thest thing he wanted was for Joseph Myers to start ming the hotel. Unfortunately, Joseph Myers was still fuming when John Miller entered. "Mr. Miller, how are you going topensate me for this?" "Mr. Myers, please calm down. I''ve already gotten hold of Nathan Cross''s background." John Miller said hurriedly. "He was indeed a poor soldier, but he also happened to be the savior of Thomas Dunn. Thomas Dunn calls him Young Master, and provides him with any assistance he needs." "I think that it was Thomas Dunn who asked Schulz and Johnson to help Nathan Cross out." Joseph Myers frowned upon hearing John Miller''s words. "Thomas Dunn?¡± The Smiths piped up as well, "That''s right, Nathan Cross is nothing by himself. He just happened to be on good terms with Thomas Dunn of the Eastern District, so it must have been Dunn who sent those two people to help Nathan Cross out." An angry me flickered in Joseph Myers'' eyes. "Looks like he''s just riding off Thomas Dunn''s coattails." "Mr. Myers, Thomas Dunn may be a newbie in the Channing underground, but he''s really scary!" Miles Smith eximed, "That''s right. One of our uncles even got beaten up by his subordinates in the Cloud Pce. It''s too risky to get involved in their business, so let''s just give up, Mr. Myers," suggested May Smith. Joseph Myers scoffed, "What makes Thomas Dunn think he can be such a show-off in front of me?" "I''ll get rid of Nathan Cross no matter what it takes! Thomas Dunn had better stay out of this. If he dares to mess with my ns, I won''t hesitate to drag him down as well." "I take full responsibility for this incident, Mr. Myers," apologized John Miller. "I can help you dispose of Nathan Cross if you can stop Thomas Dunn from sending him help." Joseph Myers nodded in approval. "Very good. I''ll find someone respectable enough in the underground to warn Thomas Dunn against interfering." "As for Nathan Cross, I''ll leave him to you. I hope that you won''t disappoint me." John Miller smiled. "I will teach Nathan Cross a lesson for you, Mr. Myers. I promise that I will put an end to this as per your request." "That would be great. I''ll consider expanding the business partnership with your family if you seed," agreed Joseph Myers, visibly happy. "Oh! Thank you in advance, Mr. Myers." John Miller thanked excitedly. Meanwhile... Nathan Cross and Penny Smith were sitting in their car and heading home. "Nathan, what''s up with Jacobson and Schulz?" Penny Smith asked all of a sudden. Nathan Cross smiled. "Myers was getting out of control, so I sent for someone to bring a bottle of genuine La Romanee-Conti to shut him up." Penny Smith figured that it was Thomas Dunn who helped them out. She gave him a strained smile and sighed, "I know you taught him a lesson this time, but now that we''vepletely angered him, we''re only going to suffer from now on." "So what? I don''t think he''s worthy of my attention," confessed Nathan Cross. Penny Smith sighed, "His worth is in the billions, and he works with both the conventional and underground markets. He''s amassed a vastwork of connections too.¡± "Every rich person in Channing takes his words very seriously, so if he refuses to invest in Cross Corporation, then we''re done for." Nathan Cross smiled lightly. "No worries. He isn''t the one inmand of Channing''s aristocrats." "Just trust me. Ourpany will be flooded by investors begging to sponsor us in just three days'' time." Penny Smith could not help but wonder if Nathan Cross had been underestimating Joseph Myers'' wrath. She felt the urge to tell him to snap out of it, but she could not bring herself to scold her husband. Sighing, she began considering taking out a loan from the bank. If she could not get a loan, then she would be left with no choice but to swallow her pride and ask the Smiths for help. Even though the Smiths had chased her out of the family, they would probably still agree to invest in herpany for the profits. However, knowing her grandfather and uncle''s way of doing things, they would definitelye up with a strict set of terms and conditions for her if she were to ever go back to them for help. Chapter 42 David Nelson Chapter 42 David Nelson Early next morning, Nathan Cross and Penny Smith drove their daughter to her kindergarten as usual. N?velDrama.Org exclusive content. They parked their car near the entrance of the kindergarten and took their daughter to the gates personally, taking a moment to talk with her teacher about their daughter''s behavior in school. When they returned to their car afterwards, they were horrified to find that their beloved BMW M760Li xDrive had been smashed to pieces. The rearview mirror, front lights and windows have all been reduced to ss shards that were strewn across the ground. A crowd had formed around the broken car, their quiet chatters filling the air. Nathan Cross'' face darkened at the sight of that. "What happened? Who did this to our car?" Penny Smith yelled desperately. At that moment, Penny Smith''s phone rang. It was an unknown number. She frowned and answered the call, "Hello?" "This is Ms. Smith, am I right? I''m sure you''ve noticed that your car''s been destroyed, yes?" A male voice boomed from the other end of the line. "You did it, didn''t you?" Penny Smith screamed. "I didn''t say that," replied the man, scoffing. Nathan Cross took her phone and pressed it against his ear. "Who are you?" "Are you Nathan Cross? Well, it''s not like you can do anything to me, so I''ll just tell you who I am." The man sneered upon hearing Nathan Cross''s voice. "I am John Miller, president of Juno Hotel.¡± "Smashing your car is just an appetizer. If you don''t go to Mr. Myers'' ce and ask for mercy within twenty-four hours, get ready to receive the full course," he threatened. "No need forthat. You''ll be pleading formy mercy in half a day, or you''ll be losing your business," warned Nathan Cross coldly. "Haha! Losing my business in half a day? What a joke..." Before John Miller could finish his sentence, Nathan Cross had already hung up. After that, he called Mia, the manager of the BMW showroom, and told her to send an identical car over to rece his smashed one. Mia would help him deal with the paperwork and the wreckage in front of him as well. Mia had been overjoyed when Nathan Cross had gifted her with a BMW 5 series thest time, hence she was jittery with excitement when Nathan Cross told her that he would give her what was left of his destroyed BMW M760Li xDrive. She thanked him profusely. Nathan Cross and Penny Smith left the scene with the new car that Mia had sent over. Soon, they arrived at the entrance to a bank. As it seemed, Penny Smith had contacted David Nelson, the director of the Channing Bank, after she had failed to secure sponsorship from other prominentpanies. They had agreed to meet and discuss the details of a potential loan from the bank. The two of them walked into Channing Bank and were immediately greeted by Linda Brown, the lobby manager of the bank. "How can I help?¡± She asked, smiling. "Hello, I am Penny Smith. I have an appointment with Director Nelson today regarding a loan from the bank,¡± Penny Smith responded immediately. "Oh, you''re Ms. Smith? Director Nelson had told us to bring you to him once you arrive. Right this way," ushered Linda Brown. "Thanks!" Penny Smith eximed, smiling. Soon, they arrived at the private office of David Nelson. David Nelson was about fifty years old, and his beer belly wobbled under his shirt. He had been watering the money nt near the window of his office when they came in. When he saw Penny Smith, he immediately broke into a grin. "Why hello, Ms. Smith." "Director Nelson, we''re here to talk about the loan I am considering for mypany," exined Penny Smith, smiling. David Nelson peered at Penny Smith''s curvy figure and smiled. "Sure thing. Linda, you may take your leave. Also, can you tell your bodyguard here to wait outside as well?" "Oh, I forgot to introduce him to you. Director Nelson, this is my husband Nathan Cross. He''s not my bodyguard," exined Penny Smith hurriedly. David Nelson''s expression suddenly grew cold. "It doesn''t matter if he''s your husband or your bodyguard. He can''t stay here." "I don''t like it when other people are around during business negotiations." "Ms. Smith, if you''re not here to talk about the loan, then please leave." Chapter 43 I Am Not One Of Those Women Chapter 43 I Am Not One Of Those Women Penny Smith frowned when she heard that. "Hubby, why don''t you wait for me outside?¡± She asked Nathan Cross softly. Nathan Cross nced at Nathan Cross. "Alright," he agreed. Linda Brown and Nathan Cross exited David Nelson''s office. Linda Brown closed the door behind her and told Nathan Cross not to intrude no matter what would ensue. "Director Nelson hates it when his business meetings are interrupted," exined Linda Brown. She left afterwards, leaving Nathan Cross alone in the corridor. Back in the office, David Nelson told Penny Smith to sit down. He stared at her flirtatiously and professed, "I did my homework on your project, Ms. Smith. Asiatic Shopping Mall is crucial to the development of the city, so local banks like us should give it our utmost support." Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org. Penny Smith smiled and asked, "May I ask how much I can loan from the bank for this project? We are rather short of money." David Nelson gave her a nasty grin. "That''s up to me. As for the specifics, well...that will depend on how passionate you are.¡± Penny Smith froze. "How passionate I am?" David Nelson gazed at her cor longingly and chuckled. "To be honest, when I first met you, I''d thought that you were the sexiest of them all" "As for the loan, it would be ten million per piece of clothing you strip in front of me. By the time you strip everything, it would probably add up to about a hundred million." He stared at her tall figure as he continued, "If you sleep with me for one night, I''ll give you three hundred million at one go. How about that?" Penny Smith flushed red in the face upon hearing that and stood up immediately. "I''m sorry, Director Nelson. I''m not the type of woman you''re looking for. Goodbye." After that, she turned around to leave the office. David Nelson knew that all he wanted was Penny Smith from the moment he had set eyes on her. Seeing that she was about to disappear from his life, he ran up to her and grabbed at her hand. "Wait!" He had barely reached her before the office door was kicked open with a loud bang. David Nelson froze on the spot, startled by the sudden sound. Nathan Cross stood at the doorway with a stormy expression. It took a while, but David Nelson finally recovered from his shock and flew into a rage. "Who let you barge in like that? Are you tired of living? Security! Security-" David Nelson''s cries were cut off abruptly by a solid p that Nathan Cross gave him across the face. The sound of Nathan Cross'' handing into contact with David Nelson''s face was loud and crisp. Blood flowed out from David Nelson''s mouth, carrying bits of broken teeth. His bloated body spun around a couple of times before copsing onto the floor. "You''re...you''re looking fortrouble, boy! I have thirty years of martial arts training under my belt..." David Nelson peeled himself off the floor and rolled up his sleeves, getting ready to pick a fight with Nathan Cross. However, before he could even get into position, Nathan Cross had already sent a flying kick into his chest. His overweight body went flying through the air like a bombshell,nding with a loud thump on the table that sent it toppling over. He struggled to stand up again. The employees and security guards of the bank came running to check out themotion. Liam Harrison, the president of the bank, was shocked to David Nelson sprawled onto the ground. He turned to the security guards and ordered, "Quick! Restrain those two!" The security guards at the scene took out their electric batons and closed in on Nathan Cross. However, Nathan Cross simply waved his phone in their faces. "You have a lot of guts! Mr. President,