"Are you done? If you are, kindly get the hell out of here," Austin growled. He rubbed his face before shooting a seething glare at Brock.He knew Brock was an incompetent fool. It did not surprise him that the latter had signed an exorbitant contract.That being said, he did not expect it to be an extra 30 million."Sure. I'll be on my way right now."Brock marched out of the office with a victorious grin. At the door, he glanced arrogantly at all the employees and said, "You heard what happened. Since I've been your boss for so long now, out of consideration for you guys, I'll give you all a chance."He stuck up two fingers and continued, "As long as you come with me, I guarantee that I'll look out for you. Or, you can stay in the company with that loser Austin and watch as the company goes bankrupt."Alas, no one responded.The employees knew full well who truly ran Dominion Properties all these years.Having worked with Austin and Brock, they were perfectly aware of both me
Over at Austin's new rental, Ezra was sitting on the couch and looking at Austin with a grim expression."Sir, you were too hasty in making the decision to buy Dominion Properties. The west city slum redevelopment project that Dominion just signed on to handle is enough to bankrupt the company."After getting Austin's call, Ezra immediately got in touch with the necessary parties. Relying on his identity and an offer that was three times Dominion's market value, he was able to complete the purchase within minutes.But when he looked into Dominion's situation afterward, he realized the severity of the situation.If one were to solely look at Dominion's profits, the buyout would not be a loss at all. At most, it would simply be investing 130 million into a learning opportunity for Austin.If Austin wanted to return to his father's family with Dahlia, he needed to gain such experiences.Dominion would keep growing and becoming more profitable—enough to silence the naysayers in the f
As soon as the call connected, Ezra cried out excitedly, "Sir, I think we've underestimated Austin. He has grown a lot more than we thought over the years. If everything goes according to his plan, the buyout will be a resounding success!"He paused a few seconds before sighing and adding helplessly, "But … he's still upset because of what you did back then. His resentment …"…Back inside the rental, Austin had no clue that Ezra was giving Austin's father an update on the situation.Austin rubbed his face and composed himself before heading into the kitchen to make some soup for Dahlia. She was still in the hospital and needed to maintain a healthy diet to aid in her recovery.Even though it was more convenient to buy takeout, Austin was worried about letting someone else prepare Dahlia's food. Regardless of how busy he was, he preferred making her food himself.There were a couple of reasons why he strove to earn as much as he could post-graduation. It was partly because he wan
The next morning, Austin brought breakfast to the hospital and spent some time with Dahlia.Dahlia's condition was improving every day. Soon, she would be able to recuperate at home.Because of Ezra's connections, Dahlia received excellent care in the hospital. Austin did not have to worry about her.He now needed to start preparing for the west city slum redevelopment project.This was his first time coming forward to handle a project.Even though he had been single-handedly overseeing all of Dominion's previous projects, at the end of the day, it was Brock who took the credit.This time, he not only needed to turn things around for the slum development project and boost Dominion Property's reputation, but most importantly, he was going to prove himself to his father!After over 20 years of neglect and abandonment, his father was suddenly expressing his interest in reuniting the family.It was true that the money from Ezra helped Austin overcome his recent predicament, but Aus
Susie felt even more outraged. If not because of what Harvey could give her, she would have slapped him already.Her and Harvey's marriage not only led to Nancy's divorce but even ruined the life of Harvey's unfortunate ex-brother-in-law.Susie abruptly felt sorry for the man named Austin Campbell. He had such rotten luck.Then, upon recalling the name, her eyes flashed with resentment.As she eyed Harvey, something made her ask, "Harvey, your ex-brother-in-law is called Austin Campbell, right? Are you sure he doesn't have any money?""Hah! He's just a moocher. How could he possibly have any money?" Harvey scoffed while rolling his eyes. "Why are you asking about him?"Susie shook her head. She felt like she was going crazy thinking about the man she spent the night with.Austin Campbell was a fairly common name, so why did she think it would be the same guy?She explained, "A week ago, a customer by the name of Austin Campbell came to the bank to withdraw money. He had a debit
Susie felt like she was dreaming.How could it be such a coincidence?The Austin that Harvey described to her was nothing like the Austin she met at the bank.Yet, the icy face she saw through the windshield was the very same one.After that humiliating night, how could she forget his face?"Oh, right. I forgot you're penniless now," Harvey remarked.Not noticing Austin's hostility, Harvey continued to mock, "What a shame. If you'd only taken our advice and let your mom die, you wouldn't have had to divorce my sister. Well, you really have nothing left now."Austin was clenching his fists so tightly that the veins along his arms were bulging.Ever since he married Nancy, he had to suffer constant disrespect from the Welches, and because Nancy took her family's side, his standing in the family dropped even lower.Even though he became the assistant general manager of Dominion Properties in just three years and frequently gave money to the Welches, they still looked down on him
Austin sneered, but his gaze hardened with determination.Dahlia was everything to him. She was his rock and his foundation.Even if he had a do-over, he would have chosen to divorce Nancy anyway.Nancy was willing to do everything within her means to help a useless person like Harvey, but not Austin."That's enough!" Susie snapped as she abruptly flung Harvey's hand off her. "You've gone too far, Harvey! Apologize to Mr. Campbell at once!"Harvey's gloating expression was replaced by one of shock."W-Why are you so worked up, Susie? I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I apologize to him?"Turning red, Susie rebuked Harvey, "You were too rude to Mr. Campbell! I refuse to allow you to treat him that way!"She was berating Harvey because she wanted to stop Harvey from mocking Austin any further, lest Austin became so mad that he exposed what happened that night. Also, she was trying to take Austin's side so that she would leave a good impression on him.Harvey was clueless
The encounter with Harvey was merely a minor annoyance. Austin did not care about it.He devoted all of his attention to the west city slum redevelopment project.It was the answer to the test given to him by his father whom he had never met.It was also his first time being able to fully show what he was capable of.An exorbitant contract that cost Dominion Properties an additional 30 million in losses was indeed a calamity for the company.Every single employee knew what such a loss meant.Thus, when Austin arrived at the office, he found that the atmosphere was unusually heavy.Everyone was focusing on their work, but there was tension in the air. The entire office was alarmingly silent.Feeling a little helpless about it, Austin ignored the situation and walked into his office.He knew that they stayed even after finding out about the contract because they had faith in him.But, the trust they had was not enough to stop them from feeling nervous and agitated.He could no