Upon seeing the clearly pallid face that spoke of excess indulgence, Jennifer instinctively felt a wave of disgust. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she refrained from shaking Zion's hand.When this scene unfolded, the atmosphere instantly grew tense.Wade frowned unhappily, and cleared his throat a few times. Xavier hurriedly said, "Jen, what are you doing?! If this gets out, everyone will think our family lacks manners!"Reluctantly, Jennifer raised her slender fingers and lightly brushed past Zion’s palm.This slight touch emitted a fragrance that only intensified Zion's excitement. He beamed. "It's alright! This is our first meeting, and it's normal for Ms. York to be distant. We'll take our time to build a relationship in the future."Wade chuckled. "Indeed. After today, we're all family! Matters of etiquette can be taught slowly!"Unexpectedly, Jennifer dropped a bombshell. "I'm sorry, but I'm already married. I can't get engaged to you."Her words hit like a thunderbolt, leavin
"Frederick?"Instantly, everyone was stunned.Jennifer's face flushed unexpectedly. "He… He's really here!"She had warned him not to take risks, and not to joke with his own life. And yet, he still kept his word and appeared on time."Who's that?""Who cares?! He's stirring up trouble right in front of the York and Gallagher families. This is pure clickbait!""Yeah! This is prime material! Can't miss this!"Below, a swarm of paparazzi began snapping pictures furiously.Wade held his bloody head, furious. "No photos! Stop those paparazzi!"A group of black-suited bodyguards rushed towards the media area. However, Frederick had already silently moved into the crowd.Seeing Frederick, Zeke was furious and charged straight at him. He pointed at Frederick and screamed, "Frederick! What's a low-ranking grunt like you doing here? Only senior executives of the group are qualified to attend! Who do you think you are? Know your place!""You're so noisy!"Frederick slapped him across
The surroundings were eerily silent, and the crisp sound of bones cracking echoed loudly through the air.The Gallaghers were terrified, and some of them looked like they had lost their souls."Mr. Zion's head! His head..."Zion's head was completely deformed! A huge bloody part of his head had sunken in—it was a truly shocking sightAfter all, Zion was a Bathos Grandmaster! How could he be beaten into such a state by some loser?!Wade, for his part, looked dumbfounded. Then, his face twisted with fury."Let go of my son! If you don't, I'll wipe out your entire family!"Xavier's features contorted, and he shouted, "Frederick, don't say I didn't try to protect you! You've crossed the line and injured both the Yorks and Gallaghers! Even if you're killed here today, Prospera Corporation won't arrange your burial! Nor will we pay any compensation for your injuries!"The Gallaghers couldn't hold back their anger, and began cursing vehemently.Amidst the chaos, one clear voice rang
At the critical moment, Frederick finally relented. "Fine, I'll grant your wish. I'll release him."As the count reached "zero," Frederick grabbed Zion's head and clenched his fist. Zion's head was completely crushed in an instant, blood and brain matter scattered everywhere.Only then did Frederick release Zion, whose body fell limply to the ground.The sight shocked the Gallaghers, leaving them screaming in horror. Those with weaker resolve began to bend over and retch."Didn't you say you'd release my son?!" Wade's fury erupted, his hair standing on end and eyes wide with rage."I said I'd release him, but I didn't say in what manner. A person missing their head is still a person, right?" Frederick shrugged indifferently.His words greatly provoked the entire Gallagher family. It was a humiliating disgrace! A prestigious ancient clan like theirs, played in circles by a pretty boy!"Go to hell!"Wade's overwhelming power descended like a cataclysm, as if to crush Frederick
"You're wrong! The reason my family has achieved what we have today is because we have connections with the state government!" Wade felt infuriated and humiliated. He shouted at the Gallaghers, "Go! Invite the vice state governor, Mr. Loder, over here!" "The vice state governor?! You mean Gareth Loder?" The statement was like a sudden blow, causing the faces of the three family representatives to pale.In Aston State, the highest authority figure was the viceroy. However, he primarily oversaw military affairs. The ultimate authority in other matters rested with the state government. The state governor, along with five vice state governers, wielded immense power. One of the vice state governor, Gareth, happened to oversee the area that included Mirage City.Even the Mayor of Mirage City, Matthew, had to tread carefully in front of him, as a single word from Gareth could send him packing. Even the Zephyrs, known for their influence in business circles, had to show deference to
With this assurance, Wade immediately regained his composure. He tilted his head back and sneered. "So, I have to ask the representatives of the three families. Do I have enough prestige now?""Y-Yes! Of course!" the three men stammered nervously, sweat dripping down their foreheads."In that case, you wouldn't mind if I killed the Yorks and Frederick, right?" Wade continued, his tone challenging.Upon hearing this, the three men visibly trembled, unable to muster a response. They simply didn't have the courage to answer yes. Offending Gareth meant certain death, and offending Frederick was equally perilous. It was a lose-lose situation.Seeing their reaction, Wade was taken aback. Gareth was his cousin and the strongest backing he had. Why were these representatives still so afraid? Was it because of Frederick? He was just a little brat! Where did he come from, and why was he so skilled in combat?Frederick Lester, huh? Wait—was he someone from the Lester family, one of the
Wade saw his cousin's expression, and immediately sensed trouble. So, he hastily asked, "What's wrong, Gareth?"At that moment, Gareth looked as if half his soul had been sucked away. He stood frozen with vacant eyes and drenched in cold sweat. He ignored Wade's question completely."You small-time loser! What have you done to my cousin?!" Frederick smirked and retorted, "If you want to know, why don't you ask him yourself?""You brat! I'll kill you right now!" Wade erupted in anger.But in the next second, Gareth snapped out of his trance and slapped Wade hard across the face. "Shut up! You troublemaker!"The slap didn't hurt much physically for a Sovereign Grandmaster like Wade, but it shattered him emotionally."Gareth, why did you hit me? What did that brat tell you?" Wade was seething.Before he could get an answer, a fleet of Porsches suddenly stormed in from outside, surrounding the place completely."That's the Smith family of Centropolis!" someone gasped."Why would
"What, are you the only one allowed to charge into the execution grounds alone? Why can't I do the same?" Jasmine teased, her eyes gleaming with charm."How did you manage to mobilize the Smith family's resources and influence?" Frederick chuckled, curious.Jasmine tipped onto her toes, her voice playful and smile radiant. "You've got it all wrong. Despite the Smith family's meddling in my affairs, my grandfather still dotes on me. Since you drove away their people last time they sent them to Mirage City, they dare not send anyone without calling me first. Then Jen's incident came along, and I seized the opportunity to make some demands..."As the heiress of the Smith family, it was perfectly reasonable for her to mobilize their forces like this.Frederick smiled slightly. "I see."It seemed things were heading in a favorable direction!On the other side, Wade was facing intense pressure from the representatives of the three major clans.Finally, he lost his cool and dropped a