Chapter 12

"Why should I apologize? I did nothing wrong!" Ethan insisted.

Ignoring Ruth's attempts to persuade him, he continued to eye Clement in contempt as he declared, "I won't apologize to a useless piece of trash."

Ethan was intentionally trying to provoke Clement, hoping that Clement would hit him on the spot. That would surely cause a conflict between Clement and Elise.

Once that happened, he would have a perfect excuse to seek the Hanover family's support and go after Clement and the entire Lakeworth family.

However, Clement didn't even look the slightest bit bothered. In fact, he was laughing on the inside. Although Ethan was mocking him to his face, he didn't care. He'd seen this coming, and it was all part of his plan.

"You have gained 1,000 villain points."

"You have gained 500 villain points."

The system's notifications rang out in Clement's mind. He'd managed to farm a decent number of villain points by angering Ethan and Ruth.

"That's enough, Ethan!"

Clement wasn't angry, but Elise was.

In doing what he did, Ethan showed no regard for both Clement as well as her. She was the one who brought Clement over and promised that Ethan would apologize to him. But instead, Ethan insulted Clement to his face.

He'd gone too far!

"I'm just telling the truth," Ethan said as he glanced scornfully at Clement. "He's nothing but a rich playboy—a useless piece of trash. What makes him worthy of receiving an apology from me?"

To Ethan, Clement and the Lakeworths were no match for him. They were just one of the first stepping stones in his rise to greatness. His quest for dominance wasn't limited to Grusoire. From the neighboring cities like Nasea to the entire country, and even the globe, he was destined to rule over the entire world!

This situation felt like a man being asked to apologize to the ant after stepping on it.

Was that meant to be some kind of a joke? It certainly wasn't going to happen!

In fact, Ethan believed that Elise should be taking his side by standing against Clement. Then, he would naturally help her and the Hanovers get rid of Clement and the Lakeworths.

"You've crossed the line, Ethan!" Elise declared as she glared at him in anger.

"Calm down, everyone. Let's not get into any fights."

Just then, Vincent Ford, a middle-aged man with an amiable expression, entered the room, escorted by Bill Gray, another middle-aged man in uniform.

"Commander Gray, Mr. Ford," Violet greeted the two men.

Bill was the commander in charge of the Chesville police station, while Vincent was the head of the Ford family.

"Mr. Ford," Elise and Clement greeted Vincent as well.

The Fords were one of the three most prestigious families in Grusoire, on par with the Lakeworths. Even though the two families didn't share a close relationship, they were cordial with each other. Naturally, Clement had to be polite to Vincent.

"Don't act rashly, Ethan," Vincent said to Ethan.

"Mr. Ford," Ethan greeted. He glanced at Clement, but out of courtesy to Vincent, he stopped insulting Clement.

Meanwhile, Clement's lips twitched as he cursed on the inside. Once again, he was stunned by Ethan's logic-defying luck. He was indeed the Chosen One blessed by fate, alright.

Clement had racked his brains to create a situation that would lead to Ethan blowing his top in public. Everything had been going so smoothly—until Vincent, an unexpected variable, casually stepped in to ruin everything.

To make matters worse, there was nothing Clement could say, considering Vincent's social standing. He was Michael's peer, and that meant Clement had to show him some respect.

"Clem?" Royce piped up as he glared warily at Ethan, his expression furious.

"Stay calm," Clement said, holding him back.

Such was the life of the Chosen One. He didn't even have to do anything, but someone would still come along to save him and smooth things over for him.

Looking at Clement, Vincent said, "Ethan here is a guest of mine, Clement. I admit that he has acted inappropriately this time. Allow me to apologize on his behalf. I hope you'll drop this out of consideration for me."

"Not at all, Mr. Ford. I wasn't planning on holding it against him anyway."

What else could Clement say in response to Vincent's apology?

Vincent had made his stance clear. He was determined to save Ethan. Even if Clement wanted to make Ethan pay for what happened, he couldn't do anything if the Fords were protecting Ethan.

"Then, let me thank you on Ethan's behalf," Vincent said with the insincere smile of a businessman.

"Violet," Bill called out, giving Violet a look.

"Yes, sir."

Violet brought out the settlement agreement that had already been prepared.

"Fine."

Even though Clement was cursing on the inside, confronted with Ethan's outrageous luck, he had no choice but to sign the settlement agreement.

On the side, Elise had a look of admiration in her eyes as she watched Clement. He had been nothing but polite as he interacted with Vincent. He'd shown both tact and the ability to compromise when needed.

Naturally, Elise could tell that Vincent was using his influence to coerce Clement. Although he was all smiles as he spoke to Clement, he was forcing Clement to drop the case against Ethan.

In her eyes, Clement went from being the aimless, hedonistic playboy he was rumored to be to a shrewd and capable man who knew how to act appropriately in all situations.

"Wonderful."

Vincent was also impressed with Clement. He'd assumed that Clement would drop all pretense of civility with him and call him shameless before insisting on making Ethan pay for what he did.

After all, that was what the old Clement would've done. He wouldn't have cared about doing what was best for the bigger picture or the relationship between the Lakeworths and the Fords.

Vincent didn't expect Clement to maintain a friendly expression and address him politely while also signing the settlement agreement.

Well, he now owed Clement a favor.

"A change in the female lead Elise Hanover's opinion of you detected. You have gained 3 luck points."

"A change in the key figure Vincent Ford's opinion of you detected. You have gained 2 luck points."

As soon as Clement signed the agreement, the system's notifications rang out in his mind.

Clement smirked briefly as he thought to himself that at least the system didn't screw him over. Even though this situation was a little frustrating, at least it wasn't a total loss. He'd gotten something out of it.

He hadn't expected that, apart from getting luck points from the female leads, he could also get them from changing the opinions of key figures like Vincent, who was important to Ethan, the Chosen One.

Clement glanced at Elise, who happened to be looking at him. Their eyes met for a moment, and she lowered her head awkwardly.

Alas, in Ethan's eyes, Elise's awkwardness looked like bashfulness instead. He was outraged to see the woman he considered his flirting with Clement. Immediately, he began glaring daggers at Clement.

"You have gained 1,000 villain points."

Clement cheered on the inside. Noticing Ethan's rage, he purposely ignored Ethan's gaze as he politely chatted away with Vincent and Bill, carrying himself like the distinguished heir of a prestigious family.

"Come by for a visit sometime, Clement," Vincent said with a smile. "It's been a while since you last met those two children of mine, right?"

"I'll drop by someday, Mr. Ford," Clement replied.

When Clement saw that Vincent was about to leave with Ethan, his eyes gleamed sharply. He'd just thought of a brilliant way to farm some villain points, so he deliberately…