Rosalie's words fell like a bomb.It felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees.Fiancée?Shocked, Whitney stared wide-eyed at Sebastian before nodding and remarking with a sneer, "My, my. Sebastian. You even have a fiancée now. That explains why you agreed to the divorce without a fight. It's because of her, huh?"Sebastian frowned and glared at Rosalie who pretended to not notice him.She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out before averting her gaze."Get the hell out of my way!"Whitney shoved Sebastian before marching into the estate in a huff.Mabel glowered at Sebastian and fumed, "You disgust me! You brought this vixen here to show off in front of Ms. Sutton, didn't you? What a shame. Your plan failed. Ms. Sutton doesn't care about you anymore."She ran after Whitney.Frowning hard, Sebastian let out a dry chuckle before exhaling.Rosalie came over and muttered, "Are you alright, Dr. Ballard?""I'm fine.""I'm sorry. I just wanted to piss off your ex
When Fergus finished speaking, he finally noticed the innocent yet seductive-looking woman beside Sebastian.She was a captivating beauty and Whitney's equal in every way, including figure, appearance, and bearing.Most importantly, she gave off an entirely different aura.Fergus felt as if she had ignited a flame in his heart.Cursing to himself, he wondered how Sebastian managed to hook up with such a gorgeous woman again …"Does it have anything to do with you?" Sebastian retorted in response to Fergus' rude questioning.Fergus had graduated from medical school and was considered one of Steinberg's ten most talented young men.He ran a pharmaceutical company of his own and had a net worth of over a billion dollars.As he had published numerous academic articles related to the field of medicine, he gained a lot of recognition and became one of the most well-received young professionals in Steinberg.However, Sebastian did not like Fergus.Firstly, it was because Fergus kept
Whitney was thunderstruck as she exclaimed, "Canceled? What happened?""I don't know. I just heard the news. They claimed that our application was not in compliance with the proper procedures," Mabel reported."Try to find out what's going on."Whitney was panicking.The sudden loss of the guaranteed spot was a great blow to Frostwave Corporation!Whitney went to great lengths to get it. She had to rely on a lot of her connections and resources, as well as spend a ton of money.They had even prepared all the promotional activities related to their participation in the competition.Even if they were kicked out now, it would be a loss of over ten million dollars!Plus, without the guaranteed spot in the city-level competition, their promotions for the Goldcrow pill would not be as effective!Mabel made calls to everyone she could think of, but no one knew what had happened."What should we do now, Ms. Sutton? It looks like it was the Griffin family's doing."Whitney was frowni
"Really?" Whitney exclaimed. She was already beside herself with worry.Fergus nodded and said confidently, "My dad has some connections with the Griffin family. As long as he puts in a word for you, I'm sure it won't be a problem to get you the guaranteed spot in the city-level competition.""Please do, Mr. Cobb. As long as you resolve this issue for me, I'll be forever indebted to you," Whitney said urgently as she clutched Fergus' arm.Fergus declared, "Of course. I'll call my dad right away."He walked off to the side. The call lasted quite some time, but when he came back, his expression was a little grim."How did it go, Mr. Cobb?" Whitney frantically asked.Fergus scratched his head awkwardly.His father had berated him and called him a lust-driven braggart who was blindly showing off in an attempt to woo a woman. He also refused to help out with getting a guaranteed spot in the city-level competition.Just then, Mabel got a call. When she answered it, she was so happy t
Sebastian was the reason why Frostwave Corporation got a guaranteed spot in the city-level competition?The moment he said that, everyone froze in confusion and disbelief."You're so shameless, Sebastian. I can't believe you had the nerve to say that!" Mabel scoffed disdainfully.She eyed Sebastian in contempt.Fergus almost laughed until his sides hurt. "You sure know how to flatter yourself, Sebastian! You'll never be able to accomplish what I can get done with a single call! If that upsets you, well, here's a word of advice—suck it up!"Sebastian cocked an eyebrow and retorted with an icy gaze, "It's not always that easy to steal credit for something. Careful, or it might end up backfiring on you.""What do you mean by that, huh? Who else should get the credit, if not me? Don't tell me it's you!" Fergus growled in fury with a stormy expression.Mabel piped up, "You're just jealous, Sebastian! Mr. Cobb is way more capable than you are! Is it so hard for you to admit it?"Frow
"Next, let's invite Frostwave Corporation to present their newest product, the Goldcrow pill! I'm sure everyone has heard about it. It's said to be a groundbreaking medicine that can treat all illnesses!"A round of applause, please, as we invite Ms. Whitney Sutton, the CEO of Frostwave Corporation, to come up on stage!"A round of applause rang out."It's our turn, Ms. Sutton," Mabel said in excitement.Whitney took a deep breath and stood up.She saw the spotlights on the stage and heard the thunderous applause.Tonight, she would be embarking on her first step to becoming the queen of Steinberg's business world.She would be officially bidding goodbye to the past and ushering in a new future.After exhaling, Whitney's gaze fell on Sebastian, who was still chatting with ease in the corner.Once again, she reminded herself that after tonight, she and Sebastian would belong to two entirely different worlds. She would tower far above him.She would become a household name in S
Everyone in the hall was thunderstruck.In an instant, all eyes turned toward the corner where Sebastian sat.Their gazes varied between shock, doubt, fury, disdain, and revelry.Who was he?What gave him the nerve to say something like that during such an important occasion? Did he have a death wish?Even Rosalie shrank back timidly. She did not like the feeling of being stared at by so many people.She crept nearer to Sebastian and tugged on his shirt while muttering, "Watch what you say, Dr. Ballard. That's Mr. Whitaker Senior. He's from the state capital. Even my family, the Griffins, have to treat him with respect …"Meanwhile, Isabel, who was standing beside Nathan, immediately recognized Sebastian.Her eyes flickered in bewilderment.What was he doing here?She too, thought it was brave of him to say such a thing in front of Nathan.Isabel frowned as she tried to find a way to excuse Sebastian's actions.Meanwhile, after hearing what Sebastian said, Whitney was stunn
Everyone in the hall started murmuring among themselves.When they heard Whitney mentioning the divorce, they realized that Sebastian was once her husband.They knew her husband. He was the one who founded Frostwave Corporation three years ago and became known as the talented entrepreneur who was the most capable young man in Steinberg.But two years ago, he started retreating from Steinberg's business world. No one ever spoke of him again. If Whitney had not brought it up, they would not have even recognized him.It was rumored that Sebastian, the previous CEO of Frostwave Corporation, became obsessed with the mystical arts. He had abandoned the company and started a small shop doing fortune telling and geomancy readings instead. The crowd figured the rumors were true after all.Most of the people present knew about Sebastian's past fame.But now, he seemed like an entirely different person.He was an aimless loser who spoke irresponsibly to sway the crowd.By now, everyone
Sebastian threw his head back in laughter. He strode forward, standing in the center of the hall, and said coldly. "Ungrateful? How could you have the audacity to say such a thing?"Even if I'm surrounded by enemies, you Ballards can forget about making me submit! It's just death, after all. If I even blink, then I won't call myself a man!"Everyone there stared at Sebastian."How dare that brat be so cocky? If he's not punished, it'll be a disgrace to our family rules!""He should be given the death penalty!""It'll be a disaster if we just let him be, and it'll only bring trouble for our family. Please give the order, and we'll kill him at once!"The entire hall was in an uproar. Even Preston, who had been speaking up for Sebastian and Samson, sighed in resignation.Since Sebastian had already made his stance clear, Preston couldn't help even if he wanted to.Sebastian had roused the anger of everyone there, and Arnaud had closed his eyes and wasn't saying anything. He was cl
Sebastian was just about to step forward when Samson hastily waved a hand at him and said, "Sebastian, the grudges of the Ballard family from over ten years ago have nothing to do with you. Don't get involved!""But—"Sebastian's gaze sharpened as he turned to look at Milton. There was an icy glint in his eyes. Samson shook his head slightly at Sebastian. The Ballard Estate had at least ten experts at the eighth level of the Eldoria realm. At Sebastian's current level, trying to fight them would only bring him big trouble."Sebastian, one must learn how to adapt to the situation," Samson whispered into his ear using voice projection. "Today, I will exchange my legs for your and Whitney's freedom. Think of it as a payment for what I owe you and your mother."Sebastian clenched his fists tightly. He hated himself for being too weak. He couldn't even protect his own family in a place like the Ballard Estate, where many experts were gathered.However, he would never allow anyone to
"Do you accept it, Samson?" Arnaud asked harshly when he saw that Preston hadn't said anything else. He turned to look directly at Samson.Samson smiled bitterly and turned to look at Sebastian before raising his head to look at Arnaud, who was sitting high above them. He said, "Uncle Arnaud, I was the reason for everything that happened. I wish to ask you not to trouble Sebastian.""What are you talking about?" Preston was agitated. He stood up again and yelled, "There must still be an investigation about who was right and who was wrong. Why should they break your legs?"As he spoke, his eyes blazed with fury. He looked at the thin old man and said furiously, "Milton, you old bastard! How can you be so shameless at your age? Tell me! Did you embellish the story to Arnaud?""Uncle Preston!" Samson stopped him quickly and sighed slightly. "Forget it. It's my fault for bringing such huge trouble upon our family back then."I admit that I have let our family down. Since imprisoning m
As the man in the black robe yelled, the entire hall fell silent at once. The thin old man threw the black-robed old man a disgruntled look, but he returned obediently to his seat.Once the noise had died down, Preston stepped forward and swept an icy gaze over the crowd who were present. "You call yourself the elders of the family?"The monument of our ancestral dragon is right in front of you. How could you bully two young members of the family in front of it? Don't you feel any shame?"Besides, how dare you speak before Arnaud does?"After the harsh scolding they received from Preston, no one in the crowd dared to protest. Sebastian nodded involuntarily. It appeared that Preston did have influence in the Ballard family. At least no one had interrupted his scolding, including Arnaud and the man in the black robe.Preston huffed angrily and bowed to Arnaud, who sat in the middle. "Arnaud, I've brought Samson and Sebastian!"Preston went over to the chair next to the black-robe
"Sebastian, I won't be going in. Remember, don't say anything without being spoken to, and don't be impulsive!" Andreas said softly in Sebastian's ear when they reached the door to the hall. He then walked over to the crowd, which was packed on both sides of the hall.Samson and Preston walked into the hall without any change in expression. Sebastian hesitated for a moment before hurrying to catch up.When they reached the entrance, the two old men reached out to stop them and said to Preston, who was in the lead, "Preston, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go in. Everyone knows that you're biased toward Samson's family. If you get into an argument with Arnaud, then—""Nonsense!" Preston yelled furiously. He spoke in a menacing tone to the two old men. "Don't try those tricks with me. Today, I'm going to be the voice of reason. Who among you can do anything to me?"With that, he pushed them aside and strode into the hall.The two old men gazed after his ret
The Ballard Estate's resources were unfathomable as it was. Could Isabella's family be even more powerful than theirs?Sebastian clearly remembered that both he and Samson were under the Sacred Medicine Society. They even had the same mentor.The Sacred Medicine Society was above all the other mystic martial arts sects. Even the sect leaders of the Nine Sects were very respectful toward his mentor.If Samson really was from the same sect as Sebastian, then his mentor had clearly been unable to save him. Wouldn't that mean that the Sacred Medicine Society was no match for the Ballards?Wouldn't that mean that Isabella's family was an even greater entity?"If my mother's family is really that powerful, why couldn't they rescue my father? There would also be no reason to let me join the Sacred Medicine Society either, right?" Sebastian asked probingly. It seemed as if Andreas had never even thought about such questions. He smiled and shook his head. "You probably don't know about a
As they stepped out of the courtyard gate, Samson suddenly turned and lowered his voice as he said to Sebastian, "I didn't treat you and your mother well. Please don't hold it against me."Sebastian felt even more conflicted. After everything he had been through, he knew very well that there were times when one really had no choice. When Samson saw that Sebastian was looking at him with a conflicted expression, he patted him on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Then he took a token from Preston and walked out of the yard.They followed Preston as he walked toward the east, where there was a majestic-looking building."Why are you helping me?" Sebastian suddenly turned and asked Andreas in a low voice. Andreas glanced at him and gave him a long, cryptic smile. "Do you think I'm helping you? I'm helping myself while doing so!""Oh?" Sebastian looked at Andreas in confusion, his brow knitted. Even Rexton had mentioned that Andreas was in Arnaud's favor. Why would he need t
When Rexton and the others had gone, Preston turned to look at Samson and said irritatedly, "You little rascal. Would I ever hurt you?"Besides, you've been here in isolation for ten years. Why hasn't your temper changed at all? Couldn't you show me some respect in front of all those people?"Samson glanced at Preston but didn't answer.Preston huffed and ignored him. He turned and looked Sebastian up and down instead."Hey, kiddo. Over ten years have passed in just the blink of an eye. You've probably forgotten me. I even gave you candy back then! Come over here and call me Great Uncle Preston!"Sebastian looked at him in surprise. It was true that he didn't have much of an impression of what had happened over ten years ago. However, he could tell from what Preston had said and done that his attitude toward Sebastian's family was completely different from Rexton and the others.Beside Sebastian, Andreas kept shooting him meaningful looks. Sebastian finally smiled and said, "Hell
Although the old man looked as if he was over 60 years old, his expression was sharp and lively, and his skin was smooth as a baby's. It gave him a youthful air.Even the severely injured apprentices all scrambled up from the ground when they saw him. They hastily bowed and said, "Greetings, Great Uncle Preston!"Even Rexton had no choice but to suppress his anger. He bowed sullenly to the old man and said, "Greetings, Uncle Preston."Preston Ballard glanced at Rexton and turned to shout angrily at the apprentices, "If I hadn't come, were you planning to tear the Ballard Estate apart? Look at all of you! Get out of here right now!"Despite the scolding they had been subjected to, none of them dared to protest. They all lowered their heads and slunk out of the yard. Preston glared angrily at them as they went and snorted. "What an embarrassment to the family!"Then he smiled slightly and looked at Samson and Sebastian as he asked, "Samson, do you have anything to say?"Samson lo