"It costs less than 30 million. It can't compare to my love for you, Grandma!" Ryder said, smiling.Everyone took in a sharp breath. If he could afford to give a gift that cost so much, Ryder must really have made his fortune overseas!"Good, good. My grandson is someone who really shows his gratitude and love. Come in and let me look at you properly!"With her left hand now adorned with the bracelet, Edna reached out to take Ryder's hand to walk inside. Ryder smiled and stopped her. "Grandma, wait. Let me introduce you to these esteemed guests!" He turned and pointed at the two young men behind him. "This is Brandon Cullen, the person in charge of the Steinberg branch for Bashmore Group. And this is Jayden Stallone, the heir of the Stallones. He's from the most prestigious family in Sunway."Brandon alone would be enough to astonish Edna. She would never have expected the heir of the Sunway Stallones to come to Sutton Manor. She stood there in shock, unsure of what to say.Th
"Grandma, is this Whitney?" Ryder asked, looking Whitney up and down.Edna nodded and said to Whitney, "Whitney, come and meet your cousin. Greet him properly."Edna showed off the diamond bracelet on her wrist as she spoke, looking proud. For the past three years, Frostwave Corporation's business had improved under the management of Sebastian and Whitney, but they had never bought Edna such an expensive gift.It was clearly a rebuke on Edna's part, as well as a challenge for Whitney.Before Ryder's return to the Suttons, Whitney had been their only hope. Now, things were different. Ryder was a star in the business world, and his connections were far better than Whitney's. Edna was no longer bothering to hide the fact that she preferred to have a male in charge."My cousin?" Whitney said lightly as she looked at Ryder with cold, impassive eyes. She asked, "Grandma, why don't I remember having a cousin?"Edna's expression turned dark at once. She said reproachfully, "Whitney,
As soon as Brandon and Jayden finished speaking, Whitney began looking grim.She had been cautious in developing the company over the past few years, and she was very careful with every single penny of the company's money that she spent. As a result, the rest of the Suttons hadn't benefited at all from the company, apart from a meager sum of dividends that they received each year.In the face of a collaborative agreement that was worth several hundred million, none of the Suttons would stand up for Whitney. In fact, they could even oppose her.Ryder had obviously come prepared, and the two contracts were enough to make the rest of the Suttons stand on his side, including Edna.It was just as Whitney expected. Before Edna could speak, a middle-aged man named Morty Sutton, who was from a branch of the Sutton family, stood up in a hurry. "Don't worry, gentlemen. Whitney may be the current CEO of Frostwave Corporation, but Madam Edna will make the final decision. Isn't that right?"
"Mabel!" Whitney turned an icy gaze on her and said in a frosty voice, "You're no longer a staff of Frostwave Corporation. You have no right to speak here!"Mabel laughed coldly and walked over to Ryder. She said triumphantly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Sutton! I'm Mr. Sutton's assistant now, and I represent him, not Frostwave Corporation!""Mabel, we've always treated you well. How could you turn on us at this time?" Crystal shrieked, looking agitated. "Treat me well?" Mabel tucked her silky hair behind her ear and crossed her arms as she scoffed, "How could you have the audacity to say that?"Your daughter was deceived by Fergus, but instead of reflecting on herself, she pushed all the responsibility to me and kicked me out of Frostwave Corporation. Is that what you call treating me well?"If it wasn't for the fact that Mr. Sutton acknowledged me, I would probably be out begging on the streets right now!" Mabel said. She recounted how Fergus had schemed against Whitney and how he had ta
"Ryder, how dare you say that to Winnie? I'll beat you up!"Dante was furious to see Whitney barely hanging on to life. Even if he couldn't replace her as the CEO of Frostwave Corporation, he didn't want Ryder to take everything that Whitney had worked so hard for over the past three years.Dante shot up and raised his fist to punch Ryder in the face.Before Dante's fist could reach Ryder, a figure suddenly stood in front of him. There was a thump as he landed a punch on Dante's chest.Dante felt as if he had been run over by a speeding train. He flew backward helplessly and fell to the ground with a heavy thump.He struggled to get up, and he spat out blood.Crystal burst into tears when she saw that Whitney had been triggered into a flare-up while Dante had been beaten up so badly that he was coughing up blood.She went to help Dante up while staring hatefully at Edna. She said, "Edna, what crime has our family committed? Why are you doing this to us? If anything happens to my
"What? Go to Sebastian?" Crystal stared blankly at Theresa. She couldn't understand what use there would be in going to that loser."Mrs. Sutton, at this point, I don't want to lie to you any longer. The truth is that Sebastian was the one who saved Whit the first time she had this flare-up. You were there at the time!""Now, only Sebastian can save her life. Are you just going to stand by and watch her wither without any help?" Theresa's words seemed to pierce deeply into Crystal's heart like a steel needle!As Theresa had said, Whitney's cold syndrome had flared up again after she got caught in the rain. Even the miracle doctors from Medcity had been unable to do anything. In the end, Sebastian had done acupuncture for Whitney and pulled her back from death's door. Although Crystal hated Sebastian because she felt that he ruined Whitney's bright future, the truth was that Sebastian was the only one who could make Whitney wake up in a short amount of time, just as Theresa had sai
However, they were still friends, and Rosalie was happy to see her.Cecilia looked Sebastian up and down and walked thoughtfully over to Rosalie. She smiled and asked, "Rosalie, did you go back on your engagement for him? You've paid a high price!"The truth was that Cecilia admired Sebastian's medical skills greatly, but that wasn't enough to make up for everything that Rosalie had lost!After all, Rosalie had once been in control of half the Griffins' family fortune. She had money and status that Sebastian couldn't give her!Rosalie only smiled slightly and shook her head, saying, "That's not what I think. Perhaps in a very short time, Sebastian's accomplishments will surpass those of the entire Griffin family. "Besides, even if I hadn't met Sebastian, I would never agree to marry Stephen! Just like the way you would've rather die than marry Ronan Leyton because of Ethan Whitehall!" Cecilia couldn't help turning to look at Sebastian, but finally, she shook her head and said,
"Something big has happened with the Suttons. Whitney's condition flared up, and I don't have time to tell you right now. For the sake of the three years that you and Whitney were married, don't abandon her at this time!" Theresa said clearly, looking at Sebastian with a serious expression.Sebastian couldn't help frowning. He asked, "What's happened with the Suttons?"Before Theresa could speak, Crystal said urgently, "Sebastian, Winnie's prognosis isn't good at all. Could I tell you on the way there?"When Rosalie saw how anxious Crystal was, she hurried over to Sebastian and said in a low voice, "Sebastian, I know you don't want to leave me alone to rescue Whitney. However, I don't want you to have any regrets at all."Besides, Frostwave Corporation is an important partner of Arctic Snow Group. This is the start of Arctic Snow Group, and we can't afford to lose such an important business partner. That is why I approve of you going to save her."Sebastian's heart warmed. He nodd
Samson glanced at Sebastian. He took a deep breath and said to Arnaud, "Thank you for sparing me, Uncle Arnaud."He gave Sebastian a few final reminders before leaving the hall with Preston.Once they were gone, Arnaud pointed at Duo and said to Sebastian, "Tell him to leave too."Sebastian waved a hand at Duo."I'll wait for you at the entrance, my lord," Duo said. "If anything happens, I'll be here as soon as you call!"He gave Arnaud a cold look before striding out of the hall.Arnaud watched him leave and smiled approvingly. He beckoned to Sebastian. "Come, sit!"Sebastian didn't hesitate. He crossed the hall and sat in the chair opposite Arnaud."Do you know why I asked Andreas to bring you back here?" Arnaud asked impassively. Sebastian shook his head expressionlessly. He said in a cold voice, "It's probably because of the emerald token in my father's possession."Apart from using him and Whitney as leverage against Samson, he couldn't think of any other reason.Arnau
"The Blessed Child! The Blessed Child has finally come to our family!"The black-robed old man who had been sitting beside Arnaud stood up, looking pleased. He couldn't hide his excitement as he turned to Arnaud and said, "Arnaud, our family is going to prosper!"Only Rexton and Milton looked extremely displeased. Braxton and Roland looked pained, as if they had lost something of great value. They were practically thumping their chests in regret!The Blessed Child had been foretold by one of the heads of the family centuries ago. No matter how far the Ballards declined, the prophecy said that after a few hundred years, a Blessed Child would appear—someone who could lead the family's revival!The only proof of the Blessed Child was for him to enter a master-servant oath with a Devora."Prosper? What a joke!" Hugo scoffed, holding Virtus firmly. "Weren't you all just clamoring about killing the two of them?"At Hugo's words, Arnaud's expression changed slightly. "When did I say tha
"Hugo!"Arnaud, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide. He eyed Hugo with a conflicted expression as he asked, "Have you forgotten the agreement the Thornes made with us ten years ago?"Hugo smiled coldly and put one hand behind his back. "That was the agreement you made with the Thornes. I'm only following Ms. Thorne's orders to protect Samson and find the emerald token. If Samson dies in this battle, how am I supposed to explain that to her?"He pointed at Sebastian and added, "He's Ms. Thorne's flesh and blood. Your family has no right to punish him! If the Ballards insist on killing them today, don't blame me for going on a killing spree!"When Hugo had finished, Sebastian finally realized that Hugo was from Isabella's family and that he had stayed at the Ballard Estate to protect Samson.It was clear that Isabella hadn't held a grudge toward Samson. In fact, she had sent an expert to stay behind to protect him in case anything happened.Arnaud's
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