The family servants are doing a sloppy job. It seems like I’m the one responsible to discipline them as their new young master!
Gale walked into the living room but there was nobody in there. It looked rather deserted instead of a well-decorated venue for an engagement party.
“Where did all the servants go?” he roared. “You people have no respect for me!”
Just as he finished speaking, he heard footsteps coming from upstairs. Gale raised his head and looked in the direction where the footsteps echoed. To his surprise, Paul was standing on the staircase on his right side.
For a moment, he was taken aback by the other man’s presence. He gaped at the man for a while, looking as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. Is Paul’s ghost coming back to haunt me?
The change of expression on Gale’s face irritated Paul. Gritting his teeth, Paul began, “Gale, you’re an important man now, aren’t you? I bet things are going fine for you, eh?”
Gale’s expression changed when he heard the man speak. At that moment, he realized the man standing at the top of the staircase was indeed alive. “You’re not dead yet?”
“All thanks to you, Gale. You only stabbed me once that time. If you stabbed me twice and or even three times, I doubt I would have survived.” Paul was sarcastic.
However, his words didn’t affect Gale. “So, why are you back now? You want the company back, huh? Sure, I’ll gladly return it. After all, there’s nothing left. You can have it all back.”
He didn’t give Paul any chance to answer because he couldn’t help but show off his wits.
“To be honest, the Heidelberg Family is unfortunate to have you as their heir. The family fortune only lasted a few generations until you. I feel bad to see it go. It’s unnecessary to hold a grudge against me, though. It’s only fair for me. to take back my hard-earned money after I worked for your family all these years. It’s a win-win situation.”
At that moment, a booming voice cut into their conversation from the direction of the entrance. “Is that the truth?”
Jamie and Narissa walked into the room arm in arm. The man was wearing a ceremonial dress uniform while the woman had on an exquisite- looking wedding dress. The pair were the very definition of a golden couple standing next to each other.
Gale’s bloodshot eyes landed on their intertwined arms. “Get your hands off her, you loser! You have no right to steal my woman.”
He believed he was pointing out a fact. As Gale could walk all over Jamie, he thought that the latter was merely a nobody. Paying no mind to Gale’s words, Jamie clapped his hands with a calm expression.
A moment later, a projector screen gradually descended from the chandelier in the lobby. Then, a video about Gale’s past crimes began to play before everyone’s eyes.
It showed how he stabbed Paul, set Alicia up to get humiliated, bribed the doctor to spy on Dominic, and transferred the company’s assets to his account. The audio recordings and data were ironclad evidence of his crimes.
Gale’s face instantly became ashen and he looked as if he had lost his soul. However, a few seconds later, a hysterical laugh escaped him.
“What’s wrong with you? Such evidence is enough to put you behind bars for the rest of your life. Unnerved by Gale’s laugh, Paul clenched his fists. Gale sneered with unmistakable contempt.
“What makes you think you can take me down with that? You’re too naïve, Paul. Have you forgotten who I am? I’m the son-in-law of the Cuber Family. Nobody can ever lay a hand on me when I have Napoleon’s full trust!”
As soon as he finished, Napoleon showed up from the other side of the double staircase, arm in arm with his wife.
“Leave me out of it. I won’t acknowledge an ungrateful man like you as my son-in-law.” Standing at the top, Napoleon looked down at Gale in disdain. “You have been taking advantage of the Heidelberg Family like a parasite but in return, you’re destroying the family. The way you show your gratitude for their kindness isn’t how a person should behave!’
“What?” Gale panicked at the turn of events. before the idea of the situation being a setup immediately crossed his mind. Pointing at Napoleon, he croaked in a disbelieving voice, “You ganged up against me!”
“My father simply beat you at your own game. Narissa threw him a disappointed look. “Have you ever told us the truth?”
“But I never hurt anyone from the Cuber Family!” As Gale decided to no longer keep up a pretense, he growled, “I want to make it to the top, so I work hard to climb the ladder. I don’t see what I’ve done wrong. I’m almost there, and we could have worked together to expand the business. Why must you two turn against me?”
Napoleon shook his head in disappointment. He couldn’t bear the idea of the promising young man continuing to make mistakes until there was no turning back.
“There’s nothing wrong with being motivated to become the person at the very top. However, you are blinded by greed and self-importance. You pride yourself on building the success of the Heidelberg Family. Have you ever thought that you’ll achieve nothing without their funding. even if you try your best for your whole life? People have to be grateful for the favors received. You depended on them to make a bright future but returned their favors with harm. You’re digging your own grave here. Even if we can’t stop you today, you won’t get far on your own. I’ll have you know that you’ll meet your doom in less than two years! You’ll end up falling from the top, and it’ll be a hard fall.”
“I don’t care!” Gale held tight to his own belief. To him, Napoleon was merely trying to convince him. “Even if I fail, at least I tried. We are all born equal. Why should I compromise and live a mediocre life as the family’s lapdog? I don’t want to be just a dependent. I want to live my life.”
“It doesn’t justify pushing me into the sea and ruining Alicia’s future. You’re a selfish prick. I hope you rot in hell!”
Having enough of listening to Gale’s excuse, Paul rushed down the staircases and grabbed Gale’s bow tie before forcing the other man to follow him. “Let’s go. We are going to the police station. It’s time to turn yourself in.”
However, he greatly underestimated Gale because the other man would stop at nothing.
Paul only managed to drag Gale for a few steps. before a flash of madness appeared in Gale’s eyes. Turning their difference in size into an advantage, Gale grabbed Paul by the neck and pointed the tip of the poster display stand against the other man’s throat.
“Gale, what do you think you’re doing?!”
Jamie let go of Narissa’s arm and walked toward the men as he yelled. He was hoping to intimidate Gale so that the man would think twice before really hurting Paul.
Meanwhile, Narissa had a deep frown between her brows and she heaved a sigh of frustration.
When a man was cornered, he would take desperate measures to get himself out of the plight. Even the gentlest man would fight back when he was desperate, let alone a scum like Gale, who knew no bounds. In fact, the group lured him into the house to avoid involving the innocents.
However, Paul’s rash behavior ended up with him offering himself as a hostage. Narissa’s supposed teammate wasn’t helping the situation at all.
She knew Gale went to the gym regularly. Besides, he was always on guard. Unless he let go of Paul himself, they wouldn’t be able to forcibly attempt to rescue Paul because it would end badly if they tried.
At first, they had everything in control. However, a reckless move completely changed the situation. For now, they had no choice but to do exactly as Gale wanted.
The tip of the poster display stand remained pressed against Paul’s neck, but Gale didn’t try to sink it deeper and make him bleed. His eyes were shining with ecstasy as he murmured, ‘Thank you so much, Paul. You did me a big favor again.”
Paul had never expected himself to be held hostage. He knitted his brows in frustration and retorted, “Do you think you can get away with this? You’re already surrounded by the police. There’s no way you can escape unless you’re superhuman. The longer you hold me hostage, the longer your sentence will be.”
“Try me,” Gale replied coldly before using another hand to take out Paul’s phone. Then, he quickly entered a phone number.
Soon, the call was connected.
“It’s me. I’m at the Cuber Residence. Get here this instant.”
