Another journalist eagerly raised her microphone, pushing her way through the sea of press cameras in the crowded mansion courtyard. "Sir! What are your future expansion plans for Metro City? And if I may ask—are you an heir from one of the capital’s reclusive noble families?!"
I paused for a few thoughtful seconds, adjusting my silk cuffs under the glaring press lights before addressing the crowd.
"My immediate plan is to stabilize the economic landscape of Metro City after today’s transition," I answered smoothly into the microphones. "Once market stability is restored, Cosmos Group will naturally expand its operations toward the capital—River City. As for your second question... yes, I am. But let’s leave it at that. As you all know, ancient families prefer to keep their private names out of the public domain. Next question."
A reporter from the far side stood up, holding a notepad. "Sir! I am from High News Network. I have a question regarding your personal life. Is it true that you have multiple romantic partners living together with you in your private villa?"
My eyes narrowed slightly as I focused on him. "You’re from River City, aren’t you?"
The reporter blinked in surprise. "Yes... how did you know?"
"Because no local journalist in Metro City would dare ask me a personal question like that," I replied, a cool smirk playing on my lips. "Don’t worry. You don’t know me yet, but in another month or two, when I step into River City, you’ll know exactly who I am."
A dozen more hands shot up into the air, but I raised a single hand to cut them off. "That’s all for today. I have business to attend to."
Without waiting for the inevitable barrage of follow-up shouts, I stood up from the dais and motioned for Hank Young to follow me inside the mansion.
We entered the traditional grand reception hall, away from the clamor of the press. I took my seat at the head of the heavy rosewood table, while Hank Young respectfully pulled out the chair directly to my right.
Hank immediately gestured to his branch family members, directing them to return to their assigned duties. Once the room cleared, he called over his immediate family to introduce them.
"Mr. Vance, allow me to introduce my family," Hank said politely. "This is my wife, Hana Young, my son, Ben Young, and my daughter, Belle Young."
"Hello, everyone," I acknowledged with a polite nod. My eyes lingered briefly on the young woman standing beside Hana. She had sharp, intelligent eyes and a cool, composed demeanor that set her apart from the rest of the branch members.
"Hank," I noted, "I don’t recall seeing your daughter during our earlier operational briefings today."
Belle Young stepped forward gracefully before her father could answer. "Mr. Vance, I was personally managing the administrative handover tasks my father assigned to me regarding the subsidiary accounts."
"So you work within the Young Group as well?" I asked.
"Yes, Mr. Vance—"
"Call me Julian," I interrupted gently. "I’m not fond of hearing ’Mr. Vance’ repeatedly in private settings. In any case, Hank... you mentioned earlier that you had a personal request for me? If it’s something within my power to assist with, I’m open to hearing it."
Hank Young exchanged a brief, heavy look with his daughter before turning back to me. "Sir... I would like to propose a formal alliance. I want you to marry my daughter, Belle. In the future, the child born between the two of you will inherit and head the new Young family under your oversight."
I leaned back in the carved wooden chair, studying the two of them. "It’s not an impossible arrangement, but shouldn’t you consult your daughter first? What if she already has someone she cares for?"
Belle spoke up immediately, her voice steady and deliberate. "I have no one in my life, Julian. However, I cannot simply give an immediate ’yes’ to a marriage proposal without foundation. If you allow it, I would like to spend time working alongside you as a business partner and associate first."
"Fair enough," I agreed smoothly. "If you wish, you are welcome to move into my villa. That way, you can also meet my other confidantes—the women who will be marrying me in the future."
I then looked at Hank, setting clear boundaries. "If everything progresses smoothly, but your future grandchild is not yet of age when you step down, Ben can serve as the interim head of the Young family—provided he follows your example of staying honest, capable, and indifferent to factional greed. Is that clear?"
"Understood, sir! Thank you for your generosity!" Hank bowed deeply alongside his son.
Checking my luxury watch, I saw it was already 3:00 PM. "That settles it for today. I’ll take my leave now. Belle, you may come to the villa whenever you are ready."
I stood up, exiting the traditional estate through the private rear court, and stepped into the back of the Aurelius Executive Custom. My chief shadow guard slid into the passenger seat beside me, and the driver smoothly navigated the vehicle onto the main road.
Looking out at the passing cityscape, I spoke up. "Chief, get me a complete intelligence file on Belle Young."
"Right away, Boss," the shadow chief replied, pulling out a secure device to send an encrypted ping to our intelligence division. Within two minutes, his device chimed. He glanced back at me. "Is there a specific concern regarding Miss Young, sir?"
"No," I said, stoking my chin thoughtfully. "But when Hank made the proposal, his voice carried a trace of hesitation—almost guilt. And when Belle spoke about her father, her tone was entirely detached. If my instincts are correct, this marriage wasn’t Hank’s idea. It was driven by Belle herself."
The shadow chief looked puzzled. "Then why didn’t you reject the proposal outright, Boss?"
"Because from a strategic standpoint, marrying Belle firmly binds the Young family’s future directly to my bloodline," I explained, looking out the tinted window. "My child with her will eventually hold total ownership of their legacy. But more importantly, I want to know what Belle and Hank are truly trying to accomplish through this arrangement."
" All the information just came through, Boss," the chief said, opening the encrypted report. "Shall I read the summary?"
"Go ahead."
The chief read aloud: "Subject: Belle Young. Daughter of Hank Young and his late first wife, who passed away when Belle was five years old. Following her mother’s death, Hank married Hana Young and had a son, Ben. Over time, the relationship between Belle and her father grew distant. The late Patriarch Young sent Belle away to a private boarding school and later top-tier university. Though she returned with high academic honors, she was systematically denied key executive positions within the Young Group due to the main family’s deep-rooted preference for male heirs."
The chief paused, scanning the final paragraph. "Analysis indicates Belle’s primary objective is taking complete control of the Young family’s legacy. Deprived of her legitimate position by the old regime, she views securing the family headship for her future children as her rightful reclamation."
I burst into a genuine laugh, leaning back against the soft leather headrest. "Fascinating. She felt deprived of the authority and respect she earned, so she decided to bypass the traditional hierarchy entirely to secure the whole prize. I respect that level of ambition and drive."
Twenty minutes later, the Aurelius sedan glided through the wrought-iron gates of Grandview Villa No. 1.
Stepping into the main foyer, I walked into the grand living room. Seraphina, Clara, and Sophia were all sitting together on the large leather sofa, intently watching the afternoon news coverage on the wall-mounted television screen.
I walked over, leaning against the armrest of an adjacent chair. "You’re still watching the press conference?"
Clara looked up with a bright smile, dimples showing. "Of course we are! You looked incredibly sharp and intimidating on live television."
"A true commanding chairman," Sera added warmly, handing me a glass of iced water.
I turned my eyes toward Sophia. "Did you manage to speak with Daisy about us today?"
Sophia flushed slightly, but her eyes were brimming with pure happiness. "Yes... I spoke with her before her afternoon activities. She was thrilled, Julian. She kept saying how happy she is to finally have a real dad."
A warm, satisfying feeling settled in my chest. "That’s wonderful news."
My expression shifted to a more composed, serious tone as I took a seat across from them. "However, there is an important household matter we need to discuss."
Noticing my tone, Clara picked up the remote and switched off the television. All three women gave me their full, undivided attention. "What happened?" Sera asked gently.
"Hank Young, the newly appointed Patriarch of the Young family, proposed an alliance today," I explained calmly. "He offered his daughter, Belle Young, in marriage, with the understanding that our future child will eventually inherit the Young family’s consolidated assets. I told her that if she wishes to pursue this, she can move into the villa first to get to know all of you. What are your thoughts?"
The three of them exchanged quick, knowing glances. For the next two minutes, they leaned in close, whispering among themselves in hushed, serious tones as if deciding national policy.
Finally, Sera turned back to me, acting as the spokesperson with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "We’ve reached a consensus. We will reserve judgment until she actually moves in. Once we meet her, talk with her, and evaluate her character, we’ll decide whether to welcome her into our family."
I couldn’t help but smile at their united front. "Fair enough. That sounds completely reasonable."
Standing up, I gestured toward the shadow chief, who was waiting near the hallway entrance. "Chief, come with me to the study."
The chief followed me into the ground-floor study, turning the heavy brass lock on the door behind us. We took our seats across the dark oak desk.
I leaned forward, my fingers crossed as I stared at the polished wood surface. "Chief... thinking back on how easily we systematically dismantled the Young family behind closed doors... do you think the sudden financial collapse of Seraphina’s family years ago could have been a similar orchestrated strike by a hidden power?"
The chief considered the question carefully before answering. "It is highly probable, Boss. Multi-billion-dollar conglomerates rarely collapse overnight without targeted internal sabotage or coordinated external pressure. Shall I initiate a covert, full-scale investigation into the historical downfall of the Lin Group in Metro City?"
"Yes," I said firmly. "Dig into every transaction, every creditor bank, and every corporate entity that profited from their downfall."
"Understood, sir," the chief replied. "Would it not be faster and more direct to simply ask Miss Sera or Mr. Lin about the specifics of their past?"
"No," I shook my head softly. "Reopening old wounds without answers will only bring them unnecessary pain. Besides, there’s a strong chance they themselves don’t know who was truly pulling the strings behind the scenes. Investigate it silently."
Just as the chief nodded, his encrypted phone vibrated silently on the desk. He picked it up, reading a high-priority alert that had just arrived from our perimeter surveillance team.
"Boss," the chief looked up, his tone growing sharp. "A fresh update just came in from the operatives monitoring the Young family estate..."