After another thirty minutes of smooth driving through the lush, scenic highway bordering the edge of Metro City, our custom sedan smoothly pulled up to the grand front gates of the Grand Horizon Golf Club.
I stepped out of the vehicle first, adjusting the cuffs of my navy athletic shirt before walking around to hold the door open for Belle. Dressed in her sleek, form-fitting performance wear, she looked effortlessly radiant under the bright morning sun. She gave me a soft, loving smile as she slid her hand into mine, her fingers interlacing with mine as we walked up the polished stone steps toward the main entrance.
Checking the blue sapphire timepiece on my wrist, I saw it was exactly 10:00 AM. Stepping into the airy, open-concept lobby, I glanced around the luxurious marble floor, but there was no sign of the Brooks family delegation anywhere.
"It looks like they haven’t arrived yet," I remarked softly, looking down at Belle. "Let’s head over to the VIP lounge and wait comfortably."
"Sounds like a plan," Belle agreed with a sweet nod, resting her hand against my arm. "We left early this morning without eating a proper breakfast anyway. A quick bite won’t hurt while we wait."
We walked into the quiet, air-conditioned lounge and settled into a cozy pair of plush leather armchairs overlooking the green landscape. I flagged down a polite server and ordered fresh fruit juices alongside a light platter of gourmet sandwiches for the two of us.
When the food and drinks arrived five minutes later, Belle and I took our time savoring the meal. Between quiet sips of chilled juice and sharing gentle bites of food, we chatted comfortably, soaking in the rare, peaceful quality time away from the noise of corporate boardrooms. Holding her hand across the small glass table, seeing her cheeks flush with a soft pink tint whenever I teased her, made every passing minute feel warm and effortless.
However, as the minute hand on my watch ticked past 10:30 AM, my relaxed expression slowly settled into a cool, calm line. Thirty minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of our meeting partners.
I set my glass down on the table, the soft clink echoing in the quiet lounge, and stood up. "Let’s go, Belle. We’re leaving."
Belle looked up at me, a flicker of surprise in her sharp, beautiful eyes. "Julian? Are you sure? We could give them a few more minutes... Traffic on the capital border can be unpredictable."
I reached down, taking her hand gently to pull her up from her seat. "If a business partner cannot respect our time or uphold a simple appointment, there is no foundation for mutual respect. I don’t care how powerful they claim to be in River City—no deal is worth letting them treat us like afterthoughts."
Belle looked into my eyes, seeing the quiet, absolute confidence radiating from me. A soft, admiring smile touched her lips, and she nodded softly, squeezing my hand back. "Alright, love. We leave."
Just as we turned toward the main glass exit doors, a large, entourage stepped through the entrance. Surrounded by a tight wall of suit-clad private bodyguards was an elderly man with sharp, aristocratic features—Patriarch Brooks, the head of the Brooks noble clan. Right beside him stood a striking young woman wearing oversized designer sunglasses and an elegant cap. Even with her face partially hidden, her effortless grace and posture made her instantly recognizable as Iris, the world-renowned global pop queen and music diva.
As the group strode into the lobby, I stopped right in their path, meeting Patriarch Brooks’s gaze with cool indifference.
"Mr. Brooks," I spoke up, my voice calm yet carrying a clear, cutting edge. "I see you’ve finally arrived. But you’re forty minutes late, so I don’t think there’s any need for this meeting to continue."
Patriarch Brooks halted, his brow furrowing as he looked at me in disbelief. A flash of irritation crossed his aging face. "What is the meaning of this, young man? Are you attempting to disrespect the Brooks family by turning us away? Did you invite us all the way to the border just to play games and humiliate me?"
I didn’t flinch. I took a step forward, my stature easily towering over the surrounding atmosphere.
"First of all, Mr. Brooks, I am not standing here as your junior, nor am I a commoner seeking a favor. I am here as the Chairman of the Cosmos Group, so you will address me as Mr. Vance while we discuss business," I stated plainly. "And second, it is not I who insulted you. It is you who showed utter disrespect by arriving nearly forty minutes late to your own scheduled negotiation."
Patriarch Brooks’s face stiffened. He turned sharply to the middle-aged chief secretary standing at his right shoulder. "What is Mr. Vance talking about? Why did the timing mismatch?"
The secretary didn’t show a hint of remorse. Instead, he puffed out his chest with an arrogant, condescending smirk. "Sir, isn’t it obvious? A regional company from Metro City should be weeping with gratitude that we even agreed to grant them an audience. That’s why I intentionally informed their office to arrive forty minutes early—so this young chairman would understand his proper place and realize he is beneath you, Patriarch."
The moment those words left the secretary’s mouth, a faint, cold smirk played on the corner of my lips.
Standing quietly behind her grandfather, Iris caught that subtle smirk. Her clear, sharp eyes flickered behind her sunglasses, a sudden wave of intense curiosity rising within her as she watched my composure remain completely unshaken.
Without uttering a single word of argument, I walked smoothly past Patriarch Brooks and stepped right up to the arrogant secretary. My tall, broad frame cast a dark, suffocating shadow completely over the smaller man.
I looked down at him, my eyes narrowing into glacial slits. "Repeat what you just said."
The secretary glanced at Patriarch Brooks, foolishly assuming that standing beside a noble patriarch granted him absolute immunity. He sneered upward, raising his chin. "I said, you and your little group are beneath—"
BANG!
Before the word could fully leave his mouth, my fist blurred through the air, striking him square in the face with terrifying precision.
The heavy impact shattered both his front teeth and broke his nose instantly, sending him spinning backward onto the polished floor. He collapsed onto his knees, clutching his face as dark crimson blood poured from his mouth like a broken faucet, splashing onto the pristine marble.
The surrounding bodyguards gasped, instantly tensing, but none of them dared to make a move against me.
I stood over the groaning man, looking down with icy indifference. "No one is above me. I am the one who decides who stands before me, and who stays on their knees."
Turning my gaze back toward Patriarch Brooks, whose face had gone completely pale, I spoke with cool authority. "Mr. Brooks, if you believe I am agreeing to lease your land simply because you bear the name of a noble clan, you are gravely mistaken. I agreed to this meeting solely because my fiancée researched your commercial site in the industrial park, liked its structure, and reached out to you with professional courtesy. But it seems the Brooks clan lacks the basic discipline to teach its subordinates proper workplace ethics."
I reached down, gently taking Belle’s hand into mine once more. "Let’s go, love."
"Mr. Vance, wait!" Patriarch Brooks called out hastily, his tone completely devoid of its earlier arrogance.
I paused, turning around to give him a calm, expectant look.
Patriarch Brooks looked down at his bleeding secretary writhing on the floor, his eyes filled with cold, furious disgust. "You are fired. Pack your things and disappear from River City by tonight, or I will ensure you never find a job in this country again."
The secretary let out a whimpering sob, dragging himself away in utter disgrace.
Patriarch Brooks then looked back at me, bowing his head slightly in a gesture of sincere, high-society respect. "Does this satisfy your standard of accountability, Mr. Vance? Shall we put this unpleasantness behind us and discuss our business now?"
I offered a faint, approving smile. "Very much so, Mr. Brooks. We may speak now."
As we began walking toward the private executive golfing bays, I subtly activated my Eyes of Insight, scanning the young woman walking beside Patriarch Brooks. I wanted to see why a global pop star was attending a corporate land-leasing negotiation.
A translucent blue panel flashed before my vision, revealing her detailed profile. What emerged didn’t completely shock me, but it certainly raised an amused eyebrow. My earlier theory—that Iris possessed a terrifying background that made industry moguls fear to touch her—was spot on. She wasn’t just a pop star; she was the beloved granddaughter of Patriarch Brooks, and her real identity was Iris Brooks, the hidden heiress of the Brooks noble clan.
Ding!
A soft, melodic chime resonated in my mind:
[System Notification:]
Host face-slapped the arrogant secretary for looking down on the Host! Gained 50,000 Indulgence Points!Host sparked intense curiosity within the Brooks Patriarch and the hidden heiress! Gained 50,000 Indulgence Points!Current Balance Updated: Previous 40,000 Points + 100,000 Points = 140,000 Indulgence Points!
A satisfied smirk touched my lips as I dismissed the system screen mentally. 140,000 points... perfect for my next upgrades.
We stepped onto the pristine green of the private driving range. Caddies stood at attention, presenting a set of custom gold-plated golf clubs.
Patriarch Brooks smiled warmly, gesturing to the young woman beside him. "Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce my companion—"
"There’s no need, Mr. Brooks," I interrupted smoothly, selecting a custom carbon-fiber driver from the rack. "I already know who she is. She is your granddaughter, and the future heiress of the Brooks clan... Miss Iris Brooks, correct?"
Both Patriarch Brooks and Iris froze in place. Iris’s stoic, stone-cold expression cracked slightly, her eyes widening behind her sunglasses with raw, unhidden surprise and intense fascination.
"How... how could you possibly know her true identity?" Patriarch Brooks asked, genuinely bewildered. "Her lineage is one of our clan’s most closely guarded secrets!"
I walked up to the tee, resting the head of my club behind the golf ball. I looked Patriarch Brooks straight in the eye, my tone relaxed and conversational.
"It’s simple logic, Mr. Brooks," I smiled. "First, I know you have only one daughter, whom I’ve seen on the business news. Second, Miss Iris is a global diva who famously never allows any male, regardless of age or status, to stand close to her in public. Since you are both high-profile socialites, you clearly aren’t a romantic couple. Looking at her facial structure, her jawline and subtle brow match yours perfectly—proving she is the stoic heiress of your house."
I leaned in slightly toward Patriarch Brooks, adding with a cheeky, humorous wink, "And don’t worry, Mr. Brooks... I didn’t rule out a romantic dynamic just because of your age gap. With your immense wealth, you could easily land any young lady you wanted."
Patriarch Brooks stared at me for a second before bursting into a loud, booming laugh that echoed across the green. "Hahaha! You truly are an exceptional young man, Mr. Vance! Unbelievable intuition! No wonder your name is spreading through River City like wildfire even before you’ve officially moved your headquarters!"
"Well, I owe all my fame to the fools who decide to mess with me," I replied casually.
I adjusted my stance, pulled back the driver, and executed a flawless, mathematically perfect swing.
WHACK!
The ball soared through the air in a breathtaking, seamless arc, landing softly on the far green and rolling smoothly to a stop just inches from the pin.
Patriarch Brooks gasped in admiration at the shot. "How so, Mr. Vance?"
I handed the club back to the caddy, meeting the patriarch’s eyes with an absolute, chilling calm. "Because if people don’t cause trouble for me, I leave them in peace. I am a very simple man, Mr. Brooks—I never start trouble. But if someone dares to harm me or the people under my wing, I don’t care what their background is, how much power they hold, or what clan they belong to... I will stop at nothing until I tear them down completely."
Behind us, both Belle and Iris stood in quiet attention, taking in every single word. Iris stared at my side profile, a quiet shiver running down her spine at the sheer, terrifying conviction in my voice.
"For instance," I continued smoothly as Patriarch Brooks stepped up to line up his own shot, "just recently, my daughter’s private tutor—a hardworking student at Radel University—was mentally harassed and threatened by former President Kim."
Patriarch Brooks paused mid-swing, looking back at me in surprise. "You... you already have a daughter with Miss Belle?"
"No, no," I chuckled softly, wrapping a reassuring arm around Belle’s waist as she blushed against my side. "She is the daughter of another one of my fiancées. But that isn’t the point. The point is that the tutor, Maya, is under my protection. So to repay President Kim for his arrogance, I shattered his limbs, crippled him completely, and shipped his broken body right back to his uncle’s estate."
THWACK!
Distracted by my words, Patriarch Brooks swung wildly, completely missing the turf as his ball sliced far off into the deep rough.
He turned around slowly, staring at me with wide, horrified eyes. Beside him, Iris pulled off her sunglasses, her breathtaking eyes filled with total, uncharacteristic shock as she realized who had single-handedly crippled President Kim and openly declared war on the Smith noble clan.
I offered them both a warm, effortless smile, resting my hand comfortably against Belle’s waist. "Now then, Mr. Brooks... shall we talk business ?"