Secret Scion

At the Schmidt residence, the fury written on Xavier's face had yet to reside. With a stern look, he stared coldly at the shaking Garrett. Seeing Xavier's dark expression, Rose and Rodrick, who stood by the side, did not dare to utter a word.

"Grandpa, this is something I caused, I'll definitely resolve the matter regarding Mikaela. I've already sent people to trail Asher. As long as I find out where Mikaela is staying, I'll have a way to deal with her." Garrett took the initiative to admit his mistakes.

"You have a way? What stupid way do you have? Do you even dare to deal with Mikaela without retrieving the footage from Asher? Garrett, I initially thought that you've matured and knew where your boundaries lie, but you have truly disappointed me. From today onward, you are not allowed to go anywhere. Anything regarding business matters should be handed over to Rose. You better stay home obediently and reflect on yourself," Xavier hollered furiously. Garrett opened his mouth to speak, but just as the words reached his lips, he swallowed them back.

Upon exiting Xavier's room, Garrett's expression slowly turned cold and gloomy as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Asher, you're now my archenemy!"

In the room, Xavier let out a huge sigh. Among the younger generation of the Schmidts, only Sam, Garrett, and Rose were more outstanding. Originally Xavier had wanted to nurture Sam as the next successor of the family, but who would have thought that he ended up as a cripple two years ago? With the Schmidts' reputation at stake, it was entirely impossible for a cripple to become the patriarch.

Later on, Xavier could only put his efforts into nurturing Garrett, but who would have thought that the latter refused to change his terrible habits and caused such huge trouble? Now that Asher was in possession of the footage where Garrett had forced himself on Mikaela, it was hard to guess if Garrett could still be protected. As to the position of the heir to the Schmidts' legacy, it was clear that he had no role in it anymore.

Among these three young people, two of them were practically useless. All that was left was Rose, the lone seedling.

If not for Xavier's misogynistic view, Rose would have long become a nominee as the heiress to the Schmidts, given her talent and ability. However, with the situation at hand, it seemed that he could only seriously consider Rose as the heiress to the family.

Asher, the two outstanding seedlings of the Schmidts have both been made into waste by your hands, I have to exact revenge on you no matter what.

"Grandpa, although Asher still has a handle over Garrett, I think that unless it is absolutely necessary, there's a high chance that he won't hand over the footage to the police. So, Garrett should still be safe at the moment. Relax for now, and don't let this matter affect your health." Seeing how Xavier's face was all scrunched up, Rose could not help but try to give some advice.

"Sigh! I sent him to Rollinsford to get rid of Asher. Instead, he caused such a huge problem for our family. I'm extremely disappointed in him," Xavier said seriously. "Rodrick, leave the room. I wish to have a private word with Rose."

"Very well, Master Xavier." Rodrick turned around and left the room after that.

Rose walked over to Xavier and filled his cup as she spoke. "Grandpa, I think we should have a talk with Asher. Seeing that this matter is quite urgent as of the moment, it would be most important to obtain the footage in his possession and ensure Garrett's safety. As for his wedding with Maggie, I don't think that would be possible anymore. Without the alliance of the Lanes, it is indeed a huge loss to us Schmidts. However, since things are already as they are, we can only do our best to minimize our losses. We should first ensure Garrett's safety and deal with other matters later on. What do you think?"

Xavier pointed at a stool by the side and indicated Rose to take a seat. "Spencer is a person who loves his reputation more than anything. Today, we have made a fool of ourselves, and the Lanes have also had their reputation swept to the ground. The marriage of Garrett and Maggie is most likely reduced to an empty show. It was truly a huge mistake that we didn't get rid of Asher two years ago. Rose, you have crossed paths with Asher before. What do you think of his current abilities?"

"Compared to two years ago, he has indeed become stronger, but things have yet to reach a point when we are entirely unable to deal with him," Rose said after some thought. Xavier nodded, clearly deep in thought. He looked at Rose and asked again, "I remember that Asher seemed to like you a lot in the past. He made his affections of you widely-known in the Capital City when he was pursuing you. Back then, he was truly beneath you. It was due to this that Sam stopped him from pursuing you, and thus everything is as it is now. Rose, does Asher still harbor feelings for you?"

"Grandpa, I don't intend to mention things of the past." Rose frowned.

"I know, but I'm more interested to know of his attitude toward you. If his heart still yearns for you, then this matter regarding Garrett will be much easier to handle."

Rose thought back on the matters that had happened over these days. In the end, she frowned before replying, "Grandpa, Asher is an extremely shrewd man. Even I can't see through his thoughts. However..."

"Oh? However?" Xavier revealed a deep look of intrigue.

"However, a few days ago, when I returned from Rollinsford, he did seek me out. He talked about his feelings, so I guess he hasn't forgotten the matters of the past."

Xavier gave a small laugh. "I never thought that Asher was such a loyal fool in love. However, this trait is beneficial to us. Rose, take some time out to see Asher and check if he's willing to delete the footage in his hands for your sake. You are right; the most important thing is to ensure Garrett's safety, even if he's no longer suitable to be a successor to our family's legacy." Rose pondered over Xavier's last sentence in which Garrett was no longer suitable to be a successor to the Schmidts. Was Grandpa hinting at something?

Ever since Asher left Rollinsford, things in that city also started to calmed down. The original positions of the four great families had also changed, and the one who benefited the most was actually the Yaegers. The Hoffmans had joined because of Hunter, and lately, they showed signs of vaguely surpassing the Leonards and the Sullivans.

However, Neptune was very clear that if Hunter left the Hoffmans, their strength would be greatly reduced. It was unknown whether the Hoffmans would still be able to maintain their position was one of the four great families.

Therefore, Neptune was very conflicted. He wanted to get rid of Hunter, and yet he was worried about undesired collateral damage. On the other hand, if he were to keep Hunter in the family, the latter would surely fight for the position as the patriarch of the family.

Other than the Yaegers and Hoffmans, the Stewards were the greatest beneficiaries. Due to Asher's help in the past, the Stewards could be described as a dark horse that was rising quickly to success. They transformed their original state of being a third-rate family into their current stable status of being the fifth strongest family in Rollinsford. In fact, their achievements lined their family closely behind the four great families.

After Asher left, Noelle put all her efforts into the company. After she had purchased Yonder Steel, Steward Corporation became even stronger and made a strong entrance into the real estate industry. A few days ago, they also successfully bid for a large project involving the revamping of an old city. Noelle was also extremely busy due to this project.

It was rare for Noelle to have time to rest on one afternoon. After buying some things, she returned to the Steward residence to visit her parents.

The last time Noelle returned, Asher had yet to leave. This time, Noelle's return made Mason and Teena very happy. They went grocery shopping just so they could prepare a meal filled with Noelle's favorite dishes.

When it was time for lunch, Noelle entered the kitchen to help Teena.

"Elle, has Asher called you since he left?" The Stewards were on the rise and Noelle's position as the CEO was stable. Teena's only wish at the moment was for her daughter to solve her personal issues sooner rather than later.

Noelle happened to be picking around her vegetables at the time. She subconsciously paused in her actions when she heard Teena mentioning Asher. A flash of nostalgia flitted past her delicate face. "I've been quite busy lately, so we haven't been in touch."

"Well, you shouldn't stay out of touch. Even if you are busy, your personal matters are still important. Although the both of you have a strong foundation in your relationship, you are apart from each other right now, and won't be able to meet for a long period of time. This will cause the two of you to slowly drift apart. Elle, listen to me. Later on, take the initiative to give Asher a call. If you are able to take time out, it would be best that you could go to the Capital City to see him. Right now, I'm not worried about anything else other than your marriage."

Noelle did not wish for Teena to be worried, so she said with a nod, "Got it, Mom. You don't have to worry about this. I know what to do."

Teena said with a smile, "I'm reassured now that I heard your reply. Go talk to your father. I'll be fine in the kitchen on my own. It's so rare for you to return home; how can I let you waste your precious time helping me out? Hurry up and leave, Elle."

Noelle was pushed out of the kitchen after that. Coincidentally, Mason happened to be sitting on the couch while sipping from his teacup. Having spotted Noelle exiting the kitchen, he said with a smile, "Elle, I heard that the company managed to bid for a big project a few days ago. You should be quite busy as of late, right?"

"That's right. It's quite rare for me to be able to take some time off today, so I decided to come back to visit you and Mom."

Mason replied, "If things at the company are becoming too hectic, you don't have to come back here. If you have time, rest more. Your body is very important. Your mother and I are both doing quite well here. Hehe!"

"Okay." Noelle nodded.

At this moment, Noelle's phone started ringing. She took it out from her bag and noticed Shaun's name on the screen. She said apologetically, "Dad, I got a call from the company. Excuse

me while I deal with this phone call outside."

"Sure. Go on," Mason replied.