Secret Scion

The other members of the Schmidts who were with Rose all smiled imposingly and proudly. Along with them was Savannah, who used to offer advice to Jeremiah.

"Jeremiah." She smiled in greeting.

Jeremiah merely nodded coolly in response before turning back to Rose.

"Still being so kind to me, Jeremiah?" She grinned before looking around at the familiar faces. When she saw that Asher and Griffin were nowhere to be found, she asked, "Has Griffin not

arrived yet?"

Jordan approached just then and quickly answered, "Haha! He's probably spooked by Master Jeremiah here!"

Rose glanced at him with a frown and asked, "Who are you?"

"This is Jordan Whitlock, a friend of mine from university," Jeremiah introduced while shooting Jordan a fearsome glare. "Why did you butt in when I'm talking to Rose here?"

Jordan promptly stopped laughing, pursed his lips, and apologized.

Turning back to Jeremiah, Rose told him, "Jeremiah, I know you're a good racer, but you shouldn't let down your guard. Griffin has some tricks up his sleeves, after all. Can I have a word in private?"

As she headed to a quiet corner, Jeremiah followed her and asked, "What's with all the mystery, Rose?"

Fiddling with her locks of loose hair, Rose said, "You probably want to do more than to beat Griffin in a race, don't you? Why else would you bring everyone out here? I'm sure that you're confident in your abilities, and you're convinced that Griffin is going to lose. However, he's no pushover and he's not going to agree to the race if you go too far."

Jeremiah snorted coolly. "Griffin is a sucker for appearances. He's not going to renege on an agreement in front of so many witnesses, or he wouldn't be holding his head high amongst our circle. Don't worry, Rose. I'm confident that I can pull this off."

Rose could not say a word after Jeremiah had said all that, and so simply smiled and nod.

Suddenly, Jeremiah said, "I heard from my grandfather that Sebastian is coming home soon. It's been a year... You must have missed him, right?"

"He's coming back? Really?" Rose quickly asked.

When Jeremiah nodded, she replied, "I do... Though I wonder if he's still the Sebastian I know after a year apart."

Rose was naturally pleased that her lover was returning, but she was also a little worried. Sebastian was the eldest grandchild of the Macquoids and a symbol of the family's younger generation. His influence surpassed the elders in the family-one might say that he ranked just next to Harlow Quinn in importance.

Be that as it may, if the Schmidts were to push for growth, the Macquoids' profit margin would certainly be affected, and there was no telling if Sebastian would interfere.

Nonetheless, while Rose was absorbed in her thoughts, the purr of an engine approached, and she turned to find a yellow McLaren speeding toward them.

Rose knew that car. It was Griffin's only supercar, and it kept streaking forward before screeching to a halt just fifteen feet away from Jeremiah.

To no one's surprise, Griffin alighted.

Those who really know Griffin were aware that although the Quinns did not stand among the most important families in the city, they were powerful enough for the Macquoids to have to tiptoe around them. Being the eldest grandson of the family, Griffin was naturally more imposing than Jeremiah, which was also why Tristan did not dare to retaliate back when Griffin used to bully him.

Meanwhile, the burly and broad-shouldered Griffin stood and surveyed the crowd coldly. Even if the crowd was basically a gathering of famous people in Alexandrius, there were not many who dared to meet his gaze.

Soon, his eyes were fixed upon Jeremiah's face, and he growled, "Shall we begin?"

"What's the hurry?" Jeremiah leveled Griffin's car a look of disdain in return. "McLaren 720s? It's a shame that the driver's just average... I'm not going to bully you, Griffin, since I'd just be using my Ferrari 488. However, this is a duel, and that means the loser will be punished."

Griffin snorted. "Fine. Now, let's get started already!"

"Don't say yes that quickly. I haven't even named the punishment," Jeremiah said while narrowing his eyes. "So, the loser is going to address the winner as 'daddy' three times in front of everyone and leave the club. Will you say yes to that?"

Griffin was no fool-he knew that Jeremiah was using the race to get back at him, but was still surprised that the latter could be so vicious despite being so young.

Narrowing his eyes, Griffin did not respond immediately.

Seeing that, Jeremiah chuckled. "What, scared already? Where did that bravado a moment ago go? I won't push you, Griffin, since you're never going to win me in a race. Just agree to calling me Master Jeremiah three times every time we meet, and I'll call off the race."

Jeremiah said all that knowing Griffin's impulsive nature, and that he would never suffer such provocation unanswered. Unsurprisingly, the man himself hesitated for moments before snarling through his teeth, "Are you really that confident, Jeremiah?"

"Probably not with anyone else, but you? Heh." Jeremiah chuckled in contempt. There was no question that he was acting so high and mighty that even Rose frowned from her corner.

Around them, the crowd had turned silent and had all turned toward Griffin, intent on watching for his reaction.

Pursing his lips, he snarled, "Fine. That's an agreement!"

"Wait!"

Just as Griffin spoke, Layla suddenly called out to Griffin and walked out of the crowd toward him. She frowned as she said, "Don't be in such a rush to play along, Griffin. Please think about this."

After all, everyone could tell that the race had been a scheme Jeremiah hatched for a while now. Layla did not want to see Griffin falling for it, and therefore risked Jeremiah's wrath to dissuade Griffin.

Be that as it may, Griffin simply retorted, "There's no need to think. What, am I going to run away from a brat like him?"

Layla threw him a look of frustration when she unwittingly caught the sight of a familiar figure, and quickly said, "Wait-Asher himself is here. Why don't you ask for his opinion before making your choice?"

Griffin turned in response toward the door, where Ash was rushing toward him. Two beautiful women were with him. Griffin recognized one as Phoebe, though he did not know the other one.

Rose turned toward them as well and frowned when she spotted Noelle-why was she here too? At the same time, Asher's presence caused a slight unrest. After all, Asher himself used to beat up these sons of Alexandrius' rich and powerful every other day before he left the city. Naturally, he had become infamous amongst their circle, just as his place amongst them was now undeniable. In fact, those who used to be his victims would stay quiet despite nursing their grudges on every waking moment, but they were still too afraid to talk about them. In the end, they could only grit their teeth in silence as they glared at him.

"He really is back... My days in Alexandrius won't be as fun in the future. Sigh."

"I heard that he changed a lot over the last two years. Maybe he won't be as terrible as he had been two years ago? Still, as powerful as our fellow peers can be, Asher is still definitely the most savage amongst us."

"By the way, who's that woman standing to his left? That's an unfamiliar face... She's not from our city, is she?"

"That lucky bastard... He has Phoebe on his right, and the chick on his left is just as hot! Urgh, comparing myself to him just pisses me off!"

As many amongst the crowd discussed the newcomer, Jeremiah's eyes narrowed at Asher's presence. Wariness showed on his face, but it disappeared soon enough.

"Who is he, Jeremiah?" Juliette asked as she studied Asher in curiosity.

Jeremiah snorted. "Asher Crawford."

"That's him?" Juliette may be from an unimportant family, but having socialized with Jeremiah long enough, she had become familiar with some of the important players in his circle-Asher being one of them.

In fact, Juliette's pretty gaze seemed glued to Ash. While she could not tell what set him apart from the others, he was certainly handsome and appeared to carry potential.

"I thought you're not coming, Boss," Griffin greeted Asher just then before turning to Noelle. "And you are?"

Noelle smiled. "You must be Griffin, Asher's brother from another mother, yes? Noelle Steward. Nice to meet you."