Secret Scion

Layla did not pay him too much attention. Even though Huxley was the heir of the Crawfords, she also had the support of the Knights. She was not too worried about his threats.

"Why are you here, Layla?" Solomon asked with a smile.

Layla then answered, "I have some free time lately, so I decided to come to visit you. The weather today is quite nice, should we go and have a walk in the garden?"

Solomon knew that Layla was worried that there would be someone spying, so he nodded with a laugh. "Haha! Sure."

Only when they were in the garden did Layla explain everything that happened at the bar to Solomon. At the end of the conversation, she added, "Grandpa, Asher had no choice in the matter. However, I'm worried that he'll use the Gentlemen against the Crawfords. While I trust that he's not someone like that, what happened last time undoubtedly left a lasting impression on him. No one can guarantee that he won't act against the Crawfords."

When Solomon heard Layla's explanation, he let out a sigh. "Let's hope he won't become our enemy." With that, he then said, "Layla, if things reach that point, find a suitable chance and tell him the truth."

Layla nodded. "That's for the best."

It was at this time Solomon suddenly remembered something and asked, "Right, it's going to be your 27th birthday soon, right?"

"Yes. I didn't think that you would remember my birthday."

Solomon smiled softly and said, "True. I've never forgotten even though so many years have passed."

Solomon's words carried a hidden meaning, but Layla did not notice what Solomon was alluding to and simply answered with a smile, "You have to come to my birthday party, Grandpa. If you don't, then there's no point in me organizing the party."

Solomon then nodded with a smile and replied, "Of course I'll go. Layla, if you have to leave the Knights one day, remember that you will always have family in Alexandrius."

"That came out of nowhere. What are you talking about?" Layla asked suspiciously.

"Oh?" When Solomon said that, he was simply being emotional. Only now did he realize that he had spoken too much. He then laughed out and said, "Well, a woman has to get married eventually. No matter who you get married to, do take time to come back and visit us." Solomon managed to explain it away, so Layla did not think too much about it. Instead, she became somewhat embarrassed and said, "It's too early for me to get married. I don't even have someone I like."

Solomon let out a hearty laugh.

Night time.

Just as Rose was about to go to bed, her mobile rang. She picked it up and saw that it was Sebastian.

"You're not in bed yet?" Rose answered the call and asked.

"I can't fall asleep if I don't have a chat with you first," Sebastian said.

If Sebastian had said that sometime in the past, Rose would have gotten some joy from it. However, the only thing that she felt right now was how fake Sebastian was. Despite already having another woman in his heart, he still said that he loved her. How laughable was that? "Haha. Is that so? What do you want to talk about?" Rose put her mobile on speaker and quickly lay down on the bed after changing into her pajamas.

"Anything will do, as long as I can hear your voice," Sebastian said with a smile. "However, I suddenly remembered something, and you probably have to deal with it. Remember the elite warrior I told you about? The one that the Crawfords are probably hosting? I want you to investigate this matter and find the whereabouts of this elite warrior."

Sebastian was not the only one that suspected the elite's existence. Even Rose and her grandfather Xavier were suspicious of the same thing. "Why are you asking me to do this? Griffin used to be Asher's best friend. You can ask Griffin if the Crawfords are hosting any warriors."

"I did, but he didn't know anything about it either. It's not appropriate for me to personally deal with this, but I can't trust anyone else. So, you're the only option I have left. Not to mention that I feel that Asher distrusts you the least among us all. You're the most suitable candidate for this," Sebastian said.

"Oh? Seems like you're implying something else. You should be more straightforward. I don't like it when you beat around the bush like that."

"Why do you keep misunderstanding my intentions, Rose? Do we have to keep second-guessing each other?"

"You should ask yourself that. I'm tired. Good night." Without giving Sebastian a chance to say anything else, Rose quickly hung up the call.

On the other side, Sebastian was so angry that he could not help but grind his teeth.

The news that Sebastian had once again reformed the Gentlemen sent the upper-class society into an uproar. This time, since Sebastian was personally organizing it, it was much more effective than the time Rose formed it. This time, the lineup of the members of the Gentlemen was much more powerful as well. Griffin Quinn, Asher Crawford, and even the Lanes had joined the Gentlemen. In just a few days, the Gentlemen had attracted hundreds of members, and it soared to a height it had never reached before.

While some were happy to hear about it, some were worried about their quick ascension. Especially when Sebastian did say that he was going to deal with Joel from the Harrisons first. Even though Joel was the boss of the criminal underground operating in Alexandrius, even they trembled before the combined might of the Gentlemen.

In the manager's office at the Crystal Harem.

Joel sat on the sofa frowning with a cigarette between his fingers. The ashtray in front of him was already filled to the brim.

Even Bard, who was called a genius strategist, was sitting there with a serious expression on his face. If it were some other opposing groups, there was no need for them to be so nervous. However, members of the Gentlemen possessed powerful backers and were from influential households. If they were the ones that acted against them, even Joel would be in danger. "Bard, you're the one with the most ideas. Now is the time that we need you. Can't you think of something?" Joel asked in a severe tone.

Bard pushed his glasses and said with a sigh, "I am trying to think, Master Joel. Sebastian is already the cream of the crop of the younger generation. Not even Rose or Asher can be compared to him in terms of status in the capital. Now that he has personally taken charge, it means that he's confident that he can decimate us. Not to mention, none of us here can actually survive a thorough investigation unscathed. Master Joel, there's probably only one way out of this..."

"Quick, what is it?" Both Joel and Nina turned to look at Bard instinctively.

Bard then said with a grimace, "Make peace."

"Make peace?" Joel raised an eyebrow and gave it a thought. "Will Sebastian make peace with us that easily?"

Bard then nodded and said, "Of course not. That's why you have to join the Gentlemen too. Only then will you be able to protect everything you've worked so hard for."

"That's ridiculous! I'll never become his underling!" Joel huffed and puffed to the point where even his eyes were blaring red.

Bard then continued, "What I mean is that you can join the Gentlemen on the surface. It's just an additional identity for you to have. I heard that even Asher has joined the Gentlemen. However, he's not someone so congenial. The only reason that he joined the Gentlemen is because he was forced to. However, I feel that he won't remain loyal to Sebastian for long. He simply wants to survive the danger he's facing right now. Why not learn from Asher and stab Sebastian from the back? He needs to leave the capital city eventually. Once he leaves, you can then withdraw from the Gentlemen."

Joel took in a few more puffs. After a long while, he finally asked Nina, "What do you think?" "I'm worried that even if you want to join the Gentlemen, Sebastian won't give you that chance. Master Joel, you and Asher are different. Asher has been exiled from the Crawfords and has no manpower here in Alexandrius. That's why Sebastian was happy to let him join. "However, the criminal underground that you control is much more powerful. That's probably why Sebastian wants to deal with us first. Unless you give up some of your control, Sebastian will never agree to you joining the Gentlemen," Nina said as she analyzed.

Joel then nodded in agreement, "True. No one will allow such dangers to exist near their own home turf. Otherwise, Sebastian wouldn't have picked me out. Is there no other way than to fight him head on?"

Everyone was silent when Joel asked the question.

Only after a long time did Joel slam the table in front of him and said, "If there's no other way, then we'll face them head on. They want to take me down? Fine! They better be prepared to suffer some heavy losses! Other than Nina, all of you go and inform the others. Have all our turfs keep their heads low. Don't let the Gentlemen catch us off guard and find our weaknesses." Bard and the others nodded and left.

Nina then asked, "What orders do you have for me, Master Joel?"

Joel then narrowed his eyes and said, "That bastard Asher said that he wanted to work together with me to take down Rose. In the end, he joined the Gentlemen instead and became Rose and Sebastian's underling. I won't take this lying down. I remember that Hunter is his subordinate, right? To think that he's bold enough to act against me when he's doing business in my territory. If we don't show him who's boss, Asher won't stay down."

Nina nodded. "I know what to do."

"Go. Let them know whose territory this is," Joel said.

###Chapter 188 Throbbing Heart

Hunter was just about to go to bed when a group of men-in-black suddenly tore into Sky bar. They said nothing and proceeded to crash the bar. As it happened too suddenly and there were too many of them, Hunter and his underlings could not even react to what was happening before it felt like a hurricane had just swept through the venue, causing hundreds of thousands worth of damage.

"Hunter, tell Asher that this is the price for offending our boss! Let's go!" The man leading them left a message before prancing off.

"Darn it! Do they think they can just come in here and do whatever they want?! Come on, grab your weapons!" Peter rushed over and roared out in anger.

When he saw what was happening, Hunter quickly yelled for them to stop.

Hunter was no fool to be able to make it that far. He was especially not one that would let his emotions take control of him. The one leading them had already made it very clear... They were all coming for Asher. Not to mention that this was Joel's territory. Forget about sending a hundred men for them at one time, the other factions would not dare to show up just like that. That was why it was obvious that they were Joel's underlings.

"Boss, are we just going to ignore this? If we are, how are we going to survive in this place?" Peter grumbled with his eyes all red.

Hunter gave it a thought before taking out his mobile while saying, "Have everyone clean up the bar. I'll give Master Asher a call." With that, he then dialed up Asher's number.

After a few seconds, Asher's voice sounded from the mobile, asking, "What is it?"

Hunter controlled his anger as he tried his best to explain in a calm voice, "Master Asher, Sky Bar has just been thrashed. Looks like they were sent by Joel."

When Asher heard that, he instantly knew what was happening. Earlier, he promised to work with Joel to go against Rose. But now, he had become a member of the Gentlemen. What he did would unsurprisingly enrage him.

There were too many things hounding him lately, so Asher had been blindsided by this. He then said with an apologetic tone, "What are the losses? Anyone hurt?"

"No one's hurt, but our losses are at least in the hundred-thousands," Hunter clarified. Just the bottles of wine that they had lost cost a pretty penny before even adding the renovation costs. "It's good that no one's hurt. This is my mistake. I'll handle this personally. Wait for my call." Asher was originally about to go to bed. However, after receiving the call, he lost all his drowsiness. He then walked over to the window and lit up a cigarette after putting on his jacket. The only reason that Joel did this was to intimidate him. Asher believed that if he did not approach Joel himself and explain, he would do things that were even worse.

But how was he supposed to tell Joel about this?

He could not tell Joel that he had his own reasons for joining the Gentlemen. If Sebastian knew about it, it would be even worse for him.

The next day, Asher quickly grabbed something to eat and then went to look for Rose at Pearl Tower. Since Rose said that he was now her underling, as the boss, she had the responsibility to take care of her underling when he was in trouble, right?

Rose had just arrived at the company when she received a piece of bad news. One of her new product lines had some quality issues. Pearl Jewelry was a brand that had existed for a hundred years, and they had been upholding its good reputation. If their reputation was affected because of this, Rose had no idea how she should explain it to Xavier.

The persons-in-charge trembled as they stood before Rose in her office. Even though she was still young, her status was second only to Xavier. Normally, she would keep her anger in check. However, she was not to be trifled with if she was truly angered.

She slammed the necklace that had some quality problems on the table. Rose then said in a furious tone, "How many times have I told you that you have to be strict with the quality assurance at the factory so that we'll know if there are any problems and fix it! Why didn't you listen?! Do you know how much of a loss your inaction will cause to the company?! You're the main person-in-charge, Floy Whittard, so you'll have to take full responsibility for this. I'm now officially informing you that you've been fired!"

"Ms. Schmidt, I know that this is my fault. I'll change! So please, seeing that I've contributed so much throughout the years, give me one more chance! Please, I beg you!" A middle-aged man who was wearing glasses pleaded.

"If I were to give you a chance, who would give me a chance then?! If you leave now, you can still leave with your dignity intact. Don't make me have security escort you out!" Rose Schmidt said. In the end, Floy let out a heavy sigh and turned around to leave.

Everybody knew Rose's temperament. Once she had made a decision, it was meaningless to argue with her.

Just when Floy was leaving, a young woman approached the office and then said in a careful tone, "Ms. Schmidt, someone's here to see you."

Rose gave her an angry look and said, "Can't you see that I'm busy?! I'm not seeing anyone!"

The young woman then said, "Ms. Schmidt, he said that he's Asher. If you won't see him, he's going to barge in."

"Bastard!" When Rose heard that it was Asher, she felt a sense of powerlessness wash over her. "Tell him to come in. All of you, you're dismissed for now. Come back later."

The few of them then left the office as if a terrible weight had been lifted off their shoulders as they wiped their sweat away.

After a while, Asher came into the office as Rose huffed and puffed. She glanced at him and said, "If you don't have anything important, don't come to the company to look for me, understand?!

I still have other important matters to attend to. Now, what is this about?"

Asher then said without holding back, "Last night, Joel's underlings thrashed the Sky Bar. You know my relationship with Hunter, so I'm here looking for your help." "Help?" Rose was almost overwhelmed with anger. However, she managed to suppress her desire to scream and asked, "Why should I help you?"

Asher scratched his nose and said, "Didn't you say I'm yours now? Since I belong to you, there's nothing wrong with me asking for your help, right?"

Outside the office, the managers all exchanged glances with each other in shock. Their boss just got engaged with Sebastian, did she not? Then, what was the relationship between her and the young man inside the office?

When Rose heard that, her face instantly went red, and she yelled, "Stop making things up, Asher! You're just my underling and nothing more!"

Rose could not understand why, but her heart was thumping particularly quickly. She felt anxious

for some reason. However, she tried her best in keeping her composure and did not show any signs of that.

"If you want anything to happen between us, I can think about it," Asher continued.

Bang!

Rose slammed her door furiously as she yelled, "Enough! Asher Crawford, stop dragging me into

trouble! He's already suspicious of our relationship! If he hears any of this, even I will be in trouble!"

Asher scratched his nose again. Originally, he thought that Sebastian was someone very confident in himself. But from the way things were going, he too was just a man. "Alright, back to the business at hand. Are you going to help me or not?" Asher asked. "No." Rose did not even think twice. The reason that he wanted Asher to join the Gentlemen was to have him serve them. However, not only did Asher not work for them, he was instead asking for her help. Was this really how an underling should act? Or did they find themselves a lord to serve instead?

Asher then sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and said, "Then, I'm not leaving. From now on, I won't leave your side no matter where you go. Even the washroom! Isn't Sebastian suspicious of our relationship? Then, let him be suspicious about us then, since he's going to deal with me

eventually."

As he was saying that, Asher took out a cigarette. Rose quickly stopped him. "This is my office, and it's a non-smoking area!" Asher did not respond to Rose and simply lit up the cigarette and began to smoke.

Rose had reached her limit as she stood up from her chair, walked toward Asher and pointed at his nose. "Stub it!"

Asher continued to ignore her.

Rose was already grinding her teeth, and she instinctively wanted to take the cigarette out of Asher's hand. However, she had just extended her right hand when Asher grabbed her wrist

tightly. She could not even move.

"Let me go!" Rose stammered, her face red with embarrassment.

Asher smiled and said, "Help me?"

"You're dreaming!" Rose gritted her teeth.

Asher suddenly pulled and Rose immediately lost her balance. She was going to fall right into

Asher's lap, so she quickly stopped the fall by using her other hand to hold the sofa's back cushion. Only then did she not fall right into his arms.