The Consortium's Heir

Chapter 31 Darius was obviously unaware of the conversation between the duo security guards. Instead he was smitten by the luxury and opulence of the estate. The entire estate was crammed with opulent shops and several tall buildings. Numerous pricey sedans and sports cars sped down the street. The shops were noticeably superior to those found outside the estate. Darius had no idea that such an opulent location existed. It seemed very surreal to him.

In his fascinated state, he had forgotten that Bruce had never given him a specific location to visit. He only realized after a while that Bruce had only mentioned Dragon Estate and the manager.

He brought out his phone and called Bruce. The phone didn't ring once before Bruce picked up the call.

"Hello Young Master Reid. Is anything the problem?" Bruce answered in an overly respectful voice.

"Hm. I'm at Dragon Estate now and I just recalled that you only mentioned the Estate and the Manager. There are several housing apartments in this estate. Could you please specify the exact place you want me to visit?" Darius explained. "Absolutely Young Master Reid! It is a blunder on my part. Please pardon my incompetence." Bruce apologized worriedly, afraid of angering Darius. "Don't worry about it. Just tell me the exact location I have to visit." Darius said impatiently. It was mid afternoon now and he was already running out of time.

"Yes yes. Please visit the Dragon Lord's Imperial Residence and ask for the Manager there. She'll drop whatever she's doing and attend to you immediately." Bruce said. "Alright. Thank you." Darius said before disconnecting the call.

"Dragon Lord's Imperial Residence? What's with the corny names? This isn't a Chinese movie." Darius mumbled as he input the name into his Map direction on his phone.

Darius followed the directions and after a few minutes of walking he finally arrived at his destination. However the sight before him rendered him speechless.

He couldn't find the right words to describe the sight before him. The Residence was completely stunning. It was as imposing as a residence could be. Darius had seen several high rise buildings on his way here but none of them could compare to the building in front of him.

Although the building was named Dragon Lord's Imperial Residence, it was more of a penthouse. The gates in front of the Residence were by far more imposing than the gates to the estate itself.

Darius walked slowly but confidently towards the building's gates. Unlike the first time he

approached the gates to the estate, no security guards appeared to stop him this time.

It was expected as the security in the Dragon Lord's Imperial Residence was of the highest class. Not just anyone could enter the Dragon Estate as each person living or working in Dragon Estate had a verified identity. It was why they didn't station or hire any security personnel to guard the entrance to the Residence.

It was also the reason Dan was concerned about Thomas' decision to let an unknown stranger into the Dragon Estate. Although they occasionally let strangers with expensive cars pass through the gates, they made certain to verify the identities of such strangers. Darius was the first exception, and the only person who had not had his identity verified before being allowed through

Darius made his way past the luxurious gates and entered the lobby of the imposing residence. The lobby was just as extravagant as the exterior of the building. Several golden chandeliers hung from the luxurious ceiling of the lobby while the floors of the lobby were shiny and polished to perfection.

The lobby was empty with only few people present. There was a female receptionist in the counter of the lobby.

Darius admired the interior of the lobby greatly. The superb and lavish design of the lobby showed how expensive the residence was. The few people glanced at him for a fleeting moment before going back to their business.

He approached the receptionist after he had finished admiring the lobby. The lobby was luxurious and delicately designed, but it couldn't compete with the Reid Mansion. When compared to his grandfather's house, everything seemed subpar. It made him wonder how much money his grandfather had spent to make his mansion more luxurious than the lobby of the Dragon Estate's most expensive residence. When the female receptionist noticed Darius approaching her, she cast a glance his way. The first thing she did was scan his outfit, which she did while smiling broadly. Her smile, however, froze when she saw his outfit.

Despite the fact that Darius was tall and handsome, with broad shoulders and a well developed body, the outfit he wore was very plain in comparison to the outfits of the people who usually visited the Dragon Lord's Imperial Residence.

Her evaluation of Darius instantly dropped to an all time low. She concluded that he was probably here to visit someone who lived here as there was no way such a person could afford the cheapest apartment here. Darius was oblivious of her thoughts as he walked up to her. He had no way of knowing what was going through her mind. "Hello. May I speak with the manager of this residence?" Darius inquired. The receptionist ignored Darius like he didn't even exist. What a joke. Meet the manager? As plainly dressed as he was? Who did he think he was to demand a meeting with the manager? Who did he think he was to request a meeting with the boss? Even reputable visitors were not guaranteed meetings with the manager, let alone a no-name stranger.

When a minute passed and the receptionist did not respond to his question, he assumed she had not heard him correctly. He repeated his question to her as politely as he could.

"Hello. May I speak with the manager of this residence?" Darius inquired once more, raising his voice so that the receptionist could hear him clearly.

The receptionist finally responded to Darius. She could no longer ignore him now that he had made his voice louder lest she attracted the attention of the people in the lobby.

"Do you have an appointment with the manager?" The receptionist asked bluntly. Darius frowned at the tone of her voice. Weren't receptionists supposed to be polite? Why was the lady being rude to him? “I don't, but—” Darius began to explain, but was abruptly cut off by the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, but unless you have an appointment with the manager, you are not permitted to see her." The receptionist rudely interrupted him.

Darius scowled once more when he saw how rudely she was treating him, but he kept his cool and ignored her behavior.

"Okay. Could you please inform her that Darius Reid has arrived and wishes to see her?" Darius inquired.

"As I previously stated, you are not permitted to see the manager unless you have an appointment with her. Please leave and make an appointment before returning here the next time." The receptionist responded angrily. Darius glared at the receptionist for a few seconds when he heard her reply. He couldn't believe the attitude of the receptionist. How could they allow someone like that to work here?

It was understandable that she did not want him to meet with the manager because he had not scheduled an appointment with her, but it was her attitude that irritated him. She could easily have called the manager to notify her of his presence, but she chose not to.

Darius didn't need anybody to tell him that the receptionist was looking down on him. He had spent so many years at the bottom of the society to not be able to know when someone was clearly looking down on him. Darius, irritated by the receptionist's demeanor, took his phone from his pocket and dialed Bruce's number.