The First Heir

After being silent for a while, Philip threw away his cigarette. He walked out of the hospital and got into a Benz that was parked in
front of the entrance.
The car drove slowly in the night, passing the main road of Riverdale. Then, it crossed Scarlet Bridge and went into the darkness
of the hillside. After that, it drove along the mountainous road and stopped at a manor at the peak of Mount Cirrus.
Cirrus Manor.
It was the most extravagant and valuable manor in Riverdale.
The construction cost alone was one billion bucks!
They had hollowed half of the mountain for this manor.
Construction started seven years ago. It took three years to finish.
A lot of manpower, resources, and money were spent on this huge project.
The most mysterious thing about this manor was that no one knew who the owner of this manor was.
There were rumors that the owner of this manor was extremely rich and powerful.
Some powerful people even said that anyone who was a guest of the manor would be a giant in their industry in the future—and
that was the truth.
Four years ago, the manor invited four guests over. Soon after that, those four people became people who were great at
toadying for personal gains in Riverdale. Some of them were in organizations while some of them were in the business world.
For example, the richest man in Riverdale, George Thomas, was one of the guests.
The car stopped and Philip got out. He looked at the manor first. It was indeed extravagant. It was built entirely out of white
marble. There was a lawn that was about 1,000 square feet. There was a goddess statue on top of the fountain in front of the
entrance. The building was modeled after western architecture.
Every ten meters of the mansion, there would be a lookout post for bodyguards. The security here was tight. It could be
compared to the private mansion of the head of the business world.

Philip entered the manor after following a female butler who was about 20 years old. She had an extremely gorgeous body.
After Philip entered the place, everyone dismissed themselves quietly.
The chandelier inside the brightly-lit hall was custom-made with Swarovski crystals.
The sofas and couches were also custom-made. There were golden crown crests at the bottom corner of the furniture.
Philip did not sit down. He just stood in the hall and waited.
After a while, a middle-aged woman who was elegantly dressed walked down from the crystal spiral stairs.
She was wearing low-profile but luxurious branded clothes. Five of her ten fingers were decorated with diamonds and emerald
rings.
Each and every one of those rings was extremely valuable.
This was the true symbol of wealth.
“Your father told me that you’re the son he owes the most. So, he entrusted you to inherit all of his fortunes behind my back.” The
woman’s name was Giada Wallis. She was the second Madam Clarke.
She was also Philip’s stepmother.
The head of the Clarkes, Roger Clarke, had six wives. Of course, there could only be one primary wife.
Giada was Roger’s second wife. She was also the one with the most power among the Clarkes.
After Roger disappeared from the scene, Giada was responsible for half of the Clarke family’s businesses.
Giada was a power-hungry and ambitious woman.
She was ruthless and extremely schemeful.
Giada’s maternal home, the Wallises, was the most powerful and wealthy family in Golden City. There was also a tinge of
political blue blood in the family.
After Giada married Roger, she took over half of the Clarke family’s businesses very quickly.

Giada was not Philip’s biological mother. His mother was the first Madam Clarke. She passed away 13 years ago.
Philip was the eldest Clarke and also the son of the first wife.
“Aunt Giada, why did you ask me here in the middle of the night? Are you going to talk about inheritance with me?” Philip curled
his lips. There was a small smile on his face.
“Philip, I know what happened 13 years ago hurt you a lot. Your father has been living in his sins as well. The Clarkes are all in
pain. Come back and visit your father with me.”
Giada’s tone gave off an icy feeling. It felt like she was keeping her distance. He could not tell what this woman was thinking
about.
Philip shook his head and said, “I forgot about what happened 13 years ago. Plus, will I get the chance to come back out if I go
with you?”
Philip’s heart throbbed in pain when he recalled how his mother had died in that fire.
He had hired someone to investigate it after. All signs were pointing to this woman in front of him. This woman looked calm on
the outside but on the inside, she had an evil heart.
“Have you really forgotten about it?” Giada asked.
The hall plunged into silence once again.
The two of them looked at each other. They were both trying to guess what the other party was thinking about.
Philip chuckled and changed the topic. “Aunt Giada, tell me. Why did you ask me here? You’re not a woman who does things
without purpose.”
It was not the time. He could not fight her yet.
Giada smiled and sat on the sofa. She said, “Is this how you view me?”
Philip did not answer. However, his cold gaze displayed what he was thinking inside.

Giada was an arrogant woman. She was just sitting on the sofa and yet, she looked unapproachable. It was because of her
outstanding beauty. Even though she was over 40, she managed to maintain the face of an 18-year-old young woman.
“Philip, I hear that you’re married and have a beautiful daughter. Have you forgotten your promise to me?” Giada said suddenly.
The smile in her eyes caused Philip to shudder.
That promise was also a condition to trap Philip. It was a condition between Philip and Giada.
Seven years ago, Philip was forced to leave his family to protect one person.
The condition was that no matter if he was alive or dead, he would never expose his true identity to anyone.
If not, anyone who knew, no matter who it was, would suffer the cruelest revenge from Giada.
Including death.
In the eyes of the rich and powerful, death could also be an art form.
“Do they know your identity?” Giada asked. Her tone was icy, causing the temperature in the room to fall.