Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Nearby, Jordan blinked in astonishment and cried out, “Lucas, this child bears a striking resemblance to you. When did you get a daughter? You've never once mentioned her to us!”
“Don’t talk rubbish.” Lucas felt a bit helpless. For the first time ever, a child had clung to his leg with full trust and called him ‘Daddy’.
After a moment's thought, he crouched down, gently stroked the little girl's hair, and whispered, “I'm not your Daddy. You've got it wrong. Did you get separated from your parents? Let me help you find them.”
Upon hearing those words, the little girl stared at Lucas in disbelief and burst into loud sobs. “Daddy, you're a meanie! You don't want me anymore!”
Lucas stood there stunned and helpless.
With great difficulty, he managed to soothe her and persuade her to head to the mall's service desk. He explained the situation fully to the staff about the lost child before departing the mall.
As he departed, the little girl cried her heart out, nearly making Lucas relent.
Regrettably, pressing matters demanded his attention. Otherwise, he would have stayed with her until her parents showed up.
Moments after their exit, a woman rushed to the mall's service counter and embraced the sobbing little girl, her heart aching terribly.
“Amelia, forgive me for being late...”
Lingering dread still gripped her.
She had only planned a brief bathroom break earlier, yet a persistent client had delayed her for ages before finally going away.
For years, she had treasured her daughter as her very own life. Should any harm befall her daughter...
She refused to dwell on it further.
“Mommy, I just saw Daddy. But he claimed I mistook him... How could that be? It was definitely Daddy!” the girl cried out, her lips trembling as tears threatened to spill.
“What?!” The woman's frame went rigid instantly.
——
Beyond the mall's entrance, eight imposing bodyguards, tall and muscular in their suits with overwhelming presences, approached Lucas and halted right before him.
Everyone's gazes locked onto the scene.
Lucas stayed motionless, arching his brows.
“Mr. Gray.” The bodyguards split apart, unveiling an elderly man and a middle-aged one standing behind.
The elderly man, with snowy hair and beard, appeared fifty to sixty years of age, dressed in a pristine suit. He seemed sharp and full of vigor. Next to him, the middle-aged man wore understated yet opulent designer clothes, clearly marking their affluence.
Stepping forward to Lucas, the old man locked his weathered eyes on him before abruptly bowing deeply.
“I am Chad Kennedy, head butler of the Hutton family. I've come to escort you back to Washington DC.”
A sharp glint flashed in Lucas's previously calm eyes!
The Huttons? Bringing me back to DC? What an absurd joke!
A scornful smirk crossed his face. “It's shocking that the mighty Huttons haven't forgotten me yet. Two decades back, you lot expelled my mother and me from the Hutton family. You declared me unfit to bear the Hutton name and threatened us against nearing DC, or we'd face severe consequences.
“Which part of DC do you plan to return me to? Have all the Huttons perished?”
Years of pent-up rage and bitterness poured through Lucas's voice.
Kennedy fell silent.
Though Lucas's remarks were biting and fierce, he recognized the Huttons had wronged him gravely in the past.
With a heavy sigh, he said, “Regardless, time has flown by, and Old Mr. Hutton is advanced in age. He merely wishes to enjoy moments with his kin. You bear the Hutton bloodline, after all.”
“My surname is Gray, not Hutton.” Lucas stood firm. “If that's all your drivel, excuse me, but I'm done here.”
As Lucas pivoted to depart, Kennedy swiftly blocked his path. “Mr. Lucas, hold on!”
He seized a secure PIN-locked briefcase from the middle-aged man trailing him and presented it to Lucas with utmost respect using both hands.
“Inside are all the documents and the equity transfer for Stardust Corporation, once your mother's. It's fitting for you to assume control now. Consider this the Huttons' amends.”
“Amends?” Lucas sneered coldly. “Stardust Corporation was my mother's to begin with. The Huttons seized it from her by force and usurped it. Even without your handover, I would have reclaimed it myself!
“You seized someone else’s property, yet you’re pretending to hand it over out of generosity. Do you really think I should thank you? What a shameless attitude! I’m warning you—never take me for an idiot or cross me again. Otherwise, I’ll destroy your entire family!”
Lucas shoved the bodyguards aside and strode off with the briefcase in hand.
Gazing at his rigid retreating figure, Kennedy shook his head with a deep sigh. “Sigh, his temper is as explosive as it always was.”
As the head butler of the Hutton family, Chad Kennedy knew perfectly well that the Huttons had crossed the line back then. But with the current situation in Washington DC stacked against them, he had no option but to seek ways to mend the rift between Lucas and the Huttons.
Kennedy clapped the middle-aged man on the shoulder. “Ethan Sawyer, you’ve risen to become one of Orange County’s top powerhouses. You need to step in regarding Mr. Gray’s situation.”
The middle-aged man nodded deferentially. “I owe everything I’ve achieved to you and the Hutton family. Helping out is the least I can do. Rest easy—I’ll go all out to assist Mr. Gray.”
Anyone who recognized the middle-aged man would be utterly stunned to witness his extreme politeness and respect toward Kennedy.
After all, he was Ethan Sawyer, Orange County’s richest magnate and the business overlord controlling ventures across multiple states!