As Horace's trusted confidant and nephew, Giles was like a family to him. Giles handled the stuff Horace couldn't get involved in. He took care of all those matters. With all the years they'd known each other, Horace treated Giles like his son. The fact that it wasn't Giles calling him made him worry that Giles could be in danger. The voice over the phone started trembling. "He could be dead."

Upon hearing that, Horace snapped. "What do you mean by 'could'? What's the situation? Get straight to the point!"

Though his voice was old and frail, it was as terrifying as a tiger when he shouted. Anyone hearing it would feel their skin crawl.

The person on the phone started speaking faster. "The villa went up in flames. Before the place caught fire, the handpicked elite soldiers and Mr. Wood were still inside. I suspect they're already dead."noveldrama

Horace smashed the watering can to the ground. It became dented as it rolled toward a flowering pot before stopping. Water had spilled all over the place.

With bloodshot eyes, Horace growled like a ferocious beast that had lost its child. "How could you kill Giles, Matthew? You're finished, and your family's done for."

After a moment of silence, the person on the line added, "Here's something else that's important. While over ten of the elite soldiers are dead, one person among them made it out alive. His name is Denzel. I have a feeling that he's involved in why the whole thing got exposed."

Horace tried his best to recompose himself. "Tell me the details."

Over the phone, the person continued, "Everett and the team went to Matthew's company. He got so scared that he immediately put his hands out, asking Everett to cuff him. "There's no way he could take out a bunch of special forces soldiers, or he wouldn't have so willingly let himself be cuffed at the company. I suspect that the problem is with Denzel." Denzel? Horace kept muttering the name when he suddenly recalled something and rushed back into the house.

He picked up the office phone on his desk and dialed a number, but hesitated for a bit and put it back down. Then, he grabbed his phone and called the same number.

As soon as the call went through, Horace didn't raise his voice immediately. He stayed calm but spoke in an unsettling, cold tone.

"Are you backing Matthew up, Brad? Are you seriously going to war with me over him?"

Brad calmly replied, "Do you have any proof showing that I'm shielding Matthew?"

Horace clenched his teeth. "I heard that when Everett came to the office to take away Matthew, he was so terrified that he just stuck out his hands and got handcuffed without a fuss. Are you saying he can

eliminate a dozen elite soldiers, you coward?"

Brad was taken aback. He couldn't figure out why Matthew would agree to be cuffed like that. Horace's question was something that he found baffling too.

Horace coldly remarked, "Since you keep quiet, I know it's you for sure. Is Denzel one of the spies you put around me? Are you seriously trying to go head-to-head with me, Brad?" Brad was caught off guard, but soon snapped, "Who's Denzel? I don't know him.

"But if I want to fuck with you, do I need to resort to underhanded tactics would bring my men and take out your goons easily with my guns. Do you think I'm into dirty tricks like yours?"

Fuming with anger, Horace shouted, "You're not admitting it, are you? Fine then! If you're so keen on shielding Matthew, I'll send more of my men to kill him. Let's see if you can keep him safe the next time."

BUMS

With that, Horace hung up.

Three days later, a car pulled up outside Renae's place. In the distance, a few women were sitting under a tree and chatting. All of them looked over at the car.

As the car door opened, Matthew got out of the car and entered the yard. The women under the tree started gossiping in the shade.

"What a young and handsome fellow. Back in the day, widows used to attract men in their 40s. Now, even young guys are getting interested in them."

"The thing is, whether they're old or young, guys can't resist widows."

"Renae's been a widow for three years. Regular guys probably don't cut it for her anymore, so she needs a young man."