While the verification team checked carefully through their account books, Cyril stood in front of the forge with a triumphant expression on his face, feeling as if he had this contest in the bag.

  Regardless of how incompetent he was, Jeffree had no choice but to let him inherit the Moreton Family.

  He was destined to be the victor of this contest from the very beginning as he knew what kind of person Jeffree was. He was an arrogant and sexist man who definitely wouldn’t allow the empire he’d created to fall into the hands of a woman. He had denounced Old Man Buffett countless times for passing on his estate to Scheer, and he definitely wouldn’t allow himself to follow the same path.

  With that in mind, Cyril’s smile grew even more pronounced. He felt as if he could already envision a future in which he would rule over the business world of Chaos City.

  Kerry also wore a smile on his face as his eyes shimmered with excitement. He had been managing this forge for half his life, and never received any chances for further development. In the end, he simply couldn’t be bothered to try and better the forge anymore, which was why the business had slowly become an unprofitable one.

  However, everything was different now. He was riding on Cyril’s coattails, and once Cyril inherited the Moreton Family as well as the Chamber of Commerce, he would also enjoy a meteoric rise in status.

  No longer would he be stuck managing a forge; he would truly become an upper-class citizen of Chaos City.

  All of the employees of the forge were also very excited. They didn’t know anything about this contest, but they knew that with the drastic influx of business during the past month, they would surely receive a significant wage boost. Furthermore, they had a three-day holiday and large bonuses to look forward to; those factors were enough to instill them with elation.

  Half an hour later, the verification team locked the account books of the forge into a metal box before emerging from forge.

  They were led by a middle-aged man in a set of black robes, and he turned to Cyril as he said, “Young Master Cyril, we’ve already checked through all of the account books; please return to the manor with us now, and Master Jeffree will announce the results of this contest.”


  “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go right away!” Cyril said with a smile as he made his way over to a lavish horse-drawn carriage that was waiting nearby. Kerry was kneeling beside the carriage, and Cyril strode onto his back as a stepladder to board the carriage.

  All of the members of the verification team boarded two other horse-drawn carriages before traveling toward Moreton Manor.

  Almost at the exact same moment, the verification team over at the Blue Suede clothing shop also emerged. Even though all of them maintained calm expression, the astonishment in their eyes was quite apparent.

  The middle-aged man who was the leader of the team stepped forward in a respectful manner, and said, “Young Mistress Gloria, please return to the manor with us, and President Jeffree will announce the result of the contest there.”


  All of the other members of the verification team were also looking at Gloria with a hint of awe and veneration in their eyes.

  Gloria nodded with a smile in response. “Sure, thank you for your efforts.”


  After all of the verification team members had gotten onto their horse-drawn carriages, Gloria turned to Mars, and said, “Mars, you should come with me to the manor as well.”


  However, Mars shook his head in response, and replied, “I don’t think it’s time yet, Young Mistress.”


  Gloria looked at Mars in silence for a short moment before nodding with a smile. “I think that time will come soon, though.”


  A smile also appeared on Mars’ face.

  Thus, three horse-drawn carriages departed from the Blue Suede clothing shop, heading toward the Moreton Manor……

  At this moment, the main hall within the Moreton Manor was particularly lively and bustling.

  Old Mistress Denise sat on a chair with her eyes closed. Even so, there was still a steely and bitter expression on her face, clearly indicating that she was not an approachable old woman.

  Jeffree’s third daughter, Aurora, was sitting on another chair with her legs hugged to her chest. She was wearing very loose clothing, but that still wasn’t enough to conceal her skeletal figure, and her sunken eyes created a slightly harrowing sight to behold. A lot of her straw-like hair had already fallen out, and she looked like an elderly woman as she wore a derisive smile on her face.

  Cyril’s twin daughters both wore lavish dresses as they sat across from Lance’s family with gloating expressions on their faces.

  “What’s the point of a contest like this? How could Father possibly lose to a little brat like her?” Hernie scoffed in a disdainful manner.

  “Exactly. I think Grandpa shouldn’t have organized this contest in the first place. There’s only going to be one result anyway, and the whole fiasco just brings shame to our family,” Herty chimed in in agreement.

  “Shh, don’t say that,” Aviva scolded as she sat beside them. However, despite her criticism, she also wore a smug smile on her face, clearly in agreement with what the twins were saying.

  Meanwhile, Lance simply sat across from them, reading a book in silence as if he couldn’t even hear what they were saying.

  In contrast, Mickey was glowering at Hernie nad Herty with fury in his eyes. He wanted to rebuke them on several occasions, but Debra had kept a gentle grasp around his wrist this entire time, and urged him not to do anything rash with her eyes.

  As opposed to feeling any resentment, Debra herself wore a gratified smile on her face. Even if Gloria were to lose this contest, this would still have been a fantastic experience for her. At the very least, she’d learned not to wallow in self-pity and cut herself off from everyone else.

  “Master Jeffree is here!”


  The butler’s voice sounded from outside.

  Herty and Hernie immediately put on wide smiles as they sat in their chairs in an obedient manner. Even though their looks were quite ordinary, the facade they were putting on did make them appear like a pair of young gentlewomen.

  Aurora had been slumped in her chair a moment ago, but she also immediately sat bolt upright as a hint of life returned to her eyes, instantly making her look several years younger. However, there was a clear hint of fear in her expression as well.

  Lance put down his book and also sat up straighter, while Mickey puffed out his chest slightly and adopted a stiff sitting posture.

  Old Mistress Denise opened her eyes, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became rather tense and oppressive.

  Jeffree slowly made his way into the room, and glanced at Lance first before his gaze settled on Mickey for a moment. He completely ignored Hernie and Herty, yet made no effort to hide his disgust as his gaze swept past Aurora, and he made his way over to the main seat before sitting down on it.

  Having just been ignored, Herty and Hernie both aimed a resentful glance at Mickey, but neither of them dared to say anything.

  The entire hall fell completely silent, and the atmosphere became quite a stifling one.

  Six horse-drawn carriages stopped outside Moreton Manor.

  Cyril disembarked from his carriage and cast his gaze toward Gloria, who was gracefully disembarking from her own carriage, and a disdainful look appeared on his face as he sneered, “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my exceptional niece. It really is quite surprising that you convinced the president to give you an opportunity, but it’s too bad that this doesn’t change anything.”


  Gloria turned to Cyril with a smile as she replied, “If nothing has changed, then how would you be standing next to me under this set of circumstances, Uncle Cyril?”


  Cyril’s smile stiffened, and he harrumphed coldly, “Hmph! You can chirp all you want now, but let’s see if you can keep this up later!”


  He then quickly made his way toward the manor.

  “You should be saying that to yourself,” Gloria murmured as a faint smile appeared on her face, and she made her way toward the manor in an unhurried manner.