As Raicko gazed at the woman kneeling before him, he felt a tingling sensation in his nose, a sign of his emotions stirring.
Raicko had saved Melrose a few years ago, and she had vowed to repay him with her life. She had made a promise, and she had kept it.
"Melrose, you seem to have gained weight in the last three years," Raicko remarked, his lips tightening slightly as he helped her up from the floor. In reality, Melrose had lost a significant amount of weight.
Raicko intentionally made that comment to uplift her spirits. Melrose, tears streaming down her face, looked at Raicko with confusion. It felt like an eternity before she whispered, "Lord Ryller, please don't worry. I will regain the body you prefer in the shortest time possible."
Melrose hailed from Ukraine, known for its women with angelic faces and sensual bodies. "I appreciate your body regardless of its appearance," Raicko assured her, stepping back to allow Melrose a moment to compose herself.
Melrose hesitated, her expression turning solemn in an instant. Raicko pretended not to notice and moved towards the sofa. He was well aware of Melrose's intentions. What man could resist a woman exuding such sensuality without even trying? Yet, Raicko had never made advances towards her. Three years ago, he had not taken advantage of her gratitude. Now, he wouldn't touch her because his heart belonged to Attarah Cade. Raicko picked up a document and perused it as Melrose approached him. She kept Raicko updated on the Dragon Palace's progress over the past three years.
After setting the document aside, Raicko briefly recounted to Melrose what had happened to him in the last three years. He then looked into Melrose's eyes and sincerely thanked her, saying, "Melrose, thank you. It must have been difficult for you these three years."
Melrose whispered softly, "As long as you're safe, no matter how difficult it has been for me."
Raicko fell silent for a moment. Then, with solemnity, he said, "Melrose, if you find a man you like, marry him. Your dowry will be ten percent of the Dragon Palace Conglomerate's share."
Melrose's face instantly paled. She forced a smile and replied, "Alright."
Raicko could sense that Melrose was avoiding him. He sighed and continued, "Melrose, my heart belongs only to Attarah Cade now. There is no space for anyone else."
Melrose quickly retorted, "But you mentioned earlier that she sees you only as a younger brother and protects you like a sister. She doesn't love you in that way."
Raicko's voice softened as he said, "But I love her. And that's all that matters."
"Understood," Melrose replied with a forced smile. She turned around and said, "Let me get us a drink."
She quickly entered the suite's room and leaned against the wall. As she closed her eyes, tears rolled down her cheeks. "Since the moment you saved me, you've been the only one in my heart. There's no space for anyone else." The world felt filled with pain.
Time passed quickly, and the stars illuminated the sky in an instant.
- Villas of the wealthy near Nebula -
In the living room of the Cade family villa, over a dozen people sat around the table, drinking and chatting casually.
Attarah organized the banquet at Cade's house specifically to apologize to Dylan. There were a dozen cars parked in the yard, including a striking bright red Ferrari belonging to the Cade family's fifth daughter, Lyla Cade. She was an up-and-coming star in the film industry, a celebrity under Glam Film Studio. With her outstanding looks and excellent acting skills, she earned tens of millions annually as the leading star at Glam.
Compared to the ghastly-looking Attarah, Lyla was undoubtedly a blooming white rose. Dylan, seated next to Mrs. Cade, mostly gazed in Lyla's direction. However, he knew well that Lyla wouldn't care for him even if he was interested in her. Initially, the Silver Glow Business Group didn't interest her. Money wasn't an issue for her, and she had no shortage of wealthy suitors. Second, she was proud to have signed with Glam Film Studio.
Glam Film Studio was a subsidiary of Dragon's Palace. The president, Avery, might not even acknowledge the head of the Dawson family, even if he presented himself personally. Just as Dylan glanced at the Cade family's daughters again, Mrs. Cade spoke, "Mr. Dawson, we're almost done with dinner. Why don't you say a few words?"
The Cade family set down their utensils and looked at Dylan. He flashed a friendly smile and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. He began his speech with the word choice, "Unfortunately," and everyone knew why he chose it. It undoubtedly referred to the incident where Attarah's idiotic husband had hit him when he went to pick her up.
Dylan continued, "I was furious last night. But when I got home, I felt that Attarah might have been acting on impulse and had deliberately lied to me. Aside from that, Raicko is an idiot. Haha, it's too degrading to be frustrated with an idiot."
Abigail heard what Dylan said and immediately reprimanded Attarah, "Fortunately, Mr. Dawson is magnanimous and forgave you. Do nothing foolish again."
Attarah looked at her plate. She seemed calm and did not react.
The others echoed their agreement, "Yes, Mr. Dawson is right."
Abigail signaled her husband, Leon Cade, with her eyes, urging him to express gratitude to Mr. Dawson. However, Leon lowered his head.
Abigail cursed inwardly. Then, she raised her wineglass and walked over to Dylan.
She smiled warmly and said, "Mr. Dawson, as we will soon be family, I would like to offer a toast as a gesture of our sincere apologies."
Dylan didn't bother to look at her, instead, he smirked and asked, "Do you think I would easily forgive this matter?"
Abigail's smile faltered, and Attarah slowly raised her chin to meet Dylan's gaze.
She calmly lit a cigarette and stated, "I am a man of my word."
When the Cade family sought forgiveness from the Dawson family, Dylan agreed on the condition that the Cade family host a banquet and that Attarah publicly apologize by kneeling before him.
He repeated this point to emphasize his insistence that Attarah fulfill the requirement of kneeling before him.
Abigail smiled awkwardly and said, "Mr. Dawson, Attarah is going to be your wife..."
*Cough!*
Dylan coughed loudly, interrupting Abigail's plea. Mrs. Cade raised her eyebrows and spoke kindly but firmly, "Attarah, we must honor our commitment."
Keira's husband, Mason Cade, chimed in, "In a marriage, it's not uncommon for one partner to yield to the other."
Leon saw everyone forcing his beloved daughter to kneel and apologize, and he felt uncomfortable. He put his hand on his chest and quickly left the room.
Abigail looked at her daughter, her lips trembling, but she couldn't say a word.
Dylan was getting impatient, and Keira shouted, "Attarah, have you changed your mind?"
"Do you know how much time and effort the Cade family invested to earn Mr. Dawson's forgiveness?"
"As I came here tonight, I will not regret my decision," Attarah said calmly. She stood up and picked up her wineglass, then walked towards Dylan.
Dylan glanced at the grim Attarah and smiled fiercely. He could no longer contain his arrogance.
He raised his hand, slammed the table, and roared, "Attarah Cade, although everyone knows that you, the most beautiful woman in Nebula, are tough on all of your admirers except for the idiot, so what? What about hitting me last night? So what?! I still require you to kneel and beg for admission! Tonight, I will treat you as I please!"
No one expected Dylan to say those things in front of the entire Cade family. They were stunned. Attarah's face instantly turned as pale as a sheet.
"Hahaha!" Dylan laughed hysterically. He stood up and pointed at his feet, shouting, "Attarah Cade, kneel before me! Beg me to take you!"
His words stabbed Abigail's heart like a knife. It hurt a lot. She couldn't hold back anymore and kneeled before Dylan, pleading, "Mr. Dawson, may I kneel! Please, I beg you. Spare some dignity, Attarah!"
"Get lost!" Dylan raised his foot and kicked Abigail. Then he shot a furious look at Attarah, warning her, "You have ten seconds.
"Either you kneel and beg, or you watch the Cade family crumble."
Mrs. Cade roared angrily, "Attarah Cade, do you really want to destroy the Cade family?"
Keira and the others shouted, "Hurry! Ten seconds will fly by! Not only will the Cade family face doom, but even your foolish husband will struggle to lead a fulfilling life!"
When Attarah learned about Raicko, she released the lip she was biting. She whispered, "Okay. I will kneel. Mr. Dawson, please..." As she spoke, she was about to kneel.
Boom!
A bottle of wine flew from outside the door and landed on the table right in front of Dylan. The glass and plates shattered. Everyone around the table screamed.
Who is this? Who did it?!
Dylan and the rest of the Cade family looked towards the door. A young man entered. He stared at Dylan with a fierce smile!
Raicko Ryller.
The person who broke the wine bottle turned out to be the idiot son-in-law who embarrassed the entire Cade family in Nebula.
Attarah's heart ached when she saw Raicko. She staggered and leaned anxiously against the table. In an instant, Attarah snapped back to reality and charged towards the door.
She shouted hoarsely, "Raicko Ryller, who brought you here? Go! Hurry and leave!"