Chapter 7 Back to the Auction House

• As William was speaking, the persistent ringtone of his phone rang again. He quickly picked it up, gritting his teeth.
• "Look, it’s your uncle calling. I’ll put it on speaker so you can hear for yourself just how scheming he really is."
• As soon as the call connected, a cold voice came through.
• "William, don’t blame me for not considering family ties. How dare Stephan lay a hand on Matthew? Who does he think he is?"
• "Unless he kneels before my son and apologizes, the contract for the brick factory to supply Maple Real Estate is canceled!"
• After the call ended, William collapsed weakly onto the sofa.
• The brick factory had been growing, relying entirely on the family’s real estate company, which was Maple Real Estate. Now, it was all over.
• Stephan’s eyes glinted coldly.
• He hadn’t even sought them out yet, but now they were stepping forward on their own. The pain Lily had endured, the humiliation inflicted on Isabelle—retribution wouldn’t come swiftly. They would come to understand despair slowly, piece by piece.
• "Stephan, the only way out now is for you to kneel before Matthew and apologize. Otherwise, we will be left with nothing."
• "Especially now, with Maple Real Estate about to develop a new residential area, once the loan is approved, the project will begin. You may be able to endure it, but do you really want Lily to live in poverty every day?"
• After a long pause, William finally spoke those words. At this point, it seemed like the only option.
• Stephan shook his head slightly. "Mr. Hart, don’t worry. Now that I’m back, you won’t have to worry about money anymore."
• Even though William didn’t understand where Stephan’s confidence came from, Isabelle spoke up.
• "I won’t let my husband give up his dignity and kneel to anyone. I refuse to believe that, without relying on the Hart family, we can’t earn anything. Worst case, I’ll find another job."
• Seeing that her stubbornness hadn’t changed, Stephan felt a wave of happiness in his heart. "Tomorrow morning, let’s go buy some clothes for Lil. I want to make up for these four lost years."
• After a moment of hesitation, Isabelle nodded. When it came to Lily, she wouldn’t act impulsively.
• Just then, Stephan’s phone rang—it was Landon calling. "Sir, we’ve received word from the surveillance team. The key figure behind the auction has arrived. Do you want to go?"
• "I got it," replied Stephan.
• Of course, he would go. Stephan wanted to know who, besides Isabelle's grandfather and Matthew, was involved in Lily's auction.
• Once the truth was confirmed, there would be no forgiveness.
• Telling them he had something to handle, Stephan left the house. As the door closed, Laura snorted coldly. "What good is he now after returning from the military?"
• "He’s useless and only knows how to stir up trouble with his brute strength. In the end, our family can only rely on ourselves. Belle, don’t expect a man like that to provide for Lily."
• Isabelle sighed. Useless or not, her heart was now filled more with thoughts of her daughter. But who wouldn’t want their husband to be a great man? Could Stephan ever live up to that?
• Shaking her head, she went upstairs to sleep with Lily.
• As for the trouble with Matthew, her uncle had immense power. Aside from kneeling, there was nothing they could do but accept their fate.
• About an hour later, there were some people gathering in the hall of the Carter family’s auction house, where Stephan had previously caused a scene.
• The only two corpses—Edward and the young man—remained untouched, left exactly as they had fallen.
• At this moment, Walter Carter, the head of the Carter family, accompanied by ten guards, focused his gaze on a young man standing in the center.
• "He killed my junior with one finger. His skills are impressive, but by provoking the Serpent Order, no matter who he is, he will be dead for sure."
• The young man’s expression was cold, and his words were filled with killing intent, causing even Walter to tremble slightly.
• After all, the Carter family could never afford to offend the Serpent Order. This was why Walter had personally come.
• Otherwise, even with Edward’s death, he wouldn’t have shown up. But dealing with the Serpent Order required giving them an explanation.
• "Mr. Wade, we acknowledge our fault in your junior’s death. There’s a million dollars on this card. Please, when you return to the Serpent Order, speak kindly on our behalf."
• Harrison Wade glanced at the bank card handed to him and silently accepted it, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
• "Rest assured, Mr. Carter. We of the Serpent Order can distinguish right from wrong. However, within a day, you must find out who is responsible. I’ll need to kill them to report back."
• "Kill them? Quite the bold statement." With those words, Landon stormed in, leading a group of men who instantly surrounded everyone present.
• "Who are you? Do you have anything to do with this?"
• Harrison was not pleased and showed no signs of fear. Being one of the top fighters of the younger generation, he didn't believe in the strength in numbers. Killing Landon and his men would only be a matter of time.