Chapter 3

Archie was utterly stunned.

"Besides," I said, flicking the card back onto the coffee table. "That doesn't even cover the dry-cleaning bill, Mr. Carter."

Teardrops rolled out of his eyes, but he bit his lip hard and refused to let a single sob escape his lips. That whole "strong yet wronged" act was a textbook masterclass in manipulation.

I was so amused that I almost laughed, but just as I opened my mouth to speak, footsteps came from the stairs.

Valerie rushed down, and her brows twisted into a tight frown the moment she noticed that Archie was crying.

"Kieran! Did you target him again?"

"Me? Targeting him?"

I glanced at the scarf and added, "Ms. Henderson, your assistant just used a 4,000-gaul-dollar cashmere scarf to polish shoes. How am I picking on him, just because I'm demanding he pay for the damages?"

Valerie looked at the misshapen scarf in his hands and was momentarily at a loss for words. "Archie was just trying to help…"

When her gaze swept past the pale pink crescent birthmark exposed on the side of his neck, her tone immediately softened.

That birthmark was an obsession she had kept a secret for 20 years.

When she was a child, her stepmom had abandoned her in an old district. A young boy bearing an identical birthmark had shared his food with her and saved her from starving to death. She had recently tracked him down.

"He doesn't understand anything about these luxury goods. You could have just taught him instead of—"

"Why should I teach him?" I interrupted. "He's your assistant, not my little brother, Valerie. I pay him to help you with work, not to come into my house and destroy my belongings."

"You—"

Livid, Valerie snapped, "Could you not be so mean, Kieran? Archie already has it tough enough…"

I couldn't help but laugh. "He has it tough? He earns 6,000 dollars a month and spends every day ruining my belongings under the excuse of work. Is that what you call having it tough?"

I walked up to Archie and looked at his pale face.

"Mr. Carter, it's highly commendable that you wish to strive and improve, but if you destroy my belongings, you should pay for them. Don't make promises you can't keep if you can't afford to pay."

He stared hard at me with tears still streaming down his face, but a different emotion had flared up in his eyes—pure resentment.

"Mr. Pearce," he said in a shaking voice. "I know you look down on me. You were born with everything, so naturally, you don't understand the struggles of people like us. But let me tell you something—even if I, Archie Carter, starve to death, I'll never beg for your charity!"

"Wise words."

I clapped my hands and added, "Then I must ask you to leave my house right this second, Mr. Carter. As for the compensation… We'll settle it in court."

"Kieran!"

Valerie pulled Archie behind her back and snapped, "Do you have to take it this far?"

I looked at them and smiled. That was such a classic scene of a wealthy businesswoman shielding her innocent young prince.

"I'm giving you your final chance, Valerie. Otherwise, we'll handle it according to the law. Intentional destruction of property involving an especially large sum carries a sentence of three to seven years in prison.

"Would you like to try that, Mr. Carter?"

Archie completely panicked. He grabbed Valerie's arm and begged, "Valerie, I-I don't want to go to prison…"

Valerie glared at me with eyes that seemed laced with poison. "You're ruthless, Kieran."

"Nowhere as much as you," I said, tucking my phone away. "I'm giving you five minutes. Get the hell out of my house, both of you."

With that, I turned around and headed upstairs to retrieve my files, instructing the butler to make sure that every piece of Archie's personal belongings was cleared out under strict supervision.

…

Three days later, the joint venture project between Pearce Group and Henderson Group, "Pearce-Henderson One" commercial complex, hosted its opening gala.

The project represented a half-billion-dollar investment that took two full years to complete, serving as the symbol of a deep corporate alliance between the two families.

The gala was hosted in the Skyreach Ballroom on the top floor of the complex.

Every prominent figure in Oakhaven's elite circle had arrived. The media crew lined the venue with microphones and flashing cameras that never stopped for a second.