Chapter 146

"Your offer comes with strings attached, doesn’t it, Aunt Joanna?" Daniel asked coldly, shooting the woman an indifferent look. Though in her forties, she looked barely thirty.

'Damn her!' he thought, his heart boiling with hatred.

With a gentle smile, Joanna said, "Daniel, I’ll do anything to get whatever you need."

"Cut to the chase!" Daniel’s face stiffened, no longer beating around the bush with her.

"Daniel, please don’t do this," Maisie pleaded anxiously, her eyes darting between Joanna and Daniel.

'He’s my real brother, and she’s my real mom,' Maisie thought, her heart racing. 'But seeing them at each other’s throats like this… it terrifies me.'

'It’s all Amelia’s fault!' Maisie thought bitterly. 'If she hadn’t shown up, our family wouldn’t be in such chaos!'

"Daniel," Joanna said with a gentle smile, not a trace of anger on her face. "Haven’t I cared for you devotedly these past twenty years? Now that you've found your birth mother’s grave, do you suddenly find me unbearable?"

It was this very hypocrisy that convinced everyone she was the perfect stepmother. Everyone in the Zuckerberg family sang her praises; Daniel, on the other hand, was branded the ungrateful son.

"Aunt Joanna, just spit it out. All this beating around the bush is exhausting!" Daniel sneered.

Joanna smiled without answering. As for Maisie, growing anxious on the sidelines, she pleaded in a spoiled tone, "Mom, say something already!"

"Edith has been waiting for you all these years," said Joanna. "The Meyers family says, if you agree to marry her, you’ll get the medicine."

As soon as those words left her mouth, not only did Daniel’s face change, but even Maisie’s expression turned pale with shock. She exclaimed, "Mom, are you insane? How could that bitch Edith ever be worthy of him?"

"Mind your language," Joanna chided, giving her daughter a displeased glance. "Edith is your cousin, your aunt’s daughter!"

"But I’m your daughter!" Maisie shouted. "There’s no way I’ll agree with this!"

Joanna ignored Maisie, waiting only for Daniel’s reply. Meanwhile, Daniel’s chest heaved violently, a storm brewing in his eyes.

In that fleeting instant, pure murderous intent radiated from him, utterly terrifying. But Joanna’s lips curved in satisfaction. 'The little brat I raised is finally starting to act like the head of the family,' she thought. 'No wonder Edith is completely smitten and insists on marrying no one else.'

"Fine, I agree," Daniel said.

To everyone’s astonishment, Daniel consented.

"Daniel, you can’t agree with this arrangement!" Maisie shrieked in outrage.

Daniel winced in pain and closed his eyes briefly before gripping Maisie’s hand. "Amy needs that medicine," he said hoarsely. "If it were you who needed it, I’d do the same, no matter what."

Maisie was overwhelmed, tears welling up in her eyes. "But, Daniel—"

"I lead the Zuckerberg family," Daniel said firmly, "And it’s my duty as your brother to protect you with all my might."

With that, Daniel released his sister’s hand and strode out of the mansion. Tears streamed down Maisie’s face as she angrily confronted her mom, "Mom, why are you forcing Daniel?" she demanded, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Idiot!" Joanna shot her daughter a scornful look and strode away.

'How could I have birthed such a spineless creature, so easily swayed by Daniel’s sweet talk!' Joanna fumed inwardly.

Before long, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair burst in, his face flushed with urgency. "Joanna, something terrible has happened!"

"Tyler, at your age, you should start acting your age," Joanna said coolly, sipping her fragrant tea.

"You won’t believe this. The Azureveil Project has been suspended!" Tyler blurted out.

"What?" Joanna gasped in shock. "The Azureveil project was secured through the Meyers' and Zuckerbergs’ joint efforts. It’s been underway almost half a year! How could it be suspended so abruptly?"

"If I knew, I wouldn’t have come to you," Tyler said, looking around anxiously. "Where’s Daniel? I haven’t seen him for days. With such a major crisis, is he going to do anything about it?"

Joanna’s mind raced. The Azureveil project was vital to both families‘ revenues. Their fates were inextricably linked.

Given Daniel’s work ethic, he would never tolerate any issues with a project this massive. There was only one possibility: Daniel was still unaware.

At this thought, Joanna felt relieved. "Daniel has a lot on his plate," she said calmly. "Just call him; he’ll handle it."

"Got it," Tyler said immediately. Without hesitation, he called Daniel.

Just as Daniel arrived at the Bigshack Bar, ready to drown his sorrows with his friend Tuff, his mood instantly changed to serious when he heard the news. "Uncle, I have no idea what’s going on. It should be nothing serious; handle it yourself."

With that, Daniel ended the call and powered off his phone. Daniel sneered inwardly, 'The Meyers think they’re such big shots? Let’s see them squirm for once!'

Tuff mused thoughtfully, "Even the Azureveil project got shut down? Dan, did you piss off the wrong person?"

"Who could I possibly have offended?" Daniel scoffed.

"In Lunova, is there anyone you need to keep your eyes on?"

"Wait!" Daniel paused abruptly. He remembered something and muttered, "The Azureveil project has been running smoothly. With this sudden suspension, there must be something going on behind the scenes."

"Right, keep analyzing," Tuff said with a knowing smile.

Daniel immediately caught on, turning to his longtime friend. "You know what’s going on behind all this, don’t you?"

Tuff smirked, "I know a thing or two."

"Then spit it out already!" Daniel demanded.

"You’ve pissed off the Kingsleys," Tuff said.

"The Kingsley?" Daniel repeated, his mind racing. That surname was rare in Lunova. Daniel thought, quickly running through everyone he knew.

In the end, he realized the only Kingsleys he knew were from Norava. 'Could it be Landon?' Daniel thought. 'No way, that’s impossible!'

'The Kingsley family has always stuck to their business in Norava,' Daniel pondered. "There’s no way they could interfere in Lunova affairs. Especially not with something as massive as the state-level Azureveil Project!"

"Between friends, a word of advice—Landon is no pushover," Tuff said with a hearty laugh. His gesture of raising the wine glass was eerily identical to Landon’s.

Daniel’s pupils contracted sharply. "Do you know Landon?"

"Kind of." Tuff gave a slight nod and sipped his wine gracefully.

"What’s your connection with him?" Daniel asked sharply.

Tuff swirled his wine glass, paused to think, then said with a wry smile, "Enemies?"

Daniel frowned. 'One is my sister’s husband, the other is my best friend. This is one hell of a dilemma,' Daniel thought.

"To be precise, it’s a one-sided vendetta. Landon hates me," Tuff said, his grin widening unnervingly.

"That grin of yours is a bit creepy. Come on, what’s this feud between you two? Spill it," Daniel demanded.

'If Landon is behind this, then he should be targeting the Meyers family,' Daniel thought. 'As for the Zuckerbergs, we’re being dragged into this as collateral damage. Well, so be it.'

"Landon has a sister who went missing years ago," Tuff said. "Once, he was so close to finding her, but because of me, he missed the chance."

A flash of regret crossed Tuff’s eyes, but he quickly masked it. "So that’s why he holds a grudge against me."

Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, he has a sister?"

Tuff grinned, "Uh-huh~"

Daniel shuddered and kicked him under the table. "Dude, talk normally!"

"Don’t marry Edith," Tuff finally turned serious and said.

"Pfft, you think I’d marry her?" Daniel laughed. "Just a temporary measure. I can’t believe you bought that."

Tuff let out a sigh of relief, swirling his wine glass. Half-joking, he said, "Having seen how obsessed someone can get over a sister, I was honestly afraid you’d go to extremes for yours too."

Daniel was silent. 'Honestly, his situation is quite similar to Landon’s,' he thought.

'One is searching for his sister, the other looking for his mother. I’m luckier than Landon. I’ve already found Amelia. But Landon has devoted his whole life to searching, and Kayla remains missing.'

"Tuff, never in a million years," Daniel said, his thumb tracing the rim of his glass. "Joanna drove my mother to insanity and left her to die alone in a foreign land. How could I possibly marry her niece?"

"You’re right," Tuff said. "Joanna can’t bear a son herself, so she can’t take the throne. That’s why she wants her niece to bear you a son, so you’ll turn into a figurehead while she pulls the strings."

"I’ve seen through her scheme from the start." Daniel was every bit as shrewd as Tuff. He’d seen through the Meyers family’s predatory nature long ago. Given time, he would wipe the Meyers family off the face of Lunova.

'But right now, getting my hands on Velmira is the top priority,' Daniel thought. 'With the Azureveil project tying down the Meyers family, getting the medicine should be much easier now.'

"Tuff," Daniel said, his tone serious. "I need a favor…"

In Norava, after their passionate encounter, Amelia lay sleeping in the executive lounge of the CEO’s office. The tousled sheets and disheveled bathroom counter bore silent witness to the intensity they had shared.

Satiated, Landon returned to his desk, smoking pensively in the afterglow as he lost himself in thought.

Aaron beamed with delight as he reported, "Mr. Kingsley, the Azureveil project has been officially shut down. It’s causing a huge sensation, and everyone’s talking about it. The Meyers were hit hardest, and they’re already in full panic mode!"

"Excellent!" Landon gave a satisfied nod.

"And that’s not all! We’ve got additional intel from above."

"Go on, then."

"The Meyers family is forcing Daniel to marry Edith, using Velmira as part of her engagement gifts," Aaron reported while handing over a photo.

"That’s her? She’s that ugly?" Landon burst out laughing as he looked at the plain-faced woman with a creepy vibe.

Aaron laughed along. "Yeah, pretty much!"

"So? Did Daniel agree?"

Aaron replied, "He agreed."

Landon choked, coughing violently. Landon was so shocked he nearly choked on his cigarette. 'Has he lost his mind? Is he marrying a woman like that to ward off evil spirits or something?'

"But, Sir, Mr. Zuckerberg has sacrificed so much for your wife. She’d be devastated if she found out, wouldn’t she?" Aaron tactfully signaled Landon to keep his laughter down.

Landon paused abruptly. 'Damn it. If Amy found out Daniel married Edith to get her that medicine, she’d be heartbroken! If my wife isn’t happy, how could I possibly have any peace? No way. I gotta help him out.'