Secret Scion

A young man with long hair glowered at Griffin Quinn and growled, "This has nothing to do with you. We're here for Asher Crawford, so you better stay out of this. Your grandpa may be a kingpin, but he's already retired even if everyone else is scared of you, we're not! So what can you do?! There are fifty of us Gentlemen, and only one of you!"

"Gentlemen? What's so gentlemanly about you? I can't tell at all! Are you really calling yourselves that just because you like it?!" Griffin bellowed in rage.

That was when Asher clapped a hand on Griffin's shoulder and chuckled. "They're just Rose Schmidt's dogs-fighting them is just demeaning. We're almost done here anyway, so let's go." "Oh, so Rose Schmidt sent you, kid?" Griffin growled coolly.

The group said nothing to that, but their silence was as good as admitting it.

"Useless scums!" Griffin bellowed. "Men like you, willing to die for some bitch? You're the ones I shouldn't be scared off! Don't stop me now, boss-I need to show them that no one gets to order me around!"

With those words, he started charging toward them. He had been feeling quite frustrated tonight, but since he could not vent it on Asher, he had to let it out on these people.

Nonetheless, Asher quickly caught him by the wrist and told him sternly, "Griffin, stop it right now if you really consider me your boss!"

"What, are we going to let them strut?!" Griffin exclaimed indignantly.

Asher simply threw a nonchalant glance at the gang of Gentlemen members and said icily,

"They're beneath you, just ignore them—there's no need to stoop to their level."

Even so, Griffin was still fuming even after they left the Lakeside Tavern as he spat, "Bunch of

pricks calling themselves gentlemen... Don't they know what a joke they are? If you didn't stop me, boss, they would have had a taste of my fist!"

Asher laughed. "I'm afraid you'd just punch them to death, since you never really had control over your strength."

"So what? Those pieces of shit don't matter!" Griffin snapped unhappily.

At the same time, Layla was also worried that Griffin would cause trouble, and so she said, "Let's get you home, Griffin. You shouldn't drive when you're drunk."

Griffin chuckled and waved her off. "It's fine-you should give the boss and Dove a ride instead. Well, see you around, boss. I'll call you if anything comes up."

Then, without waiting for Asher to get a word in, he hurried away.

Layla quickly turned toward Asher and saw the troubled look on his face.

***

Rose Schmidt had just reached home when her phone rang.

Seeing that it was from Savannah Anderson, she answered, "What is it?"

"Miss Schmidt, some of the Gentlemen spotted Asher Crawford at the Lake and got into an argument with him, although they did not come to blows. Also, Griffin Quinn was with him-his grandfather must have let him out early," Savannah reported.

"I see," Rose replied. "Now send orders to the Gentlemen, tell them that if Asher lays a finger on them, they have no obligation to hold back."

"Very well, Miss Schmidt... But I think there's also something else you should know. It seems that Griffin has fallen for a woman who's interested in Asher-do you think we can work on that? After all, Griffin is Harlow Quinn's grandson, and he could always turn into a threat as long as he stays with Asher. Get them to turn against each other, and without his right-hand man, Asher's influence would suffer a huge blow."

Rose raised her brow. "Is that information dependable?"

"Probably." Savannah replied.

***

As Layla gave Asher a ride home to the Crawford mansion, she could not resist asking outside the gate, "Ash... How do you actually feel about Dove?"

"Why do you ask?" Asher replied.

"I can tell that Griffin likes her a lot," Layla said. "Why else would he be so upset just now? Just remember that he's your brother from another mother, and I don't want you both to turn against each other over a woman. That's why I think you really should speak to Griffin, or at least tell him what's on your mind."

Asher simply laughed. "Fatty and I go way back. That bond is not going to crumble at a moment's notice and I have faith in him. Moreover, the man can get a little prideful, and there are times when things should be left unsaid."

Layla nodded since Asher had a point. "Good, you just have to keep an eye out for yourself. I'm going, then."

With that, Layla drove off, and Asher had just stepped into the courtyard when Amber Crawford's sweet voice called out, "Welcome back, Ash! Grandpa was looking for you."

Asher watched as the young girl ran up to her, worry showing in her watery eyes. "I think he's in

a bad mood," she added, "so don't make him upset."

Unable to resist giving her a pat on the head, Asher chuckled, "Yes, ma'am."

"Hehe." Amber could not help giggling as Asher headed to Solomon's room.

It was brightly lit but the door was shut, and just as he was about to knock, he heard Solomon saying inside, "You're saying that Rose Schmidt founded that group, Huck?"

"Yes, since not many others would have that sort of influence," Huxley Crawford replied. "The other thing I heard is that their first order of business is to destroy Ash. Sure, they're just thugs, but there are over fifty of them, and more than twenty families have their backs. We mustn't be careless."

"What do you think should be done, then?"

Huxley thought about it and said, "There are too many families involved, so I think Ash should avoid trouble for the time being. Now, I know what he's capable of, but Rose Schmidt has some deep pockets-I'm really worried things would end up badly for Ash with her pulling the strings from behind the scenes."

Outside, Asher could not help feeling genuine warmth at Huxley's words he was genuinely a brother to him.

Knocking on the door, he called out, "Gramps."

"Come in," Solomon replied, and when Asher entered, he said, "Did you hear what Huck and I were saying? I think he's right, but what about you?"

Asher nodded. "I agree, but the Gentlemen are an issue we'd have to face eventually, and hiding just isn't a solution. I'm honestly grateful that Huck is so considerate toward me, and with his help, I don't think I have to be afraid of anything."

"Come on, Ash-we're both Crawfords, it's natural for me to help you whenever. However, Rose clearly came prepared this time, and it might be fatal if we get careless." Huxley said, trying to persuade Asher this time... After all, how would he claim Asher's position if he stayed? Solomon appeared indecisive, and he was watching Asher with concern. Nonetheless, Asher simply smiled and walked up to Huxley, clapping him on the shoulder as he explained, "There are times when doing it is the only way to find out if you are able to succeed. And if I may be a little harsh, Rose Schmidt is just a woman-what have we to fear of her? Even if I lose, we still have you, Huck, and that gives me strength."

"Ash..." Huxley was almost moved to tears by Asher's words for a split second, but he soon remembered his ideals and his desire to be the head of the family.

What was brotherhood in comparison?

Meanwhile, Asher turned toward Solomon hopefully, saying, "Gramps, please give me a chance

to prove myself."

Solomon pondered for a while, before he narrowed his eyes and said, "Alright. You have my permission and a blank check. Do not hold back."

***

Over the next few days, the Gentlemen seemed to show up everywhere Asher went, and they were constantly ganging up against him.

Rose's strategy was simple: to cow Asher Crawford with superiority in numbers.

In fact, even if Asher was the heir of the Crawfords and one of the most famous people in Alexandrius, he had to be careful with so many middle-class and upper-middle class rich kids coming after him. In the end, it was impossible for him to defeat so many of them at once. That was why Asher decided to bear with it, just as Rose predicted that he would. Even so, simply doing nothing would only put him at a further disadvantage, just as the Gentlemen's reputation and numbers grew by the day. In short, Rose was getting more cards to play with by the day.

In just a few days, word that Asher was being pushed around by the Gentlemen spread throughout all of Alexandrius. They were now seventy strong after just a few days, with as many as forty families backing them.

Naturally, no one could just ignore an alliance of that magnitude, and not even elites like the Macquoids would be confident enough to stand against them.

Hence, within the city, all eyes were on the gang as they looked forward to their next move, just

as they were keen to watch how Asher Crawford would resolve this crisis this time.