Secret Scion

Carter waved his hand. "Enough. I'm not senile. Asher may have one-upped me, but I don't hate him. I always knew that you would turn out to be a more capable head for the Stewards than Erick would ever be. It's just that the Stewards have never had a woman as our leader. But we no longer have the luxury of choice. Noelle, Grandpa's only hope is for you to see the Stewards thrive under your leadership. Take us to new heights. Help us evolve even further."

Carter was well-versed in worldly affairs as a wizened man who had lived to this day. He had known from the start that Noelle was far stronger than Erick. There was no better candidate for the position of the next family head.

Erick was highly favored by Carter even as a child. Women had never been given the opportunity to lead the family, and in consequence, Carter treated Noelle reprehensibly to keep her from displaying her abilities. It was the reason why Noelle was not allowed to join the company headquarters.

The best laid schemes were often overturned by the wheels of fate. Carter had no choice but to abide if this was what the heaven's had willed.

The next day, Radley Leonard got up and visited Garrett Schmidt in his room. He was in the know that Garrett had made his move last night, but how it turned out remained to be seen.

"How did you rest last night, Mr. Schmidt? Feel free to let me know if you need anything. Make yourself at home." Radley smiled.

Garrett had just finished washing up and was ambling out whilst polishing his glasses. "It was good. Ah yes, do you have time to spare today, Radley? I need to ask you for a small favor." "Feel free to just tell me what's on your mind, Mr. Schmidt."

"I'm new to the area and don't know much about the state of affairs here in Rollinsford. I've heard that there are four great households here in the city, and the Leonards are one of them. I'm quite interested in them. Will you be so kind as to introduce me to them?" Radley was a smart man who quickly caught on. Garrett wanted to win over the four great households of Rollinsford to boost his standing to compete as the next head to the Schimdts. "Mr. Schmidt is a man from the Capital City. It's only right that they visit you instead of it being the other way around. I'll have this matter arranged so that you can meet them as quickly as possible."

Garrett, however, waved him off with a smile. "There's no need for all this trouble. There's nothing to do anyway. Why not go out and stretch my legs?"

Radley didn't say anything more after hearing Garrett's words.

The former personally drove the latter to the three residences after breakfast.

"I'm not sure if you know a person by the name of Castor Yeager, Mr. Schmidt. He's the most outstanding one amongst the Yaeger youths. The might of that one household is more than enough to crush the other three. Castor went to the Capital City two years ago to expand and was rarely around in Rollinsford then. The Capital City is your territory. Perhaps you might know each other."

Garrett thought about it carefully but found that he could not recall any information about anyone named Castor.

"I don't recall the person that you're talking about. The Capital City is a place where sleeping dragons lie. Even I cannot lay it on thick. Someone once claimed to be the best amongst the gentrified young men there but he left to become a live-in son-in-law. Haha."

Garrett's voice was filled with sarcasm.

Radley, of course, knew Garrett was speaking of Asher and could not help but laugh.

"Then, allow me to first escort you to see Castor Yaeger, Mr. Schmidt. He has quite an

unconventional relationship with Asher. My thoughts are that he wants to climb up the ranks in the Capital City through the Crawfords.

"Alright," Garrett replied quickly.

The Yaeger residence.

Dove Yaeger's birthday was tomorrow. She had made calls to invite a few friends over but she kept wondering if she should invite Asher. She was excited but also nervous.

The banquet that she had carefully prepared would be meaningless if he failed to show up.

That was when a butler hurried into the room. "Mistress, Radley Leonard is here and he's brought

a young man with him. They're saying they want to meet you and the Master. I've led them to the living room."

Why was Radley here?

Was he here to start trouble because Castor had aided Asher?

"I got it. You can go ahead and attend to them. My brother and I will be right there." Dove's expression was one of indifference. Radley was going to be sorely disappointed if he was here to stir up trouble.

"Have some tea. The lady and the master will soon join you." The butler set down two cups of tea before Radley and Garrett when his gaze inadvertently swept past the latter of the duo. His past experiences offered insight that the unfamiliar man was no ordinary person. The thing was, he had seen every renowned young man that was from Rollinsford. This stranger was definitely not a native to the city.

Radley's lips quirked into a half smile. "How dare they make Mr. Schmidt wait for them? They're going to make him very unhappy!"

Mr. Schmidt?

The housekeeper was quick to respond with a placating smile. "You've misunderstood. The master is currently changing. He will be with you soon."

The Yaegers may hold pivotal positions in Rollinsford, but the butler could not simply neglect Radley either, especially this Mr. Schmidt, who seemed to come from a powerful background. Garrett, on the other hand, only smiled and waved it off. "Let us not be so impatient, Radley. We came here uninvited. We have to give them time to prepare. Haha." He then picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the beverage to quench his thirst.

Just then, footsteps could be heard from beyond the main room. Radley looked over, and sure enough, Castor and Dove Yaeger walked in.

Radley would have gotten to his feet to greet them if he was the way he was before, but he exuded confidence with Garrett by his side. He just did not bother to take the initiative to greet them and simply lifted his teacup to take a sip of the tea.

"The lady and master have arrived, gentlemen," the butler announced.

Castor's eyes were fixed on Garrett's visage the moment he stepped into the room. He seemed incredibly familiar but he could not recall where he had seen him before.

Dove paid Garrett no heed as she did not know who he was. Anger, however, flared up within her when Radley continued to nurse his drink. What a daring bastard to act like he owned the place even though he was in the Yaeger's residence. Did he think this was his home?

"And, this is?" Castor stared quizzically at Garrett and asked.

Garrett set down his tea cup and flashed him a wry smile. "Garrett of the Schmidts."

The expression on Castor's face stiffened in that instant. He was abruptly reminded that he had indeed seen Garrett in the Capital City.

Radley harrumphed. "You were in the Capital City for two years, weren't you, Mr. Yaeger? You must've heard of Mr. Schmidt?"

Radley felt extremely pleased by the look of surprise on Castor's face. The humiliation that he had suffered at the Steward estate that day was bound to be returned tenfold.

"Forgive my poor eyesight for not having recognized Mr. Schmidt." The cogs in Castor's began to turn at a rapid pace. The Schmidts were here. Asher's identity must have been exposed. One was the scion to the Crawfords and the other was a distinguished man of the Schmidts. Neither were people Castor could afford to offend, which gave him a headache.

"I wasn't expecting Mr. Schmidt himself to visit us here. I'm flattered." Castor turned to the butler. "Prepare us a meal along with wine to welcome Mr. Schmidt."

The butler nodded and hurried out.

Fury was rolling in Dove's gut but she quickly caught on that Mr. Schmidt was no minor character with the solemnity in her brother's expression.

"There's no need for all this. Sit, sit." Garrett gave Dove a once-over. He had had the privilege of meeting countless beauties, but the sight of her countenance gave him a shock.

"Allow me to introduce you, Dove. This is Garrett Schmidt of the Capital City and the leading figure of the younger generation there," Castor smiled as he explained.

Castor had schooled Dove on the matters regarding Asher's past a few days ago. She was more than aware that the Schmidts were Asher's enemy.

Dove was quick to catch the bigger picture through her brother's words. Garrett was an offspring of Asher's enemy.

Being able to force Asher's departure from the Capital City indicated that their status was anything but ordinary. Dove, however, did not expect Radley and Garrett to have found one another. This matter would definitely affect the social standing of the Yaegers in Rollinsford, which was something the Yaegers were not keen on witnessing.

"It's nice to make your acquaintance." Dove smiled politely.

A beauty's smile was akin to that of a flower blooming in spring.

How irresistible.

Garrett's gaze stayed fixed on Dove for a while before he looked away. "There's no need for pleasantries. We're all friends here."

Radley frowned inadvertently when he noticed his companion's ogling.

"I hear you were in the Capital City for two years to expand. The city provides a stage for those of the younger generation to grow, but it doesn't mean that it's without its difficulties. If you encounter any trouble in the city, feel free to seek me out. I might not be able to help you if it's something big, but small matters shouldn't be a problem." Garrett offered with a chuckle. How could Castor not understand what Garrett meant? The latter was clearly extending him an olive branch.