Shadows of Destiny: A Tale of Liberation

Haze’s captivating eyes darkened a little as they flashed with a complex mix of emotions. He quickly returned to his

look of cynicism as he joked, “What are you afraid of? I’m offering you a prime cut of meat on a platter! It’s right in

front of you now, so why not just be bold and take a huge bite? If you can’t chew it all today, then leave it for

tomorrow! If you still can’t chew it all tomorrow, then leave it for the day after that! I’m sure you’ll manage to chew

everything eventually! Besides, isn’t that better than refusing it and starving to death?”

“I don’t like the way you put it. Azure Group has been developing steadily. Who told you it is starving to death?”

“You know better than anyone else whether or not it’s starving to death. Your best buddy Liam Osborne almost

dragged his family into the mess just so he could get enough money to help Azure Group stay afloat. Azure Group is

nothing but an old broken car that wouldn’t even start. Without any outside help, there’s no hope that it would ever

take you anywhere…”

“But that’s only temporary!” Renee interrupted. She wished she could retort Haze and teach him a lesson but found

that she had completely no confidence. She could only add, “You… You don’t know anything!”

Azure Group’s current financial situation was indeed bleak. Although she believed that its future was boundless, it

was now just as Haze had said—nothing more than an old car that would not start—doubtful that it would even get

them anywhere!

“Look into my eyes, Renee…”

Haze displayed a rare sign of seriousness as he slowly assured her, “You may distrust everyone else in the world,

but you must trust me. My grandfather ordered me to help you rebuild the wealth and power of the Everheart

family!”

“Grandpa Baldwin wanted you to do that?” Renee asked, surprised.

“Why else do you think I’m here?” Haze raised his eyebrows, then helplessly sighed. “You must know that I’m not

the kind to dabble in business. If it were up to me, what I’d love to do most would be hiding in a small dark room,

writing codes. If Grandpa hadn’t ordered me to do this and told me that the Everheart family was in trouble, that

you were in trouble, and then commanded me to help you through this hurdle, I would’ve never bothered myself

with any of this. Don’t you think that I’d make better use of my time cracking codes and hacking programs?”

“Don’t you know how many people had their greedy eyes on the land where Everheart Residence is?” he asked.

“Grandpa said Everheart Residence holds great significance to the Everheart family, and he ordered me to get a

hold of the land and keep it for you. If Rubio Pascal hadn’t been afraid of the Baldwin family’s power and influence,

do you think he would ever let go of it?”

“So it’s Grandpa Baldwin who’s been protecting Everheart Residence for me!” Renee uttered, still considerably

shocked and moved by the old man’s kindness. She hung her head low in shame and added, “I lied to him four

years ago. I thought he’d never forgive me, but it turns out that…”

“Well, you’re right that he was really angry because you promised to marry then, but you turned around and

suddenly got in bed with the Hunts. What you did was simply as if you trampled our name and honor, deeply

humiliating us. It enraged every single member of the Baldwin family. They even tried to issue an order to have you

killed so they could take revenge on you and the Hunt family…”

As Haze recalled the events that transpired four years ago, he was still struck by a lingering fear and trepidation.

Judging from what he knew of his grandfather’s temperament, not only was Renee’s life in danger, but he was sure

that his grandpa even planned to kill him!

“But later,” he continued, “Grandpa discovered that you’d vanished from this world, and it was uncertain whether

or not you were still alive. He thought of all the tribulations you had to endure in your life and made up his mind to

forgive you. He realized that the real instigators of the whole mess were the Hunt family and Stefan Hunt

especially, not you. You were innocent!”

“And that,” he concluded, “was why he ordered me to lend you a helping hand to defeat the Hunt family and

restore the Everheart family back to its old glory!”

Renee felt an immense pressure bearing down on her shoulders and somberly replied, “I’m moved by Grandpa

Baldwin’s well intentions, and I’m especially grateful for the squad that he sent me back then. I didn’t even manage

to train them properly. I’ve failed to live up to his expectations…”

“But,” she added, “I never thought of trying to defeat or exact revenge on anyone. All I want to do is to make Azure

Group stronger and more prosperous under my leadership, so I can show the world that the Everheart family is not

to be looked down upon and that their descendants can be great too!”

“That’s very noble of you,” Haze chuckled, “but it’s a pity that the world of business is like the battleground for war.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world. No one will play nice with you. You either kill or be killed. If the man standing here in this

room today wasn’t me, do you think you’ll ever get Everheart Residence back? And what if the capital chain for

Azure Group breaks again? Where will you find the money to fix the situation then?”

Haze’s expressions were inscrutable, but his pointed inquiry immediately threw Renee into silence.

It was true. She had been too idealistic and naive. When the time came for Azure Group to really be on the

“battlefield,” who would play nice with her then?!

“This is the equity purchase contract,” said Haze. “Think about it carefully. Are you going to rely on the powerful

Baldwin family and get through this risky hurdle, or are you going to fight alone and then get eaten up until not

even your bones remain? I give you three days to decide.”

Then, with uncommon gravity and strength, Haze pushed a thick stack of contract papers toward Renee.

He was confident that a woman as smart as Renee would make the wiser choice…