Cole Yeats watched as Sheldon Reid’s bodyguard strode forward and, in the simplest and most brutal manner, repeatedly slapped his older brother a dozen times across the face. Cole didn’t move a muscle, but the resentment in his eyes showed he was anything but indifferent.

’It’s not that I feel any injustice for this worthless oaf.’

’It’s that I hate having to submit to Sheldon Reid! I hate that I actually feel relieved!’

Because Sheldon’s actions meant he wouldn’t pursue the matter any further.

The portly man who had been beaten didn’t even dare let out a peep. He cradled his aching face, forced himself to apologize to Sheldon Reid, and then scurried away after Cole Yeats.

In the blink of an eye, only Sheldon Reid’s group and a dumbfounded Paige Summers and Lucian Chapman remained.

They had expected a vicious fight, not such a sudden plot twist.

Paige looked thoughtfully at Sheldon Reid, a vague understanding dawning on her.

Wendy Lowell had mentioned The Reid Estate to her before. If she wasn’t mistaken, "Reid" had to be her current husband’s surname.

Then the man before her was, without a doubt, one of *them*.

He had intervened because the portly man’s insults had involved his "whole family" or something to that effect. The reason was a bit of a stretch, but not entirely implausible.

’But, does this also mean that the "Reid Family" doesn’t hold any ill will toward me?’

’Then again, they probably don’t have much goodwill to spare either.’

Hadn’t he accepted the portly man’s apology without a single word about how he had insulted her and Lucian Chapman?

She pressed her lips together and straightened her back.

Lucian Chapman noticed her defensive posture and knew she wasn’t familiar with this man. He took a step forward. "Thank you for your help, sir. Since everything is settled, we’ll be taking our leave." These three men had a certain similarity to his own father; they most likely had military backgrounds. ’People from the military... it’s best to keep our distance.’

Unexpectedly, Sheldon Reid completely ignored him and faced Paige directly. "We need to talk. Come with me."

With that, he turned and led the way.

His two bodyguards flanked her, one on each side, gesturing for her to proceed.

Paige hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Lucian and gave a slight nod.

’A talk might be good.’

On one hand, she wanted to know what their attitude toward her truly was. On the other, she wanted to make her own position clear.

She had no intention of acknowledging Wendy Lowell!

’So, they can rest assured!’

Passing through corridors and a series of checkpoints, they left the large compound.

Paige stood outside the main gate, turned to look back, and whispered to Lucian.

"I don’t think I even know what this place is."

Lucian shot her a look. ’Is now really the time to be asking that?!’ But he still answered, "Jovitas."

’Jovitas...’ Paige’s lips twitched. ’The owner must be obsessed with Old Shanghai. Paramount Hall and all that jazz... it’s all too familiar!’

The two said no more as Sheldon Reid’s car quickly pulled up.

When Lucian saw the emblem on the car door, he was suddenly taken aback. An interwoven star and sword—that was the banner the Astorian military had designed specifically for The Power Corps to distinguish it from regular army units!

He seemed to recall hearing that the commander leading The Power Corps had the surname Reid... ’Could it be? Has the news that Paige created the Pathfinder Rat really been leaked to the military? Is he trying to recruit her, or is this a threat?’

Sheldon Reid was already seated in the car, sitting ramrod straight with an impassive expression that revealed nothing. Lucian frowned even more deeply.

The atmosphere inside the car was extremely oppressive the entire way.

No one spoke, leaving only the sound of several barely audible breaths.

After a while, the car entered a residential complex within a restricted zone and pulled into the courtyard of one of the houses.

At this hour, there was no one walking around, only patrolling soldiers in formation.

Paige felt this wasn’t The Reid Estate that Wendy Lowell had mentioned, and she relaxed slightly. She didn’t want to go to the Reid Family’s home right now. Seeing Wendy Lowell would only make things more awkward.

Sure enough, they followed Sheldon Reid inside. The living room decor was simple and stark, showing no signs of a woman’s touch.

Sheldon Reid glanced at Lucian and said to his bodyguards, "You two stay with him here." He then turned to Paige. "You, come with me."

Paige forced a twitch of her lips, nodded to Lucian to let him know she was going, and followed.

The moment she turned, however, she pressed her lips together tightly.

’That man’s attitude makes me extremely uncomfortable!’

’His eyes hold a subtle disdain! As if he’s standing on some lofty peak, and I’m just an ant in his sight!’

Watching his back, she curled her lip in a mocking smile.

’How interesting life is.’

’In my past life, when I was the sole heir to an Artificer House, I met people just like this.’

’They held high positions and thought themselves omnipotent. No matter how approachable they acted in public, a sense of superiority was baked into their bones.’

’But what was the reality?’

’Behind the scenes, their behavior was even more absurd and depraved than that of ordinary people.’

’Back then, I despised dealing with them, but I was forced to play along because of my grandfather’s earnest hope of restoring the Summers Family.’

’Now, although I’m no longer from an Artificer House, I’m still the sole survivor of the Summers Family.’

’And I have to face this kind of situation all over again.’

’But this time, I want nothing from them!’

The two arrived at a study. Facing the man who sat behind the desk, unconsciously exuding an air of authority as he scrutinized her, Paige raised an eyebrow and took a seat in the chair opposite him.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, taking the initiative.

Sheldon Reid slightly softened the sharpness in his eyes and pushed a piece of paper across the desk.

Paige looked down and saw it was the investigation report on the assassination attempt from that morning.

It stated that a total of four people had been apprehended. Two were the ones they had encountered, and the other two were accomplices lying in ambush on another route. There were only two roads from her residence to the commercial district... However, although the men were caught, there were no confessions, as all four had committed suicide by poison. Moreover, there was nothing on their bodies to prove their identities.

Paige read it with a stoic expression, feeling that her decision to go to Jovitas was completely justified. ’Looking at this report is totally meaningless!’

’Their intelligence network is pathetic...’

’Then again.’

’The assassination attempt was aimed at me. Why would they feel the need to investigate it thoroughly?’

’Catching all four and notifying me after they died... that’s already more than enough.’

Just as she was adjusting her mindset and preparing to put the paper back, Sheldon Reid suddenly spoke in a flat tone, "This matter isn’t over. I will find out who was behind this. So, don’t go to places like Jovitas again."

Paige almost scoffed. "I’m sorry. You may be someone important, but I don’t believe you have the right to restrict my movements. Where I go is my freedom."

Sheldon said pointedly, "Not since that woman recognized you."

’That woman?’ Paige quickly realized he was talking about Wendy Lowell.

She leaned back in her chair and looked at him calmly. "Who are you to Ms. Lowell?"

’Ms. Lowell?’ Sheldon Reid frowned slightly. "My father was her husband."

’So he’s the stepson...’

A corner of Paige’s mouth twitched. She said frankly, "I think you’ve all made a mistake. I don’t have a mother, nor do I need one. I don’t care what happened in the past to cause this situation. I belong to myself, and I won’t be ordered around by anyone—not you, not your father, and not that woman. If you find my existence an eyesore, I can’t say I feel sorry about it. Of course, you also don’t need to worry that I’ll use your family’s name to do anything, because we have no relationship whatsoever!"

Sheldon Reid stared at her for a long time before saying slowly, "My father has already passed away."

Paige froze, lines of frustration appearing on her forehead. ’That’s not the point!’

Sheldon rose, walked around the desk, and stood before her. "My father has passed away. Before he died, I promised I would take care of his widow. The only thing she wants now is to acknowledge you and live with you. And I have already agreed. So, as long as you nod your head and change your surname to Reid, you can live with her in the Reid Estate and lead a life free of worry."

’Is this a temptation or a test?’

’Is it safer to keep a dangerous person close?’

Under his gaze, Paige also stood up, resisting the urge to show a mocking expression.

The man was very tall; she was nearly a head shorter. To avoid having to look up at him, she immediately took a light step back to create some distance and said firmly, "I’m happy to inform you that I feel no regret. You must know that I am the sole survivor of the Summers Family. My surname is Summers, and I have no intention of changing that, in this life or the next."

She paused, then gave a polite nod. "Regarding this matter, please relay my decision to Ms. Lowell. Also, thank you for your help today, but there’s no need for it in the future. A small fry has her own way of surviving. What I want is not someone else’s protection, but to make that piece of trash truly understand his mistake! At times like that, I don’t mind using violence."

A flicker of something passed through Sheldon Reid’s eyes. He didn’t stop Paige, even following her downstairs.

"Let’s go," Paige said to Lucian.

At the same time, Sheldon Reid gave his bodyguards a look.

He stood in the center of the living room, watching them leave.

For a rare moment, he felt a flicker of doubt.

He could naturally tell that Paige’s words were sincere, not just a ploy to play hard to get.

But the more he was sure of it, the stranger he found it.

Her file had been on his desk for a while. He knew her living situation even better than others in Bloodfall. He knew she didn’t have it easy—hunting outside the city, making and selling Pathfinder Rats, running a weapons shop. Not to mention the constant running around, even when she stayed home, she was swamped with work. And today, she’d even been targeted for assassination...

What was there to cherish about a life like that?

The Reid Family, as a military Noble House, held an irreplaceable position in Astoria, both before and after the apocalypse. Although the family line had dwindled, as the commander in control of The Power Corps, he could say that in any territory under the Astorian Government’s jurisdiction, having even the slightest connection to him would open countless doors!

It had always been others trying every trick in the book to associate themselves with him. He had never met someone so eager to sever all ties...

’She’ll regret it. Definitely.’

Having reached this conclusion, he turned and strode confidently back to the study.

He unhesitatingly tossed the report from his desk into the trash can.

’The illegitimate son of the Howell Family, is it...’

’Very well.’

’Let’s just see how this "small fry" handles the situation!’