Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law-Chapter 651: Arrogant Opponent (3)_1

Dressed in a white suit that made him look every bit the Prince Charming, Hansen Ruiz leaned back in his black swivel chair, feet propped carelessly on the desk. Such unbecoming behavior would surely damage his image if anyone outside were to witness it. No one would ever expect the usually gentle and composed Assistant Ruiz to have such a reckless, uninhibited side.

A folder was slapped forcefully onto his impudent feet.

Glades Horne, clad entirely in black, glared at him. "Come on," he said irritably. "At least try to maintain some decorum in front of your boss. What do you think Camila would say if she saw you like this? Would it tarnish her image of her godlike father?"

Hansen’s movements were lightning-fast as he took his feet off the desk and sat up straight, his posture the very picture of propriety, though his smile stretched wide across his face. "You better not tell Camila, alright? My little princess adores her doting dad. Let’s not corrupt the child."

"So, you’re back at Valence Group today. Is there some important new discovery?"

Glades Horne sat down in the black chair opposite him and asked in a low voice.

Now a father, Hansen had grown even lazier. He visited the company far less often than Glades, the CEO, making one wonder who the *actual* Assistant was.

Hansen was always the one dropping Camila off at kindergarten in the mornings and picking her up in the afternoons. He had practically become a full-time Dad. It seemed as if his world revolved solely around Rachel Bailey and Camila, with no time for anything else.

Hansen chuckled, glancing at Glades. "Actually, your information is just as good as mine. You probably already know whatever I do, right?"

Glades Horne’s handsome face showed little emotion. He simply stared at Hansen, his voice cold. "Noah Reyes is here. Black Emperor Group is indeed his." Noah Reyes had returned to Syrena, his sophisticated security system still active to conceal his movements. Consequently, the outside world remained unaware that the true head of Black Emperor Group had arrived in T City. Glades Horne and Hansen Ruiz had been tracking Noah Reyes for three years. During this period, their respective information networks had continuously expanded. While they hadn’t yet managed to fully investigate all aspects of his background and activities, they had uncovered some of his movements.

Noah Reyes had flown from the United States to Syrena on the first day of the New Year.

Both believed his arrival in Syrena was for Black Emperor Group.

His arrival put both of them on high alert, as it signaled that Noah Reyes was preparing for a head-on confrontation with their Valence Group.

Their opponent was the mysterious leader of the Flames Sect, which also meant Glades Horne and Hansen Ruiz couldn’t afford to be the slightest bit careless. Although Black Emperor Group was still in its nascent stages and not yet a match for Valence Group, the amount of capital Noah Reyes had poured into it was staggering. These investments were enough to position Black Emperor Group as a dark horse in T City’s business world, attracting widespread attention.

"Didn’t we predict this three years ago? Silvia Baxter is definitely involved with him," Hansen said, his demeanor suddenly serious, his usual warm smile vanishing.

At the mention of his romantic rival, Glades’s eyes darkened.

"We’ve also found a replacement for our business partnership with the Baxters. Once the current contract expires, we won’t be renewing with the Baxter Family," Glades said icily, his words carrying a sharp edge.

Regardless of whether Silvia Baxter was connected to Noah Reyes, as long as she harbored feelings for Julia, Glades would not continue a long-term partnership with the Baxter Family.

Silvia Baxter had climbed to the position of Vice President within her family’s company, wielding considerable power. If their families continued to cooperate, she would undoubtedly target Valence Group.

"How could Mr. Baxter, so astute, choose a woman as his successor?" Hansen furrowed his brows, expressing his bafflement at Mr. Baxter grooming Silvia Baxter as an heir.

Glades Horne pursed his lips and remained silent.

Silvia Baxter certainly cut a prominent figure in her family’s company, but he always suspected Mr. Baxter hadn’t truly entrusted the family business to her. After all, she wasn’t of Baxter blood, and Syrena people held ancient beliefs that placed immense value on bloodlines. Would Mr. Baxter really choose an heir who wasn’t his own flesh and blood?

"Setting business aside for a moment," Glades’s handsome face tensed, his eyes growing even colder. "What I want to know is whether Noah Reyes is the man who hurt Adele four years ago!"

He had watched his sister cope as a single mother for years. Despite their family’s protection, the moment she stepped outside, the looks people gave her and Jimmy were always judgmental. Smiles to their faces, slander behind their backs.

At school, Jimmy had once been called a bastard by a rich kid—a child with a mother but no father.

Those words deeply wounded Jimmy’s young heart. For a time, he would cling to his mother, Adele, every day, asking, "Mommy, where is Daddy? Why have I never seen him? A classmate called me a bastard. Mommy, what’s a bastard? Everyone likes to play with Ivan, but they don’t like playing with me."

Each time, Adele’s heart ached at her son’s questions.

All Adele could do was pull her son into her arms and offer a gentle lie. "Billy, you do have a daddy. He’s just very, very busy—even busier than your uncles. That’s why he can’t come home, and you haven’t seen him yet. You’re not a bastard, understand? You have a mommy who adores you. You’re not a bastard. As long as Ivan is nice to you, you have nothing to worry about, okay?"

Billy blinked his pitch-black eyes, looking doubtful, but he didn’t ask any further questions.

After that, Billy stopped inquiring about his father. At school, he somehow managed to turn the tables, making his classmates want to play with him and no longer look down on him.

In the teachers’ eyes, he and Ivan Horne were treasures of the Horne Family. They wouldn’t dare show Jimmy the slightest discrimination, knowing how much the head of the Horne Family and his wife cherished him, treating him as their own.

But the questions Jimmy once asked were like a sharp sword, cutting deep into Glades Horne’s heart.

He had seen for himself how hard it was for a single mother these past three years, watching his own sister struggle.