Villain: The Play of Destiny

Though he was expecting people to approach him to let Ye Tian off, he was still surprised to hear about it when he woke up in the afternoon.

It was a little too fast.

“The Chairman of the Nestex Corporation is here?” Celine asked in disbelief as she looked at Sebastian.

They were all seated in the lounge when Sebastian arrived and informed Keith about it.

“Yes, Lady Celine.” Sebs nodded to her and then looked at Keith. “Should I turn him away?”

“No.” Keith shook his head and stood up with a smile on his face. “Show him to the office. I will see him there.”

“Yes, Young Master.” The tall man nodded to him and then left the room.

A mischievous smile crept on Rebecca’s face when their eyes met, and he nodded to her to come with him.

“Did you like your present?” He asked after they entered the office and took their seats.

“No.” She pouted and crossed her arms on her chest.

“Is that so?” He sighed. “You can return it to me. I will give you something else.”

“I am not giving it back.” She grinned and shook her head.

“Then just admit that you liked it.” He smiled back at her.

“You gave it to me because you knew I would like it. Why do you need to hear it?”

“Because it is common courtesy to ask the person if they liked your gift or not after they have seen it.”

“Aren’t you the courteous one…” She giggled.

Since the Charmain of the Nestex corporation was still at the Main Gate of the Estate, it was going to take him over ten minutes to arrive. The two of them happily chatted with each other about the medical book that he had placed on her bedside last night which ultimately led them to some playful bickering.

They stopped talking when the door of the office was knocked.

“Come in.” Keith indifferently said and then looked at the old and the young man by his side who entered the room.

The old man had all white hair thanks to his old age, and the young man by his side was not exactly young anymore, he was visibly in his late thirties with dark brown hair and dull brown eyes. Perhaps the key distinguishing feature of the two was their sharp aquiline noses.

“Chairman Hawkins.” Keith smiled at the old man when he approached the table and stood up, drawing his hand forward.

“Heir Demiliore.” The old man shook his hand and then frowned a little when he saw the blonde girl not even looking at him, seemingly lost reading a file. “This is my son, Rupert.”

“Nice to meet you. Please be seated.” He nodded to the young man and then asked them both to be seated.

What followed was a pregnant silence and Keith did not exactly look the old man in the eyes as he waited for him to state the reason why he was there.

“Heir Demiliore, the reason why I am here is not Business. It is more of a personal favour.” Old man Hawkins finally said, and Keith looked up into his eyes.

“I guessed so. We don’t operate in the same or complementing industries.” He lightly smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to ask if you would be willing to show some leniency to Ye Tian.”

“Oh.” He feigned some surprise under the observant eyes of the old man. “And why do you ask me for something like this, Mr. John?”

He no longer addressed the old man with the same respect as before, and both the guests felt it.

“Ye Tian’s Master, Bai Wuzun, was a dear friend of mine, Heir Demiliore. He also saved my life once from imminent death and took a bullet for me when we were in High-School. He deeply cared for his student, and a few years ago, we asked for a favour. Rupert,” He glanced at his son and then back at Keith, “was kidnapped by a terrorist group when he was passing through a conflicted zone in Africa. I was willing to give them whatever they wanted, but I could not be sure if they would not harm him. Bai Wuzun assured me that nothing would happen to my son, and he asked Ye Tian to rescue Rupert…”

Keith listened to the story of the old man with a light smile on his face.

“We owe Ye Tian a life-saving grace, and Bai Wuzun had personally asked me to take care of his student if it was anything I could do for him.”

“I can understand your sentiment, Mr. John, but what I want to know is why you approach me regarding this matter?” He suddenly said, tensing the guests. “You should have looked into the matter and have understood that it was not me or my family that filed any charges against him. It is the State against your benefactor. But yes, we do indeed plan on filing some charges against him, including the defamation charges for the allegations he made last night.”

Rupert was seemingly not pleased to hear his words, and the old man had a deep frown on his face.

“We both know the truth of the matter, Heir Demiliore…” The old man spoke but was cut off.

“Do we?” Keith brightly smiled. “Do you know that he is a Mercenary and a Rogue Soldier? Considering the things he has done in his life, he and his outfit can be labelled as terrorists. He is a threat. And I am quite surprised that a man such as you would side with a man like him, no matter what you owed him or his Master.”

His words were blunt and irrefutable, yet the young man could not hold onto his emotions.

“Ye Tian is not a terrorist!” Rupert nearly shouted. “He saved my life, and I consider him my friend. You don’t know him!”

“Mister Rupert,” Keith sternly looked at the young man, “this is my home, and you are my guest. You can not raise your voice at me.”

Rupert’s face turned red in embarrassment and anger, but before he could say anything again, his father placed his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

“I apologise for him,” John said.

“Dad..” Rupert wanted to say that there was no need to apologise, but John shook his head at him.

“He’s young and willful. I am to blame for his behaviour.” He sighed and smiled. “Since you have this stand, let’s discuss this matter differently. Would you have the same stand if I promise you that whatever evidence Ye Tian has against you will be handed over to you in return for a safe passage for him?” .

Keith smiled when he heard those words and looked the old man right in the eyes.

“Do you really believe in what he said last night, Mr. John? Because I can tell you that there was no truth in anything he said. How can there be any evidence when I never have never done anything wrong?” He confidently said, and even the old man was a bit puzzled.

He had talked with Ye Tian earlier, and the latter had assured him that he indeed had evidence against the Heir of the Demiliore Family, though it was a little weak.

“I can not help you with the case the State has filed against him. However, we can still discuss the matter of the defamation charges we plan on filing against him.” He suddenly said, catching their attention. “We are willing to not pursue the matter of defamation if Ye Tian publicly apologises to my ladies and me. But of course, since it is a favour that you are asking, you must know that it won’t come for free.”

Even though it was not what he was looking for, John was smart enough to not miss out on this small opportunity.

A public apology was nothing detrimental to Ye Tian, and it would also help sway the public’s opinion of him.

“What do you want, Heir Demiliore?”

“A public apology from Ye Tian, and two Billion Neris.”

The old man was surprised that Keith asked for money, and even if it was an outrageous some, it was still not something that he could not afford. It was barely reasonable.

“Okay.” He did not try to negotiate anymore and nodded his head.

John had decided to verify the evidence Ye Tian had against Keith before approaching him again. Since the Heir of the Demiliore Family was not even willing to acknowledge the evidence against him, there was nothing he could do to negotiate with him.

Rebecca curiously looked at the smile on Keith’s face after the guests took their leave. She was familiar with that smile of his, and she knew that he was quite amused by something.

“You would really not press charges against him if he offers a public apology?”

“There’s no if.” He shook his head. “Ye Tian is not going to accept this offer and would not apologise to me or anyone. He’s a stubborn idiot.” He simply said.

“I see.” She grinned. “We will split the money in half.”

She knew that he would probably propose the same conditions to anyone who approaches him, and most were going to pay the price.

“No.” He simply shook his head and stood up, checking his watch. “Let’s head to the office.”

“Don’t want to.” She shook her head uninterestedly. “I am going to study the book.” She pulled him into a quick kiss and then brightly smiled at him. “I want a new car.”

“Alright. You can book the one you want.”

“And a bike too! The same as the one you have.”

“All those bikes already have owners.” He smiled at her.

“So?” She smirked.

“Okay. I will get you one.” He shrugged and said, which elated her and she happily hugged him.

“You are the best!”

“I know.” He nodded to her words and then leaned near her year. “But I will be making you pay for them in bed tonight, my dear Rebecca.”

“Is that so?” A beautiful blush adorned her face, but she still proactively smiled at him and seductively teased him.

“Yes.” He nodded to her.

“Don’t be late. I will hold you on your promise.” She kissed him on his neck and then hopped away from him, running out of the office.