Cherished By Seven Sisters by Melvin Houle

“Benedict, you might think that you can crush me with a snap of your fingers, but the truth is, the Sheldon family is nothing but insects to me,” Emrys said upon walking up to Benedict. Bam! When Benedict retreated by reflex, his back hit the sharp corner of a table, causing him excruciating pain. This is humiliating! How can I, the head of the Sheldon family, be terrified by the words of such a young punk? “I… I admit that you’re good with your fists, but you’re still one man in the end. There’s no way you can take on the entire Sheldon family,” Benedict roared after gathering his wits. The shocked crowd quickly regained their senses. They were all blown away by the skill Emrys had displayed earlier. Not only did he take down more than ten b*dyguards single-handedly, but he did so without a scratch. Are they actually filming a movie? Despite their shock, Benedict’s words made sense to them. He may be a good fighter, yet he’s still one man. Ten b*dyguards may not pose a threat to him, but it’s impossible for him to defeat a hundred. On top of that, he brazenly said that the Sheldon family was nothing but insects! Thud… Thud… At that moment, the crisp sound of footsteps heralded the arrival of a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes. The moment everyone saw him, they felt a chill down their spines. “What are you doing here, Thomas?” Benedict’s eyes narrowed. Suddenly, something dawned upon him and he bellowed, “Damn it, I was wondering where this kid got his courage from. It turns out that the Sunderland family is the one supporting him!” Just like the Sheldon family, the Sunderland family was one of the most prominent families in Jadeborough. Their influence in the city was pretty similar. Thomas Sunderland was the current head of the Sunderland family. “So this is what’s going on. On the surface, it may look like a conflict between Emrys and the Sheldon family, but in reality, it’s one between two of the most powerful families in Jadeborough!” The reporters present made the same assumption as Benedict did. All of them thought that Emrys was under Thomas’ protection. It was then that the puzzled Thomas threw them a glance. “What are you talking about?” What do they mean by support? He had no idea what they were talking about, as he was there on official business. Ignoring the crowd, Thomas walked up to Cordelia and announced, “I, Thomas Sunderland, am here under the orders of South River King to deliver Cordelia Group this contract worth a billion.” In that instant, everyone’s eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. South River King! A contract worth a billion! This is crazy! Before everyone could regain their senses, an elderly man in a traditional outfit entered the conference room. “I, Mance Trump, am here under the orders of South River King to deliver Cordelia Group this contract worth a billion.” South River King has instructed another prominent family of Jadeborough to offer a similarly huge contract. What the f*ck is going on? Little did they know that was just the beginning. After Mance’s arrival, a few more men walked in. All of them were movers and shakers of Jadeborough. “I, Lawrence Lambo, am here under the orders of South River King to deliver Cordelia Group this contract worth a billion.” “I, Christian Warhol, am here under the orders of South River King to deliver Cordelia Group this contract worth a billion.” “I, William Jackson, am here under the orders of South River King to deliver Cordelia Group this contract worth a billion.” As the men approached one by one, the crowd soon grew numb to them until the last man entered—South River King. “I, Osmond Langdon, present Cordelia Group this contract worth five billion.” A five billion contract personally delivered by South River King? Despite being numbed by the earlier shock, the crowd was flabbergasted a second time. Oh my God! If word gets out that half of Jadeborough’s most powerful men are gathered here, it will definitely send a shockwave through the city! All of them went crazy trying to fathom what was going on. Even Cordelia was astonished by the turn of events. As for the staff of Cordelia Group, they, too, were filled with shock. These prominent families that they had always admired were now taking turns delivering contracts to them. One billion! Five billion! If Cordelia Group were to accept the contracts, it would instantly transform from Jadeborough’s worst company to one of its best, just like a phoenix rising from its ashes. With her heart beating furiously, Cordelia mumbled, “S-South River King… What is going on?” She was just as baffled as everyone present. Osmond broke into a smile and replied, “Ms. Youngblood, there’s no need for questions. I hope you’ll accept all the humble gifts that we have presented.” Right after he spoke, he glanced in a particular direction before quickly retracting his gaze. However, his minute gesture didn’t escape Cordelia’s notice. When she turned in the direction he was looking, she suddenly froze. It’s Rys! The apple of my eye, Rys! South River King must have presented all the contracts on his account. Tears began to fill Cordelia’s eyes. No wonder Rys was so calm throughout the episode. He must have already known that South River King would make an appearance. And yet, I slapped him just now. Guilt began to well up inside Cordelia. “South River King, are you mad? Thomas, Mance… Have all of you gone crazy too?” Benedict couldn’t believe his eyes. To put it another way, he refused to accept what he was witnessing. Even though South River King is extremely powerful, his influence isn’t enough to compel all the prominent families to do this, so why exactly are they offering Cordelia Group such lucrative contracts? Benedict just couldn’t figure out why. At that moment, South River King let out a snort. “Benedict, can we speak in private?” The crowd didn’t know what the two discussed. All they saw was Benedict trembling upon his return. The rage on his face previously was now entirely replaced by fear. “I-I’m going to beat you to death!” Grabbing a chair, Benedict charged at Kane hysterically. He smashed the chair repeatedly on Kane until Kane lost consciousness and a broken piece was all that was left in his hand. The terrifying sight sent a chill down everyone’s spine. It was unfathomable that a father would strike his own son to the extent of almost killing him. After all, there was no way they would know the reason for Benedict’s terror. Outside, South River King had told him that the man protecting Cordelia was none other than Empyrean Lord. He’s Empyrean Lord for goodness’ sake! If I don’t beat Kane to a pulp, the entire Sheldon family will be eliminated. Benedict was naturally frightened by the consequences. Although South River King didn’t mention Empyrean Lord’s name, Benedict could already guess that it was Emrys. He finally grasped the meaning of Emrys’ words when Emrys told him that the Sheldon family were mere insects to him. Truth be told, the Sheldon family wasn’t alone. Even the prominent families of Jipsdale were just as insignificant in the eyes of Empyrean Lord. “Can I have your attention now?” At that moment, everyone shifted their gazes to Emrys. A pin-drop silence ensued. “As I’ve said before, all of you owe Delia an apology. Are you ready to get on your knees?”