Evan's face turned deathly pale.
For the first time in his life, he felt genuine fear.
From childhood to adulthood, what had made him fearless was never courage or talent—it was wealth and power.So what if someone was handsome, academically gifted, or capable? He could always crush them with money.
But now, he finally tasted what it meant to be crushed.
Not by fists.Not by authority.But by sheer, overwhelming capital.
That ten billion dollars in bank deposits shattered his worldview.
It was a completely different concept from there family's so-called ten billion in total assets—real estate, companies, stocks, bonds, leverage stacked on leverage.
Only now did Evan understand something painfully clear.
It wasn't that his grandfather and father hadn't thought of countermeasures.It was that they simply couldn't fight back.
In front of a true financial behemoth, all strategies were meaningless.
The lawless arrogance Evan had always carried finally cracked. For the first time, he clearly saw the gap between himself and Jason—someone younger than him, yet standing on an entirely different plane.
But what truly terrified him wasn't being outdone.
It was the possibility that there family might go bankrupt.
Evan wasn't completely delusional. He knew exactly what he was without there family.
Nothing.
No money.No power.No status.
He would lose the carefree life he had taken for granted and might even fall to the very bottom—to become one of the "small people" he had always despised.
Just imagining that future sent chills down his spine.
In the end, Evan backed down.
Following his grandfather and father's decision, he publicly issued an apology. Not just words—he acted.
That afternoon, he personally went to Riverside University.
At the girls' dormitory, under countless gazes, Evan bowed deeply toward Clara.
It was a full bow.
For someone like him—pampered since childhood, obsessed with pride and reputation—this was almost unbearable.
But compared to there family collapsing, pride meant nothing.
If the family fell, every enemy who had once flattered him would trample his dignity without mercy.
When the news spread, they couldn't help sighing.
"Damn… Evan actually backed down. That's rare. Getting that stubborn kid to bow isn't easy."
Victor nodded."He's not completely brainless. Once he investigated and saw the gap, he understood. Just the ten billion in bank deposits alone says everything."
"Ten billion in cash deposits… that's terrifying. Compared to absolute power, our so-called four great families are nothing."
Victor added quietly,"Now it depends on how far Jason wants to go. Whether he'll completely wipe out there family—or stop here."
From her balcony at the girls' dormitory, Clara saw Evan bowing below.
Her heart trembled.
Only in these past few days had she truly understood just how powerful there family was. In this city, they were practically untouchable.
Under normal circumstances, if someone like Evan targeted her, there would have been only two outcomes.
Resist—and her entire family would be destroyed.Or submit—endure humiliation, be used, and discarded without any power to fight back.
Either way, it would have been despair.
But none of that happened.
Clara finally understood something clearly.
Once again—Jason had protected her.
Her usually cold and aloof heart stirred, waves spreading quietly through it.
Clara: Favorability +2
She clasped the balcony railing, her gaze unconsciously drifting into the distance.
Somewhere out there—
There was someone standing behind her,silently holding up the sky.
A few days later, there family finally managed to reach Jason Carter through a tangled web of intermediaries. After repeated messages and carefully worded requests, Jason loosened his stance—just a little—and agreed to sit down for a proper talk.
There family seized the chance like drowning men grabbing a rope.
They mobilized every connection they had, called in every favor still owed. On the surface, it was an apology. Beneath it, there was also calculation. They hoped this network of people—this show of "foundation"—might make Jason at least slightly wary.
Not to threaten him.Just enough to make him think twice.
Their expectation was modest: ruthless extermination was troublesome, after all. If Jason recognized their sincerity, perhaps he'd spare there family to save himself the effort.
Before leaving, Daniel spoke gravely.
"Remember—be respectful. Bringing people is meant to show sincerity, not pressure. Our tone must be humble."
He turned to Evan.
"This started with you. You will apologize later—and you will be sincere. The survival of there family depends on this."
Evan nodded stiffly. For once, there was no arrogance on his face.
At noon, the meeting location revealed itself.
A small countryside restaurant on the outskirts of the city.
There family's luxury cars lined the road awkwardly. Parking was terrible. Normally, there would've been complaints—anger, orders barked at staff.
Today, there was none.
Even if they had to park far away and walk, they didn't dare say a word. This place had been chosen by Jason.
Still, confusion crept in.
Why here?Such a… low-class restaurant?
Before anyone could dwell on it, a black sedan pulled up.
The doors opened.
Jason stepped out—calm, unhurried—alongside the president of Riverside University, chatting casually. Another car followed closely behind. When it stopped, the mayor himself got out.
There family's expressions changed instantly.
Not just Daniel and James—but everyone they had brought with them.
The powerful contacts they'd relied on all their lives suddenly seemed insignificant. Faces went stiff. Some people instinctively took half-steps backward, suddenly wishing they weren't here at all.
At the moment those two appeared, every combined "connection" there family had brought collapsed into irrelevance.
Ants before an elephant.
Without realizing it, the once-large entourage shrank into a small, nervous cluster.
Only then did there family understand why Jason—owner of top-tier hotels and assets—had chosen this place.
The more ordinary the restaurant, the heavier the banquet.
When the guests were powerful enough, simplicity became the highest form of prudence. No extravagance. No paper trail. No accusations of corruption, collusion, or excess.
At this moment, no luxury hotel on earth could compare to this modest farmhouse.
You might enjoy the finest service in the most expensive venues—but you might not even be qualified to pour tea here.
Soon after, district chiefs and bureau heads arrived. Normally formidable figures, now quietly taking seats, almost invisible.
They sat in the corner, cautious, restrained, like quails bracing against the cold. All they could do was watch as Jason laughed lightly, conversing with the mayor and the university president as equals.
In the past, even when the mayor valued Jason, there had been a clear hierarchy.
But now?
After seeing Jason's massive investments across multiple cities, the mayor understood something crucial—Jason's background was unfathomable. He wasn't an ordinary tycoon. He was someone who might soon shape the entire region.
So the mayor met him eye to eye.
Even Daniel and James couldn't find a chance to speak—let alone Evan.
No matter how reckless Evan had been, he knew one thing: arrogance ended where true authority began. That instinct was the only reason he'd survived this long.
Watching Jason chat and laugh with the mayor, Evan finally understood.
This was real power.
Everything he'd ever flaunted before—money, status, intimidation—was nothing more than children playing house.
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