The Consortium's Heir

Chapter 274

That ticked Benji off entirely. He picked up the bat again, hoping to strike Darius down. This time, things still did not go as he wanted because Kate ran over to defend Darius.

Kate extended both arms in front, gripping Benji's bat tightly and stopping it from lowering further. A reddish tinge seeped into the whites of her eyes and to her cheeks.

"Uncle Benji, would you rather believe the guys who released this video instead of me? Don’t you know those people framed me to get my dad's wealth? Isn't it too convenient that they uploaded this video now when my dad is missing? They're the ones benefitting the most from this situation- not me and Darius!"

Benji’s face warped, still cautious but slightly convinced, so he retracted his bat.

Feeling things click into place, Darius raised a brow while examining the onlookers behind him. They had been standing around for some time but did not speak. Because of that, Darius assumed they were security guards or other staff members hired for the banquet earlier.

If he had not looked at them now, he would have never noticed how their eyes gleamed with greed at the scene.

That revealed their motives to Darius, and he also realized how Kate ended up in his hotel room. Even so, he decided to watch things unfold, not voicing his realizations.

Meanwhile, the onlookers were initially nervous since they knew Darius could get them in trouble, as he was not actually poor.

Yet, their anxiety diminished now that other wealthy figures had sought out their help to destroy Darius.

At that moment, Benji's silence toward Darius kept them on their toes.

"Uncle Benji, you're a grown man, so you should know better than to trust those slanderers!" Kate snapped.

At that point, Benji remained unmoving. His lips pursed into a thin line as he examined Darius once more. Only this time, his attention was not on Darius' face but on his clothes. A frown marred Benji's face upon realizing he had never seen nor heard of the brands Darius wore.

"There are only two explanations for this,” Benji thought, "Firstly, Darius’ clothes, including his shoes, are custom pieces from a clothing brand. The likelihood of that is low, though, because one would need a lot of money to achieve that. Not to mention, someone that wealthy would never take public transport. Such people have private jets, after all. That brings us to the second possible reason-these clothes are from substandard establishments where the poor shop.”

He let out a long exhale at that thought. Thinking he was now calm and his mind was clear, he locked eyes with Darius while raising his bat again. He then thundered frostily,

"You're an intelligent man-hiding behind my niece without saying anything. You didn't even respond to a word I said. That almost made me believe my niece's words. Sadly, you shouldn't have taken a public flight to get close to her."

Benji convinced himself what he said was the truth. Soon, his features hardened with certainty, staring Darius down like the latter were a criminal. He placed a hand in his pocket while shaking his head disapprovingly.

"You're a fit and handsome guy. I don’t doubt that your abilities can get you far in this world. Sadly, you've disappointed me by choosing the easy way out-tricking girls who seem wealthy and naive into falling for you."

Darius did not expect the other party to arrive at such a bizarre conclusion after interrogating him for so long. He rolled his eyes, put his hands in his pockets, and declared,

"I've stood here long enough and given you plenty of my patience. You've made your opinions of me crystal clear, so please leave now. You're currently trespassing on my property."

After saying that, he yawned to indicate how bored he was with the conversation. Although that was not how he truly felt, he wanted to quickly and peacefully resolve the matter.

He chose not to argue but pointed at the door instead, stating, "If there's nothing more you have to say to me, please be on your way.”

That took Benji aback. Darkness swept across his face, but he remained deathly still while glowering at Darius.

"I believe I’ve made my point. You may not have much money now, but you're young and can generate wealth over time. Moreover, your living conditions seem better than most unfortunate populations; most aren't strong or healthy but continue to work hard at their jobs."

"Seriously? The nerve of this guy to think he can ‘patiently’ educate me." Rage curled in Darius' gut while he flashed a vicious smile and said Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

"Okay, I think we can wrap this conversation up now because I've given you plenty of chances. I'll let you off the hook because you're a good person, although you're too stupid to comprehend the truth. However, the condition is you'll have to disappear from my sight now."

Benji's eyes widened in disbelief at what he had just heard. He pointed at Darius, anger boiling in him and causing him to tremble. Even his voice came out shaky.

"D-Do you know what you're saying now? I’m the one who's choosing to let you off the hook! Shouldn't you be the one to leave this place? How dare you keep this facade up to fool my niece and me?"

Darius glanced at the former's enraged state before looking at Kate and saying, "Thank you for stepping up to protect me earlier. However, I hope you realize that none of that would've happened if your family members hadn't shown up in the first place."

Terror drained the ruddiness on Kate's face in that instant. It was now her turn to quiver fervently, but she still nodded. “I understand and am grateful you’ve chosen to let my uncle go. No matter what it takes, I'll get him out of here at once."

Following that, she reached out and grabbed her uncle's arm, pulling him toward the exit. Desperation lingered in her voice as she pleaded,

"I Know you worry about my safety, Uncle Benji, but things aren't as you think. What happened is not at all like those slanderers say."