Return Of The Prodigy
Return of the Prodigy Chapter 69

Katie and Adam remained calm despite the mockery and ridicule!

"Even if he is unable to fight against the world alone, he is my husband!" said Katie proudly.

"If you want to see it for yourself, it is just a matter of time," Adam said coldly. "When the truth gets out, I wonder if you will continue with this self-righteous talk then! I hope for your sake you won't end up eating your words and begging for our forgiveness!"

Adam took out his phone and made a call.

Before long, four police cars drove over and dispersed the crowd.

The crowd was dumbfounded by this turn of events before they started gossiping.

"Didn't he say he could fight the world alone? He ended up calling the cops."

"He is just a blowhard talking big!"

"I am definitely going to report everything. He clearly has a death wish for pissing off reporters!"

The crowd left huffily, but they knew things had barely started. It was just a matter of time before Adam and Katie would see the scandal spreading throughout the city like wildfire and get plagued by poor public opinion. Righteous people would try to replace their residential addresses and numbers and their children would get ostracized by the public.

A true storm was brewing.

Unless Adam was genuinely capable of fighting the storm alone, there was no stopping this!

Adam and Katie went into Hartley Group holding hands as though nothing happened and seemed oblivious of their fates. When they got to the office, she finally let go of his arm. She could not help feeling shy thinking about their kiss. After all, she was not used to public display of affection.

"Enough. I have to get back to work, as should you," said Katie gently.

Adam nodded and left the office.

The moment he left, Jenny, Emma, and Renna went into the office and gossiped among themselves.

"Katie, you were so cool."

"Adam was great too! He was so hot when he defended you!"

"I am so envious of you two."

"Enough already," Katie said shyly. "Get back to work. I will get him to introduce some friends to you."

Adam smiled as he shook his head. It was better to have them around, Katie could at least have someone to talk to.

After leaving Hartley Group, Adam called Black Dragon.

"How is the investigation going?"

"I have made some headway with investigating Joseph," Black Dragon replied. "He belongs to an organization called Swindlers' Guild. I have gotten in touch with the person in charge of the branch in Alameda County. He is on his way to Lisle to tell you more." "Okay then. When the guy gets here, let me know. Any updates about the incident that happened six years ago?"

"I made some progress there as well. I've already sent men to bring the guy over."

"Okay then. Work quickly."

-

Katie had just gotten off work when she suddenly received a call from the Hartley residence.

"Come to the residence tonight for Daniel's celebration party. You had better show up."

Click!

The caller hung up the moment she finished her sentence without even giving Katie the chance to turn down the invitation.

Katie frowned. She had a bad feeling about this.

Daniel was her ex-fiancé. Also, Amanda had kicked a fuss outside the company and was bound to make the news. The family could use these things against her anytime. Even without thinking, she knew the invitation did not bode well! "Yes?" asked Adam.

"I was told to go for the banquet tonight at the Hartley residence."

"Let's just go then. This is the perfect time to settle the score!" Adam narrowed his eyes as he laughed.

-

Tonight, the Hartley residence was brightly lit. An ensemble dressed in tuxedos played soft dance music while the chefs worked diligently preparing dinner. The tables were filled with high-end wine and food, and the hall was dazzling. Friends and family had already arrived dressed in formalwear as they gathered in small groups and chatted happily. The atmosphere in the villa was excellent.

Matilda, Terry, Dave, and Daniel were having a secret discussion inside the residence.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"To be honest, ever since that crazy guy came back, Katie is a changed woman. We used to have total control over her, but these days, nothing works."

"No matter what, we have to drive her out of the family this time and make her payback for what she has done to Peter."

Daniel smiled confidently as he said, "Don't worry. I have planned a good show for you today. Even if everything fails, I have a backup plan. Katie can never guess we were behind it."

The Hartleys were instantly invigorated and heaped praises on Daniel.

"That was smart! You have our support."

"If Peter had brains like yours, he would not have ended up in such a state!"

Daniel smiled. He looked at the lot as though they were a bunch of idiots. Do you really think Peter is the only idiot in the family? None of you are any better!

Daniel had worked diligently to make this happen. Was he only out to get Katie and her family? Nope. He had only one objective, he wanted the Hartley family's assets for himself!

If the Smiths could take over the Hartleys' assets, they would become an elite clan overnight. After he had called off his engagement with Katie six years ago, he married Matilda even though she was not as good as Katie. Naturally, Matilda had taken the initiative to seduce him! The woman was throwing herself at him, so there was no reason for him to say no!

This was just the beginning of his plot. The first step was to drive Katie out of the family and steal the resort project. The next was to slowly steal their business connections and resources. This went for the project he was handling in the capital. Despite being owned by Hartley Group in name, the business partner worked for him alone. He simply had to say the word and his business partner would ditch the Hartleys.

The countdown to the demise of the Hartleys had already begun. These plans were seven years in the making and now was the time to reap the fruits.

"Oh yes. Daniel, how much did it cost to pay off Amanda? We'll pay you back!" said Terry.

Daniel turned down the offer. "We are family, so we should not talk about money. The woman loves money, so she came cheap. All it took was 45 grand to do the job."

"45 grand? Okay. I will get the accountant to transfer you the money tomorrow. You stepped up for the family, so it does not seem right to make you foot the bill," said Terry. Daniel smiled.

The guy was genuinely clueless and even paid him back for it!

A flurry of hurried footsteps could be heard, then...

Knock, knock, knock!

Then a maid said from outside the door, "Sir, Katie, and her family have arrived."

"Got it," replied Dave sternly.

"The show is about to begin. I can't wait to see them kneeling and kowtowing to us," said Matilda with hatred in her eyes.

A glint of coldness swept across Terry's eyes. He said, "Time to go and seek revenge for your brother!"

With that, Terry and Matilda walked out of the room.

Dave sat in the chair without moving. He frowned and asked, "Daniel, what's your backup plan?"