Not long after finding the photo, one evening, the housekeeper saw the master return home. His anger was impossible to miss. The usually composed man, who always kept his emotions carefully hidden from others, was visibly furious. Ms. Mccann immediately sensed that it had something to do with the young master.
After the master entered the study, the housekeeper exchanged a silent glance with the driver. They could hear the sounds of things being angrily thrown around, followed by the driver muttering, "The young master caused a huge scene outside, nearly beating someone to death." The master, upon hearing this, rushed out, and when he saw the young master in such a disheveled state—looking more like a ghost than a person—his rage boiled over. Without hesitation, he grabbed a nearby stick and struck him right there on the spot.
Even when the master had been angry in the past, he had never actually laid a hand on him. But this time, as he struck him, the master mocked him bitterly, "You're acting like a thug, a street punk, just someone else's lackey. You should've stayed with me—at least I wouldn't have pushed you into this life or made you into something you're not."
The driver said that his son had been the young master's follower since childhood. This time, when the young master ran away, his son followed him. The two of them got involved with a group of people who, after a while, began stealing, swindling, and fighting for territory. They engaged in reckless behavior—drinking, playing with cars and women—and their lifestyle became utterly degenerate. At first, the master just quietly watched them make a scene, thinking that once his temper calmed down, the young master would return. However, not only did the young master not come back, but his behavior worsened. This time, even the driver's son had been dragged into it. The driver's family had hoped that their son would grow up well, study hard, and make something of himself in the future. Furious, the master ordered that if anyone dared to take the young master in, he would bankrupt himself to ensure that person would never stand in this city again.
The old man was busy dealing with the trouble his son had caused, and not long after, the son came back, bringing the driver's son with him. After a few days, the old man couldn't stand his son's stubborn attitude, which was even worse than his own, and decided that since the son loved to cause trouble so much, he would throw him into the family's bar to work. The son, wearing a uniform, became one of the lowest-ranking employees at the bar. This was a job that relied on reading people's faces, Earning a few thousand dollar a day, he had no idea how long it would take to repay the tens of millions he owed. The son started brainstorming ways to make money faster, and even suggested improvements to the bar. The old man, seeing the son's business acumen, proposed sending him abroad to study and help him with the business when he returned.
That's when their relationship began to gradually improve. Perhaps it was the mix of people in the bar and the diverse stories they shared that had an effect. Whatever the reason, father and son finally found themselves in a place where they could speak calmly and without conflict.
Once the son went abroad, he never returned. Every now and then, he would send Ms. Mccann a postcard or a photo, just to check in. But the housekeeper knew that, deep down, he still cared about the master. The master would read the few brief lines of updates in the letters and say nothing. And so, the years went by, one after another. The son matured into a true adult, and shortly after his return, the old man began to fulfill his promise, gradually passing the reins of the business over to him.
The old man, fearing that the return might stir up old wounds, moved out of the family mansion. After the son returned, he didn't live with the old man but chose to stay in the house he had grown up in. One day, the butler thought the son had already gone out and entered his bedroom to tidy up. When he opened the door, he found the son naked, wearing only underwear, The butler politely backed out. After all these years, the young master was no longer the rash boy he once was. Now, he was tall with long legs, broad shoulders, and a muscular build. His well-defined features and strikingly handsome face had no doubt made him the object of admiration for countless women. In her memory, the tattoos on the young master's back seemed different from the ones she had seen in the photo years ago. It looked like the design had been changed, covering a much larger area, now stretching across his entire back and even extending down toward his waistband...
The young master was a man with ambition. After his transformation, he turned the places he once scorned—bars and casinos—into the thriving and popular Opal Lounge. Seeing his son breathe new life into the family business, the old man finally felt a sense of peace. But soon, his thoughts shifted to the future of the Nixon family and its legacy. He suggested to his son, "It might be time to think about settling down, getting married, and having kids. That way, the Nixon family can have some real continuity, and the next generation can carry things forward."
Although the relationship between father and son had improved, the young master was still a young, ambitious man, with good looks and a reputation that attracted rumors and whispers. His habit of flirting and indulging in the fast life, despite his father's wishes, remained unchanged. The old man, lost in thought, brought up the subject of their family's secret, the wife he hadn't dared to mention in years.
"Look, I don't care about the kind of women you're fooling around with out there, but when it comes to marriage, you should pick a woman with good character, like your mother. No matter how busy you are, knowing there's a good woman at home taking care of everything, giving you peace of mind to focus on your work— that's what matters."
Jayson, sitting with his legs crossed on the grand sofa in the old mansion, lowered his eyes and flipped through the files. He found the information about the woman interesting. The woman in the photo had a youthful, fresh look. Her large eyes exuded determination, while her tightly pressed lips hinted at an underlying tension. Her skin was flawless, almost porcelain-like, and her face was perfectly sculpted. She had an alluring figure with curves in all the right places.
"Go with her," Jayson said, pointing at the photo.
"If I'm going to get married, I should choose carefully," Jayson said. "At least she looks like she won't get old or tiresome too quickly. She seems interesting enough."
