NovelEnglish"Ryan?!" Bella's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Ryan's imposing and handsface, her pupils shining like morning stars. "Chairman Hoffman?!" Sasha, standing beside Bella, was also stunned.
Ever since Carrie's incident, Ryan has devoted himself entirely to being by Carrie's side. He paid no attention to either the underworld or the business world.
Except for attending Logan's funeral, he had not made any public appearances, maintaining an extremely low profile. This marked only the second the had appeared since then.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe rebellious members of Southern Star, including Jordan, were visibly shaken when they saw Chairman Hoffman arrive. Seven took an involuntary step back in fear.
"Aunt Sasha, Bella." Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly as he shrugged his broad shoulders, causing his black coat to slide off. Dean promptly caught it. "Justin senthere, saying there would be quite a spectacle here today. I'm someone who loves to join in the fun. Look, my good brother didn't disappoint me." Gazing into Ryan's intense, vibrant eyes, Bella bit down on her quivering lips, her eyes turning red.
It was a struggle for her to control her emotions and hold back the tears.
How long had it been since she had seen Ryan smile so carefreely? It felt like a lifetago...
The man who had once been the most arrogant and unruly in all of Savrow now seemed to have returned after enduring all the trials and hardships.
"Everyone here should know who I am, right?" Ryan's smile was enigmatic as he surveyed the crowd, finally fixing his cold gaze on Jordan.
"Though my grandfather is no longer here, and our Hoffman family is now engaged in legitimate business, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse." He looked down and deliberately fiddled with the wedding ring on his finger. "If you leave here today, you will not have the protection of Southern Star or the Hoffman family. The underworld is ovel.r treacherous, filled with blood and slaughter. From now on, you're on your own." His words were a blatant threat. But a threat from Ryan was ten times more intimidating than one from Bella.
Everyone knew that the late Logan Hoffman had been a man of great loyalty, a legend in both the business and underworlds. Even the famous Watson Jenkins could notpare to him.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAlthough the Hoffman family had ventured into legitimate business, many gangs in the underworld still admired the late Logan, relying on the Hoffman family for support.
They just did not admit it publicly to protect the Hoffman family's reputation.
There was still a sliver of hope for survival if one offended Southern Star, but there would be absolutely nowhere to go if one offended the Hoffman family.
Not to mention the rumors circulating in the underworld that Liam, the second master of the Hoffman family, mysteriously died in a hospital despite heavy police protection. Everyone believed this was Ryan's doing. "I'll count to three. If you're back in your seats by then, Southern Star and I will let what happened today slide." Ryan raised his brows slightly, a cold smile tugging at his lips. "Three..." He hadn't even counted to one before all the traitors, except for Jordan, scrambled back to their seats. Sfidgeted nervously, while others pretended nothing was amiss. It was almostical to witness.
"Jordan, you've been with my dad longer than anyone else in Southern Star. You even heldas a child.", Sasha looked at Jordan's tense, shaky back and sighed deeply, speaking sincerely. "The Southern él Star Syndicate doesn't belong to my father alone. It's the result of everyone's hard work." She continued, “As long as you're willing to turn back and never touch those drugs again, my father and I will pretend nothing ever happened today." After a few seconds of silence, Jordan finally walked out of the conference room under everyone's watchful eyes. Although he had left the Southern Star Syndicate, all the members chose to stay.
With both Bella and Ryan providing backup, none of the subordinates who harbored rebellious intentions dared to make a move. After the meeting, Sasha was drenched in sweat, feeling like she had been skinned alive. "Damn... I can finally understand Elias now. His life these past years has been so hard." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and her eyes welled up with tears. "Aunt Sasha, don't worry. Justin and I will find a way to save Mr. Storm."
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