A few days later, a fine drizzle fell beneath a gloomy, overcast sky.
In the Astor family cemetery, top executives from across the New York Syndicate had gathered, with Silver Rock Arms sending the largest contingent.
Amid the massive gathering, Schubert stood in the rain, offering prayers for his father.
Liu Ren carried no bouquet as he stepped forward. Instead, he set down a neatly packaged strawberry cake—a quiet testament to the friendship he and Lauren had shared all those years ago.
Once the funeral concluded, a barrage of tedious complications followed in rapid succession.
Lauren had left behind no properly organized will before he died. Or perhaps the foolish fat man had simply never imagined how many ravenous wolves would be lurking in the shadows, coveting the Astor family fortune.
Inside the office, Schubert sat with an expression carved in misery and torment.
While he was entitled to the lion's share of the estate, a substantial portion still stood to be carved away by the frivolous young wives his father had kept.
Just as Schubert was at his wits' end, the office door was pushed open.
A young woman stepped inside. Looking at the "stepson" who was older than she was, she immediately adopted an aggrieved tone. "Schubert, even if Lauren is gone, you still have to think about your little brother and sister... They're still so young..."
Schubert looked up at her. "When it comes to money, the Astor family won't treat you unfairly. But shares are out of the question! Especially any stock in Silver Rock Arms or New State Bank. Not a chance!"
"Schubert, your father promised before he died that he would leave us an enterprise to pass down to our children. I'm only asking for a tiny piece! Are you really going to turn me down?"
Staring at Schubert with an "aggrieved" look, the woman appeared on the verge of tears.
She had already heard from others just how valuable the founding shares of Silver Rock Arms and New State Bank were. Securing even a fraction from the Astor family would be enough to keep her living in luxury for the rest of her days. After all, if not for the money, who would have ever been willing to wait hand and foot on a fat, repulsive old man?
Just as Schubert was finding it difficult to refuse, the door swung open once more.
Dressed in an immaculate pinstripe suit, Liu Ren strolled in, straightening his red tie with a faint smile on his face. "Looks like you've run into a bit of trouble, Schubert!"
"Uncle!" Schubert looked up, surprised.
"M-Mr. Liu!" The woman's lips twitched. Staring at the man before her, she felt an inexplicable dread wash over her, like an instinctive reaction of prey before a predator.
"So this is the new stepmother that blind fool Lauren picked out for you? She looks a bit more interesting than the previous ones." Liu Ren narrowed his eyes, looking the woman up and down with open contempt.
Having spent so many years in New York, spent so much money, and kept so many people on his payroll, Liu Ren knew the city inside and out. Whether they were glamorous screen stars high above the crowd or dazzling beauties on the street, they were all nothing more than pawns of wealth.
If she wanted money, that was fine. The Astors had plenty, and Silver Rock Arms had even more. But reaching for anything beyond money was simply courting death.
"Liu, aren't you going a bit too far? After all, I'm—"
Hearing Liu Ren's mocking tone, fury flared within the woman.
Before she could finish her sentence, Liu Ren raised his hand and struck her across the face.
*Smack!*
A sharp slap rang out. The woman tumbled sideways and crashed heavily onto the plush carpet. Clutching her cheek in disbelief, she stared blankly ahead.
Schubert's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open without a word. Having received an elite upbringing from childhood, the thought of raising a hand against someone had never even crossed his mind. Yet here was Liu Ren, giving him a live demonstration: when someone becomes an annoyance, violence solves the problem.
"A whore is a whore. Stop pretending you're a saint." Liu Ren looked down at her with undisguised disgust. He smoothed his jacket, sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers. "Did you really think you could take anything from the Astor family?"
Terror filled the woman's eyes. "I'll sue you! I'll go to the federal authorities—"
"Go ahead, make the call! I'll give you twenty minutes to reach the Supreme Court! Don't know the number? Come here, I'll give it to you..."
As Liu Ren's words fell, the woman's face drained of all color.
She seemed to have forgotten that while the Astors were a traditional, blue-blooded dynasty, Liu Ren of Silver Rock Arms was anything but.
"I have Lauren's child! You can't do this to me, you can't..." Remembering the crucial bargaining chip in her hands, she shrieked.
Watching her, Schubert softened slightly. "Uncle..."
"Watch closely, Schubert. I'm only teaching you this once." Liu Ren held up a single finger, then turned his head. "A Hu!"
The door was shoved open. Han Hu walked in, his expression fierce and menacing. He held a bag, unzipped it, and dumped its contents onto the floor.
Looking at the scattered photographs, the woman panicked, frantically trying to scoop them up and hide them.
Schubert stepped out from behind the desk, his eyes turning bloodshot. "Son of a bitch! How dare you do this?! You—"
Seeing his fury, Liu Ren said coldly, "Calm down, Schubert. Getting physical is poor manners. You need to learn how to keep your emotions in check."
Stunned, Schubert stared at him in utter bewilderment. Wasn't he the one who had thrown a slap just moments ago?
"Your lawyer boyfriend has sharp instincts. He knew enough to tell you to go after the family's core equity instead of cash... But after studying law for so many years, did he forget who the hell actually makes the laws? Hmm?"
Fixing his icy gaze on the woman, Liu Ren added softly, "Just while you were in here strutting around demanding shares, that fellow was struck by a runaway car downstairs..."
Liu Ren traced an arc through the air with his hand and smiled. "*Splat.* Gone. Hahaha!"
The woman looked at him in sheer terror, trembling uncontrollably. "I don't want the money anymore! I don't want the money, I don't want anything! Please, let me go, I don't want to—I don't want to—"
"You don't want what? Didn't you service Lauren purely for money? No problem. I'll give it to you."
Liu Ren snapped his fingers and glanced back.
Han Hu pulled out a bag of cash and emptied it onto the carpet.
Pointing at the dollar bills on the floor, Liu Ren leaned down and whispered coldly, "Eat. You leave when you've finished every last bill. Otherwise, people might think we have no manners."
Trembling with horror, the woman turned her pleading gaze to Schubert.
Schubert looked at her, his heart wavering. He turned his head toward Liu Ren. "Uncle..."
"Remember this, Schubert. In life, there is no right or wrong—only profit and loss. The moment a man realizes he was wrong is the moment he has failed. And you cannot afford to fail, because neither the Astor family nor Silver Rock Arms will permit it."
Liu Ren draped an arm over Schubert's shoulder and guided him out of the office.
Han Hu stepped forward, looking down at the woman as he slowly pulled on a pair of black leather gloves.
*Crack!*
The sound of breaking bone echoed from behind them. Schubert instinctively tried to look back, but Liu Ren held him in place.
This boy had simply been sheltered for far too long. Back in his day, Lauren had possessed the nerve to wage a bloodbath for his inheritance.
As Lauren had always believed: losers inherit, but winners take all.
Patting Schubert's shoulder, Liu Ren smiled faintly. "From this moment on, you not only have to learn how to be a proper helmsman, but you also have to learn to be ruthless. Because no one is going to shield you from the storm anymore, kid."
Chapter 82