A Soft Yet Angry Voice

After hanging up the phone, Kyle nervously tugged on Richa's sleeve and looked up at him, speaking in a soft voice, "Mark happens to be at the resort, and he's coming over to hang out. Can I, um, open the door for him when he gets here?"

Richa's expression darkened immediately at the mention of Mark. *That kid really is everywhere, isn't he? Even here?*

"It wasn't me who invited him, really," Kyle quickly defended himself, worried that Richa might misunderstand.

"It's fine. I need to discuss some things with my brother anyway. Why don't you and Mark go for a walk? Just don't wander too far," Richa said, patting Kyle's head gently, showing that he wasn't upset.

"Okay," Kyle nodded obediently, his cheeks flushing a little.

Across from them, Xavier Dupont watched Richa and Kyle with an outwardly calm expression. But if one looked closely, they might notice a hint of envy in his eyes.

*What am I even thinking?* Xavier immediately pushed the thought aside, regaining his composure.

"This is my brother, Xavier Dupont," Richa formally introduced him to Kyle.

Kyle immediately stood up and bowed awkwardly, stammering out, "M-my name is Kyle. It's nice to meet you, big brother."

Xavier, remaining composed, said, "I didn't have time to prepare a proper gift since this was unplanned, but here's a little something." He handed Kyle a card as he spoke.

Kyle stood there, stunned, then turned to Richa with a bewildered expression.

Richa took the card on Kyle's behalf and slipped it into Kyle's pocket.

"I can't accept this," Kyle said, panicking as he tried to take the card out, but Richa stopped him.

"My brother has plenty of money. Don't worry about it," Richa reassured him.

"But I really shouldn't take it," Kyle insisted, clearly uncomfortable.

"The card doesn't have much on it. No need to feel pressured," Xavier said calmly, taking a puff of his cigarette, as if giving such gifts was the most normal thing in the world.

But Kyle, coming from a humble background, had never encountered something like this before. He wanted to refuse the gift, but before he could, the door was knocked on, followed by a cheerful voice, "Kyle, Kyle, it's me! I'm here!"

It was easy to hear the excitement in Mark's voice, as if he was visiting on a holiday.

"I'll just go open the door," Kyle said quickly, dashing over to the entrance.

Richa frowned deeply, annoyed by how noisy Mark was as soon as he arrived.

Xavier glanced towards Kyle at the door and then asked Richa in a stern tone, "How old is your partner?"

"Don't worry, nothing illegal. He's of age," Richa replied, knowing exactly what Xavier meant. His response made it clear that Kyle was indeed an adult.

"I only asked because the kid is so adorable that you might lose your head," Xavier continued, his tone calm but clearly carrying a hint of advice.

Richa chose to ignore Xavier's comment, lighting a cigarette himself.

"We'll let you two talk. Mark and I will go for a walk nearby," Kyle said as he carefully closed the door behind him.

"But I haven't even said hello to Richa's brother!" Mark complained, clearly disappointed that he didn't get a chance to meet Xavier.

"They have important things to discuss," Kyle explained quickly.

"Alright, let's go have some fun then," Mark agreed, quickly brushing off his disappointment as he pulled Kyle towards the elevator.

As the elevator doors opened with a ding, Mark started to step inside, only to find Alex standing there.

"I thought you were busy," Mark said, surprised to see him.

Alex hadn't expected to run into his wife here either, especially with Kyle in tow. But his attention quickly turned to the fact that Mark was holding Kyle's hand.

Alex immediately grabbed Mark's hand and began wiping it off.

Mark frowned. "What's wrong with you? I was holding Kyle's hand, not some random guy's."

"Still, he's a man," Alex insisted, only stopping once he was satisfied that he had left his own mark on Mark's hand.

Kyle, standing quietly behind Mark, didn't dare make a sound, keeping his head down to avoid drawing any attention.

"He's my cousin! You're seriously losing it," Mark said, exasperated.

Alex decided to drop the subject and instead reminded Mark, "I'm going to have a discussion with my uncle. Don't wander off too far."

"Got it. I'm not a kid," Mark replied with a sigh, trying to push past Alex to get into the elevator. But Alex suddenly scooped him up and kissed him.

Mark was taken aback, and before he could react, Alex deepened the kiss, leaving Mark breathless and blushing.

*What the hell is wrong with this guy? Kyle's right here!*

Mark felt incredibly embarrassed.

Kyle's face turned a deep shade of red as he turned away from the scene, too flustered to watch.

*That's way too bold! They're doing this right out in the open!*

Kyle covered his burning face, feeling like it was hot enough to melt.

"Damn it, all you do is ambush me! Can't you focus on actual work for once?" Mark complained, pushing Alex's face away in frustration. His cheeks were flushed, and his breathing was uneven, making him look both adorable and exasperated.

"Taking care of my wife is work too," Alex teased, his grin widening as he ran a hand over Mark's stomach. "If you were a woman, you'd already be carrying our baby. Isn't that important work?"

"Important my ass! You're a damn pervert! Get lost!" Mark yelled, his voice soft yet full of anger, making him look even cuter as he hit Alex's chest.

"Okay, okay, I'll go. I'm leaving," Alex said with a laugh, gently setting Mark down and ruffling his hair affectionately.

Mark swatted Alex's hand away, grumbling as he pushed him out of the elevator. "Go handle your business and stop bothering me."

Despite being pushed away, Alex didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to. However, before walking away, he turned to Kyle and asked, "Since my uncle is here, would you like to meet him?"

Kyle shook his head furiously, not wanting to tempt fate with Richa in the vicinity.

"Stop trying to play matchmaker and go do your job," Mark snapped, kicking Alex out of the elevator before quickly pulling Kyle inside and pressing the button to close the doors.

By the time Alex realized what had happened, his wife had already descended. He could only chuckle and head down the hallway to the last room, where he knocked on the door.

It opened after a moment, and Richa gestured for Alex to come inside without saying a word.

Alex was used to Richa's brevity, but he was taken aback when he walked in and saw Xavier Dupont sitting on the sofa.

Since Xavier was usually extremely busy, it was rare to see him with any downtime.

"Have a seat," Xavier said, motioning for Alex to join him as he exhaled smoke.

The room was filled with the smell of cigarettes, which made Alex frown as he sat down across from Xavier. "My wife is still young. I don't want him exposed to secondhand smoke. Please refrain from smoking around him."

A smile tugged at Xavier's lips as he leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs. "When did you start liking men?"

"I wouldn't say that. I just happen to like my wife," Alex replied, lighting a cigarette himself. The Dupont family were all heavy smokers, but he usually refrained from smoking in front of Mark.

As he loosened his tie and exhaled a cloud of smoke, Alex continued, "Richard can target me all he wants, but if my wife gets hurt because of him, I won't let it slide."

Xavier's hand paused for a moment, but only for a second.

Taking another drag from his cigarette, Xavier said calmly, "I'll talk to him."

Alex considered saying more but decided against it, knowing that Xavier might not have much control over the situation.

"Instead of letting him keep attacking us, why not pull him into our camp?" Alex suggested.

Xavier looked at Alex in surprise. "He's been targeting you, and you're not angry?"

"I'm angry, but he's been with you for ten years. That makes him practically family, so I can't just eliminate him," Alex replied.

Xavier looked down in silence, staring at the cigarette in his hand.

He had always thought his family despised Richard, but now he realized that wasn't entirely true.

"If you really want to take on Father, I can help. You don't have to keep suffering in silence. Richard has already lost ten important years of his life. If you wait too long, he might really leave you," Richa said as he sat back on the sofa, exhaling smoke.

Xavier remained silent, knowing all too well that Richard had wasted too much time on him.

Finally, Xavier chuckled softly, looking up at Richa and Alex. "I should have come to you for advice sooner."

Though he said this, Xavier was still wary of involving Richa and Alex in his problems, fearing they would be put in danger.

But now he realized that, without noticing, his nephew Alex had grown up, and Richa was no longer the younger brother who hid behind him. They could now stand on their own.

Alex continued, "

If you ask for our help, we might not be able to defeat Grandpa, but we can at least hold him back. But if you don't tell us what's going on, we won't know how to assist you."

"I always thought you didn't like Richard," Xavier admitted with a bitter smile.

"I don't have a high opinion of him, but I have to respect anyone who's stayed by your side for ten years without asking for anything in return," Alex said.

He still remembered how, five years ago, Richard had been nearly beaten to death, yet still dragged his injured body to find Xavier. Even when Xavier coldly pushed him away, Richard didn't leave.

Alex understood that Xavier had been afraid Richard would die, which was why he kept his distance. But time has a way of softening even the hardest hearts.

"For now, we need to deal with Feder. He's definitely involved in the food poisoning incident," Richa said, lighting another cigarette.

Alex nodded, "The surveillance footage doesn't show anything, and the chefs and staff don't have any useful information. It's a tough case."

Xavier crossed his legs the other way, leaning back as he took another drag. "Break his arms and legs. He'll spill everything."

"He's your brother, and like us, he's a victim of the old man," Richa reminded him.

"If it weren't for that, he'd already be dead," Xavier said coldly.

Richa sighed, rubbing his temples. After a long pause, he said, "I'll handle it through Noah."

"If you mess up, I'll take over. He won't die even if he loses a few limbs," Xavier replied before stubbing out his cigarette and leaving the room, clearly intent on punishing Feder.

Alex, who had been silently smoking, showed no reaction, seemingly in agreement with Xavier's approach. They were, after all, family.

Richa took out his phone and called Noah.

Noah answered, but his voice sounded off. "I-I'm busy right now. Can we—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the line went silent. A moment later, there was a loud yell, "Feder, you bastard!"

It was obvious Noah had kicked Feder in the garage and was now facing the consequences.