Chapter 728

“Say that again,” Cale said, his voice heavy with pressure.

The air inside the meeting room turned even more unbearable after the older man, Anming, questioned Cale’s intentions.

“I understand you may feel offended,” Anming replied calmly. He could not afford to show fear now. The man standing before him was much younger, yet the intimidation radiating from him was overwhelmingly powerful.

No wonder Chief Chen had chosen Cale as his right hand.

“But this is for everyone’s sake. Perhaps you don’t realize that many people have started doubting you.”

Cale laughed.

Loudly.

So loudly that his shoulders shook, and the corners of his eyes even glistened faintly. “People doubt me?” He pointed at himself mockingly. “Isn’t it all of you who doubt me?”

The laughter abruptly stopped.

And somehow, the room became even heavier than before.

No one dared move after those words left his mouth.

Cale stared at the old man without blinking. His expression was so calm that it felt far more terrifying than his earlier anger. One finger tapped softly against the surface of the table before he finally rose from his seat.

His movements were slow.

Yet they were enough to make everyone in the room tense instinctively.

“You come into my office,” he said quietly. “You pressure me to reveal Naomi’s whereabouts. You question my loyalty to the Chen family.” One corner of his lips lifted slightly, though it looked nothing like a smile. “And now… you’re even accusing me?”

No one answered immediately.

Cale slowly walked around the meeting table. The sound of his leather shoes echoed softly through the room that suddenly felt far too cramped. No one dared meet his eyes. Almost everyone reacted the same way, lowering their heads and waiting anxiously for whatever Cale would do next.

“I’ve already been patient enough with all of you.”

Cale stopped walking.

Right in front of the old man.

His gaze sharpened, fixed on a single point.

“If I truly wanted complete control over the Chen family,” he continued in a low voice, “then I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of keeping its heir alive. The moment I found her, I could’ve forced her to transfer every right she had to me. Not just carry out Chief Chen’s request while dragging around burdens like all of you.”

That statement immediately made several people exchange uneasy glances. None of them could deny it, because deep down, they knew Cale’s words made perfect sense.

1/2

+25 Bonus

Cale pulled one of the chairs closer and stopped beside where Anming sat. “So before you start talking about loyalty,” he murmured near the old man’s ear, “make sure you’re clean enough to say those words in front of me first.”

The old man swallowed hard.

Meanwhile, another man hurriedly tried to mediate. “Mr. Kai, we didn’t mean to-”

“Enough.”

This time, Cale’s voice was not loud, yet no one could oppose him. Every sound in the room died instantly into silence.

He returned to his seat before speaking coldly, “You want me to introduce Naomi to the public?”

Everyone immediately fell silent, watching him carefully.

“Fine,” Cale continued. “I’ll do it.”

Several expressions changed at once. Some looked shocked. Some satisfied. Others, strangely enough, became even more cautious. 1

“Mr. Kai,” one of the men tried to speak.

“But listen carefully.” Cale’s gaze swept across them one by one. “The moment Naomi’s identity is announced, anyone who tries to lay a hand on her for personal gain…” He paused briefly, “Will answer directly to me.”

The threat was delivered in such a calm tone that it became even more suffocating.

No one doubted Cale’s seriousness.

A few seconds passed before one of the men let out a small laugh, clearly trying to ease the tension. “Then we’ll await good news from you, Mr. Kai.”

Cale said nothing.

His stare alone was enough to make the man’s smile slowly disappear.