Chapter 66
66 Clearing the Shame
Aren’t you even the slightest bit curious about him p>
Yvette turned her head toward Leander, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
Finished
She had deliberately brought him into the conversation, hoping to gauge his thoughts on a man of such immense power and wealth. She wanted Leander to understand that, in this world, only men like Mr. Ashcroft, who controlled both the economy and vast networks of influence, could truly rise above it all and command respect.
Hearing Yvette’s question, Colin, Madeline, and Ginny all turned their attention to Leander as well.
Leander held a glass in one hand and casually toyed with his modest smartphone in the other. He looked up slightly.
“Mr. Ashcroft p>
His expression turned a little strange, and he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
People were actually asking him if he was curious about himself. It felt absurd–like asking someone to rate their own importance.
With Madeline still sitting nearby, Leander made sure not to give anything away. He simply shook his head lightly.
“I’m not curious about this so–called Mr. Ashcroft. Honestly, I don’t think he’s all that impressive,” he said, spreading his hands.
“What you’ve heard is just the highlights—his success, his dominance. But at the end of the day, he’s no different from anyone else. Before he reached that level, don’t you think he had to struggle just as hard, if not harder, than most people? He’s got his own goals, just like anyone else. So, to me, there’s nothing about him that makes him worth envying p>
Leander’s words flowed effortlessly, without hesitation. The three others were left stunned, speechless for a moment.
After a long silence, Colin adjusted his glasses and smiled, though there was something indescribable in his expression.
“You’re quite the joker, Leander. To say that a man who’s risen to the top of Northridge, commanding the respect of so many powerful figures, is just like any ordinary person—if anyone else heard you, they’d probably burst out laughing p>
Though his tone was calm, anyone could hear the hint of mockery in his words.
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What a joke! Mr. Ashcroft dominates Northridge, and countless powerful figures follow his lead. Someone like that– how could he possibly be like an ordinary person?
Goals and ambitions, just like everyone else? That’s the kind of nonsense only a fool would believe.
Yvette frowned slightly, shaking her head internally. She had hoped that hearing about someone as influential as Mr. Ashcroft would make Leander appreciate the importance of wealth and power. Instead, he seemed as oblivious as ever–insisting that Mr. Ashcroft was nothing special and that he wasn’t envious at all.
To them, it sounded like typical ignorance and someone punching way above their weight.
“Leander, are you seriously saying that?” Yvette asked, her voice laced with frustration. “Do you really think that all those high–profile figures, the ones who follow Mr. Ashcroft’s lead, would just shrug off what you said p>
She stared at him, disappointed that he couldn’t seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.
A regular guy, still in high school, claiming not to envy the top powerhouses of Northridge? If that’s not foolish arrogance and ignorance, then what is?
Even Madeline, sitting nearby, felt a little exasperated by Leander’s comments. Leander always has a way of saying the most surprising things!
“So what?” Leander replied indifferently. “Even if they heard what I said, they would only agree with me. None of them would dare to challenge it p>
As of now, in all of Northridge, only his voice mattered. Whether it was Frankie Wainwright, Thomas Martinez, Robert Miller, Gumus Mardin, or any of the other major figures, they would only nod in approval if they heard his statement. No one would dare contradict him.
Yvette, Colin, and the others exchanged glances before turning away from Leander entirely, not wanting to engage with him any further.
Each
person reacted differently, but Leander didn’t care in the slightest. This was simply how he saw himself. He never considered himself better than anyone else, but he also firmly believed that no one in this world stood above him.
As Colin kept chatting with the three women, he occasionally glanced at Leander from the corner of his eye, chuckling inwardly.
He had once thought that Leander, being familiar with Yvette’s family, might be a potential rival for her affection, but now it seemed he had truly “overestimated” Leander.
With such outdated and naive thinking, Leander wasn’t even on their level. Even if he knew the Sitwell family, someone as shrewd as Yvette’s father, a seasoned businessman, would never take
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Leander seriously. In Yvette’s father’s eyes, Leander was nothing more than an ordinary guy with no influence or capability to speak of.
In a family built on trade and commerce, nothing mattered more than benefit and capability. Leander lacked both business acumen and vision. To someone like Yvette’s father, Leander was as good as useless. Yvette, raised with a similar mindset, held high standards. She wouldn’t spare a glance at anyone who wasn’t an elite or a top talent. Someone like Leander, who was out of his depth and stuck in naive dreams, had no chance of winning her favor.
Even in the highly unlikely event that Yvette did develop feelings for Leander, her father would never allow them to be together.
For Colin, Leander was no longer a threat, not even worth a second thought.
Yvette’s cold gaze lingered for a moment. She had initially considered engaging Leander in conversation, but after hearing his childish views on “Mr. Ashcroft,” she gave up on the idea entirely.
A person who couldn’t even accurately assess their own position in life, nor understand how the world worked, was destined to be eliminated by society and harsh realities.
One could choose not to envy or resent those at the excellence was foolish.
top, but denying their
power and ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ fip>
Leander’s dismissive comment about Mr. Ashcroft, who ruled over all of Northridge, was like someone who failed to get into the best schools mocking someone who made it to the top. No one would admire that kind of “pride“-they would just laugh at the ignorance.
Yvette had once entertained the notion of elevating Leander’s mindset, maybe not to match theirs, but at least to close the gap. Now, she had completely given up.
One couldn’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Leander was like a helpless case, someone she couldn’t lift from the bottom no matter how hard she tried. They belonged to two different worlds, destined to never cross paths.
After today, she made up her mind to limit any future interactions with him. No matter how much time they spent together, people from such different worlds could never end up in the same place.
At around 11:30 p.m., the gathering finally ended. Colin drove Yvette and Ginny home, while Leander walked Madeline back to their rented apartment. As they parted ways, Yvette only said goodbye to Madeline, not even sparing Leander a glance.
“Leander, what do you think of Yvette?” Madeline suddenly asked as they walked along the quiet
street.
“Yvette Sitwell?” Leander shook his head. “I don’t know her well enough to have an opinion p>
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Madeline giggled, covering her mouth. “Really p>
“I’ve got the feeling Yvette might be a little into you,” she teased.
Leander shrugged, his face expressionless. He had never really paid much attention to Yvette. For him, the only girl he truly cared about was far away in Highcliffe.
Meanwhile, atop Mount Lurvale in Southridge…
An ancient and majestic estate sat perched on the peak, with a giant golden plaque over its gate reading “Tarlyn Guild p>
This was the ancestral home of the Tarlyn Guild, where they had lived for centuries.
Inside the grand hall, Reuben Tarlyn’s leg was wrapped in thick bandages, his face twisted in bitterness and rage.
A middle–aged man stood in the center of the hall, dressed in luxurious robes, his sharp, hawk- like eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
“To think someone would dare harm a member of Tarlyn Guild, even here in Mornwick,” the man muttered coldly. “It seems the people have forgotten our power p>
His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fist, the glass orb he held shattering into powder.
“Northridge? Leander Ashcroft p>
He sneered. “Hmph! I will wash away the shame of our family with your blood p>
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