I gently and sorrowfully stroked my daughter’s hair, letting her release all her grievances in my arms.

Then I looked up, my eyes dark with hatred, my voice cold as steel.

“Kylie, in the six years I was gone, you stopped loving me, remarried, fine, I won’t blame you.”

“But what did my daughter ever do wrong? What gave you the right to treat her like this?”

Kylie’s expression instantly darkened, her voice filled with mockery.

“Ariana is also my daughter. How I treat her is none of your business. You have no right to lecture me, Brody. Now that you’re back, let’s settle the divorce.”

The crowd stirred in shock.

“That guy’s actually President Jones’s husband?”

“Husband? That was a lifetime ago. Everyone knows she’s married to Young Master Velez now, and they already have a kid.”

“With how much Young Master Velez adores her, this guy’s done for. If he falls into Velez’s hands, he’ll beg for death.”

I blocked out all the noise around me and drew in a deep breath.

“Fine. But I have two conditions.”

“Kid, don’t tell me you’re eyeing President Jones’s massive company and planning to make some outrageous demands?”

Before Kylie could say a word, Tanner cut in again with a mocking tone.

“I suggest you drop that thought. Or you’ll choke to death on your own greed.”

I simply gave him a cold glance, then turned back to Kylie.

“First, I want you to return the wedding gift my mother gave you.”

“You mean that worthless little pendant?”

Kylie frowned and pulled a dark pendant out of her bag.

My eyes trembled at the sight of it.

That was the very pendant my mother had tied around Kylie’s neck on her deathbed, entrusting her to love me, to hold on to our bond.

Kylie stared at it for a moment. A flicker of nostalgia flashed through her eyes.

But in the end, she only nodded and tossed it to the ground at my feet like it meant nothing.

I bent down, picked it up, and gently wiped the dust away.

Kylie’s voice rang out, filled with impatience. “What’s your other condition? Hurry up and say it.”

“The second condition is I want custody of Ariana,” I said firmly.

“That’s impossible. Ariana is my daughter,” Kylie snapped without hesitation.

“You still have the face to call her your daughter?”

I clenched my jaw, my fury spilling out in a near-roar.

“If you truly treated her like your own, would you stand there and watch her kneel before your assistant and your bastard son?”

Kylie’s expression turned cold.

With a sharp crack, she slapped me hard across the face.

“Bastard son? That’s my biological child! Don’t talk so disgustingly, Brody. I’m warning you: don’t push your luck. Sign the divorce agreement now, or I’ll make you agree in a hundred different ways.”

“Mama, don’t hit Dad. I won’t go with him anymore.”

Ariana knelt, trembling as she begged.

I immediately pulled her to her feet.

“Ariana, remember this: she’s not your mother anymore.”

“A woman like her doesn’t deserve your kneeling!”

That slap from Kylie crushed the last piece of what remained between us.

From this moment on, I wouldn’t show an ounce of mercy.

“Kid, if Kylie isn’t worthy, then what about you?”

“At least she raised Ariana,” Tanner sneered.

He scanned me from head to toe and mocked, “Just look at yourself. Can you even feed yourself properly? And you think you’re qualified to raise her daughter?”

Before I could utter a word, Kylie cut in coldly.

“You want to take Ariana away? Fine. Let’s see if you even have the means to raise her. What if you just sell her off to some mountain village and vanish again?”

“How do you plan to test my capability?” I asked fists clenched tight.

This time, I had rushed back in such haste just to see the two of them still wearing my old lab uniform.

The worn-looking suit might have seemed shabby, but it was both radiation-proof and bulletproof.

Even after the brutal beating earlier, I was only bruised on the surface, with no real injuries.

That suit had protected me.

“Whatever you’ve got, bring it out. Show us something worthwhile,” Tanner sneered.

“Daddy, I’ve been secretly saving for years. There’s a hundred thousand dollars on this card. I don’t eat much, and I also feed stray dogs and cats. I can support myself.”

The tears I had just swallowed rose again, blurring my eyes.

Gently, I slipped the card back into her pocket and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t worry. Daddy will show them something worth seeing.”

I took a deep breath and dialed that number directly.

A faint chuckle came from the other end.

“Hehe, Brody, you’re finally back. But instead of reuniting with your wife, you’re calling me?”

“Sir, there’s something I need to say,” I said solemnly, inhaling deeply.

“My wife has remarried and even has a child. I want custody of my daughter, but they want proof of my capability.”

Before I could finish, Tanner suddenly snatched the phone from my hand.

“Old man, you're that punk Brody’s boss? Haha, he wants to act all high and mighty in front of our President Jones? Even if I lent you a hundred guts, would you dare show up?”

There was a pause.

On the other end, my superior was clearly stunned. It must’ve been the first time anyone had dared to call him an old man.

“Alright. I’ll borrow your guts, then. I’m sending people over now.”

With that, he hung up.

“Brody, the guy you called is just as full of bluff as you are. Says he’s sending people? What’s he gonna send some of your day laborer pals to impress me?”

Tanner burst out laughing.

Kylie shook her head in disappointment and spoke coolly, “Brody, sign the divorce papers and get lost while I’m still calm. Otherwise, soon, you won’t even have the chance to leave.”

“Ariana, come back with me!”

“Remember, your father no longer exists.”

My daughter clung tightly to the hem of my shirt, refusing to let go.

But under Kylie’s pressuring gaze, she lowered her head and hesitantly stepped back toward her.

I gently pulled her back.

“My precious girl, from now on, you never have to be afraid of anyone again. At least in this country, no one dares lay a hand on you.”

“Kid, stop pretending. President Jones is the sky in the capital.”

“Then that sky is about to fall.”

The moment the words left my mouth, a deafening roar filled the air.

People instinctively looked up.

“Look! What kind of planes are those?”

“They don’t look like civilian aircraft. Why are they flying so low?”

Under the stunned gaze of the crowd, several aircraft landed steadily right in front of the Jones Group headquarters.

Powerful gusts of wind swept through the crowd.

In that instant, everyone’s expression shifted.