?


    Nathaniel could no longer seek revenge. Instead, he was here, begging Damon for help. His heart simmered with indignation and resentment. Like Reba, he loathed Damon.


    If it weren''t for Damon, neither he nor Reba would have had to torment each other, and the Preston Group wouldn''t have ended up in its current state.


    However, he knew well that hecked the power to confront Damon. His only option was to ask for his help.


    Damon''s indifferent gaze never wavered. He was unmoved, not a hint of empathy in his eyes. From the moment Nathaniel chose to assist Reba in scheming against N, they were no longer friends.


    "Back when you were helping Reba, you didn''t seem to remember our friendship," Damon remarked coldly.


    Nathaniel stiffened, his face draining of color.


    "D-Damon, I''ve regretted every day for the past five years. I was deceived by Reba, and by the time I realized the truth, it was toote..." Nathaniel stammered.


    "You don''t regret it," Damon retorted. "You just realized you can''t bear the consequences."


    Nathaniel''s face darkened, but he forced himself to meet Damon''s gaze. "No matter what, I''ve already paid the price for my actions over these five years.


    "Damon, I''m not asking for us to return to what we were. I''m just begging you-please spare the Preston Group and give me a chance."


    "I won''t harm the Preston Group, but I won''t help it either," Damon replied, his voice unwavering.


    Nathaniel understood. There was no hope of Damon helping him. He knew Damon''s personality all too well, and pleading would be in vain. "Alright, I understand," Nathaniel said, his voice hollow. "I came here today only to humiliate myself."


    He turned to leave.


    Damon didn''t bother to look at him as he walked away. His gaze returned to his documents, his expression as indifferent as ever.


    Damon wouldn''t intervene to destroy the Preston Group, but if it came to the brink of bankruptcy, he would subtly step in to prevent its copse.


    Thepany had to remain in a fragile state—not thriving, but not crumbling-so Nathaniel''s focus would remain on it.


    If the Preston Group grew too


    strong, Nathaniel would undoubtedly


    find a way to exact revenge on Damon and Prospectus Technology. If it went bankrupt and Nathaniel


    lost everything, his obsession would


    drive him to retaliate. Cont belongs to


    Damon didn''t want either scenario.


    That was why the Preston Group had to stay in limbo-neither rising nor falling. It was the only oue that served Damon''s interests.


    ...


    Fuming with anger, Nathaniel bypassed thepany, storming straight home.


    In the basement of the Preston residence, the dim lighting cast long shadows.


    Reba huddled in a corner, bruised and trembling.


    Suddenly, the basement door creaked open.


    Reba startled, her eyes darting up in fear.


    Nathaniel entered, his cold face half-shadowed, his presence ominous and terrifying.


    Reba shrank back, panic rising. "Don''te closer... Please, don''te closer... I beg you, spare me..."


    Her desperate pleas only seemed to amuse Nathaniel. The tension around his mouth loosened, and a cruel, chilling smile spread across his face.


    He approached her, towering over her and savoring the fear in her eyes.


    For years, he had bent over backward to please others. Only in front of Reba did he feel he could stand tall, truly live like a man.


    But he hadn''t forgotten-she was the


    one who had brought him to this


    point. If it hadn''t been for her


    maniption, he wouldn''t have ended up here.


    "Reba, you really deserve to die!" he spat.


    Reba lifted her gaze to Nathaniel, her expression suddenly calm. "Nathaniel, then kill me. Every day I spend by your side feels like hell. I''d rather die than continue living this way."