On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 128

"Shut your mouth!" Daniel hissed, taking a sharp breath.

"Mr. Smith," Melissa said, ignoring her brother, "I trust you're a reasonable man."

Lance's handsome face was a stony mask. He suddenly stood up. "Ms. Gates," he said, his voice cold, "if you wish to pursue legal action, the Smith Group's entire legal team will be your opponent."

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

"Since we couldn't reach an agreement, Mr. Smith, please take your things with you!" Melissa shouted after him.

"Give them to the dog," Lance retorted without looking back.

Melissa was left speechless.

Daniel shot to his feet. "You are so stubborn! The Gates Group has a major partnership in the works with Lance Smith. Because of you, it's probably ruined now."

There were nine families in The Kensington. Aside from the George family at the top of the food chain, the other eight had been more or less equals ten years ago. Now, however, the Brown family and their own were clearly lagging behind. Daniel could feel the other prominent families distancing themselves. At least the Browns had the Smiths as in-laws, but his own wife came from no powerful background and brought no advantage to his family. Daniel feared that in five years, he would have to pack up and leave The Kensington in disgrace.

He had finally managed to secure a deal with the Smith Group, and now, it was all likely for nothing. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Mr. Gates, don't worry," Catherine said soothingly. "Your business with Lance is separate from the conflict between Melissa and Jessica. I'll do my best to persuade Lance to keep them separate."

"You're just too innocent," Catherine said with a smile. "If you had just accepted Lance's apology, you would have left a good impression on him."

"Then please, tell Mr. Smith that all I need is for Jessica to come to my house and apologize," Melissa said. "I'll drop the whole thing. Then I can deal with that bitch behind the scenes."

Catherine agreed with a smile and left the Gates estate. She found Lance and told him, "Lance, I've convinced Melissa. As long as Jessica is willing to go to her house and say she's sorry, Melissa will let it go."

Lance frowned. "Thank you for your trouble. But the Gates family doesn't appreciate a gesture of goodwill. I had a verbal agreement on a project with Daniel. It seems it's time to teach them a lesson."

Catherine's brow furrowed. "Lance, are you really going to risk everything for a woman?"