Chapter 53 The next day at 8:30 a.m., Paige was about to leave for work. That was when Yahir called and told her to go to the Mooney familyâs old house instead of the company. She agreed. âWhatâs wrong? Are you not going to work today?â holding Chloe in his arms, Joseph asked Paige with a smile.
To that, Paige nodded. âYes. Dad called and said that my cousin, Maxton, came back last night. It seems like he was promoted too. So, our family wonât be working today to hold a welcome feast for him at home. Dad didnât ask you to go. Iâm sorry, but I am sure that Grandpa has begun to accept you, and I promise it wonât be long before the whole family accepts you...â Actually, Joseph didnât care if the Mooneys accepted him or not. If it wasnât for fear that Paige would be sad, a mere family like them wouldnât even qualify to talk to him. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)Besides, he wasnât interested in those snobbish people. Thus, he nodded and replied, âItâs okay. I didnât want to go either. Iâll see you off...â With Chloe in his arms, Joseph accompanied Paige downstairs. After that, he said to Chloe, âChloe, Mommy is tired these days. Shall we cheer for her?â
Blinking her big beautiful eyes, Chloe waved her small fists and cheered in a childish voice, âGo for it, Mommy! You are the best and the most beautiful! Hee, hee! We will be waiting for you at home...â Realizing how sensible and lovely her daughter was, Paige couldnât help kissing Chloeâs face. Then, she saw Joseph looking at her with burning and expectant eyes, and a blush immediately crept up her face. âYou shouldnât be biased, you know?â Joseph jested. With that, Paigeâs face became even redder.
In silence, she bit her lip and lowered her head. Looking at her reaction, Joseph was about to crack another joke when she suddenly tiptoed and kissed his face. It was a quick kiss, and before he could respond, she jumped into the car and drove away... On the spot, Joseph was stupefied. He was only joking with her just now, but unexpectedly, she kissed him. Although her kiss was more to a peck, it still filled his heart with happiness and joy. âAw! Daddyâs shy! No, no, no. I am too young for this. I canât look...â Chloe quickly covered her eyes with her tender, fair hands. Nevertheless, she still peeped at Josephâs face through her fingers. âPaige, youâre making me more and more reluctant to let you go to work.â Joseph couldnât help but touch the spot where Paige had just kissed, and his heart fluttered.
Perhaps, this was how happiness and sweetness felt.
......
Not to mention Joseph, Paigeâs heart was also racing. When she was in the car, she could feel her face burning. She couldnât believe she had taken the initiative to kiss him. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt, and her heart beat faster. With that, she buried her head on the steering wheel until the car behind honked her. Startled, she realized that the traffic light had turned green and quickly drove away... At 10 a.m., she arrived at the Mooney familyâs old house. Yahir and Estella arrived earlier. Other than them, many people also came. A part of them were Aceshine Groupâs partners, some were friends, and some were relatives. This morning, Leonard publicly announced that he would hold a banquet to celebrate Maxtonâs posting as the Eagle Troopâs commander. So, some reporters even came too. After all, this wasnât a small matter. Besides, the Mooneys were also happy to see those reporters. In a long white dress, Lily was happily greeting the guests at the entrance.
Leonard, Dominic, Yahir, and the others were also chatting and laughing among the crowd in their new suits. Everyone was in a good mood, especially the Mooneys. âPooh, whatâs so great about being a commander? Is this even necessary? How boastful..â
Estella muttered in annoyance. Since Paigeâs family came, Lily had been ignoring them. By the way, Serena came too. âCut it out, honey. Theyâll hear us. Since no one greets us, letâs just head in...â Yahir nudged Estella with his elbow. Only then, she headed inside. However, she still whined in a low voice, âWhy are you scolding me? If the military didnât expel Joseph...â âStop it, Mom!â Serena bit her lip and rasped before she carefully glanced at Paige. Even though there was some disappointment in Paigeâs eyes, she still looked up and smiled at everyone. At once, Estellaâs face changed, and she quickly explained, âWell, Paige, I didnât mean anything. Please donât take it to heart. Joseph is a pretty decent man, you know? If he is still in the military, he wonât be able to accompany you and Chloe, am I right? So, yeah, he is a nice man indeed...â At 11 a.m., all the guests took their seats in the courtyard. As there were up to three hundred people, the atmosphere was lively. After all, the Mooneysâ
grandson achieved great success, so everyone around the Mooneys would naturally take this chance to butter them up, which made them felt proud. During the banquet, Maxton-dressed in black military uniform-sat in the seat of honor. With an unrivaled aura, he was sitting up straight with a sharp gaze. On the other hand, Leonard, Dominic, and Tommy were all sitting at the main table with him. As for Paigeâs family, the Mooneys definitely wouldnât arrange for them to sit at the main table. Therefore, they were sitting at another table behind. Following that, Leonard raised his glass and greeted all the guests, âThank you for coming to our banquet. Cheers!â Although he was nearly 70 years old, and his hair was white, his face was glowing. When Leonard finished his words, all the guests raised their glasses with a smile. Instantaneously, the atmosphere became enthusiastic. After toasting with Maxton, Leonard, Dominic, and Tommy went to other tables to toast with the guests while Maxton stayed in his seat. Halfway through the banquet, Maxton coughed and signaled Leonard with his eyes. As Leonard understood, he responded with a nod. A hint of complexity appeared in his eyes, but soon it was gone. Then, he went up the stage and gestured the guests to quiet down. After that, he smiled, âWell, I have another good news for everyone. In recent years, our business has been flourishing. Of course, this isnât my hard work, but the younger generationâs. So, since everyone is here today, I am happy to announce that our family has decided to nominate a vice president to assist me with the company. Hopefully, all of you will support our decision. Haha...â Once he finished, all the guests applauded. Some of them even asked anxiously, âCome on, Mr.
Mooney! Please donât leave us hanging.(This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) We canât wait to know who is this new female vice president! Hahaha..â The guests knew there were only four people in the third generation of the Mooney family-
Maxton, Lily, Paige, and Serena. As Maxton was still in the military while Serena was still studying, both of them were out of the question. So, that left with two gorgeous women-Lily and Paige, and the guests were busy guessing who Leonard would promote. Since the second generation was more lacking, it was very likely that the new vice president would be the future leader of the family. Meanwhile, after hearing Leonardâs words, Yahir and his family were excited. With a satisfied smile, Yahir looked at Paige. So was Estella. She was proud of Paige. On the other hand, Serena was thrilled as well. However, the next moment, their expressions froze when Leonard declared with a smile, âOur new vice president is... Lily Mooney! Everyone, please give her a big clap!â Smilingly, Lily-who sat beside Maxton-stood up and bowed to the guests. âThank you. I am looking forward to your continuous support, and I will work harder for the betterment of all of us!â Boom! To Paigeâs family, this announcement was like a bolt from the blue. Overwhelmed with disappointment, Paige clenched her fists tightly. Estellaâs face also changed dramatically.
Right away, she got up and shouted at Leonard, âWhat do you mean? Didnât you say that the vice president is Paige? Why do you change to Lily?â As Yahir was also enraged, he got up and fumed, âDad! Youâve gone too far! Isnât Paige the one who secured Gempoint Group and Mysticorps Group? I demand an explanation!!!â Boom! When Estella and Yahir stood up, all the guests were shocked. At that moment, some guests who knew the Mooney familyâs affairs at the tip of their fingers sat back to enjoy this drama. In fact, quite a number of them signed with Paige a few days ago, and they were currently frowning with confusion. Facing Estella and Yahirâs questions, Leonard was somewhat awkward. Nevertheless, he quickly responded to the two, âWell, this matter is a little complicated. Iâll explain to you after the banquet!â âHaha! After the banquet? I want it now! You set the rules, so how can you break your promise? Donât you know how hard Paige worked to win these projects? How could you give everything to Lily?! Tell me! How could you!?â Estella went ballistic. When she stepped into this house, she was already pissed off, but now she was even angrier.
Instantaneously, Leonardâs face turned gloomy. No matter what, he was the head of the Mooney family and a senior! So, he would naturally feel embarrassed being questioned by Estella in front of so many guests. Just then, Dominic yelled at Estella, âShut up! Who gives you the right to speak here? And how can you talk to Dad this way? Sit down!â Hearing this, Estella ignored his words and was about to continue questioning Leonard. However, Yahir stopped her and glared at Dominic. âMind your own business! Sheâs my wife!â After that, he stared at Leonard and asked, âDad, since she is not allowed to ask, Iâll ask you again.
Why do you humiliate my daughter like this?â âWhy donât I give you an explanation then?â before Leonard could answer, Maxton âwho was remaining silent-opened his mouth. As he spoke, he targeted his majestic aura onto Yahir and pressured him. With that, Yahir went ashen, and he was at a loss for word. At the same time, Estellaâs face also became slightly pale, and a sense of fear rose within her. Staying in his seat, Maxton continued, âI am the one who made the decision. If you are dissatisfied, you can come to me after the banquet...â With a pale face, Yahir glowered at Maxtonâwho was now the Eagle Troopâs commander.
Deep down, he could feel nothing but infinite grievance. He slowly nodded and said, âGreat... What an Eagle Troop commander!
What a family! Since you âEnough, Dad! Itâs okay! Letâs forget it! I donât want the position anymore! Please stop it!â Paige quickly stood up, grabbed Yahirâs arm, and persuaded him with red eyes. Then, Lily walked to Paigeâs side, looked at her condescendingly, and gloated, âHaha! In the end, you still lost! Be prepared to be my underdog for the rest of your life...â Upon hearing that, Paige pulled Yahir and Estella to sit down. Following that, she looked up at Lily with teary eyes and raged, âThatâs so great of you! Since you want to be the vice president so badly, then take it! Iâll resign! You heard that! Iâll leave the company!â After that, she pulled Yahir and Estella and was about to leave. At this moment, she finally realized that the Mooneys didnât welcome her. In that case, why would she stay? Yahir, Estella, and Serena had no intention to stay here either, so they got up and followed Paige. Nonetheless, Lily refused to let Paige go by standing in front of her.(This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) âDo you think you can come and go as you please? But, fret not, thereâs a way for you to leave. I have informed Mr. Marsh of Gempoint Group and Mr.
Lane of Mysticorps Group. Make it clear to them before you go. Otherwise, donât even think of taking a step out here!â Gritting her teeth with anger, Paige looked at Lily with red eyes and snapped, âDream on! If you are capable, talk to them by yourself.
Apart from knowing how to scheme, what else can you do? Others might not know how you become the vice president, but you know it yourself! You know what dirty means you used to steal this position from me!â âHow dare you.. Donât you slander me!
Grandpa is the one who...â âSlap!â When Lily was about to defend herself, she heard a loud slap. Then, she was shocked to find out that Maxton had come here and slapped Paige in the face. With a grim expression, Maxton glared at Paige and derided, âYou insolent women! How dare you address your older cousin by her name? Besides, have you greeted me since you entered the house? Donât forget you are the disgraceful one! If you didnât have that b*st*rdâs child out of wedlock five and a half years ago, our family wouldnât be the townâs laughing stock! I canât believe you still have the face to compete with Lily for the position!â
âArgh!!! How dare you slap my daughter?! Iâll fight you to death...â Upon seeing Maxton slapped Paige, Estella was bent out of shape and scratched him. âScram!â bursting with rage, Maxton turned around and roared. In an instant, Estella was stunned and involuntarily took a few steps back before she fell to the ground. Yahir was no better either. He was also frightened by Maxtonâs imposing manner and was at a loss.
After being slapped by Maxton, Paige cried. The next moment, she glared at him and sobbed, âFine! Itâs all my fault! I humiliated the family! So, from now on, I am no longer a part of the Mooneys! Since the media is also here, all of you shall be the witness.
From today onward, I will sever ties with this family and have nothing to do with them!â Upon finishing her words, she walked out, but Lily yelled behind her, âDonât forget Gempoint Group and Mysticorps Groupâs contract!â Grievances overtook Paige, and her body was trembling violently. When she heard Lilyâs words, she paused, gnashed her teeth, and rasped, âFine! Take it! I will personally amend the contract later!â After that, she immediately walked out. Serena went after her with a pale face, so as Yahir and Estella. Right now, they couldnât be bothered to care about anything else other than Paigeâs feelings. As soon as Paige and the others reached the gate, a cacophony of laughter filled the courtyard again. At that moment, the four of them were down in the dumps.
At noon, when Joseph was having lunch with Chloe, he kept having an ominous feeling which ruined his appetite. Unfortunately, his feeling was accurate. When he was about to call Alpha 1 and ask what had happened, Alpha 1 called him. âMr. Dawson, something is wrong. Those business partners that Ernie arranged told him that Leonard gave the vice president position to Lily instead of Mrs. Dawson...â As Joseph was about to go deeper into this matter, another call came in. It was Serenaâs. Right away, he hung up Alpha lâs call and answered her call. The moment he heard the first sentence, he stood up, and the murderous intent within him surged to the sky! âJoseph, come to Paragon Villa right now. Maxton slapped Paige, and they forced her to leave the family...â What! Joseph was stunned. Instantaneously, he carried Chloe, took some snacks, and drove toward Paragon Villa.
Along the way, Chloe could sense the anger on him and was a little worried. However, she didnât know anything while Joseph didnât have the time to explain to her. In just a dozen minutes, Joseph arrived at the house in Paragon Villa that he bought for Estella a few days ago. As soon as he got off the car, he saw Serena waiting anxiously downstairs. The whole incident in the banquet happened way too fast and sudden, so Serena didnât manage to contact him just now. At the sight of Joseph, Serena quickly said to him with red eyes, âJoseph, they bullied Paige. She is now upstairs, and she doesnât even utter a word. You should quickly go up...â âOkay. Help me to take care of Chloe and take her to the park...â Joseph handed Chloe to Serena before he rushed upstairs. On the other hand, Chloe was sensible enough to follow Serena without asking anything. When Joseph entered the house, Estella was pointing at Yahir and chiding him with watery eyes, âYou piece of trash! He slapped your daughter, and yet you didnât even dare to say anything! Are you even a man?!â âCalm down, Mom. Where is Paige?â Joseph forcefully suppressed the surging anger in his heart and asked Estella. Immediately, Estellaâs tears rolled down her cheeks. With trembling fingers, she pointed at the bedroom and sobbed, âIn the room. Please console her. You...â âDonât worry. Leave it to me...â Joseph nodded and walked to the bedroom door. Although Paige locked the door from the inside, he managed to push it open with only a little force. Following that, he saw Paige curled up on the bed with her head deeply buried in her knees. Feeling heartbroken, Joseph uttered, âPaige, itâs me...â Paige ignored Joseph, and her body was still twitching. Yes, she was crying, but she suppressed her voice to prevent herself from crying out loud. Then, Joseph pulled up her arm and saw the faint red palm print on her face. Boom! The moment he saw the palm print, the killing intent inside him burst out, and the temperature in the room dropped sharply. As Paige could feel a sudden chill, her body trembled. Only then, she came to notice Josephâs presence.
While tears were covering her face, she wept, âAm... am I useless?â Upon listening to what she said, Joseph felt more distressed. With that, he wiped the tears from her face, took a deep breath, and uttered, âLetâs go to the Mooney familyâs house!â
Stunned, Paige asked, âWhat are we going there for?â Joseph took a deep breath, and his eyes were cold to the extreme.
Gritting his teeth, he rasped, âIâll avenge you! Letâs go!â Without waiting for Paigeâs response, he pulled her arm and walked out of the room. Although Estella and Yahir were shocked by his movement, he ignored them, pulled Paige down the stairs, and got in the car with her. Then, he stepped on the accelerator and sped toward the Mooney familyâs house. Ten minutes later, the banquet in the Mooneysâ house courtyard was still ongoing. All the guests were drinking while a few Eagle Soldiers were standing guard outside the door. Even though they had also seen what happened to Paigeâs family, they could only obey orders and stay silent. Suddenly, they saw a black Mercedes sped toward them from a distance. Because the car was so rapid, they instantly got vigilant. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before their eyes and spun 360-degree with a piercing braking sound and thick smoke that billowed around the tires. Frightened, two of the soldiers quickly pulled out their rifles and charged toward the car while the other two of them rushed in to protect Maxton.
The next moment, Joseph pulled Paige out of the car and walked past the thick smoke.
âMaxton Mooney! Youâre courting death!â as he fumed, he stormed towards the courtyard with Paige. âStop! If you come any further, we wonât be easy on you!â with fear, the two soldiers shouted at Joseph while pointing at him with their rifles. As they said so, they joined hands and rushed toward him. As Joseph was holding Paigeâs hand, his eyes turned cold, and he blasted the two soldiers with two palm strikes. With that, a monstrous sound resonated throughout the house. The two fully armed soldiers flew out, vomited blood, and . fell into the courtyard. Instantly, they fainted and died.
âJoseph Dawson! Itâs you who are courting death! How dare you wreak havoc in my house?! If you wish to die, Iâll grant it!
Argh!!!â Once Maxton saw Joseph injured his men, he flew off the handle and charged toward Joseph. Since Maxton could become the Eagle Troopâs commander, that meant he had a high level of combat power. Same as Brandon, Bradley, and Lewis, he was a five-star combat master. Besides, he had been in the military all year round, so he had great hostility However, before he could attack Joseph, (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)Joseph grabbed his wrist, lifted his body, and slammed him to the ground. âBoom!â After Maxton fell to the ground, he spat out a mouthful of blood and was taken aback by Josephâs strength. Even so, before he had time to react, Joseph-who already let go of Paige appeared before his eyes in an instant and directly kicked him in the chest.. Once again, Maxtonâs expression changed, but he managed to place his arms on his chest at the last moment. Otherwise, Josephâs kick would have taken his life! Nevertheless, followed by another monstrous sound, Maxtonâs body flew and hit the Mooney familyâs door sign. With a loud crack, Maxtonâs body smashed the wall into pieces before falling on the courtyard... Just like before, Joseph appeared before Maxtonâs eyes as soon as he landed. âYou canât kill me! You canât! Iâm the commander of the Eagle Troop... You canât kill me...â with a pale face, Maxton yelled at Joseph. At that moment, he was completely unhinged. âKill you? That would be easy on you!â Joseph shouted angrily. Killing Maxton was an easy task for him, but Maxton was a part of the Mooneys and a relative of Paige, after all. If it werenât because he was afraid that Paige would feel bad in the future, he would have killed Maxton! Nevertheless, he didnât plan to let Maxton off that easily!
Therefore, he directly snapped Maxtonâs right arm with his palm. At once, Maxton shrieked in pain. âJoseph! Calm down! Donât!â
Finally, Paige reacted. When she saw Maxton vomit blood and his broken right arm bled profusely, she quickly screamed at Joseph. She was afraid that he would end up killing Maxton. When Joseph heard Paigeâs voice, a trace of clarity appeared in his murderous gaze. Then, he looked back at her and said, âPaige, come here and return his slap!â Paige cried, shook her head, and begged Joseph, âNo... please stop. Please...â âI apologize, Joseph. Please calm down. I am sorry...â Maxton hurriedly apologized. But the next moment, Joseph slapped him. With that slap, Maxton flew off, and a row of his teeth fell out. âArgh!!
How dare you slap me! Youâre so dead!!! Where are the Eagle Soldiers?! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Arghhh!!!â Maxton was completely blinded by anger. He didnât mind Joseph hit him, but a proud and egoistic person like him couldnât withstand being slapped in front of so many people! Just then, a large group of Eagle Soldiers rushed over with weapons in their hands. There were several dozens of them, all of whom were Maxtonâs guards with the highest combat skills! âNo, donât!â Upon seeing the soldiers charging toward Joseph, Paige quickly blocked them. After that, she turned her head and yelled at Joseph anxiously, âRun!!!â However, Joseph didnât budge. Just when the soldiers were getting closer to Paige, a dozen tanks with weapons emerged and surrounded the soldiers! âTake another step if you dare!â on the leading tank, Alpha lâwho was full of dangerous aura-roared at the Eagle Soldiers. At once, all of them didnât dare to move. D But in the next moment, another hundred or so Eagle Soldiers rushed over and confronted Alpha lâs army. At the sight of this scene, the guests were bewildered. On the other hand, Joseph didnât care what was happening outside. Instead, he looked at Maxton and bellowed, âAre you planning to start a war?â With hatred in his eyes, Maxton wiped off the blood at the corner of his mouth and glared at Joseph. As fury quickened his blood, his chest was heaving vigorously. Due to his injury, he was no match for Joseph. He wanted to kill Joseph badly, but he didnât dare to. After all, he came back with a task to guard the god of war and the grand wedding!
Thus, no matter how unwilling Maxton was, he suppressed his anger and glared at Joseph. âJoseph, youâre dead! Donât you know that Iâm the Eagle Troopâs commander of the central regionâs military? Youâre lucky that I have a military order now. Stay here and wait for three days if you dare!â After letting out a scoff, Joseph looked at Maxton insultingly, âSure. See you in three days!â âDeal!â Maxton replied, scowling at Joseph. âPaige, letâs go...â Joseph turned around and walked away with Paige. After they left, Alpha 1 also left with his soldiers while sneering. What a joke? Did a mere commander just threaten Joseph? If Joseph werenât waiting for the wedding the day after tomorrow, he would have snapped Maxton into pieces by now. Exactly. This was the reason why Joseph didnât fully expose his power. In another one and a half days, it would be his wedding with Paige. Besides, for women, a wedding was a once-in-a-lifetime event. So, he didnât want her to have any regrets. However, not long after Alpha 1 and Joseph left, vice presidents from big companies in Oplen came with their contracts. Gempoint Groupâs vice president, Aiden Marsh, and Mysticorp Groupâs vice president, Ivan Lane, were among them. Then, in front of Leonard, Lily, and Maxton, those vice presidents tore all the contracts they signed with Aceshine Group. âAiden Marsh! Ivan Lane! Are you sure you want to end this cooperation just because of Paige? Is it worth it to offend the Mooneys and me because of this?â Maxton asked Aiden and Ivan with a gloomy face. He knew these two people. Upon hearing that, Aiden and Ivan smirked, âHah, do you think youâre a general? What gives a mere commander a right to talk to us this way?â Maxton was so furious that he spat out another mouthful of blood.(This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) With a more malicious stare, he fumed, âOkay! Fine! Go and tell Dennis Drake and Ernie Green that I will keep todayâs humiliation in my mind! When I become the Eagle Troopâs general in the future, I will make them pay dearly for todayâs humiliation!â âWell, anyone can brag. We shall see when you are officially in charge of the nine Eagle Troops!â Aiden didnât show respect to Maxton at all. After saying that, Aiden looked at Leonard and sneered meaningfully, âLeonard, remember what happened today. You and your family made this choice!â Then, Ivan also looked at Harrison mockingly. âAs for you, Harrison. Go ahead and take their side if you want, but donât regret it in the future...â With that, Aiden, Ivan, and more than a dozen vice-presidents left with disdain while the Mooneys and the Sheltons fell silent. For some reason, Aidenâs and Ivanâs words made Leonard and Harrison worry...