Chapter 1

"Wilbur, why did you rape Yvonne?" Wilbur Penn responded calmly to the Willows' interrogation, "Yvonne came home drunk late at night with her clothes all messy. I was just helping her to bed so she could rest, but you accused me of raping her. Also, she's my wife. How is that considered rape?" "It is if violence was used, even if you're married," roared Wilbur's father-in-law, Jackson Willow. His mother-in-law, Miranda Wester, chimed in as well. "That's right! You must get a divorce today, and you're leaving with nothing." Wilbur's brows furrowed so hard that they knitted together… It felt like a storm was brewing. Just then, his younger sister-in-law, Chelsea Willow, said, "Dad, Mom, what are you guys doing? If it hadn't been for Wilbur giving us fifty million dollars back then, we wouldn't have moved on from being regular folks to becoming billionaires with a booming supermarket business right now. Have you forgotten what Wilbur has done for us?" Wilbur's wife, Yvonne, roared. "Shut up, you! It's true that he gave us fifty million dollars, but he hasn't done anything in the past three years other than lazing around! We built the Willow empire on our own. He has nothing to do with it." Chelsea was just about to refute it when her father said, "There's nothing more for you to say. They're definitely getting a divorce." Chelsea bit her lip and sighed. Wilbur shook his head. It had been three years. Apart from Chelsea, every other member of the Willows had let him down. "I'll think about it," said Wilbur as he returned to his room. Wilbur walked into the shower after taking off his clothes. His back was exposed, showing a ferocious-looking dragon head covering most of his back. It was not a tattoo but a mark that he bore ever since he was born. He had also gotten mysterious energy from the mark. Ever since that day, he changed his name to Trevor Penn, fighting with his life on the line overseas and made his mark in history by forming the legendary Abyss Mercenaries. He got tired of all the bloodshed many years later and dispersed the mercenaries once he made enough money. Only a few executives stayed behind, who used their riches to form the Cape Consortium. They hired the best people from Waller Street to run it, making investments around the world and becoming one of the best consortiums in the world. Wilbur himself had returned to Seechertown. He picked up his old name of Wilbur again and chose to get married to his fiancee, Yvonne Willow. He was prepared to retire his old identity and live the rest of his life in the suburbs. At first, the Willows were so overjoyed to get those fifty million dollars from him that they practically treated Wilbur like a king. Yet as time passed, the Willows grew stronger financially, and they began to change how they treated him. Now, they were even trying to chase him out and leave him with nothing. Wilbur stood under the cold water as his expression turned cold. It was not that he refused to leave the Willows but that Yvonne's grandfather was a benefactor of his own grandfather in the past. Wilbur's grandfather's dying wish was for him to marry into the Willows in a matrilocal pattern to repay that favor. Both their grandfathers had promised the arranged marriage early on. Wilbur went through with the marriage, but the Willows were getting sick of him. Since that was the case, he would just leave. Was there any point in suffering like this? He would live in the mountains and focus on cultivating for good. That would be better, anyways. Upon making up his mind, Wilbur walked out of the bathroom. He was just about to get dressed when Chelsea opened the room's door and walked right in. "Ahh! What are you doing? Put on your clothes!" Chelsea cried out in shock and closed the door hurriedly. Wilbur threw on his clothes, his face flushing. It was embarrassing to have Chelsea see all of him. "I'm done. You can come in now," Wilbur said while trying his best to keep a calm tone. Chelsea opened the door by a crack and only went in after she made sure that Wilbur was dressed. The two of them sat on the couch. Chelsea was blushing. "Wilbur, I know this is hard for you, but you don't need to worry. I'm not going to let you two get divorced. The Willows would be nowhere without you. I won't forget that." "Silly girl. There's no good in forcing things that aren't meant to be. You don't have to care about this anymore," Wilbur replied. Chelsea was the only person in the Willow family who was kind to Wilbur. She was the only one who still had a pure heart, which was truly hard to find. Yet Chelsea said, "This is something I care about! Just ignore them. They can't force you to get divorced as long as you don't consent to it. Listen to me." "Alright. I understand. You should go to work," Wilbur said with a smile. Chelsea glanced at her watch. "I'll make a move now. Remember what I said." Chelsea only got up after seeing Wilbur nod. Wilbur smiled. He smoked a cigarette before getting up to go downstairs. Only Yvonne and his in-laws were there. "Are you not going to work today?" Wilbur asked. The Willow family had built an empire for themselves, and everyone was busy all the time. What was going on? Yvonne scoffed coldly. "We're having guests today, and we're preparing for it." Wilbur glanced at the maids who were hard at work. He was about to say something when the front door was pushed open. "Oh my, you're here, Mister Woods. Please, have a seat." Jackson and Miranda welcomed the man at the door at once, helping him over to the sofa. Yvonne walked over to him as well, sat down right next to him and exchanged pleasantries. Wilbur frowned. He sat by the side and smoked a cigarette. The other four chatted away happily, completely ignoring Wilbur's presence. Wilbur himself did not say anything, wanting to see what they were playing at. After talking for some time, Mister Woods turned around all of a sudden and said to Wilbur, "You must be Mister Wilbur Penn." Wilbur smiled lightly. "Yes, and how should I address you?" "I'm Blake Woods. CEO of Woods Corporate." Blake was beaming at him. Wilbur nodded and uttered without turning a hair. "I've heard about you." "I heard that you've been married to Yvonne for three years but haven't been intimate at all. Is this true?" Blake asked shamelessly. Wilbur nodded. "Yes." He had reached an important point in cultivating back then and needed to maintain an air of purity. That was why he had not slept with Yvonne. However, after he had passed that point, Yvonne had already lost feelings for him. He did not force anything either, and thus the two had merely remained married in name only. Blake broke out laughing. "Yvonne was telling me that last night, and I couldn't even believe it… but I guess it's true. How were you able to resist a beauty like her? Could it be that you're lacking in a certain aspect?" Wilbur smirked as he sensed Blake's arrogant tone, but he remained calm. "You were the one drinking with her last night? Did she tell you everything?" "That's right. We talked long and late into the night. It's such a pity that we only met each other this late in our lives. It truly is a shame for such a good person to end up with a loser like you. God bless her." Blake shook his head. Wilbur smirked coldly. "Seems like you've got it all figured out, and you're just waiting for me to get lost, aren't you?" Black replied smugly, "I'll be honest with you. Woods Corporate is worth billions right now. We've also just connected with the Cape Consortium, and they're going to invest another five billion in us. My company's growing by the second. Yvonne's only going to be happy with me. What can you give her?" "Cape Consortium is in Seechertown?" Wilbur asked in surprise. He rarely questioned or meddled in the consortium's finances and had no idea that they had expanded all the way here.