CHAPTER 420: THE PLAN BEGINS

The birthday hall was lively and crowded. Different people, all dressed in noble clothes with noble auras, stood by tables, chatting among themselves.

Waiters walked through the crowd every few minutes to see if their guests had any needs or requests.

At one of the tables, Daniel was standing with several women, all of them smiling and chatting with the mysterious and handsome white-haired man.

"Mr. Aurilias, which country are you from?" one of the women asked in a flirtatious tone.

"I came from a faraway place. I don’t think you’d know where it is," Daniel replied with a smile, though hidden beneath that smile was his growing frustration.

For now, he was using the fake name Aurilias, the one written on the invitation.

But that wasn’t the important part right now. What mattered was that he was starting to get irritated with this whole situation, and yet that bastard still hadn’t shown up.

Wasn’t this supposed to be his own birthday party? Which idiot shows up late to his own celebration?

"A place where someone like you was born surely can’t be ordinary," another of the beautiful women said as she picked up a cup of tea and handed it to him.

Daniel accepted the tea and took a sip. He really wanted to get out of here, but unfortunately, that wasn’t an option right now. He had to keep these women occupied.

While talking with them about countless topics related to himself, his eyes drifted toward Andreas, who was standing a bit farther away.

Two or three men were next to him, and it looked like they were trying to seduce him. The expression on his face made it clear he was barely controlling himself from killing them on the spot.

Every time Daniel saw him like that, his own anger vanished and was replaced with laughter. Compared to Andreas’s situation, his own wasn’t bad at all. Andreas’s was on an entirely different level—far worse.

Daniel turned his attention back to the women around him. There was a reason he entertained them. Each of these women had high status and fame both inside and outside the city.

Most of the guests at this party were some of the biggest figures of the underworld—smugglers, traffickers, and dealers of forbidden goods.

Building connections with such people wasn’t a bad idea. It could come in handy later, especially when he started his own organization.

At that moment, the doors of the hall suddenly opened and several figures entered. The expressions of everyone inside the hall instantly shifted.

"I am honored to announce the arrival of the young master and Mr. Aden," a voice echoed throughout the noble hall.

Daniel’s and Andreas’s gazes fell on their target. He looked exactly like he did in the painting—an average face, nothing impressive or positive about it.

He was a little tall, but because of his thin, bony frame, his height worked against him rather than for him.

His eyes had dark circles beneath them, his skin was cracked in places, clear signs of heavy drug use.

But the young man beside him was entirely different. He had neatly combed golden hair, bright green eyes, a handsome and somewhat charismatic face.

More importantly, the aura radiating from him was powerful—at least peak A Rank, which surprised Daniel a bit. Still, it wasn’t at the level where he could be considered a threat to him.

As for Aden himself? He was only in Early A Rank. Nothing more than an insect.

With their entrance, everyone’s attitude became respectful, especially when they looked at the city’s young master. After all, he was the only son of the city lord, and most here had heard plenty of rumors about the lord’s power.

No one dared show disrespect. In fact, many immediately rushed over to flatter them.

"What a bunch of idiots," one of the women beside Daniel scoffed as she looked at them.

"Oh? Can I ask why you call them idiots?" Daniel asked curiously, turning to look at this woman. Among all the women here, she had one of the best, if not the best, appearances.

Even more important was her aura. It felt like a calm ocean, but it carried the sense that it could erupt at any moment.

She was the only woman here Daniel spoke to with genuine respect, and he was even a little surprised that someone like her had approached him at all.

"Isn’t it obvious? By doing this, those fools are throwing away their own self-respect. When they don’t respect themselves, naturally Mornak won’t respect them either. At best, he’ll treat them like dogs," she answered with scorn.

"I see." Daniel nodded. He shared the same thoughts, though he hadn’t expected someone else to think the same way.

And more than that—this woman had dared to speak about the young master so casually, without any title or honorific?

At that moment, a little farther away, the young master seemed to notice something. His eyes fell on the area where Daniel stood—more specifically, on one of the women at his side. He gave her a slight nod in greeting.

But when he saw that the woman was standing next to another man, his expression instantly darkened. Jealousy surged inside him.

Still, he barely kept himself under control and, together with Aden, walked toward the most central table in the hall—the one clearly prepared for them.

Many people hurried over to greet them. Even the women around Daniel left him, except for one, to approach the young master and Aden.

Daniel, on the other hand, glanced at Andreas and gave him a signal—it was his turn.

Andreas sighed, forcing down his hesitation, and calmly walked toward their table.

"Greetings to both young masters. I am honored to be in your presence tonight," he said with a small bow as he arrived.

Mornak’s and Aden’s eyes fell on him. The moment Aden saw that unique beauty, his eyes lit up with lust and greed. It was obvious he had found his target for the night.