Silence rang louder than voices.

As Ruediger stepped into the room, declaring himself the very man Chairman Alvord and Vincent had all been desperate to meet, it was as if the tension thickened abruptly.

They were sucked dry of air and flooded instead with disbelief.

Chairman Alvord stood stiffly, his hands curled into fists beside him. Vincent's lips parted and his face turned pale.

As for George, he remained frozen, staring at Ruediger like a ghost had appeared in the flesh. He had heard and seen photos of the chairman's abandoned eldest son. He also learned that the crimson-haired man worked under his best friend, Nathaniel Faulkner.

But...

He was Mr. R?!

Nathaniel, calm and unfazed, swept his gaze across the room. There was a mockery on his curling lips. Then, he gestured toward the empty chairs on the side where Julian was seated.

"Shall we begin?" he said, ridicule glinting in his brown eyes, "We have an important meeting, no?"

Ruediger glanced at his friend, "We should."

Without paying attention to the stunned parties, Ruediger moved forward and found himself a seat. His movement and gaze remained steady as if he hadn't just surprised Chairman Alvord.

Nathaniel sat beside Ruediger. Their eyes went to the ones opposite the table.

The stillness dragged on a moment longer before Chairman Alvord finally sat down, followed by Vincent and George. The older man shifted in his seat and cleared his throat.

"Well," Chairman Alvord said, his voice rougher than usual, "That was an amusing entrance."

No one replied.

Not Vincent, and not even George.

Chairman Alvord narrowed his eyes, his gaze fell on Ruediger, "You expect me to believe this? You waltz in here just to claim to be Mr. R?"

Ruediger leaned back against the plush chair, one leg crossing over the other, "I don't expect you to believe anything."

"You're always dramatic," Chairman Alvord scoffed, almost forcing a laugh as his expression grew twisted, "You couldn't even handle being in a company's junior division. But, you, Mr. R?"

Vincent swallowed hard, remaining quiet. His eyes darted from his enraged father to his unbothered eldest brother.

What was happening?

Was his brother telling them the truth? The mo*st% u!p‑t-o‑da^t+e v!e^r-s#io%n! is on *.

As the thoughts gushed in his mind, he no longer knew which to believe. An unseen force twisted his gut.

Ruediger shrugged, not bothered by Chairman Alvord's insult, "I don't need your approval and I don't care if you believe me or not. Because what matters is that's true."

As if on cue, the door opened again, stopping Chairman Alvord from berating Ruediger. Everyone looked at the door and saw Edmund Knowles.

Aside from Ruediger and Nathaniel, everyone else was shocked. None of them heard that the CEO of Edenia Avenue would appear today.

Composed and elegant, Edmund promptly shut the door behind them. His sharp eyes scanned the room, quickly understanding the tension.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Edmund said smoothly as if he didn't notice the oppressive pressure, "Apologies for suddenly barging in."

Chairman Alvord straightened his back, "CEO Knowles, you'll settle this. Tell me this isn't some elaborate prank. And even an illegal impersonation."

Still standing near the door, Edmund arched his brows, "Prank, Chairman Alvord? Care to explain further? As you can see, I've just arrived here."

"Don't play dumb," Chairman Alvord snapped, and then he pointed a trembling finger at Ruediger, "He! He claimed to be Mr. R."

Edmund turned toward Ruediger, who watched him with amusement in his emerald eyes. After giving the latter a respectful nod, he said, "He's not impersonating. He is Mr. R. You know? The R in his alias is from Ruediger, mm?"

The room went deathly quiet again.

Ruediger watched another wave of disbelief ripple across Chairman Alvord's, Vincent's and George's faces upon hearing Edmund's clarification.

This was so entertaining.

After what seemed like a long period of silence, someone finally spoke. It was Vincent.

"You're saying... the person we've been trying to reach... the one with all the power over Edenia... has been Ruediger all along?"

Edmund nodded once, "Yes. I'm just his subordinate. The one he slaves because he's busy being so carefree, you know?"

No one laughed at Edmund's dry joke, except for Nathaniel, while Ruediger simply smirked.

It was like watching a house of cards tumble.

George slowly sat back, stunned, while Vincent glanced anxiously at Chairman Alvord, whose face was as pale as a sheet.

Ruediger's lips curled into a slow sneer. Staring at his estranged father, mockery tainted each of the words he spoke next.

"Tell me, how does it feel, Chairman Alvord? To be sitting across from the son you discard... only to find out he rose higher than you ever imagined."

All this time, Ruediger thought he would simply lie low while holding the power to protect himself and the people he held dear.

Even when Edenia Avenue's popularity began to skyrocket within high society and people had been talking about Mr. R, he had never considered revealing himself.

And today he did. All because the man from whom he inherited half of his genes was too conceited to assume his abandoned son could rise to an unprecedented success.

Chairman Alvord's face twisted, still in denial, "No, I don't believe this. You used CEO Faulkner. And he got CEO Knowles in this trick. This... this is all fabricated."

Nathaniel finally spoke. He shook his head slightly, "No. It's all real. Ruediger built the foundation, the strategy and the capital. I invested and Edmund structured. But Ruediger created Edenia."

George's voice, low and hoarse, followed, "But... how could he... did this? Without the Alvord legacy?"

"I've never wanted anything to do with it. I don't need it, " Ruediger said coldly, his gaze sharp on George, "Mine is larger and far more precious. I don't want anything I built to be tainted with your name."

Gritting his teeth, Chairman Alvord slammed a hand on the table, his pupils colored with red.

"Then why come here? What do you want? To mock us who need investment? You... you and Faulkner have never wanted to invest in Alvord, don't you?"

What did he want?!