Secret Scion

At the Schmidt residence.

Garrett had just received Harold's call on Mikaela. Only then did he find out about Asher's interference and that his men had yet to find Mikaela. When Garrett heard the news, he was so angry that he could not help but curse, "Asher, I'm still not done with you about what happened at Rollinsford, and now you're looking for a fight with me? Do you really think that I can be bullied that easily?"

Originally, Garrett wanted Harold to take Mikaela to the hospital and force her to get an abortion. Once her pregnancy was terminated, he could put his feet up and relax without any worries.

However, he didn't expect that Asher would choose to interfere. That bastard must have wanted to use Mikaela against the Schmidts! If Mikaela was under Asher's protection, it would become so much more complicated.

"It's late. Why aren't you sleeping yet? Are you thinking of something?" At this time, Rose saw Garrett strolling about in the courtyard after she was done with her evening jog. His expression was dark, as if he was thinking of something.

"It's fine. I was just getting some fresh air here. I'm going to bed now." After he was done speaking, he turned around and walked toward his room.

Rose hesitated for a few seconds before she suddenly asked, "Are you done with Mikaela? I heard from Grandpa that the Lanes called a few days ago. They wanted you to confirm the marriage as soon as possible. We're in a sensitive period right now, so we can't allow Mikaela to give us any surprises. Otherwise, the Lanes will be quite unhappy with that."

"I know. There's no need for you to be worried." Garrett left after that.

Garrett was much colder to Rose now. The main reason was because he had noticed her ambitions and she wanted the position of Patriarch for herself. Rose was extremely influential whether it was in their social circle or at home, and she made Garrett feel very threatened. While they were siblings on the outside, they were also competing with each other.

The next day, Asher had someone pick up Mikaela and send her to a safe place. Now that Mikaela was pregnant with Garrett's child, she would be a great pawn to him if he were to use her correctly.

Asher had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he gave Griffin a call and invited him to drink in the evening. He also wanted to ask about what was happening in the Capital City.

In the evening, at a private room in the Riverside Tavern.

Asher was standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back. His gaze was fixated on a spot far at the mountains where the sun was slowly setting. Its light colored the skies and clouds in marvelous hues of red and orange.

"Boss, you're not leaving anymore after you're back, right?" Griffin asked as he sat down on the chair and poured himself a drink. "If you ask me, you shouldn't have left two years ago. The Schmidt family is just a household! They're nothing! We can play along with whatever they want to do, but if they make me angry, I'll beat even Xavier up myself!"

Asher turned around and said with a smile, "Your grandfather is Harlow Quinn. No one is bold enough to touch you, all right?"

He then walked over and sat down on a seat opposite of him. "However, I'm different. Unlike you, if I got hit, I have to hit them back myself."

"Boss, you don't have to make it sound so lonely. We grew up together even before we learned our ABCs! I won't hesitate to beat up whoever you want me to! In my eyes, you're family! Your problems are mine, and whoever attacked you is attacking me as well," Griffin said.

Asher nodded with a smile and replied, "I know. I'm happy to have a friend like you this lifetime. Cheers to our friendship."

"Wine glasses can no longer satisfy me. Waiter, get me the bottles!" Griffin crowed loudly. "Of course, Mr. Quinn. Please wait for a moment."

Soon, the waiter came back with two bottles of wine. He then said with a smile, "Mr. Crawford, Mr. Quinn, these bottles might not be enough. Would you like me to fetch a couple more?" "Just go." Griffin waved his hand as he grabbed a bottle of wine. "Boss, cheers!" With that, Griffin began to quaff the bottle of wine.

The bottle was not too big, but it was not that small either. Luckily, they were merely drinking the rice wine that the tavern made, and the alcohol percentage was not that high. After finishing one bottle, Asher then asked, "Fatty, let's talk about the situation in the Capital City. I was gone for two years. This city must have completely changed by now."

Griffin sipped from the bottle and said, "Well, there's no change to the big picture. The MacQuoids are still dominating the other families and their throne is still quite secure. Next, the Schmidts, the Lanes, and the Harrisons. The Schmidts and the Harrisons are still at each other's throats as they want to become the leader of the Three Families. However, after Garrett and Maggie from the Lanes start dating, the balance seems to be broken with the Schmidts having an advantage over the Harrisons. However, it's not that simple for the Schmidts to become a super family. The MacQuoids won't simply let them develop unchecked and threaten their own position."

With that, Griffin lit up a cigarette before continuing, "There are four separate factions in the Capital City. One of them is the faction led by the MacQuoids. Next, there's the union between the Schmidts and the Lanes. Afterward, it's the Harrisons since they're still somewhat influential. And then there's the Crawfords, Quinns, and other hidden factions who can become first-rate families if they wanted to.

"Boss, do you still remember that you want to be the Capital City's number one scion? I believe you can do it! I don't believe in the so-called Male Sebastian and Female Rose saying!" Griffin said firmly.

When he was reminded of that, Asher could not help but feel somewhat awkward. He did say it; furthermore, he said it in front of Rose. Then again, he had drunk a lot of wine back then. He was simply blurting things out without thinking about it twice because he was drunk.

"I was young and arrogant back then. There's no need to talk about it. Drink up, Fatty." Having said that, Asher did want to become the Capital City's number one scion.

After a few more bottles, both Asher and Griffin were somewhat drunk.

At this time, an arrogant voice suddenly came from outside. "I, Tristan Anderson, will always get

the woman that I want! You will accompany me tonight whether you want it or not!"

"Shit! Those idiots! They're ruining the mood for me! Boss, stay here. Let me go and see what the idiot wants!"

Griffin instantly became angry when he heard Tristan's voice. The latter was just a descendant of the Anderson family, and yet he dared to be arrogant! His arrogance was starting to get on Griffin's nerves. Did the Andersons really think they owned the entire Capital City? Griffin was already quite drunk, so he stumbled away as soon as he said his piece. He did not even give Asher any time to react.

When he was out of the private room, Griffin then saw Tristan and a few other younger scions from smaller families bullying a beautiful woman. If Asher was here and saw who she was, he would be surprised because that woman was none other than Dove Yaeger.

Tristan was in the midst of dragging Dove into a private room. Griffin immediately cursed, "Damn it! Since when has Alexandrius become a place where you can run amuck? Scram now or I'll break your legs!"

Tristan did not recognize Griffin's voice in the beginning. He instinctively turned around and was going to yell at him. However, when he opened his mouth, his voice just could not come out. A complicated expression appeared on his face as he choked out, "Griffin Quinn?"

The remaining youths all looked at Griffin with worry. They were very angry on the inside. It was the first time that they did not dare to talk back after they were being yelled at.

Griffin gritted his teeth and grabbed the chair next to him. He then immediately hurled it at Tristan's head. "What did you call me? You're not worthy of calling me by my full name!" Luckily, Tristan was able to dodge pretty quickly. Even then, the chair still slammed right on his shoulder. A loud crack could be heard, followed by Tristan's howl of pain.

"Griffin, I did nothing to you! You went too far this time!" Tristan held his arm and immediately took cover behind a pillar. While he was quite furious, he did not want to face the black gorilla head on.

"Too much?" Griffin let out a cold smile. "I'll show you what's too much!" With that, he picked up the chair on the ground again and slammed it in Tristan's direction.

Griffin was someone with a very stout build. As he came in a mad dash, Tristan was so scared that he ran out of the tavern. "Griffin, we're not done yet! I'll demand an explanation from the Quinns!"

"Scram!" Griffin threw the chair out and it almost hit Tristan at the back. In just a short moment, Tristan was gone.

"All of you want to be beaten too?" Griffin turned around and glared at the other youths. They were so scared that their faces had turned pale and they were on the verge of peeing themselves.

No matter how foolish Dove was, she knew that this dark-skinned, powerfully-built young man had the backing of a powerful faction. Otherwise, Tristan and the other scions would not have given up so easily.

However, Griffin did look quite fierce, which made Dove raise her guard around him. The fact that he beat them up the moment he appeared was a testament of his aggression. She then said carefully, "Thank you for your help, sir."

Only at this time did Griffin turn his attention to Dove. With slender brows and bright eyes, she looked like a beautiful painting with her smile adorning her face. She was nothing less than a classical beauty.

In that moment, Griffin could feel his heart skip a beat. His expression that was one of anger suddenly melted into a goofy smile. Just when he wanted to say something, Asher's surprised voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Dove? Why are you here?"