Outside the gates of the Kingston manor in San Francisco…
A black Jaguar sped up and came to a halt with a rattle, stopping at the entrance of this beautifully decorated and gorgeous manor.
Lucas got out of his car with a straight face and then glared at the gilded statue at the entrance of the manor. He stepped forward and immediately kicked the two-meter tall statue with the Kingstons’ family name engraved on it, causing it to break immediately!
Bang!
The stone statue shattered, and stone chips flew everywhere.
When the Kingstons’ bodyguards heard the noise, they quickly swarmed over and stared at Lucas with hostile expressions. “Where did this punk come from? How dare he kick and break the Kingstons’ symbolic statue?!”
Lucas stared at them coldly, and a majestic aura suddenly surged. “Today is the day that the Kingstons will die! Go inside and tell Marc Kingston that I, Lucas Gray, am coming for him!”
——
While Lucas was in San Francisco to confront the Kingstons and settle scores with them, there wasn’t any peace in Orange County either.
Ethan was still preparing for a great battle against the Taylors as he gathered some trusted members of his family to discuss the next step of the plan, according to Lucas’s intentions.
But after Ethan suddenly received a phone call, his expression changed. And when he returned to the conference room, he stopped listening to the opinions and suggestions put forward by the family. Instead, he waved his hand sullenly and said, “Forget it. Let’s put these matters aside for the time being. All of you may leave now!”
Although the participants were extremely puzzled and unable to figure out why Ethan suddenly changed his mind when they had already decided on it and were about to put forward their suggestions, they were naturally smart enough not to probe since Ethan had already said so. Besides, they could tell from his sullen face that he wasn’t in a good mood.
Only Lena, who had overheard Ethan’s conversation on the phone, frowned and asked, “Dad, I think I just heard you say to someone that Lucas has gone to San Francisco to confront the Kingstons? Shouldn’t we think of a way to help him?”
Ethan looked at his daughter with a frown and chided, “Who allowed you to eavesdrop on my call? You’re so unruly.”
Lena pursed her lips and said worriedly, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just happened to hear a little bit when I walked past! Dad, you haven’t answered me. How exactly are you going to help Lucas?”
Ethan let out a long sigh. “The Sawyers can’t help with this. As you know, the Kingstons are a powerful and wealthy family in San Francisco. We can’t intervene at all. Moreover, it’s a matter between Lucas and the Kingstons and has nothing to do with us. So there’s no point in getting ourselves involved.”
Lena widened her eyes in astonishment. “Dad! What are you saying? When we were in LA back then, didn’t you say that you would stand by Lucas’s side even if it meant having to risk losing everything when we were facing Matthew Benson in LA? Why have you suddenly changed your mind now that he’s really encountered a crisis?”
Ever since her father had said those words to support Lucas, and because Lucas had saved Lena’s life several times before, making her fall in love with him, she thought that her family had already formed a good partnership with him and would always be on the same side.
But she hadn’t expected Ethan to chicken out when Lucas was facing such a huge crisis!
Ethan was rendered speechless by Lena’s words. After a long time, he finally sighed and said, “Things are different now! You just don’t understand. In short, just listen to me and stay out of this matter. Let Lucas resolve his feud with the Kingstons alone. We can’t intervene!”
Lena’s eyes were full of immense disappointment.
“I see. It’s for your so-called interests again, right? You’re afraid of going against the Kingstons and offending them. You said that you’d be on Lucas’s side back when we were in LA only because you knew that the Coles would definitely be on Lucas’s side, right? Dad, you’re so mercenary and terrifying!
“But don’t forget that you also told me before that Lucas is a Hutton and that we should build a good relationship with him. Surely you’re not afraid of a mere Kingston family?” Lena mocked.
“Shut up! Is this the attitude you should have when speaking to your father?”
Ethan turned and said angrily, “You’re simply clueless! Do you know that the person who just called me is from the Hutton family?
“I’m sure you know that I managed to gain a firm foothold in Orange County, and our family managed to become one of the four major families in Orange County today, only because I received help from Chad Kennedy, the head butler of the Hutton family. But the person who called me just now is the legitimate scion of the Huttons, and he warned me not to get involved in Lucas’s affairs. What do you think I can do?
“If it was just the Kingstons, I naturally wouldn’t be afraid. But now that the Huttons have given me a warning, wouldn’t I be courting death if I still had the audacity to go against them? What would you do if you were in my place?”
He took a deep breath and said in a mellower tone, “Lena, I hope you can understand my difficulties.”
In fact, he was also rather ill at ease.
Actually, his friendship with Lucas was considered the strongest in the circle of Orange County. From the first day Lucas had returned to Orange County, it was Ethan who had received him at the airport together with Chad. Later on, he had also tried to get closer to Lucas because he had faith in him and Chad had also instructed him to do so.
But now that the scion of the Huttons had personally called to give him a warning, what else could he do?
Lena fell silent for a long time before saying bitterly, “Even the Huttons are out to deal with him… Is this all we can do…”
——
However, Ethan was not the only one who received a call from the Huttons.
The other helmsmen of the four major families in Orange County, as well as many powerful figures in Orange County and LA, also received that warning from the Huttons.
The Taylors and the Wallaces were naturally overjoyed to receive this news because it meant that the Huttons wouldn’t be Lucas’s backer. Instead, they were going against him.
Both of their families happened to have a feud with Lucas, and they were naturally eager to see this scene.
But Bruce, the helmsman of the Hale family, fell into deep thought.
After putting down the phone, he kept himself locked up in his study, where he paced back and forth with a gloomy expression while constantly letting out long sighs.
When Connor walked in to talk to him, Bruce snapped back to reality.
“Grandpa, what exactly happened? Why are you so vexed?” Connor asked in bewilderment because he clearly remembered that the old man was still speaking to him energetically just a short moment ago. Soon, the Hales would have an enormous opportunity.
Bruce thought about it and said to his only grandson, “Connor, I’m asking you, if someone forced you to choose between the Huttons and Lucas, and you have to be hostile to the other person, what would you do?”
Connor blinked, and his expression immediately turned grim too.
