The moment Leander finished speaking, shock spread across every face.Stella and Margot, Hudson and Linus, and the team from Grandhawk Properties- all froze.What Leander had just said was outright insane.Bastian, Tommy's eldest son, was a powerhouse in Mornwick, controlling assets worth over one billion. After a serious injury last year, he had kept a low profile, founding Grandhawk Properties as a behind-the-scenes chairman. From the shadows, he built it from the ground up into one of Mornwick's top twenty firms, holding over ten million acres of land. Not long ago, he had been named one of Mornwick's Top Ten Outstanding Young Entrepreneurs.Even Josiah, Frankie's son, and Howard, Gumus's eldest, couldn't compare. Among Mornwick's younger generation, Bastian's influence was unmatched.Many old-school tycoons also faded in his presence. No one dared command him to appear, but Leander, barely twenty, boldly did just that."Leander, you..."Stella clutched Leander's arm, frozen. Margot covered her forehead, her heart sinking.Earlier, Leander had crushed Damon. That had been ruthless, but it hadn't been enough to earn Bastian's personal wrath.This one sentence changed everything. Leander had thrown himself onto a cliff's edge, daring Bastian to appear. The audacity was staggering."Good try, kid."The young Grandhawk Properties leader clapped three times, his smile turning colder by the second."Joking about Bastian? I've got to hand it to you—you're brave. Telling him to come crawling over-do you even know what you're saying? A single line like that could bring disaster on you and everyone standing with you."Behind Leander, Hudson and Linus cursed silently.If you want to die, don't drag us with you!Fewer than five people in Mornwick would dare say that out loud. Leander clearly wasn't one of them. They wondered if he even knew who Bastian was."Consequences?" Leander asked, a faint smile on his lips as he waved his finger."Even Bastian wouldn't dare speak to me like that. You? You're just his lapdog who thinks too highly of himself. When I broke Bastian's legs, you didn't even know what was going on. And you still dare to run your mouth at me?"The lead youth's expression snapped."Shattered his legs?" he muttered. The casual confidence vanished, replaced by raw fear.Few knew about Bastian's broken legs-only his family and a handful of aides. The injury had changed him, making him calm, methodical, and a rising star in Mornwick's business world.It had been over a year, but the lead youth remembered clearly. He knew who had done it—a true giant, someone even Tommy had to bow to.Now Leander claimed he had done it. His heart jolted. Seeing Leander's young face and recalling the name, his expression froze."So young, last name Ashcroft, and he shattered Bastian's legs-no mistake. That's him."Cold sweat poured down his back. In an instant, he felt like he'd fallen from heaven into hell."Ashcroft..." His lips trembled, unable to speak.Without hesitation, he bowed before Leander, panic written all over his face."I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you! I really didn't know!"Everyone else was stunned—on both the Greenstem Village and Grandhawk Properties sides. No one understood how Bastian's right-hand man could bow from a single sentence.Stella and Margot were frozen, unaware of the depth of his fear."Rumor said he left Mornwick for Highcliffe over three months ago. How is he here?"Cold sweat ran down the youth's face. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew no one in Mornwick would dare impersonate such a figure."Oh? So you know who I am," Leander said, finishing his drink with a faint smile."Yes! I know now! I was blind before. Please, show mercy."The whiplash left everyone's minds spinning. The once-imposing youth was now shaking in front of Leander."Was it because of what Leander said just now?"Margot tilted her head toward him,still confused. There was no world inwhich a casual remark should,beenough to make someone bow onthe spot. Leander stood tall, expression cold."Stop wasting my time. Call Bastian. Tell him to get here. I'll give him twentyminutes.""Yes!" The youth didn't hesitate and dialed Bastian immediately.At Grandhawk Properties headquarters in Dawnmere, Bastian was shirtless, enjoying himself with a third-tier young model, when the phone rang. He glanced at the display, annoyed. "Rory, didn't I tell you to settle the GreenstemnoveldramaVillage situati Why are you calling now? I'm busy.""Mr. Dunphy, something's happening in Greenstem," Rory said. "Someone'sprotecting the village—and he even told you to come see him."Bastian's eyes blazed. "Who has the nerve to tell me to come?"The young model smiled flirtatiously."Bold words. That person must have a death wish."There was a pause. Then Rory's voice shook: "It's... the one who broke your legs."Bastian's face froze. He flung the young model aside, threw on his clothes, and sprinted out without looking back.The young model looked utterly stunned. She had only been with Bastian for a few days, yet she had never seen him so flustered and shaken.At Greenstem Village, both sides stood tensely. Rory remained bowing. Without Leander's word, he didn't dare rise.The villagers looked on, confused.Stella and Margot were about to ask Leander something when the roar of engines thundered.Heads tilted up. A helicopter approached, hovering overhead, and a rope ladder dropped. A man zipped down in a hurry.He was a young man in an ArmaniI.nesuit, exuding wealth and power. When he landed, Marget and the others finally saw his face. Hudsonand Linus gasped. "Mr. Dunphy?"Margot and Stella reacted instantly, their faces changing with each passing moment.The man who had arrived by private helicopter was none other than the top young master of Mornwick-Tommy's son.Before anyone could react, Bastian took a long step forward, walked straight to Leander, and bowed deeply."Bastian, paying respect to Mr. Leander!"Silence fell over the crowd.