Chapter 60: Sebastian’s Trump Card
Inside the luxurious Vayne Family villa in Hilltop Villa District, the atmosphere was suffocating.
A crystal wine glass shattered against the marble floor.
Crash!
Fragments scattered in every direction.
The servants standing nearby immediately lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.
Sebastian Vayne stood behind the living room table with a dark expression.
His chest rose and fell violently.
The veins on his forehead were visible.
For years, he had been one of the most influential businessmen in Silvermont.
Whether it was government officials, school administrators, or business partners, everyone gave him some degree of respect.
Yet today, he had been publicly embarrassed.
Not by some powerful family.
But by a university student.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
"Malcolm!"
Sebastian slammed his hand onto the table.
"That ungrateful bastard!"
"Our family has donated tens of millions to that school every year."
"I’ve supported him for years."
"And now he dares to expel my son?"
His eyes were filled with fury.
The call from Malcolm earlier had nearly made him explode.
Not only had Malcolm refused to reverse the expulsion, he had practically told him to take his donations and get lost.
It was a humiliation Sebastian hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Standing nearby, Kai looked completely different from the arrogant beast he usually was on campus.
His head was lowered.
In front of Sebastian, he didn’t dare show even a fraction of his usual arrogance.
"Dad..."
Kai hesitated before speaking.
"Maybe we should just let it go."
"I can transfer to another university."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Sebastian’s expression darkened even further.
Kai swallowed nervously and continued.
"I looked into Lucas."
"The guy isn’t normal."
"He donated billions to the school without blinking."
"Even Malcolm chose him over us."
"Maybe his background is bigger than we thought."
Thinking about the events earlier, Kai couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
The slap.
The humiliation.
The shocked expressions of everyone in the dance academy.
It all replayed repeatedly in his mind.
Most importantly...
There was Lucas’s strength.
The memory alone made Kai uncomfortable.
He had seen plenty of fighters before.
But he had never seen someone kick Jerry away so effortlessly.
Jerry was the captain of the university boxing club.
His combat ability was among the best on campus.
Yet Lucas had treated him like a child.
"Dad..."
Kai lowered his voice.
"Lucas is seriously dangerous."
"Even your bodyguards might not be his match."
"I think it’s better if we stay away from him."
The moment those words came out—
Slap!
A loud sound echoed through the villa.
Kai staggered backward.
A bright red handprint instantly appeared on his face.
He covered his cheek in shock.
Sebastian’s eyes were practically spitting fire.
"You useless idiot!"
"Look at yourself!"
"Where is the pride of the Vayne Family?"
"Since when did my son become such a coward?"
His voice thundered through the room.
The servants nearby became even more terrified.
No one dared breathe loudly.
Sebastian pointed directly at Kai.
"Someone humiliates you."
"Slaps you in public."
"Gets you expelled from school."
"And your first reaction is to run away?"
"You want to transfer schools?"
"You want to avoid him?"
The more Sebastian spoke, the angrier he became.
"Do you know why powerful families remain powerful?"
"It’s because they never back down."
"No one has ever stepped on the Vayne Family and walked away smiling."
"No one."
Kai lowered his head and remained silent.
Sebastian took a deep breath before continuing.
"I’ve already investigated Lucas."
"He’s not from some hidden super family."
"He simply got lucky."
"Somehow he made over ten billion dollars in the international financial market."
"That’s all."
His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Money is money."
"But influence is another matter entirely."
"You think having money means he can challenge our family?"
"Ridiculous."
A cold smile slowly appeared on Sebastian’s face.
It was the smile he wore whenever he was preparing to deal with an enemy.
"Since you’ve never seen how the real world works..."
"Since you think strength and money alone are enough..."
"Then I’ll teach you."
Sebastian walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city lights.
His hands clasped behind his back.
"I’ll show you what true power looks like."
Hearing his father’s words, Kai’s eyes immediately lit up.
The frustration and humiliation he had been feeling all evening seemed to disappear in an instant.
Even the burning pain on his cheek from the slap no longer felt important.
For years, he had always known his family was wealthy.
But from the way Sebastian spoke just now, it sounded as though the Vayne Family possessed something far beyond mere money.
Kai could barely contain his excitement.
"Dad..."
"Are you saying our family is some kind of hidden clan?"
Sebastian slowly sat back down on the sofa.
His expression was calm.
After several seconds, he finally spoke.
"I originally planned to tell you all of this after you graduated."
"Once you officially inherited the family business."
"But since this matter involves Lucas..."
"It’s time for you to learn a few things."
Kai immediately straightened his back.
His eyes were filled with anticipation.
Sebastian poured himself a glass of wine before continuing.
"You’ve always thought I was nothing more than a businessman."
"You see Evercrest Group."
"You see the luxury cars."
"The private jets."
"The villas."
"And you assume that’s the full extent of our family’s power."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But that’s only what ordinary people are allowed to see."
Kai swallowed.
For some reason, he suddenly felt nervous.
Sebastian slowly swirled the wine in his glass.
"Tell me."
"Over the past twenty years, Evercrest Group has generated tens of billions in profit."
"Yet our company accounts only hold a small fraction of that money."
"Have you ever wondered where the rest went?"
Kai froze.
He had actually wondered about it before.
Many times.
But whenever he asked, Sebastian would simply tell him not to worry about business matters.
Now it seemed there had been another reason.
Seeing his reaction, Sebastian nodded.
"Most of that money was never ours to keep."
"It was sent elsewhere."
"Every year."
Kai’s pupils shrank.
"Sent where?"
Sebastian slowly raised his head.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of the villa.
Toward the distant mountains beyond the city.
"Wolong Mountain."
The moment those words left his mouth, Kai became even more confused.
"Mount Neverest?"
"I’ve been there before."
"There are only hiking trails and forests."
"I didn’t see anything unusual."
Sebastian laughed.
A deep laugh filled with amusement.
"Of course you didn’t."
"If ordinary people could casually discover them, they wouldn’t have existed for hundreds of years."
Kai’s heart began beating faster.
Hundreds of years?
Sebastian continued calmly.
"Hidden within Mount Neverest..."
"is the true Vayne Clan."
"The ancient Vayne Clan."
"A family whose history stretches back far longer than Evercrest Group."
"A family whose influence reaches places you can’t even imagine."
Kai’s mouth slowly fell open.
His worldview was beginning to crack apart.
Sebastian leaned forward slightly.
"For generations, our branch has served the main clan."
"I am merely an outer member."
"Even so, the resources they’ve casually provided over the years were enough to build Evercrest Group into what it is today."
"The wealth you enjoy."
"The status you possess."
"All of it originated from them."
Kai’s breathing became heavier.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Dad..."
"If this ancient clan is really that powerful..."
"Then dealing with Lucas should be easy, right?"
A cold smile appeared on Sebastian’s face.
Easy?
Lucas had embarrassed his son.
Forced Malcolm to choose another side.
And made the Vayne Family lose face in public.
How could he possibly let that go?
"Easy?"
Sebastian slowly stood up.
His eyes turned icy.
"Once the clan sends people down the mountain..."
"Forget Lucas."
