Edward Larson shoved the villa door open—
Ready to roar, ready to lash out, ready to assert the "authority" of the Larson family.
But the moment he crossed the threshold,
his voice died in his throat.
It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his rage.
Because inside the living room—on the main central sofa—sat a young man.
Jason Carter.
And on either side of him…
Two full rows of industry giants.
Edward blinked hard, thinking his eyes were betraying him.
But no—
On the left row, seated in order
Edward, Evelyn, and Graham froze.
It was like walking into a high-level federal summit.
Every major rare earth separation plant they desperately needed…Every magnet factory they hoped to work with…
All of them were right here.
In Jason Carter's living room.
And sitting obediently.Quietly.Respectfully.
Edward spotted his son and the younger cousins kneeling in the corner—but for the first time in his life, he wasn't even concerned about them.
Because his brain was too busy trying to comprehend the impossible.
Holly hurried over to greet her parents.
Graham instinctively moved to cover his daughter, protective.
Even Evelyn stepped in front of Holly, shielding her—a striking reversal from the past, where she had always pushed Holly to compromise "for the sake of peace."
But after everything today…
Her eyes had opened.
Holly blinked, briefly stunned—then a warm, powerful wave of confidence filled her chest.
For the first time…
Her parents were standing firmly beside her.
Normally, Edward Larson would have scolded Holly immediately.
But in front of these people—
even breathing too loudly felt dangerous.
He swallowed hard, forced a smile onto his stiff face, and hurried forward:
"General Manager"
He bent deeper and deeper with each greeting.
His voice trembled, his back hunched, his smile turned into a terrified grimace.
Because any one of these people required immense politeness.
But here they all were—assembled under one roof.
Edward's mind spun wildly.Nothing made sense.
Why were these titans of industry gathered here?
And… why were they all deferentially sitting around one young man?
Evelyn and Graham were just as shocked.They looked to Holly for answers.
Holly shrugged lightly, her smile bright and proud.
She had no idea the details—but she knew who had arranged this.
Jason Carter.
Watching the elders who once scolded her relentlessly now shrinking, trembling, and bowing in front of Jason—
was cathartic beyond words.
Holly guided her parents closer.
"Mom, Dad," she said with a sweet, confident smile,"This is my boyfriend… Jason Carter."
Jason rose politely and extended his hand:
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Larson."
The moment Jason stood—
EVERY SINGLE MANAGER AND FACTORY BOSS STOOD WITH HIM.
Not one dared remain seated while he was upright.
The synchronization was startling.
The effect?
Edward, Evelyn, and Graham's pupils shrank violently.
Jason had been sitting in the central master seat.
And now, with the entire room rising with him—
it was undeniable.
This young man…
was at the top of the hierarchy.
Everyone here… deferred to him like loyal subordinates.
Graham and Evelyn scrambled to shake Jason's hand, flustered and stammering.
"H-hello… Mr. Carter…"
Normally, a prospective son-in-law would be nervous meeting his girlfriend's parents.
But today…
the parents were the nervous ones.
"Please sit, Uncle and Aunt," Jason said gently.
The rare earth plant GMs, the magnet factory owners, and every other industry titan all waited—
to sit only after Jason's guests sat down.
Holly pushed her parents gently into their seats, then took her place beside Jason.They didn't even look at the other Larson relatives.
The younger Larsons were still kneeling in the corner, lined up neatly against the wall. Jason didn't mention them, didn't acknowledge them—he simply let them kneel.
Even so, not a single one of them dared to make a sound.
Edward Larson had originally come ready to berate Jason Carter, drag him to court, and "teach him a lesson."But now?
Seeing the General Managers of all Five Major Rare Earth Separation Plantsand the heads of multiple major US magnet manufacturing companiesall sitting politely, deferentially, as if awaiting Jason's instructions—
He didn't even dare breathe too loudly.
Edward forced a smile, stiff as a corpse.
"Ho–Holly, why don't you… introduce your boyfriend to us?"
"I just introduced him," Holly replied coldly."He's Jason Carter."
Holly no longer bothered hiding her attitude.She was completely done with the Larson family.
"Oh, oh—Mr. Carter, Mr. Carter! A pleasure, a pleasure."Edward stepped forward, extending his hand.
But Jason didn't shake it.
While calmly pouring tea for Graham and Evelyn, he said lightly:
"Sorry. My hands are a little busy right now."
Edward's smile froze.The humiliation stung like fire…but he still dared not show even the slightest dissatisfaction.
He swallowed, turned stiffly toward the people he knew best—the ones his family had always tried to curry favor with.
He approached Mr. Jack, General Manager of Clearwater Rare Earth Processing, and asked tentatively:
"Mr. Jack, I heard a massive ion-adsorption rare earth deposit was discovered near Clearwater a few days ago. This should be your busiest time of the year. How do you… have time to be here?"
He was desperate to understand what was happening.
Mr. Jack answered matter-of-factly:
"It's the boss lady's birthday. Of course we're here."
She glanced respectfully at Holly Larson.
Edward blinked.Then blinked again.
Boss… lady?
Today's birthday girl was Holly.
Did she mean—
No.Impossible.
Before he could clarify, Mr. Jack continued:
"Our boss's girlfriend is naturally the boss lady. Not only is her birthday worth flying across the country for—it's our honor to celebrate it."
Then the other rare earth GMs and magnet factory bosses joined in instantly.
"We haven't attended a young person's birthday in years. Being here makes us feel alive again!"
"The boss is handsome, the boss lady is beautiful—truly a perfect match."
"Boss lady, I haven't had a chance to offer you tea yet. Today, I offer you this drink—may you have all your wishes fulfilled, and may you and the boss enjoy a long, happy life together."
They lined up to flatter her.
Because Jason wasn't just "boss."He was the newly revealed owner who acquired all Five Major Rare Earth Separation Plants at once.
A terrifying display of power.
Someone like that—they had to impress him on their first meeting.And Jason had summoned them specifically for Holly's birthday banquet.
If that didn't tell them how important this girlfriend was, nothing would.
So naturally, they all treated Holly like royalty.
Evelyn, Graham, and even Edward watched this scene unfold in stunned silence.
These were the very people the Larson family needed to please—and yet they were bowing to Holly?
Their minds were buzzing, completely overwhelmed.
Just moments ago, they were talking about expelling Holly from the Larson family…
Now she was sitting beside a man whom their entire industry feared?
Edward's expression stiffened as a horrifying thought struck him.
"I heard… the Five Major Rare Earth Separation Plants were all acquired a few days ago," he said, voice shaking."And rumors say… it was likely the same buyer."
His eyes widened.His voice trembled.
"Could that mysterious acquirer… be Mr. Carter?"
The managers didn't answer verbally.They didn't need to.
Their expressions said:
"Isn't it obvious?"
A loud buzzing filled the Larson family's heads.
Edward's knees buckled—and he almost fell to the floor.
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