Felix glanced at Florence with a straight face and sneered. “It seems that you’re not that stupid after all! You’re right. But as the helmsman of the Howards, I naturally prioritize the interests of the family before everything else! Any other emotion is nothing but a burden!

“I might as well tell you the truth. I did consider grooming your son-in-law, but unfortunately, he had a death wish and offended the Peerless Martial Association by killing Julian and Dwayne. He will definitely die today!”

Felix thought that the only path Lucas had left was death since he had already offended the Peerless Martial Association.

Even if he was powerful and could defeat Hades of the Peerless Martial Association, the other experts and powerhouses of the association would definitely never let him off!

Felix was well aware of how terrifyingly powerful the Peerless Martial Association was.

Even if the eight giants of DC joined forces, they might not be able to suppress the Peerless Martial Association, much less Lucas alone.

To the Howards, a dying person naturally had no longer of any use value.

After hearing the conversation between Felix and Florence, the Howards were all shocked.

They originally thought that Felix really planned to give up the position of the Howards’ helmsman to Florence or Lucas. They even secretly thought that Felix was getting old and muddled. But now, they finally knew that it was all bait Felix threw out.

When Samuel heard all this, a look of euphoria appeared on his face.

The reason he was removed from the position of successor was that he had tried to kill Lucas, thereby violating the family rule that the Howards were not to kill each other.

But since Felix had already given up Lucas and planned to sever ties with him, then the mistake he had made before probably wouldn’t be considered a mistake anymore.

Like this, Felix should also restore his canceled position as the heir of the family.

Meanwhile, a surge of excitement appeared in Ezra’s eyes.

It turned out that his grandfather had only been using Florence. He didn’t really intend to let her become the helmsman as promised.

Now, Samuel had also been removed from his position of successor, so he was sure that he would become the helmsman eventually!

Both of them were just as excited, but they were trying their best to control their expressions so that they wouldn’t seem too happy.

After all, Hades was still here, and the Howards’ crisis was still unresolved.

Florence wiped the tears off her face, took a deep breath, and suddenly asked, “Hah, are you so sure that Lucas Gray will definitely die here?”

Felix raised his brows. “I admit that Lucas Gray does have some ability, but do you really think he can live when the Peerless Martial Association is targeting him?

“I just said that I felt that you weren’t that stupid, but you’ve now asked such a stupid question!”

Florence pursed her lips and said coldly, “Is that so? You’ll probably see in a bit who the truly stupid one is.”

For some reason, Florence, who had lost confidence in Lucas after seeing Hades, suddenly had huge confidence in Lucas now that her father had abandoned her.

Perhaps it was because Lucas was the only person she could count on now, or perhaps it was because of the power Lucas had shown before. In short, Florence suddenly had a firm thought in her heart. She believed that Lucas would never lose to Hades!

“Hmph, woman, do you really think that punk can escape from my hands?” Hades frowned in displeasure. “I’m too lazy to bother talking to you! Twenty minutes is up, and that punk Lucas Gray is still nowhere in sight. You can die now!”

With that, Hades stood up from the couch, exuding an oppressive aura, suddenly appeared in front of Florence, and grabbed her neck.

Terrified, Florence tried to dodge, but how could a weak woman like her escape from Hades, an expert of the Peerless Martial Association.

When the Howards saw Florence being strangled and kicking her legs in the air desperately, their expressions changed drastically as they took a step back involuntarily. Yet no one was willing to come forward to plead for Florence.

“Ahh… Let go… Save me…” Florence had trouble breathing and tried her best to squeeze out a few words while on the verge of suffocation. She subconsciously turned to look at Felix.

But Felix still looked calm and indifferent. He merely glanced at her casually before looking away without any intention to plead for her.

Clearly… he was the helmsman of the Howards. If he really pleaded for mercy with Hades, Hades would probably let her off for the time being. It would at least buy some time.

But Felix didn’t do anything. It was as if she had become truly useless now, so he didn’t have to bother about her anymore.

A penetrating coolness enveloped Florence.

While she was suffocating and her vision became dim, she suddenly recalled some scenes from many years ago.

At the time, she was still a young girl who had just graduated from college and was reserved and innocent.

But at some point, she ditched the bodyguard that her family had sent to follow her in a fit of anger. While enjoying a rare moment of freedom, she encountered a few lechers who surrounded her in an alley and tried to violate her.

A coarse and large hand covered her mouth. Those who passed by would quickly escape upon seeing this scene, and no one dared to step forward to help her.

Florence, who had always lived in the lap of luxury, finally knew what it was like to be helpless as her desperate cries for help were all futile.

Just when she was about to fall into despair, a young man dressed in extremely simple clothes appeared in front of her like a knight in shining armor.

Florence would always remember how Drew looked back then. He was only in his early twenties and looked a little immature. Facing the lechers, he didn’t show a single trace of fear or nervousness. But more than that, he looked dignified and righteous as he stood in front of her without hesitation.

Drew wasn’t a martial arts expert, but his ruthlessness and determination to fight despite being injured scared the lechers away.

From then on, Florence fell in love with him.

Afterward, Florence and Drew slowly developed a romance after this encounter of the hero saving the damsel from distress.

But their relationship was vehemently opposed by the Howards, especially Felix, who grounded Florence.

Later, Florence and Drew found a way to escape. They eloped and escaped far away to a city on the west coast. Soon, they found out that she was pregnant.

In order for Florence and their child to have a happy family, Drew took the initiative to return to the Howards to ask for Felix’s forgiveness and blessings.

But Drew soon died and never returned to Orange County. He never got to see Florence and their child again.

She even misunderstood him and hated him for years.

A teardrop slowly rolled down Florence’s eyes as she recalled the past. At this moment, when she was on the brink of death, her heart was full of endless regret!