Florence knew very well that the Howards were now facing an unfavorable situation.

The eight top families of DC had been around for a long time and had held power for years.

The reason there hadn’t been any large-scale battles between the eight families and that they could maintain a delicate balance was due to the mutual control.

Once any family took the lead in launching a large-scale attack on another, they would very likely end up in a lose-lose situation and eventually be divided up by the other major families.

Thus, there had never been any large-scale conflicts among the eight top families over the years, though there had been some minor squabbles.

But things are different now. Once the Piers and the Williams really united and targeted the Howards, the Howards wouldn’t stand a chance at winning. They would eventually end up having their assets seized and split among the Williams and the Piers!

The thought of that result made Florence’s face extremely gloomy.

“Hah, what we want is very simple!

“My father had kind intentions and specially came to the Howards to propose marriage to you because of an agreement that Mr. Howard Sr. previously made with my father. Yet you openly rejected my father’s proposal. You must give the Piers an explanation!

“According to the agreement, you must marry me. There’s no room for negotiation on this!

“Also, my son was knocked unconscious by one of your subordinates, and he even injured two of my father’s closest bodyguards. You owe us an explanation for this matter too. Hand over that punk to me!

“If you complete these things, I won’t bother you, and I can quickly have my men withdraw too.”

Derek spoke with a sly smile while taking several glances at Florence.

Although Florence was now in her late forties, she had maintained herself well. She was beautiful and seemed to be in her thirties. He wouldn’t suffer a loss if he married her.

Florence was now the head of the Howards. Derek would feel a great sense of accomplishment if he could marry the head of the Howards and subdue her.

Besides, more importantly, as long as Florence married him, many of the Howards’ assets would basically fall into the Piers’ hands in the future. This was the greatest benefit.

Rayson smiled. “Derek is right. Since there’s an agreement, of course we should follow it! I’ve come over today personally to escort the Piers. If the Howards agree to the request, I naturally won’t make things hard for you.”

The helmsmen of both major families began to force Florence.

Now that Felix was dead, the Howards didn’t have an esteemed person to lead them and call the shots. This was an excellent opportunity for them to reap benefits.

The Williams were naturally not supporting the Piers for nothing in exchange. Derek had already promised him a lot of benefits. As long as Florence married Derek, the Piers would take out 40% of the things obtained from the Howards and share them with the Williams.

In their opinion, the Howards were like a fatty piece of meat that they could divide as they pleased.

Lucas watched coldly without speaking, and he didn’t have any intentions to step forward for now.

But he really despised the Piers and the Williams for taking advantage of the Howards’ situation to bully Florence.

This was actually the norm among the top families. They prioritized profits over everything else. In the face of interests, etiquette, integrity, friendship, and so on were nothing.

At this moment, Lucas was even thankful that he had left the Huttons together with his mother when he was a child. It had saved him from growing up in such a dirty and ruthless wealthy family.

If Lucas hadn’t been kicked out of the Huttons, he probably wouldn’t have fallen into a desperate situation and then joined the military to become worthy of the woman he loved.

Besides, if not for his experiences in the army, Lucas wouldn’t have become who he was now, and he wouldn’t have obtained power that was beyond the eight top families of DC with his own abilities.

It could be said that if he wanted to, the current Lucas would be able to exterminate families like the Piers and the Wiliams to get the Howards out of their current predicament with just one word.

But he didn’t do so.

Reason being, Lucas wanted to see how shameless the Piers and the Williams could be and who else would come to the Howards besides these two families to get a slice of the pie.

If other parties got involved and wanted to seize the assets of the Howards, Lucas wouldn’t mind taking care of them all together.

Thus, Lucas merely patted the anxious Cheyenne on her hand and gestured for her to rest assured and not act impulsively. Then he stood still without moving.

Florence was now extremely sorrowful.

She had just taken over as the head of the Howards for less than a day, yet they were now facing such a huge crisis of being attacked and forced by two major families.

At this moment, Florence even felt that she could somewhat understand Felix’s previous cold-blooded and ruthless practices.

Was Father cold-blooded and heartless by nature? That’s not necessarily true.

Florence could still remember clearly that she had once seen Felix smiling genuinely and showering her with fatherly love when she was a child.

But the more powerful a family was and the higher they were on the hierarchy, the more dangers they were likely to face. It was because their enemies were just as powerful, and a slight carelessness could lead to the possibility of death. Their family would also instantly fall from the peak and be crushed into pieces.

Therefore, in order to make their family even more powerful and prevent other families from suppressing them, it was necessary for them to continue obtaining more and more benefits so that they could become stronger and stronger.

Otherwise, they would end up in the Howards’ current predicament—being forced to give in to other families.

What should they do now?

Do I really have to obey Derek and marry him to avoid the Howards’ crisis?

No, no way!

Even if she gave in and was willing to marry Derek, the Piers would definitely not let the Howards off the hook!

“Like I said, I will never marry into the Piers!” Florence’s eyes were full of determination as she refused again. Immediately afterward, she said, “Besides, your son brought that beating upon himself. Your father’s bodyguards were also the ones who made a move first. I will never let you handle him!

“If you think that I’m a pushover just because I’m a woman and came here to deal with the Howards today, you’re wrong!

“Even if your families unite and the Howards will never be able to defeat you, we can still make you suffer great damage!

“And if you’re not afraid of fighting to the death with the Howards and letting the other wealthy families reap some benefits, you can go ahead and try!”

Florence was not the kind to let others bully her. She had an extremely domineering aura now, which was not inferior to that of Derek and Rayson, the helmsmen of wealthy families.