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nLucas’s pupils constricted abruptly. Putting up beautiful women for auction? Aren’t they selling humans like objects then?

nThey were actually brazenly committing such an illegal and immoral act in public. It seemed that they had no regard for the law at all!

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nLucas immediately thought of Grace, who had been abducted and brought to Club Splendor. He reckoned that the reason they had done this wasn’t simple, and it was very likely that she might be one of the beauties going to be put up for auction tonight!

nThe moment he thought of this possibility, Lucas was awash with rage and a desire to kill. “How dare the Wallaces do such a thing?!”

nBruce hurriedly shook his head. “The auction venue may belong to the Wallaces, but as far as I know, this auction is held by the Kingstons.”

n“The Kingstons? Hmph!” With a cold and terrifying gaze in his eyes, Lucas snapped, “It seems I have to teach them a hard lesson this time, or else they might think I’m a pushover!”

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nBruce blinked, unsure of what Lucas meant by that. Is he… referring to the Kingstons? But Lucas and the Kingstons… don’t seem to have had any dealings?

nBut Jordan, standing behind Lucas, immediately understood what Lucas meant, and his eyes were full of excitement for some action.

nThe Kingstons indeed didn’t seem to have much to do with Lucas, but he knew that the Kingstons were subordinate to the Huttons!

nThe person who had sneakily taken photos of Lucas and Charlotte at the amusement park back then was sent by the Kingstons.

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nThe person who had spread the news of Lucas being an abandoned member of the Huttons and that the Stardust Corporation had long been disowned by the Huttons was also instigated by the Kingstons.

nThe Kingstons were also the ones who had secretly incited many families who owned major corporations and enterprises to create trouble for the Stardust Corporation.

nThey were just following orders given by the Huttons to suppress Lucas and make sure that he would forever be trapped in the doldrums in Orange County while watching the Stardust Corporation, which he valued the most, go bust.

nThey were on an invisible battlefield because the Kingstons had been doing these things secretly behind the scenes. If not for the conscientious and quick-witted people Jordan had sent, it would have been very difficult to find any evidence against them.

nBut just because they didn’t openly harm him didn’t mean that there wasn’t any anger.

nIf Lucas hadn’t responded in time on several occasions and resolved their insidious, scheming tricks, they would have probably gotten what they wanted!

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nThus, Jordan genuinely detested the Kingstons for their unruly behavior and the fact that they were leveraging the power of the Huttons to be so arrogant.

nBut at this moment, Lucas thought of another problem.

nThe auction today was organized by the Kingstons, and women were going to be put up for auction like they were inanimate objects. Moreover, there was also a mysterious organization that regularly supplied beautiful women to the Ocean Bathhouse, which used to be controlled by the Taylors.

nIs there a connection between these two matters?

nDo the Kingstons play an important role in the supply chain of beautiful women for the illegal business formerly run in the bathhouse?

nIn fact, ever since Lucas last communicated with Preston and learned that even the Taylors were clueless about the identity of the organization that provided them with the beautiful women for the business, Lucas had actually already developed some suspicions.

nThe Taylors were one of the four top families of Orange County, and the fact that even they couldn’t find any clues about the origin of the mysterious organization they had worked with for so many years just went to show that they probably weren’t from this county. Moreover, they were most likely far more powerful than the four most powerful families in Orange County.

nThe most likely possibility was that they were one of the eight great families in DC or the top families in the state since they could have so much power and carry out the business with so much confidentiality.

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nHowever, the businesses of the eight great families were massive, and they had monopolized many key industries. They generated a massive amount of profit every single day, and it would be an understatement to say that they were as rich as a country.

nThus, although providing beautiful women was a profitable industry for most, the profits were paltry in the eyes of the eight great families in the capital. Besides, it was too distasteful, and it would make them the laughing stock of the other families and cause them to be mocked for being so lowly that they would make such filthy money.

nBut such a profitable business meant differently to less prestigious families.

nOf course, at present, these were just Lucas’s conjectures, and there was no point in speculating further without any concrete evidence.

nBesides, in addition to these famous prestigious families, there were also some deeply hidden families who kept extremely low profiles. They were possible suspects too, making the range of speculation even wider.

nLucas narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ostentatious decor of the hall and the guests gathered in pairs or groups of threes he saw through the glass windows.

nHe said softly to Jordan, “Go look for Grace.”

nJordan acknowledged the order and immediately got to it. Soon, he disappeared from the hall.

nJordan had previously met Grace at Logan Hale’s villa, so Lucas was not at all worried that Jordan would get the wrong person.

nBruce watched carefully from the side, but he remained silent. Being a smart person, he could tell from Lucas’s question that the reason Lucas suddenly came to Club Splendor today was not for the auction but for another agenda.

nOf course, Bruce had already pledged allegiance to Lucas together with his family, so he naturally wouldn’t say anything else. Even if a conflict broke out between Lucas and someone in the club later, he would still stand firmly on Lucas’s side.

n“How is the relationship between your family and the Wallaces?”

nBruce was shocked to hear his question. Although he didn’t know why Lucas asked him this out of the blue, he nevertheless answered conscientiously, “The Hales and the Wallaces only engage in some ordinary business dealings, and a few distant relatives of the younger generation are married to the Wallaces. But we’re not that close to them. It’s mostly the same for the four major families. We do have some connections, but we’re restrained by the scruples we have for each other, so we tend not to get too close.

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n“I’m here at the auction today only because I received an invitation from the Kingstons and couldn’t think of an appropriate reason to turn them down, so… I-I absolutely have no intention to participate!”

nWhile speaking, Bruce felt that something was amiss, and he immediately broke into a cold sweat.

nHe knew that Lucas was most disgusted by businesses revolving around vices such as gambling and drugs, as well as prostitution and human trafficking, which he hated the most! If Lucas misunderstood that he was at the auction to buy some beautiful women, Bruce would be in deep trouble!

n“Good that you don’t!” Lucas finally looked less austere, but he warned again, “You know what my temper is like. I may have handed the businesses of your family back to you to manage, but if I find out one day that you’ve gotten involved in certain industries I hate, I’ll take them back from you immediately!”

nBruce’s heart ricocheted, and he hurriedly said, “Rest assured, Mr. Gray. My family and I will eternally remember your admonishments, and we will never get involved in those industries again!”

nLucas finally nodded. “Take me to the auction hall now!”

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