I am the King

Chapter 47

Under Hunter's insistence, Kim and Miranda reluctantly apologized.

Now that Hunter and the others had apologized, Una’s heart had softened. She stayed silent, not knowing what to say.

Una's silence made Hunter and the others uncomfortable and restless.

Seeing the awkward situation, Emma gently tugged on Vincent’s sleeve.

Vincent spoke up. "It looks like she forgives you."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Hunter and the others sighed in relief, quickly expressing their gratitude.

"Remember, if there's a next time, I won't let you off so easily," Vincent said coldly, staring at Hunter and his family.

Hunter and the others shuddered at the icy look in Vincent’s eyes. They knew that if they crossed him again, they’d be finished for good.

Vincent knew that after this lesson, the Barton family would behave themselves around him.

Just then, Vincent's phone rang, and his expression changed as he answered it.

"What happened?" Emma asked, noticing his expression.

Vincent stood up, his face darkening. "Norman has taken Clement hostage and is on the rooftop of V&E Group."

"What?" Franklin and Emma were shocked. No one had expected Norman to be this crazy.

Vincent glanced at Franklin. "Dad, Norman wants you to go there. If you don’t, he’ll throw Clement off the roof."

"Norman, that lunatic!" Franklin cursed, anxiety evident on his face.

Emma was incredulous. "How could Norman do this?"

Vincent sneered, "Norman's lost his mind. There's nothing he wouldn’t do. I think he’s trying to use Clement to blackmail you for money."

"Let's go, quickly!" Franklin hurried out; he couldn’t just stand by and watch his father be killed.

"Emma, we need to go too," Vincent added, and the two of them rushed out.

Una sat motionless on the couch. She had always held a grudge against Clement and wouldn’t mind if he died. If Norman killed Clement, she might even sleep better at night.

As for the rest of the Barton family, they were indifferent. Clement's fate didn't concern them.

"Little sister, here’s a gift from your big brother," Kim said, taking out a diamond necklace with a smile.

"Dear daughter, this is a million dollars in spending money to make up for the years of neglect," Hunter said, immediately trying to curry favor with Una after Vincent and the others had left.

"Oh, you all are too kind. We’re all family after all..." Una replied, beaming at their flattery.

***

V&E Group Building.

At this moment, Norman was holding Clement hostage on the edge of the rooftop.

Clement cursed, "Norman, you beast! I'm your father! How can you do this to me?"

Norman had a cold expression on his face. "Shut up. If Franklin doesn't come today, I'll push you off!"

Clement shook his head. Tears were streaming down his face as an overwhelming sense of regret washed over him.

Meanwhile, a large crowd had gathered downstairs, most of them onlookers.

The rescue team had already arrived, setting up an inflatable cushion below. However, from such a high floor, even with the cushion, Clement's chances were slim.

To make matters worse, M City TV had gotten wind of the situation and sent reporters. They were broadcasting this fiasco live.

On the rooftop, about twenty or thirty meters away from Norman, a reporter called out, "Sir, please don't do anything rash. We can talk this through."

Norman shouted back, "Get Franklin out here!"

The reporter asked curiously, "Are you talking about Franklin Joseph from V&E Group?"

Norman's face twisted with rage. "Yes, Franklin is my brother. V&E Group should have been ours, but he used underhanded methods to steal it, leaving us with nothing. We lost everything and became penniless."

Edison chimed in, "My dad and I have nowhere to go, so we're here to settle the score with Franklin. If we die, it's all Franklin's fault!"

The crowd was in an uproar. People knew the Joseph family; they were somewhat notable in M City, but no one had known about this family feud. Hearing that Franklin had supposedly stolen everything and driven his own brother and father to suicide made everyone furious.

The onlookers, ignorant of the full story, were indignant.

"Franklin is despicable!"

"How could he do this?"

"We should boycott V&E Group!"

The reporter, thrilled with the sensational news, asked, "Can you tell us more about the feud between you and Franklin?" This news would get high ratings if it aired.

Norman, seething with anger, spat out, "It's all because of Franklin's vile son-in-law, Vincent. The two of them plotted to take control of our family's wealth..."

Just then, Franklin arrived, his face twisted with rage as he listened to Norman's lies.

Vincent tried to calm him. "Dad, don't get angry. Norman is nothing but a madman now. Don't let him get to you."

Emma agreed. "Yes, let's hurry up. If Norman really loses it and pushes Grandpa, it'll be a disaster!"

"All right, let's go!" Franklin, Vincent, and Emma slowly approached.

"Franklin, you finally showed up!" Norman yelled as soon as he saw them.

Meanwhile, the TV cameras immediately focused on Franklin.

Franklin forced himself to stay calm. "Norman, no matter what, we're brothers. Why go to such lengths just to threaten me? Let go of Dad, and I'll let this slide."

"Haha!" Norman laughed. "Franklin, who are you to talk to me like that? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess." His face twisted with malice. "Give me a billion dollars and return Joseph Group to me, then I'll let him go. Otherwise, I'll push this old man and let him fall to his death."

With that, Norman wheeled the wheelchair to the edge of the rooftop.

Clement went pale with fear, screaming, "Help! Help!"