Chapter 413 One Hundred Billion Dollar Fine
"Yes, father!" Isaac wiped his tears and went inside to retrieve a small box. The box was entirely gold, with an intricately carved dragon on its lid—a truly exquisite piece.
"Here it is." Isaac handed the small box to Griffin.
Opening it revealed a pearl the size of an infant's fist. The pearl had an otherworldly depth while remaining crystal clear. Under the evening light, it gleamed brilliantly—clearly a treasure beyond price.
"This Tahitian Pearl ranks among the world's finest, even capable of emitting its own glow in the dark," Griffin explained. "It's priceless. Lost during the war before eventually finding its way into my possession."
Gazing at the treasure, Griffin reflected, "This is a national treasure among national treasures. Everyone believes it vanished long ago. How could they know it's been in my hands all this time?"
He sighed. "In this crisis, I hope this treasure can save the Harris family. We need tremendous influence—only a dynasty-level family has that kind of power."
"A dynasty?!" Hearing those words, Isaac's entire body trembled with shock and fear.
The elite families already stood at society's pinnacle, but above them existed an even more powerful class—the dynasties.
While the Harris family's influence extended throughout Eastern Eagleland, the dynasties could influence national destiny with a single word.
Throughout Eagleland, there were roughly thirty elite families, but dynasties—families capable of altering national fate—numbered only four.
Isaac might stand at the pinnacle of Eastern Eagleland society, but compared to the scions of those dynasties, he was nothing.
Griffin slowly rose from the bench. "Isaac, follow me."
Isaac nodded, following behind Griffin, his mind reeling. Could it be that a dynasty heir was staying at Dragon Mountain Healing Center?
After leaving the courtyard, they walked for about five minutes before arriving at another residence.
Unlike Griffin's quarters, this compound was guarded by special forces in military-green combat gear, holding assault rifles with cold, steely gazes.
"Halt!" As soon as they approached, one of the guards pointed his weapon at Griffin.
Safety off, finger on the trigger, he barked, "This is a private residence. No unauthorized entry. Leave immediately!"
Griffin understood that the slightest suspicious movement would result in the guard opening fire. "Sir, I'm here to see Mr. Cecil Marshall," he said with a deferential smile.
"You're looking for Cecil?" The guard's eyes flickered.
"What's going on?" Suddenly, a calm voice emerged as a young man walked out from the courtyard.
He wore a blue-green traditional robe and appeared to be in his early twenties with a scholarly demeanor. In his hand, he held a scroll.
The young man's gaze settled on Griffin and Isaac, utterly serene.
When that gaze fell upon him, Isaac's very soul trembled. He felt completely transparent, as if this stranger could see through his entire being.
Under that gaze, he felt an involuntary sense of submission.
"Ah, young Mr. Marshall!" Griffin smiled deferentially. "I've come to see your grandfather on an urgent matter."
"Urgent? The Harris family's situation, I presume?" the young man calmly asked.
"You know about this?" Griffin was momentarily taken aback.
"If I didn't know about something this trivial, all these years of study would have been for nothing." The young man's voice remained even. "My grandfather just discussed this matter with me. He predicted you'd arrive before eight o'clock."
He turned toward the courtyard. "Come with me. My grandfather is waiting for you."
"Of course!" Griffin followed with utmost respect and caution.
Isaac remained outside. Once the young man was out of earshot, he exhaled deeply, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!" he muttered to himself. "So this is what a dynasty heir is like? A single glance made me want to submit to him! And he's so young, yet compared to our Harris family's Hawk and Rhett, his talent, strategic mind, and temperament are on an entirely different level."
About twenty minutes later, Griffin emerged from the courtyard, barely concealing the joy in his eyes. "Cecil has promised to ensure the Harris family's survival."
"Really?!" Isaac was overjoyed.
"Yes. I've given him the Tahitian Pearl, and since Cecil has given his word, the Harris family will remain intact—at worst, we'll be set back a few decades," Griffin explained.
"As long as the Harris family isn't destroyed, we can rebuild everything!"
"That's wonderful. Otherwise, I would have gone down in history as the one who brought down the Harris family," Isaac said, his heart cooling slightly.
Inwardly, he made a venomous vow. 'Noah, you plotted meticulously to destroy the Harris family, but your schemes will ultimately fail! Once things stabilize, I'll make you feel the full wrath and vengeance of the Harris family!'
---
At eight o'clock that evening, Noah and Tomas sat before the television, tuning in to Silverlight City's evening news.
"Mr. Anderson, the news about the Harris family's downfall should be announced tonight. Let's watch and see!" Tomas said with a smile.
Noah simply nodded as the news began and the anchor appeared.
"Recently, the scandal surrounding the Harris family's sweatshop has caused an uproar throughout Silverlight City and Eastern Eagleland. Due to this incident, worker strikes have erupted in Silverlight City's industrial park..." The television showed footage of workers on strike.
"Police have deployed forces to investigate the Harris factory incident and confirmed the allegations. The Harris family leadership has admitted to the wrongdoing."
The anchor continued, "The Harris family's exploitative factory has had an extremely negative impact on society."
"However, considering that the Harris family leadership did not attempt to conceal their actions, and have actively acknowledged their mistakes while offering compensation to the workers... After deliberation, it has been decided to fine the Harris family one hundred billion dollars!"
With that, the news moved on to other stories.
"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!" Watching this, Tomas was so furious his hair practically stood on end. He slammed his fist on the table.
"Lies! Deceiving the public! This scandal was massive—everyone knows about it—yet in a 30-minute broadcast, they devoted only two minutes to the Harris family!"
"If this isn't a farce, what is?" he continued ranting. "And that fine? The Harris family's fixed assets exceed a trillion dollars! They just need to sell off some properties, and what's a hundred billion to them? Before long, the Harris family will still be one of Eastern Eagleland's three major elite families!"
Tomas was so angry his eyes reddened. This fine was practically meaningless—at most, it would set the Harris family back a few decades.
But they would still develop steadily, remaining an elite family far above all other minor families.
Noah also frowned deeply. Opening his phone, he discovered that all trending news about the Harris family had suddenly vanished from Twitter, as if it had never existed at all.
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