Everyone thought that Violet Lane had come to hold someone accountable. The stories about this girl’s exploits within the group had reached the manor, becoming almost legendary, so everyone at the Lin Manor both respected and feared her. Now, seeing Henry Lane getting into the car with her, most people felt a bit of pity and sighed for Henry Lane.

Even the steward William Thompson, who was sorting some goods at the villa, caught sight of Henry Lane from afar and showed a trace of sympathy.

The manor’s purchasing butler beside him sighed, “It looks like that Henry Lane is bound to suffer a bit.”

In the traditions of the Great Eagle Empire, illegitimate children have always held the lowest status. What the Empire values is not bloodline, but legitimate succession. It’s common in imperial history for legitimate nobles to treat their half-brothers, born out of wedlock, as subordinates or even servants. Even in cases where brothers get along, the illegitimate one is always in the inferior position.

When Henry Lane arrived at the Lin Manor, people addressed him as the son of a lord and called him young master in name, but in private, many simply called him by his name.

“Violet Lane must have come because of those two slaps Howard Lane received. I heard she landed this morning and specifically had someone bring over the ‘Red Dance’ car, rushing here at high speed—obviously furious. If she’s angry, tsk tsk… that’s serious. Here in the manor, Violet Lane probably has to give the lord some face, so she can’t just slap him in front of everyone. That’s why she took the boy out. She’s probably planning to teach him a lesson and some rules!”

“The eldest miss is taking action—just wait, when Henry Lane comes back, he’ll definitely be in a sorry state! Just ask those group employees who were expelled, and you’ll know—the eldest miss’s decisive methods are enough to send chills down your spine!”

Hearing all the gossip in the manor, Andrew Thompson looked at Henry Lane with a hint of the sorrow one feels at a fellow’s misfortune.

He graduated from a top university on Riverside Star, majoring in tourism management. Normally, with such a degree, he should be working as a waiter in a hotel. If he did well, he might make it to the butler department of a high-end hotel, and by the age of thirty, that would be considered a success.

However, there’s a very special shortcut in this field that many dream of.

That is, to become a butler secretary in the manor of the empire’s social elite. Although this path isn’t as formal as climbing the hotel ladder step by step, and it even touches on some people’s pride, everyone knew back in college that this was one of the top ten most promising hidden careers.

To become the steward of a great family—not to mention the social connections in high society—if you do well and are loyal enough, and if your employer is powerful, they might assign you as a manager in one of their company’s regional branches, making you a director in charge of an entire area. That would be a roundabout way to success.

Arriving at the Lin Manor, Andrew Thompson, as a member of the group’s secretariat, naturally had such dreams. Who would have thought that his first assignment would be to serve the illegitimate son Henry Lane of Lord William Lane? And as luck would have it, Henry Lane had barely arrived before offending the original Young Lane of the Lin family, and even the lady of the manor, Claire Newton, and now he’d stirred up a hornet’s nest, attracting the attention of the untouchable Violet Lane from the Wayne Group.

As an illegitimate child with no status, his days in the manor would likely be miserable. Soon, he’d be beaten down by harsh reality, lose his spirit, gradually accept his situation, and quietly become an insignificant person.

And as Henry Lane’s secretary and steward, Andrew Thompson had almost immediately chosen the wrong side. When the master is honored, the servant is valued; when the master is slighted, the servant is despised. Who needs to be taught such things?

Watching Henry Lane get into Violet Lane’s luxurious car,

Andrew Thompson felt his own future was shrouded in darkness.

Chapter 5: The Self-Cultivation Hall

Riding in Violet Lane’s car as it sped through the steel and concrete city—orderly, prosperous, and bustling. All of this was new to Henry Lane. On his way to Riverside Star, because he was uncomfortable with the new environment and family, Henry Lane had mostly felt uneasy and hadn’t paid much attention to this unfamiliar city. It wasn’t until he got into Violet Lane’s car that he finally had a chance to take in everything outside the window.

This was the gathering place of Riverside Star’s upper class. So everywhere Henry Lane looked, he saw a level of prosperity he’d never witnessed before. Everything he’d only seen on old TV sets was now right in front of him: the crisscrossing elevated highways in the sky, cars everywhere, skyscrapers piercing the clouds. Henry Lane was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.

A big city really is a big city!

Of course, he didn’t dare say this out loud, or the girl beside him would probably give him a contemptuous look, with a sneer that said, “A country bumpkin is always a country bumpkin.”

The empire’s cuisine is as famous as its dazzling upper-class lifestyle.