[Note: Read up to Chapter - 163 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
.
.
.
.
"Master Shafiq…"
Lucius looked at Aris with a mix of fear and confusion. He couldn't quite fathom the boy's intentions, yet he dared not make any rash moves. All he could do was stand there, utterly at a loss.
"Aris, are you threatening my father?"
Draco clenched his fists, his gaze locked on Aris.
In his mind, if it weren't for Aris' so-called threat, Lucius would never have ended up like this. He hadn't even considered that the Malfoy family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Clans, would only bend under a force they couldn't resist.
After all, he was still just a child. Draco's ideas were a touch naive—he truly believed that as long as he resisted bravely, he could change the course of things.
Little did he know, Lucius was on the verge of tears at that very moment.
"Threat?" Aris smiled, a faint glint in his eyes.
"Perhaps you could put it that way!"
"No! I, Draco Malfoy, will never be threatened by anyone!" Draco declared, his voice firm and stubborn.
Bang!
Lucius slapped Draco hard on the back of the head, nearly sending him to the floor.
"Apologise—apologise to Master Shafiq this instant!" Lucius snapped coldly.
"I…" Draco still fixed Aris with an unyielding glare, refusing to bow.
"Alright, you two…" Aris sighed.
"I actually understand perfectly why you've come here today, Draco. I admire your courage and can see the resentment in your heart!"
"If you think the noble Malfoy family doesn't need help, then let's just end this conversation right here!"
With that, Aris stood, ready to walk away.
"Wait, Master Shafiq!"
Sensing something amiss, Lucius hurried forward, dropped to his knees, and gripped Aris' arm.
"Master Shafiq, it's Draco who's ignorant. Please don't be angry. The Malfoy family is ready to be loyal to you and give everything we have. Grant us a chance—let us work for the Shafiq family!"
Lucius' face was pale with panic, his voice trembling like a leaf in the wind.
He knew all too well that if Aris turned and walked away now, the Malfoy family would truly be finished.
Like many other pure-blood wizards, Lucius would be forced to scrape by with the cheapest jobs, working his fingers to the bone each day and still struggling to feed his family. The thought of such a life made him shudder; he would rather die than endure such humiliation.
At this point, the Malfoy estate had already been stripped bare by the Barton family. If Aris didn't give them a chance today, the ten families might start starving by tomorrow.
"Father!"
Draco stood frozen, staring at the scene before him, his jaw nearly clenched shut with disbelief.
He still couldn't make sense of how things had ended up like this.
It all felt like some cruel nightmare. He even foolishly thought that if he just woke up, everything would snap back to normal.
"Lucius, I reckon you should explain this to Draco first. He deserves to know the truth. Otherwise, he might not handle it and do something you'd regret," Aris said, glancing at Draco with a small chuckle and a shake of his head.
"Alright… I'll explain it to him now. But… please don't leave. I'll sort this mess immediately," Lucius replied, hurrying over to his son. Pain flickered across his face as he spoke.
"Draco, you need to steel yourself…"
"The once noble Malfoy family… it's gone. We're bankrupt. If we can't get a position under Master Shafiq, we'll soon be in a desperate state. We might not even manage food, let alone afford your school pocket money…"
"This… all of this is my fault," Lucius said at last, lowering his head, and for the first time, laid the full truth before Draco.
"We joined forces to divvy up the Shafiq family's property…
But Master Shafiq… he's calculated everything. Our plan… it's fallen through."
"..."
As Draco listened to his father, his expression grew darker by the second. His pale face drained of what little color remained. He clenched his fists so tight it hurt, disbelief etched into every line of his features.
"Father… how could you do this…"
He muttered under his breath, trying to stifle his shock, reluctantly following the tale to its bitter end. His fists slowly relaxed, trembling slightly.
Then he turned to Aris, staring blankly, his face a storm of emotions—anger, sorrow, frustration—as if he wanted to cry but couldn't.
At that moment, it felt like the whole world was crumbling around him.
If the Malfoy family were just broke, forced to live hard, he might've been able to bear it… but this… this was something else entirely.
What really got under his skin was that the noble Malfoy family had done something so appalling—so downright disgusting—and the one he'd assumed was the villain, Aris, turned out to be the victim.
And now, all this chaos was because of his father's greed…
It was entirely the Malfoy family's fault!
Draco couldn't stomach it. He even felt a sting of shame for the confidence with which he'd earlier spoken to Aris.
"So… now you know everything," Lucius muttered, lowering his head awkwardly. He kept glancing at Aris, gauging the boy's reaction, and let out a heavy sigh. "I know… it's hard to accept…
But this… this really is our last chance."
He reached out a hand, trying to offer Draco some comfort, but Draco recoiled like he'd been stung.
"Don't touch me!"
Lucius's hand froze mid-air, his face twisting into a grimace.
"S-sorry, son!"
He knew Draco had been hit hard this time—it was no wonder he couldn't accept it straight away. But truth be told, he had no other choice.
After a long pause, Lucius let out another heavy sigh and turned to face Aris.
"Master Shafiq, I apologise again for Draco's rudeness!"
He knelt once more, his voice low and slightly hoarse, body trembling as his head remained bowed.
"Please forgive our sins and grant us a chance! I promise, if you give me even a decent post where my family won't starve, I'll dedicate myself fully to creating value for the Shafiq family. I beg you!"
Without hesitation, Lucius prostrated himself fully, banging his head hard against the floor.
"Father, that's enough!"
Draco's heart clenched at the sight. He rushed to his father, trying to pull him upright. But Lucius had given everything he had; for the Malfoys, he lay still, unwavering.
"Aris, please!"
At that moment, Draco threw aside all pride. He sank to his knees before Aris, tears streaming down his face, his voice choked with sobs: "Please… give us a chance! I, Draco Malfoy, will serve you from this day forth… I will be loyal to you, in this life and no other! Please!!!"
.
.
.
.
Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 163 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]