Once he was done, Matteo tossed the towel and resumed driving. Soon, Matteo pulled the car into a villa in the city center. Nathaniel and Naomi arrived at the villa shortly after. When they got out of the car, Nathaniel saw the bound Eliza, and he was completely dumbfounded. “What have you done? I told you to invite her over! What is this!” Matteo said nothing. Nathaniel tried to wake Eliza, but she was in a deep state of unconsciousness. Nathaniel's expression grew darker, while Naomi stood to the side, silent. “Hurry! Get these ropes off her!” Nathaniel had come here intending to get on Eliza's good side, planning to gift her this new villa as a gesture of goodwill. He never imagined Matteo would ignore his instructions and kidnap her instead. “What are you talking about? Wasn't it you, Father, who told me to tie up Ms. Rivers and bring her here?” Hearing this, Nathaniel's eyes went wide. He stared at Matteo in utter disbelief. “Rebellious son! When did I ever tell you to tie Eliza up?” “Just last night. You personally told me that Eliza has repeatedly defied you and is trying to investigate the person behind the scenes, so you wanted her eliminated.” Nathaniel had never said any such thing. He looked at Matteo, then at Eliza on the floor, and suddenly realized he had been framed. He seemed to grasp it all in an instant. Staring at Matteo, he said, “Good! You're a good one, boy. You actually dared to frame me!” Matteo smiled faintly. “To the outside world, I've always been your good son, Father. Now that I've captured Eliza, what do you think they'll believe? That I wanted to grab her, or that you did? The Sue family treasures her. Nolan is engaged to her. Henry still has a soft spot for her. I doubt any of them will let you off the hook, Father.” Nathaniel's expression turned even uglier. Hearing Matteo's words, he finally understood. All these years, Matteo had just been pretending to be obedient while secretly scheming against him. And he had been blind, trusting Matteo all this time, even delegating all his affairs to him. It turned out he had been nursing a viper in his bosom all along. “You scheme against me, but do you think they'll believe you? Dream on!” Nathaniel's face was dark. “I, Nathaniel, have been in Westbrook for many years. Do you think a little brat like you can touch me? I'm telling you, I'm not worried about your petty tricks! The Sue family, Nolan, and Henry—none of them will believe your damn lies!” After saying this, Nathaniel lunged at Matteo. But Matteo simply kicked him square in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground. Apparently shocked that Matteo would dare to strike him, Nathaniel was about to unleash a torrent of curses, but as he tried to look up, Matteo kicked him in the chest again, pinning him to the floor. The kick nearly made Nathaniel cough up blood. Matteo walked up to Nathaniel with a cold smile and condescendingly brushed the dust off his chest. Only then did Nathaniel truly, viscerally understand the power gap between them now. Matteo was no longer the little boy he had adopted. “Calm down, Father.” Matteo's face held a faint smile, but it was a smile that carried an unfathomable chill. “You… you dare to strike me? You think you can become the head of the Hartwell family? Dream on! The Hartwell family is mine. My loyal subordinates will never accept you! I'm afraid before your seat is even warm, you'll be…” Before Nathaniel could finish, Matteo suddenly raised a hand. A knife flashed, and in the next second, he had severed the tendons in Nathaniel's hand. “Aaaargh—!” The villa instantly filled with Nathaniel's screams. He scrambled backward, his face deathly pale from blood loss and sheer terror. “Guards! Guards!” Nathaniel screamed for his men. Although he had appeared to come alone, his men were always waiting just around the corner. They were supposed to flood in the moment he was in danger. But Nathaniel screamed for a long time, and there was no reply.