A Loving Father, a Dutiful Son, and a Makeover Plan

Gordon looked toward the voice. When he saw that the speaker was John, he froze, then hurriedly scrambled to his feet. Enduring the pain coursing through his body, he bowed respectfully to John. "Gordon Ludwig Hohenheim greets Viscount John Maslow. May the Empire's glory be with you."

"May the Empire's glory be with you, Mr. Gordon."

John's mouth twitched as he looked at Gordon, who had been beaten almost beyond his own father's recognition yet still observed every courtesy in greeting him. He also wondered whether he ought to straighten out his businesses in Faoken. If they kept operating like thugs, his employees would suffer badly the day they ran into someone they couldn't afford to cross.

If things went badly enough, they might even lose their lives.

That was not something he wanted to see.

Putting those thoughts aside, John feigned shock and addressed Gordon.

"Mr. Gordon, what happened to you? How did you get hurt so badly?"

"Lord John, you're just in time! I want to formally report this casino for cheating, under my own name!"

The moment John brought it up, Gordon flew into a rage. He immediately spilled the whole story of how the casino had rigged the games to fleece him and how its security team had beaten him up. The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Completely consumed by his fury, Gordon failed to notice John's guilty look and instead launched into an indignant tirade. "I've spent years sweeping through the Empire's casinos without meeting my match. I'd say I've seen every dirty trick in the business. But people in that line of work generally know better than to burn their bridges. They've always shown me some respect instead of cheating so blatantly."

"But this damned casino has opened my eyes! I've never