***** Blackwood family’s estate. Inside a grand, sprawling room with towering ceilings supported by intricately designed pillars, each symbolizing a different aspect of the family’s legacy—power, wisdom, history, and dominance were three middle-aged men and their faces were currently ashen with fury, their eyes blazing with unbridled anger, seething silently, as if on the verge of explosion. Next to them was the stunningly beautiful Cassandra, whose gaze was fixated ahead of her right now as though trying to piece together a puzzle, and this lasted for some time until finally, her eyes lit up with clarity. "He’s without a doubt the one currently on the phone with Grandfather. I’ve never seen Grandfather show such respect and deference to anyone else," she muttered quietly with a look of certainty appearing on her face as she hurriedly shot a quick look at the three men, who had remained quiet because of their belief that their father was on the phone with someone significant.

*****Everyone couldn’t help but remain frozen in shock, struggling to comprehend how this presently subdued Edgar on his knees with such a pitiful face and teary eyes could be the same haughty, difficult-to-handle, and rude one from a moment ago.Their mouths continued to hang open, completely lost for words while Edgar... If remorse could be a person right now, it would be him.He wanted to smack himself repeatedly on the face, frantically cursing his foolishness and stupidity, as his pride and false sense of superiority had not only sabotaged his rise even before it began but also ruined any chance he would ever get again in the future.He was filled to the brim with self-loath right now.Not seemingly to notice all the gazes directed at him nor giving a cent about the haughty image he had been keeping, his body began to tremble hysterically, looking like he would sob at any moment even though no tears would fall from his eyes.Finally, after what felt like an eternity to him

*****Even though the Audi A6 had already passed through the towering wrought-iron gates adorned with symbols of power, affluence, and grandeur, marking the entrance to Oceanview Estate, the interior was eerily quiet.After all the emotional turbulence and clashes they’d faced just beyond the gate, it would have made sense for them to be lost in conversation, reliving every moment. Yet, what filled the car was a profound, almost reverent silence.Everyone—from Dorothy in the driver's seat to her boss beside her, Grace, to Xavier's parents at the back, and even Xavier, who was normally the embodiment of calm—sat as if frozen in time, each person’s mouths widely open enough to swallow a swarm of bees, but none of them noticed.Right now, they all looked like villagers who had spent their entire lives in some remote, underdeveloped countryside, suddenly transported to the heart of a dazzling metropolis—seeing wonders they never thought were possible in their lifetime.While they had

*****"This... are you... are you truly the owner of this mansion—Villa Number One?" After a long pause, Dorothy, finally unable to contain her shock, confusion, and question again stammered, breaking the silence that had enveloped the three of them.Xavier, hearing the question, turned his head and stared at her for a moment, as if processing the inquiry.His expression remained blank for a moment until suddenly, a mischievous grin slowly spread across his face, followed by a lighthearted, playful chuckle"What do you think?" he asked teasingly, winking mischievously at Dorothy, but then not waiting for her to respond, he recalled something and instantly continued, smoothly changing the topic with his tone remaining playful and his voice laced with amusement."Don’t you think this place is far too shabby and insecure for someone as important as your boss?" he asked and in the following second, both Dorothy and Grace were left speechless for a moment, staring dazedly at Xavier, u

*****“This...” Nico’s expression couldn’t help but grow grim upon noticing his father’s reaction to the report.He had never heard of the Bloodfang group before today, yet, seeing his father’s current response, it was clear that the organization wasn’t an unknown one as he had initially assumed, but something scarier, probably than Nightshadow.‘But why is there no record of it anywhere though?’ he pondered for a moment before pushing the thought aside and refocusing his attention on his father.“Do you know them, Father?” he asked gravely, startling the old man from his thoughts.‘This...’ The elder man swallowed hard, realizing that his back had become unconsciously soaked with cold sweat. It was as though he had just heard of the most terrifying and dangerous group to ever exist.Letting out a deep breath, he focused his gaze back on Nico. “No,” he replied, leaving Nico unable to react for a moment after which his jaw dropped, looking perplexed. He had never expected this re