Stuart gritted his teeth and said, "Pierre, if Matthias hadn't relied on his fighting skills, he would've been dead when he barged into our home."We've looked into his background. He's married to Leona, our family's disgrace. He's unemployed, not part of the military, and has no connections to New Avalbourne's government. He's a nobody!"Pierre chuckled. "A nobody who's managed to evade our combined efforts?"Stuart's face turned slightly red, feeling embarrassed. "Perhaps my family's not powerful enough to uncover his true identity."Pierre smiled as he waved his hand. "I'm not singling you out, Stuart. I also had my people investigate him and even called Russell personally. Matthias isn't with the military."The group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Without military backing, Matthias' strength seemed less threatening.A man without connections was a dead man walking.Pierre said, "Yet, this nobody has managed to embarrass us in front of all of Reirmunt's elite families.
Dalton's promise brought relief to the room. As New Avalbourne's youngest warlord, his strength was legendary, and they believed Matthias' fate was sealed."Our priority now is to find Matthias and force him out of hiding," Pierre said, his gaze cold.In truth, Pierre was more eager than anyone to kill Matthias. He harbored a suspicion about Oswald's son, Alistair—his own grandson. The child's face had been disfigured when he was killed, making identification difficult.Matthias' sudden appearance and threats against the Lowell family had Pierre on high alert. Whether Matthias was his grandson or not, Pierre wanted the young man dead."Sir Lowell," Delilah said, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "I have an idea. It's not very honorable, but I believe it will draw Matthias out.""Delilah, watch your mouth! This isn't your place to speak. Leave, now!" Stuart scolded.He was fine with Delilah insisting on tagging along but would not tolerate her speaking out of turn. After all, eve
Delilah smiled after speaking, then stepped back behind Stuart.The assembled group's eyes lit up as they considered Delilah's suggestion. While the plan was somewhat wicked, they had to admit it was clever—with his wife and daughter captured, Matthias would surely appear.Those present could not help but smirk as they glanced at Delilah, surprised at how ruthless she was. After all, Nadine was Delilah's aunt-in-law, and Leona was part of the Reilley family, yet Delilah showed no hesitation in using them as bait."Well, well. Not a bad plan at all, Delilah. We'll count that as a point in your favor," Pierre said with a chuckle.He then turned to Stuart and said, "Stuart, since your granddaughter proposed this scheme, the Reilley family can handle it. You only need to lure out Matthias—we'll take care of the rest.""Pierre, this..." Stuart's face immediately flushed with embarrassment.Doing such things in secret was one thing, but with so many witnesses, their reputation would be
Matthias kept Wyatt company at The Lair, reminiscing about their past. In truth, he was not particularly concerned about the Lowell family and other prominent families searching for him.Of course, to avoid worrying everyone, Matthias had not told Leona and Nadine about his confrontation with Barry.That evening, while Nadine was happily playing with Danielle, she suddenly received a call from Delilah. She frowned and did not answer it initially, but the phone continued ringing."Grandma, who's calling?" Danielle asked curiously.Leona, sitting nearby, also looked puzzled."It's Delilah. The Reilley family is probably up to something again," Nadine replied with a furrowed brow. She did not want to answer calls from anyone in the Reilley family."Maybe you should answer it and see what they want," Leona said.Nadine took a deep breath and answered Delilah's call."Hello, Aunt Nadine. Where are you?" Delilah asked, relieved that Nadine had picked up.As long as Nadine answered,
"If we pull this off, future collaborations with the Lowells, Ramsays, and other families will be much smoother. Plus, with this connection, they won't stand idly by if we ever face difficulties," Delilah told Stuart."So, this is actually a very beneficial move for us. As for reputation, what does that matter? Everyone in Reirmunt knows about the Lowell family's past incident, but aren't they still one of the top three elite families in New Avalbourne?" Delilah said.Stuart's expression softened as Delilah finished speaking. He understood those points well enough; after all, every prominent family wanted to keep their scandals under wraps."Dad, I think Delilah is right. To deal with someone despicable like Matthias, we must fight fire with fire," Demetrius said.The other Reilley family members present also voiced their agreement; each harbored a deep hatred for Matthias, especially Jeremy and Carlile. One had lost the use of a hand because of Matthias, while the other's wife had
Soon, Nadine arrived at the Reilley estate with Leona and Danielle. Delilah was already waiting at the entrance, a glint in her eye as she quickly approached them, taking Nadine's hand."Auntie Nadine, you and Leona are finally here," Delilah said."How's Dad's doing?" Nadine asked anxiously."Don't worry, let's go inside first," Delilah replied casually, leading Nadine toward the mansion.As Nadine and Leona stepped through the gates, the gates were slammed shut, startling both women.Delilah released Nadine's hand and turned to face them, slowly backing away."Delilah, what's going on?" Nadine asked, a sense of unease growing in her chest."What's going on? Ha!" Delilah scoffed, her eyes filled with contempt. She pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned her hands, shouting, "Guards, seize these two wretches and the little brat!"Instantly, a team of bodyguards appeared, advancing toward Nadine and Leona.Realizing they had been tricked, Nadine and Leona's faces paled. They quickly
Nadine thought Matthias' actions were insane and beyond reckless. She worried for Leona, realizing her daughter's husband had put them all in danger.Leona's face was equally pale, and she felt a chill running down her spine when she heard the shocking news. In less than three days in Reirmunt, Matthias had caused such disastrous trouble."Hmph! Take them to the main hall!" Carlile commanded sharply.As the bodyguards escorted Nadine and Leona to the hall, Nadine was numb with despair. Matthias had offended so many influential people, and she knew it was all over for them. Even though she might escape unscathed, Leona would surely suffer the consequences.In the main hall, Stuart sat in the central seat, coldly observing Nadine and Leona as they were brought in. Meanwhile, the other Reilley family members watched with smirks on their faces."Hmph! One's a wretch who abandoned her family, and the other's an ungrateful daughter who betrayed her ancestors. I'll teach you both the Rei
"Danielle!" Leona's face paled when she saw Delilah pinching her precious daughter's cheek.She lunged forward desperately, trying to grab her child. "Let go of Dani! Let her go now!""Ha!" Delilah stepped back, holding Danielle out of Leona's reach. She looked at Leona contemptuously and taunted her, "Either you kneel, or you watch her suffer!""I'll kneel! I'll kneel!" Leona cried out, dropping to her knees immediately. She looked up at Delilah with pleading eyes. "Please, I'm begging you, leave Dani alone. She's just a child. She doesn't understand any of this.""Shut up, you wretch. You have no right to speak here," Delilah mocked, her eyes flashing with malice as she gently stroked Danielle's face."From now on, you'll do exactly as you're told. Otherwise..." She paused for effect. "Well, you'd better be prepared to watch her pretty face get ruined."Leona's face drained of all color, tears streaming down her cheeks. She bowed and said, "I'll listen to anything you say and d