CHAPTER 125: EROS, THE MOST WANTED CRIMINAL

AN: Hello, lovely people. I took a break yesterday, but I am back with a bang. I appreciate all of you. Please, enjoy the meal I prepared today, happy reading.

Jian Rui rose smoothly, his movements deliberate, drawing the attention of the nobles around him. One of the women, swirling her glass of wine with a coy smile, called out, "Your highness, already leaving?"

Jian Rui’s expression remained unreadable. "I have some business to attend to. You all enjoy yourselves."

A chorus of disapproval rippled through the room—mocking laughter, exaggerated sighs—but Jian Rui didn’t care. He had perfected the art of indifference, and their opinions meant nothing. He strode out, the heavy doors closing behind him.

His bodyguards, stationed outside, immediately fell into step, but Jian Rui raised his hand sharply, signaling them to stay behind. Alone, he entered the elevator. The hum of machinery carried him upward, each floor passed tightening the anticipation in his chest.

When the doors slid open, he stepped into the private room on the top floor. The air was quieter here, heavy with expectation. Jian Rui walked forward, but then froze mid-step.

On the couch sat a face so familiar, so startling, that his composure faltered. His breath caught. Of all the people it could have been, fate had chosen the most impossible one.

It was Eros.

He clenched his jaw, his fingers brushing against the pendant at his chest, ready to activate the emergency signal. His pulse quickened, but before he could act, Eros’ voice cut through the tension.

"Now, your highness, let’s not be rash," Eros said smoothly, his tone calm yet edged with menace.

Jian Rui sneered, his eyes narrowing. "You are the most wanted criminal in all of Virelia. How can I not turn you in?"

Eros chuckled, unbothered, and lifted his glass of brown liquor. He took a slow sip, savoring it before replying. "And I also know that the Crown Blade Vanguard is very much active... and you are its current leader. I am quite certain your father would be interested in such information."

Jian Rui’s teeth ground together, fury flashing in his eyes. "You blew up half of Virelia’s fleet."

Eros leaned back his expression unreadable. "And they blew up three-quarters of mine. So tell me, what exactly is your point?"

They locked eyes, the silence between them thick and suffocating, the air in the room charged with tension. Jian Rui’s jaw tightened, his voice sharp as a blade. "What the hell do you want?"

Eros smiled faintly, the kind of smile that carried no warmth. "I don’t like talking to people who are looking down on me."

Jian Rui lowered himself into the chair opposite, his posture deceptively relaxed, though every muscle in his body was coiled, ready to strike should Eros make a sudden move.

From his coat, Eros pulled out a cigar, holding it up casually. "You want one?"

"No," Jian Rui replied curtly, crossing his legs at the knees, his gaze never leaving Eros’ hands.

"Suit yourself," Eros murmured. He clipped the end of the cigar, lit it, and inhaled deeply. The red embers glowed in the dim light, casting shadows across his weathered face.

Jian Rui sneered. "As powerful as you were, you couldn’t even rescue your daughter from that beast."

Eros exhaled a slow cloud of smoke, his eyes narrowing. "You know why I couldn’t find Gander." He took another drag, the smoke curling upward like a phantom. "Whoever was backing Gander’s research is within your father’s ranks. No matter how many resources I had, I lost the moment they took her away from me."

Eros’ eyes were dark, shadowed with a pain so deep it seemed as though his heart had been ripped out all over again. The weight of his loss pressed into the room, heavy and suffocating. Jian Rui, though defiant, knew Eros was right.

If it hadn’t been for his access to the imperial ranks and the knowledge from his mother, he would never have known Gander even existed. He would never have found the hidden lair. Someone like Eros, no matter how powerful, could only circle endlessly, chasing shadows without ever reaching the truth.

Eros leaned forward, his voice low but sharp. "I found my grandchildren, and I want to take them far away from this place... away from the chaos that will come soon enough. But because of you, I can’t get Yu Xi to go with me. What do you have on him?"

Jian Rui sneered, his lips curling. "Does he look like he’s being forced to stay?"

Eros stared at him, the smoke from his cigar wafting upward, curling like ghosts in the dim light. "Then what did you offer him?"

Jian Rui’s tone was cold. "Why would I tell you that? Just know Yu Xi is not being forced to be here. He can leave any time he wants."

Eros snorted, his expression unreadable. "Alright. If that’s the case, then let’s strike a deal."

Jian Rui’s eyes narrowed. "What deal?"

Eros leaned closer, his eyes narrowing, his voice dropping into a tone that carried the weight of thunder. "My grandkids are the most important people in my life. If anything happens to them, I will burn the entirety of Virelia to the ground." His words were stern, terrifying, and his aura shifted, filling the room with a suffocating intensity.

Jian Rui sat unmoved, his defenses firmly in place. He knew how powerful Eros was, any sane man would have trembled, but he understood the truth. As long as Yu Xi was in his hands, Eros would not risk a reckless move. That knowledge gave him strength.

Eros exhaled smoke, his gaze unwavering. "I will help you achieve your goal and put you on that seat. Don’t get me wrong, I still despise your bloodline with every fibre of my being. But I would rather you sit on that throne than any of them."

Jian Rui’s eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering.

"In exchange," Eros continued, his voice like steel, "you will ensure my grandchildren’s safety. That is the only bargain I will accept."

Jian Rui hadn’t expected the conversation to twist in this direction. He had assumed the shadow behind Xiaobao’s protection was some nameless benefactor, not Eros, the most elusive figure in Virelia’s history. Now that he knew, he realized he couldn’t afford to make an enemy out of him. Aligning with Eros would mean achieving his own ambitions faster, though the thought of such an alliance unsettled him.