Chapter 707 Storm Over Ashen Pact

    “No matter who took her, I’ll stir Ashen Pact’s waters until they drown in bit/b,” Marie snapped.

    Someone had stolen Tessa from under her nose. That, she could never forgive.

    She shot Sophia a hard look. “Go. Spread the word–whoever dares touch Tessab, /bI’ll personally twist his head off.”

    Sophia nodded quickly. “Got it.”

    Derrick’s analysis had left Marie more frenzied than before. The thought of leaving Noctarth never even crossed her mind now.

    Until she found Tessa, she wasn’t stopping.

    But even as her threat spread, Dan received word of it.

    When Conan reported, Dan narrowed his eyes. “So who exactly took Tessa?”

    The uncertainty gnawed at him.

    Marie’s deration sounded less like a search and more like a demand for Ashen Pact to hand Tessa over.

    When she first came storming in, he hadn’t thought too deeply about who might have taken the girl. But now, hearing this–his thoughts spun out of control,

    He knew Marie’s temper.

    And this tone of hers… she was dering war on Ashen Pact itself.

    Conan’s voice was careful. “We don’t know yet. But by her words, she’s putting the entire Ashen Pact on notice. And if they don’t hand Tessa over…”

    “…Then the trouble’s just beginning,” Dan finished bitterly.

    Ashen Pact was chaotic enough already.

    But chaos behind closed doors was still family business.

    Once Marie stuck her hand in, outside powers would stick theirs in too.

    And with Derrick already proven to have infiltrated his ranks, Dan’s face grew darker still.

    “I’m more worried about Victor,” Conan admitted.

    “bMarie’s /bconvinced bTessa /bbis /bin Ashen bPact/b. That means Victor…”

    “Enough,” Dan cut him off, irritation shing.

    Victor wasn’t just Abraham’s trusted lieutenant. He held power of his own, a force Dan couldn’t afford to underestimateb. /b

    Dan had avoided Abraham for years, never daring a direct sh.

    And now-

    Marie’s meddling dragged Derrick in.

    Victor’s involvement meant Abraham himself was at the table.

    The entire game

    had spun out of control.

    ck Mountain.

    Dan stepped out of the car and stared up at the looming, familiar castle.

    Once, it had been home.

    Now, the ce felt cold, unweing, as though every stone rejected him.

    The old butler, Lenny, was waiting as if he’d known Dan woulde.

    To Dan, Lenny was nothing more than a dog to that woman.

    And the look in his eyes said it all–respect in posture, but contempt lurking beneath lowered lids.

    All because of her.

    Lenny stepped forward, voice even. “Your grandfather is waiting in the study.”

    “And that woman?” Dan demanded tly.

    His tone made it clear: if she was there, he wouldn’t go olliin. /li/ol

    “Madam Artemis is in the infirmary with Miss Lana,” Lenny replied..

    Artemis.

    Mother of Lana and Lina, and Manny’s true mother.

    The woman Dale had cherished most of all.

    The woman he’d shielded by marrying Dan’s motherb… /bthen Diana.

    Not marriages–deceptions.

    Both women had been blind to Artemis’s existence until it was toote.

    And she had lived on, protected by their ignorance.

    Hearing she wasn’t inside, Dan gave a mockingugh and strode into the castle.

    The study.

    The moment Dan entered, Dale’s venomous stare fixed on him.

    An ashtray flew across the room. Dan tilted his head, letting it smash against the wall.

    His lips curved into a roguish smile. “Didn’t expect that snatching Diana would trigger such chaos, did you?”

    On his way here, Dan had already heard–Victor himself had arrived in Ashen Pact.

    Not just for Tessa, but for Diana too.

    Marie had thrown fuel on the fire, shouting to the world that anyone in Ashen Pact who dared touch Tessa would die.

    Victor. Marie.

    Two names, two powers–but behind them, one shadow. Abraham.

    For years, Dale had steered Ashen Pact clear of any friction with the Dawson family, terrified of offending Abraham.

    And now?

    Dan’s actions–dragging Diana back, Tessa’s sudden disappearance–had brought Abraham into direct conflict with Ashen Pact.

    The veins on Dale’s forehead bulged. “Do you hate me so much? Hate me enough to drag outside forces in to tear Ashen Pact apart?”