Chapter 159.
Chapter 159
Sophia kept her gaze fixed on Jarvis, the man who’d just taken them captive.
He practically radiated arrogance–enough to set entire villages ablaze.
Yet here he stood, trying to appear as harmless as a kitten.
“Miss Lancaster, I’m going to cut the rope,” he said softly, as though afraid to startle her.
With a swift motion, he drew a military knife and sliced through the restraint. He paused a moment, then turned his face aside before speaking again.
“Please find a pair of jeans in that wardrobe. I’ll let you and your family go. This was all a mistake.”
A mistake? Sophia didn’t believe a word of it.
Tigers didn’t just stop being predators overnight.
Still, she wasted no time hurrying to the wardrobe.
She dug out a pair of jeans she could find and slipped them on, all while watching Jarvis out of the corner of her eye.
Surprisingly, he didn’t move a muscle.
He stepped to the doorway and called out, “Soldier! Take Miss Lancaster to her family and escort them home.”
“Yes, sir,” the young officer replied, confusion flickering across his face. They had barely been here an hour–why set them free so soon?
“Please follow me, miss,” he said.
She followed him hesitantly, her confusion mounting. Before she left, she turned one last time to Jarvis.
“Did you meet Alex?” she asked.
Jarvis thought of that man sitting so calmly at the table earlier.
He chose silence over any explanation. Sometimes, silence was the best answer.
Seeing he wouldn’t speak, Sophia followed the soldier out.
Minutes later, the entire Lancaster family was driven away from the mansion.
Jarvis retreated to his study, but when he opened the door, he found it empty.
A sudden tremor shook his hands. Sinking onto the couch, he poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it in a single burning gulp.
Then he grabbed his smartwatch and placed a call.
A deep, resonant voice answered on the other end. “Have you found Harlan’s killer?”
“Yes Patriarch,” Jarvis replied, trying to steady his hands.
“Have you killed him?” came the next question.
Jarvis let out a short, bitter laugh
“Kill him? My own generals tremble at the thought. He warned me that if we keep pushing, the entire Drake family could be wiped off the map in an hour. Are you willing to take that risk?”
Heavy silence settled on the line.
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Chapter 159
“How did Harlan end up in trouble with him?” the voice finally asked.
“Harlan and his son touched the wrong woman,” Jarvis answered taking another slow sip of whiskey.
‘No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness.‘
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“It was the biggest mistake of their lives. I nearly crossed that line myself. My military standing is the only thing that saved me
this time, anyway. If we ever challenge him again, we’re finished”
Another pause, longer this time. “What do we tell Jericho Cane?”
“I have no idea,” Jarvis admitted, pressing his free hand to his temple.
“I’m heading back to my post. My final advice? Steer clear of Jericho’s business. If he dares to provoke that man, we’ll go down right along with him.”
A frustrated sigh came through the speaker.
Then Jarvis remembered something.
“There’s a man named Marco–I forced him to wire his money into the family account. Combine that with whatever’s left of Harlan’s assets. It should be enough to sever ties with Jericho.”
Not long after, Jasmine and the rest of the Lancaster family arrived at the Lancaster Building, shaken as though returning from a funeral.
Megan ran forward the moment they stepped inside.
“Thank God you’re all safe!” she cried.
“Safe?” Florence shouted, her voice tight with outrage. “We were nearly killed! And that crook, Marco–he stole our money! I swear, if I ever see him again—”
“Miss Lancaster,” Megan interrupted, her tone urgent, “you need to hear this.”
“What is it?” Sophia asked, bracing herself.
“The police have ordered all our business activities to be frozen.”
“What?” Sophia’s eyes widened.
“They’re investigating whether Charles Kingston funneled any illicit funds through our company,” Megan explained. “Since you two signed a partnership contract, they’re digging into everything.”
“But we never accepted any money from Charles! That contract was brand new!” Sophia protested.
“Yes!” Florence snapped. “This is absurd! Where is Charles? I want to talk to him!”
Megan hesitated, then spoke in a hushed tone, “Someone stabbed Charles. We don’t know if he’s alive. The paramedics rushed him to the hospital, but he lost a lot of blood.”
Panic gripped the entire family. Megan pulled a file from her bag.
“This is the federal notice,” she said grimly. “We have to suspend operations until they complete their investigation.”
Sophia skimmed the paper, then sank into a chair, her hands trembling.
“Miss Lancaster,” Megan ventured, her voice soft, “do you think you could ask Alex to speak with Jasmine Kingston? She might be our only chance.”
“Alex…” Sophia murmured.
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“Sophia, that man has always liked you,” Florence chimed in, desperation edging her voice. “He’d help you out, considering his confections to Jasmine. It’s out only option.”
Nods and murmurs spread through the worried family members.
They relied on company dividends; if the business collapsed, their finances would be next.
“Yes, yes,” they chorused. “Jasmine clearly likes that man, and he can talk to her for us. Please, Sophia-”
Sophia suddenly whirled around, her frustration boiling over.
“You!” She pointed straight at Megan. “You took his bouquet andrew it on the ground! How can you possibly expect him to help us now?”
Then she rounded on her mother, voice shaking with suppressed anger.
“Mom, I warned you not to provoke Alex or Jasmine! But you went anyway–dragging Jack along and ruining any hope of a deal with Jasmine! We got roped into Charles’s mess. If you’d just listened…”
A heary silence fell. Nobody dared meet her gaze.
“Think Jasmine will sign a contract with us now?” Sophia demanded. “Alex told us Marco was scamming us, but none of you listened. Instead, you forced me to hand over the company’s funds to him—and look where we are.”
The family stared at the floor, remorseful but unwilling to speak.
“You’re all just dumping the blame on me!” Sophia burst out.
“I’m done carrying this on my shoulders. If you want this company to crash, then watch it burn, for all I care. None of you is actually willing to fix this mess!”
Florence set her jaw. “Why are you so upset? We’re only asking you to call Alex! The man practically worships you–he’ll do it! Jasmine will come back to the table, fix our troubles with Charles, everything!”
“Yes, Sister,” Jack pleaded, wringing his hands. “I heard from the soldiers that Marco’s already on the run. If Alex helps us, maybe Jasmine can track him down. We can get our money back, too!”
Their voices rose in a cacophony of desperation.
Sophia pressed a hand to her aching forehead.
She couldn’t believe the audacity around her. Did they have no shame?
Or had their greed blinded them completely?
‘Yet some people will burn the whole house down just to prove they weren’t the ones who left the stove on.‘
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