Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 152

“Prima.” The other’s gaze fell on her face, noticing her current panic. “What’s wrong?”

Prima recalled the words she had just overheard on the stairs from her father. “If they arrive, have Causter take them to the conference room to wait for me.”

“They” referred to Louis and the other Elders? But the Elder Council usually convened for significant matters, so why summon them at such an odd hour?

“Are you here for a meeting? What happened?” Prima asked urgently.

Louis looked at her in silence for a moment, as if evaluating whether to tell her.

“Adan encountered an assassin,” he said. “The auction might change.”

Prima’s eyes widened. “But—”

“Now’s not the time to discuss this. Try not to go out these days,” Louis interrupted her, clearly not wanting to say more. “Has your father come downstairs? I don’t want to be late.”

She suddenly remembered the terrifying scene she had just witnessed, her face fluctuating between different expressions. But Louis seemed not to expect her to answer and started walking towards the conference room.

As he passed Prima, the usually reserved girl suddenly grabbed him.

“Louis, please…” She paused, distressed. “Be careful of him.”

“Who?” Louis turned his head to look at her, the wall lamp casting a shadow on his face.

“My father.” Her voice almost broke into tears. “Something’s off. I just saw…”

Her words were cut off by Louis’s actions. He raised his hand and lightly touched Prima’s lips, then smoothly moved to her cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Even though the timing was wrong, Prima’s face quickly turned red. Louis rarely showed such affection, especially towards Prima, who had always liked him. He was usually polite, but never intimate.

But before she could feel any joy, a voice from behind made her lose all color in her face.

“Prima? At this hour, a lady should be in bed,” Khalif said in a low voice.

Louis looked at her calmly, then nodded past her. “Lord Khalif, I’m here.”

Khalif came from the unlit hallway, ignoring Louis and looking at his daughter, who shouldn’t have been there, with an unreadable expression. “Prima?”

Prima took a deep breath and turned around. “Father.”

“Why aren’t you in bed?” Khalif asked again.

“I—” Prima was momentarily speechless, desperately thinking of an excuse. Louis, standing behind her, lightly poked her back. Khalif didn’t see the small movement.

An idea flashed in her mind. She glanced back at Louis and then lowered her head. “Because Louis came, so I…”

Her explanation was vague, but her panicked and guilty expression fit the mindset of a girl acting impulsively to see her crush. Her uneven breathing and slight sweat suggested she had rushed over to speak to Louis before the meeting.

“How did you know Louis was here?” Khalif continued to look at her.

“I had Maria watch out for me, to inform me no matter the time, so she woke me up.” Prima twisted her dress, avoiding eye contact with Khalif, taking the opportunity to wipe her sweaty palms with the fabric.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Khalif’s tone changed slightly. Though still reprimanding, Prima could tell he had accepted her excuse, and she felt a wave of relief.

“I’m sorry.” She obediently apologized.

Louis stood silently behind them, showing no involvement in their conversation.

“Is everyone here?” Khalif asked, as if noticing Louis for the first time.

Louis responded indifferently, “I just arrived, sir.”

Meaning he didn’t know either.

Prima picked up another implication: Louis was indicating that both of them, including Prima, had not been there long and had just run into each other.

Khalif nodded. “Come along then.”

He led the way to the conference room, and Louis followed. Before leaving, he told Prima, “You should go back to bed.”

Prima glanced at Khalif’s back. She felt he looked more upright than when they met tonight.

“Don’t worry,” Louis said again. “Go back.”

Prima had no choice. Louis telling her not to worry at least meant Khalif hadn’t heard their earlier conversation.

Thank goodness.

She always knew Louis was reliable, and his recent actions made her feel… Louis seemed to have known about Khalif’s secret all along and covered for her, without distancing himself because Khalif was her father.

This strengthened her resolve to discuss what she had seen with Louis. No matter what Khalif was planning inside, his behavior was highly unusual. As the head of the Wolf Family, he was the one who could least afford to have problems. Prima emotionally resisted acknowledging that Khalif was crossing a line, but the existence of Xanye had already alerted her. She had just been deceiving herself, thinking it was another affair.

Unlike her brothers, she never got involved in family affairs and had no official duties. Louis was one of the few she could trust who also had access to the core of the family. Instinctively, she wanted to confide in him.

But how could she talk to Louis privately? Inviting him to her room was out of the question. Khalif wouldn’t allow it, and she couldn’t do it herself.

Prima returned to her room, restless and unable to sleep.

……

Charlie sat in the second seat from the left, a spot Louis would usually choose to minimize eye contact with Khalif. It was difficult for Khalif to observe Louis’s expressions through the bulky Elder sitting in the first seat.

Louis didn’t quite approve of Charlie taking the risk to attend the meeting tonight, but Charlie wanted to meet Khalif in person. After all, he once had a 50% chance of becoming “Louis” and sitting here.

He didn’t want to know anything about the man who was wholeheartedly pursuing him. Prima, whom he had just unexpectedly encountered, was quite similar to how Louis had described her. Although greatly loved by Khalif, she hadn’t inherited Khalif’s obstinacy and excessive greed. She was rather clever.

Charlie was half-focused on the meeting, but it wasn’t a big deal after reporting on Adan’s current situation. While an Elder being attacked was significant, the upcoming auction in two days was even more critical. Without a host, many plans would be disrupted.

He hadn’t participated in the competition to take over Adan’s work. As usual, such an important matter wouldn’t be entrusted to Louis, whom Khalif had always been wary of. Khalif seemed to want the remaining Elders to temporarily co-manage, but the three of them immediately started arguing over their respective authorities.

“The astrologer’s identity is special. I have reason to believe Adan’s incident is related to him,” someone said. “To be able to break through and attack an Elder on our turf, not many forces have that capability. If we don’t eliminate this threat first, whoever takes over will continue to inherit the risk.”

“How do you propose we eliminate this threat? Do you have a suspect?” another Elder asked, as the conflicts of interest made everyone less polite than usual.

“This is Louis’s job.” The person began to shirk responsibility.

Hearing his name called, Charlie didn’t respond immediately. The incident happened suddenly. When Adan’s assistant found the boss, who had been working overnight, lying in a pool of blood in the study, Adan had already lost consciousness and naturally couldn’t identify the culprit. Louis’s quick initial inquiry revealed that everyone working overnight was too exhausted to notice anything unusual.

“Judging by the amount of blood loss and the location of the wound, it looks grim.” This was Louis’s initial assessment. “But there’s no need to tell them immediately.”

He had said this to Charlie.

If Louis’s reserved approach was his usual stance at Elder meetings, no wonder Khalif had never liked him, Charlie thought.

“Three doctors are currently trying to save him,” Charlie said calmly. “There weren’t many suspicious traces at the scene. Adan isn’t good at fighting, so he didn’t even knock over an ink bottle. But since there were about dozens of people working in one building during the warehouse fire incident, the attacker, able to strike swiftly without being noticed, was evidently very professional.”

“How convenient. Indeed, there are such professionals in White Bridge,” someone immediately said. “Azman, what do you say?”

“Ah?” Azman reacted a bit slowly.

“Those women,” the person said bluntly. “The people from the Lion Family—you’re responsible for entertaining them. Don’t tell me you don’t know if they’re sleeping in their beds at night or out hunting.”

“I’m responsible for making everyone feel at home, which definitely doesn’t include monitoring them,” Azman retorted.

Khalif gave him a severe look, and Azman immediately backed down.

“I’ll investigate whether they left their rooms tonight… Every villa has my people, although they are better at other things,” he added. “But they are all vigilant enough.”

“You should have had the answer ready before coming here.” Khalif seemed especially stern tonight. His grim expression made Azman shiver.

“But discussing this is futile. I see now. Expecting you all to cooperate is less reliable than training a monkey to dance,” Khalif continued. “I ask you all to fully assist Louis in investigating the culprit.”

“What about the auction?” an Elder asked.

“I will personally host it,” Khalif said, crossing his hands on the table and scrutinizing each person sitting below him. Everyone was familiar with this suspicious gaze. Khalif had never hidden his mistrust of these men, who could be considered his right-hand men.

It had always been this way. The Elders didn’t quite agree with his decision. The responsibilities and powers of each Elder were established. Now, Adan’s unexpected incident gave Khalif an excuse to reclaim power. Who knew if he would let go after the auction ended? If Adan died and Khalif decided not to nominate a new Elder, turning five Elders into four would be a terrible omen.

It would directly shake the centuries-old decision-making system of the Wolf family.

“Should we then deploy personnel and materials?” an Elder asked, unwilling to give up. “But it would risk leaks during the transfer…”

“There’s no need.” Khalif withdrew his gaze. “I’ll take over, but you…”

He looked straight in Louis’s direction. The elder sitting between them coughed and moved back a bit.

“Before the fireworks on the last day of the auction, you need to find out the truth,” he said sternly. “No matter if the culprit is a Lion, a Fox, or a power coveting White Bridge, anyone daring to provoke us at this time must pay a blood price.”

“Okay.” Charlie’s unchanged expression and overly concise response made Khalif’s furious command seem somewhat ridiculous.

What he thought at the moment was: It’s like a pillow falling into the lap of someone sleepy. With the irritable father leaving the nest, it was the perfect time to flirt with the daughter—he was very interested in Prima and the unfinished conversation.

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