Chapter 156: The Dirty Deals of Power

"No need."

Leo walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the Paris skyline, his voice as cold as ice. "I can handle this little problem myself."

"Good to hear."

Howard breathed a sigh of relief, though a hint of amusement crept into his tone. "But Leo, I've got to remind you of something. While the Pentagon can't officially support you..."

"Off the record, though..."

"Us old-timers have never given a damn about those politicians' bullshit."

"If you need firepower support, or if you need us to 'accidentally bomb' a few inconvenient targets, just give me a call. After all, Europe's crawling with NATO military bases. A few wrong coordinates here and there? Perfectly normal."

Hearing Howard's blatant 'suggestion,' Leo's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Thanks, General. If I need it, I won't hold back."

"Ha ha, then I'll be waiting for your good news."

Howard let out a hearty laugh, then lowered his voice, his tone turning serious. "Leo, those freaks from the Knights Templar really are something else. Watch your back."

"Don't worry."

Leo's voice was calm. "In three days, I'll show the whole world what happens when the so-called Knights Templar get crushed underfoot."

With that, Leo hung up.

The moment he tossed the satellite phone back onto the couch...

The suite door opened from outside with a keycard.

Accompanied by an intoxicating wave of Chanel No. 5, a sultry figure in burgundy glided in on stilettos, hips swaying with each step.

Victoria.

Today she'd changed into something even more provocative—a burgundy silk slip dress, thin as gossamer, outlining every perfect curve of her body like a work of art.

Her damp golden waves cascaded loosely over her shoulders. She'd clearly just showered.

That bewitching face wore no makeup, yet radiated a lazy, lethal sensuality.

"Reaper, you really are a workaholic."

Victoria tossed a manila envelope onto the table and sauntered over to Leo with feline grace.

She reached out with one manicured hand, painted in crimson, and ran her fingers naturally along Leo's still-damp muscular chest, tracing circles over the network of scars.

"Just finished showering and already back to work? Don't you know how to take care of yourself?"

Victoria's red lips parted slightly, her warm breath brushing against Leo's neck. "Want me to help you relax?"

Leo glanced down at Victoria but ignored her seduction, instead pointing at the envelope on the table.

"You brought it?"

"Such a boring man."

Victoria pouted her red lips in dissatisfaction, but professionally dropped the seductive act.

She walked to the table and pulled out a thick stack of documents from the envelope, spreading them across the surface.

Leo approached the table and picked up the stack, flipping through it.

The first page was a detailed relationship map of high-level French government officials.

A dense web of red lines connected the Valois family to key figures in France's Ministry of Defense, Foreign Ministry, and intelligence services.

"Look at this web."

Victoria leaned lazily against Leo's back, practically pressed against him, her breath hot against his ear. "Louis hasn't been sitting idle all these years. At least a third of France's top officials are directly or indirectly controlled by the Valois family."

Her slender finger slid from Leo's shoulder to point at a name on the documents.

"Foreign Minister Gabriel Douai. On the surface, he's a clean politician. In reality, his daughter married into the Valois family's direct line."

"And this one—Deputy Director of Intelligence. His son works at a Valois family investment firm, making five million euros a year."

Leo flipped through the documents expressionlessly until suddenly, his movements stopped.

His gaze locked onto one particular name.

"Antoine Bernard. Lieutenant General, Deputy Director of Operations Command at the French Ministry of Defense."

This position was no small matter.

In France's military hierarchy, this role held real power to mobilize troops and could even influence France's military decisions in certain circumstances.

Leo tapped the name twice with his finger. "What's this man to Louis?"

"Reaper, your instincts are sharp as always."

Victoria laughed seductively, practically draping herself over Leo's shoulder, her red lips close to his ear. "This lieutenant general is Louis's relative. He married Louis's sister."

Leo's eyebrow arched slightly, a mocking smile playing at his lips. "A relative managed to reach Deputy Director of Operations Command at the French Ministry of Defense?"

"Even with the Valois family's influence, French politics can't be corrupt enough for that. You don't secure that position through nepotism alone."

"Of course not."

Victoria's fingers traced slowly down Leo's muscular arm. "Twenty-five years ago, when Louis successfully assassinated the previous head of the family and slaughtered everyone at the Valois Manor, he didn't rely solely on traitors within the family."

"That night, an elite French Army unit was stationed around the perimeter of the Valois Manor."

"They blocked all roads, cut all communications, leaving the loyalists inside without even a chance to call for help."

Victoria's voice grew colder. "And the man commanding that unit was Antoine Bernard, back when he was just a colonel."

"In return, after Louis seized power, he used the Valois family's massive political influence to promote Antoine from colonel all the way to lieutenant general, putting him where he is today."

"For the past twenty-five years, Antoine has been like a loyal dog, eliminating countless problems for Louis—anyone who wanted to overturn the verdict."

After hearing Victoria's explanation, understanding flashed in Leo's eyes.

"Just as I thought."

He tossed the documents back onto the table and turned around. "I knew it. Behind this kind of dirty power exchange, there had to be an even dirtier blood debt."

Seeing Leo turn, Victoria's seductive eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

She didn't step back. Instead, she pressed even closer, wrapping her arms around Leo's neck, practically hanging on him.

"Reaper."

Victoria's red lips parted, her breath hot against Leo's Adam's apple. "I mobilized my entire intelligence network this time, even spent tens of millions of euros bribing informants to dig up this much useful information."

"Are you really going to just read through it all dry and not even say thank you?"

Leo looked down, his deep eyes meeting Victoria's. "What do you want?"

"I want..."

Victoria rose on her tiptoes, her red lips almost touching Leo's. "A reward."

"We can leak this intelligence."

Leo suddenly changed the subject, his voice still calm. "Let all of France know how their respected Antoine climbed to his current position by helping the Valois family slaughter innocents."

"Oh, work talk now?"

Victoria pouted her red lips in dissatisfaction, her slender fingers drawing circles on Leo's chest. "I don't want to hear about boring arrangements right now."

"I said I want a reward."

Her voice grew increasingly coquettish, her body pressed completely against Leo's. "You heartless bastard, can't you satisfy a poor woman who's working so hard for you?"

Leo stared at Victoria's bewitching face for several seconds.

Then his lips curved into a wicked smile.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Victoria licked her red lips, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Hurry up. Don't make me wait too long."

The words had barely left her mouth.

Leo suddenly reached out, his rough hand gripping Victoria's slender waist firmly.

The next second—

"Ah!"

Victoria cried out in surprise. Before she could react, Leo lifted her up and pressed her heavily onto the soft leather couch behind them.

"Since you want a reward so badly..."

Leo leaned down, pinning Victoria beneath him, his voice low and husky. "Then I'll show you what a real reward looks like."