Chapter 162: The Valois Family’s Reaction
Outside Paris
The Valois Manor.
The once-glorious classical estate now sat shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere.
Main manor building, family conference hall.
Both sides of the thirty-foot mahogany table were packed with core members of the Valois family.
These power players who normally commanded respect in French business and political circles now wore grim expressions, their eyes full of fury and unease.
At the head of the table sat Louis in a dark suit, his usually refined face now dark enough to drip water.
"Louis!"
A white-haired elder shot to his feet, slamming his cane against the floor and pointing it at Louis's nose as he roared hoarsely:
"Look at what you've done!"
"All of France is calling us murderers! Nouveau riche! Thugs who clawed our way up through bloodshed!"
"You've destroyed centuries of our family's reputation!"
His words unleashed a torrent. Others jumped up, pounding the table.
"Twenty-five years ago, you promised us you'd handle it cleanly! And now look at this mess!"
"Our stock has crashed! Every one of our European holdings is being boycotted!"
"The government's breathing down our necks, demanding a full investigation! What are we supposed to do?"
"Louis! You owe this family an explanation!"
Facing the accusations, Louis took a deep breath, forcing down his rage.
"Everyone, please. Stay calm."
Louis rose slowly, sweeping his gaze across the room. "Yes, I mishandled this. But now isn't the time to assign blame—it's time to solve the crisis."
"Solve it? How?"
The elder let out a cold laugh. "Antoine's video has gone viral worldwide! How exactly do you plan to fix this? Are you going to silence the entire planet?"
"Exactly! There's only one way out—you turn yourself in to the prosecutor's office and confess!"
Another middle-aged man stood. "It's the only way to salvage the Valois family's reputation! Otherwise, we all go down with you!"
"Turn myself in?"
Louis's facial muscles twitched, a flash of viciousness in his eyes. "You want me to surrender? Are you joking?"
"This isn't a joke!"
The elder pounded his cane harder. "Louis, at this point, it's the only way to save the family! You have to sacrifice yourself for our survival!"
"Yes! Louis, you brought this on yourself! Don't drag the whole family down with you!"
Nearly everyone in the conference hall had turned against Louis.
Just as tensions reached a breaking point—
The heavy, ornately carved doors swung open from outside.
"A pack of mortals, cowering like headless chickens over a little worldly gossip. Pathetic beyond measure."
An utterly arrogant voice, carrying the condescension of a deity looking down from on high, rang out from the doorway.
Everyone's heads snapped toward the sound.
A strikingly handsome man with golden hair and blue eyes strode in, hands in the pockets of his pristine white designer suit, his movements unhurried.
On his lapel, a dark gold embroidered Temple cross insignia glinted with an unsettling gleam under the lights.
One of the twelve knights of The Evernight Order's Temple Knights—codename 'Ashfall.'
"What a delightful farce."
Ashfall approached the table at a leisurely pace, his slender fingers tapping the surface. "A bunch of squabbling incompetents, and you think you have the right to lecture Mr. Louis?"
The elder bristled with rage. "Who are you? This is an internal Valois family meeting! Outsiders have no right to interfere!"
"Outsider?"
Ashfall stopped, tilting his head. Those pure blue eyes fixed on the elder.
"Did you just… call me that?"
"Yes! I did!"
The elder didn't back down. "I don't care who you are; this is family business! Get out—"
Before he could finish—
Ashfall's figure vanished.
The next instant—
He reappeared behind the elder, his slender hand clamped around the old man's throat, lifting him clean off the ground.
"You… you…"
The elder's eyes bulged as his legs kicked frantically, helpless as a chicken in an eagle's talons.
"I hate two kinds of people."
Ashfall's voice was eerily calm, yet laced with bone-chilling cold.
"First, fools who don't know their place."
"Second, trash who disrespect me."
"And you…"
A cruel smile curved his lips.
"You're both."
With that—
Ashfall's hand twisted sharply.
CRACK.
The elder's neck snapped. His head lolled at a grotesque angle.
THUD.
Ashfall dropped the corpse like a bag of garbage.
Deathly silence.
Everyone in the hall went pale, paralyzed by the sudden brutality.
Those who'd been demanding Louis's surrender moments ago now trembled, not daring to breathe.
"Anyone else…"
Ashfall pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket, dabbing at his spotless hands with elegant precision.
"Anyone else want Louis to turn himself in?"
"Or…"
He lifted his gaze, those crystalline blue eyes scanning each person in turn.
"Anyone else have objections to me?"
Silence.
No one dared speak.
Heads bowed. Bodies shook.
"Good."
Ashfall nodded with satisfaction, tossing the handkerchief onto the corpse.
"Seems everyone understands now."
He turned to Louis, clapping him on the shoulder.
"Louis, don't worry. This is just a minor PR storm."
"Stick to your story—someone framed you. No one can touch you."
"Bernart's video? He was coerced into recording it by that American, Leo."
"All the evidence? Fabricated."
A cold smile played on Ashfall's lips. "Remember, that's your only line. Leave the rest to me."
"Thank… thank you, Ashfall."
Relief flooded Louis's face, gratitude flickering in his eyes.
"No need for thanks."
Ashfall turned back to the assembled family members. "Everyone, remember what I've said today."
"The Evernight Order chose to back the Valois family. We won't let you fall easily."
"So stop this idiotic infighting."
"Otherwise…"
He gestured at the corpse.
"That's what awaits you."
With that, Ashfall strode out of the conference hall.
Leaving behind suffocating silence and a body still leaking blood.
---
Thirty minutes later.
A deserted country road outside Paris.
A black Citroën sat parked by the roadside.
Leo opened the door and slid into the back seat.
Inside, Pierre sat across from him, his weathered face alight with excitement and gratitude.
"Mr. Ashford!"
The moment Pierre saw Leo, his cloudy eyes reddened. "You… you actually did it!"
"That bastard Antoine is dead! And he recorded that video before he died!"
"All of France is condemning the Valois family! That monster Louis is finally getting what he deserves!"
Pierre's voice trembled with emotion.
Twenty-five years.
Twenty-five years of patience. Twenty-five years of waiting.
He'd finally lived to see this day.
"Mr. Bynum, no need to get so worked up."
Leo's tone was even. "I told you I'd take Antoine's head. I'm simply keeping my word."
"No!"
Pierre shook his head, eyes full of admiration. "You didn't just kill Antoine—you used his deathbed confession to nail Louis to a pillar of shame!"
"That strategy, that cunning…"
Pierre drew a deep breath. "I've been in this game for decades. I've never met anyone as brilliant as you."
"You flatter me."
Leo lit a cigar. "I only did what needed doing. And showed you all a little… goodwill."
"Goodwill…"
Something complicated flickered in Pierre's eyes.
After a long moment, he bowed deeply. "Mr. Ashford, on behalf of Erwin, I offer you our sincerest gratitude."
"And…"
Pierre straightened, his expression solemn. "Erwin would like to meet you immediately. He has much he wishes to say to you in person."
Leo exhaled a stream of smoke, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Then let's go."
"Don't keep Erwin waiting."