0006 Demon Prince

Hampton Hills was one of the most luxurious and exclusive subdivisions in the country, built under the very famous Rockefeller Group. Most of the homeowners chose to live in the place, not only because of the superb security but also because of the status of living there. Businessmen who were very conscious of their reputations made sure to grab at least one of the houses available for sale.

The entire exclusive subdivision looked like a small version of a picturesque French town. In it were three different types of houses. The normal houses that were situated near the entrance gate, were designed to look similar to twentieth century houses in Paris. Their façade was mostly covered with white plaster with wooden beams and stones as foundation.

The next types of houses like where the Hunt family lived, was a larger type of French villa more popularly called a gite. They were charming brick and stone houses with huge backyards and pools. One would think they were vacation houses instead of homes people lived in for the entire year. They were beautiful as well as laid back.

In the innermost part, stood the biggest mansion in the exclusive subdivision. It was the third and the only type of that house in the place. The house was built like a French chateau. It was a fortress— around six times bigger compared to the others, and was surrounded by a high wall. Nobody could see what was going on inside, although people could still see the upper part of the imposing house.

Also, nobody had seen the owner of the chateau. Among all the houses, it was the only one which had never been available to the market. There was a rumor that it was a chosen residence of a high ranking executive of the Rockefeller Group, but there had not been any announcement or indication that someone had been staying in it. If it weren’t for the occasional sightings of guards, cleaners, and delivery cars, they would think it was abandoned.

However, last night, the huge gate of the chateau was opened, and the house was lit up. It was an indication that someone finally came to stay in the mysterious house. Since morning, this had been the rumor that kept the homeowners abuzz. They were all excited to know more about the mysterious owner who finally returned.

Inside the villa, the mysterious occupant of the chateau sat on the table, having a very English breakfast consisting of beans, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, bacon, eggs, black pudding, and a cup of tea.

Right— a full English breakfast in a French chateau…

“What are you dawdling about? You should eat. We’ll be leaving soon,” Cedric de la Roche scolded Ralph Hall who sat on his right with his British twang.

Today, he had on a dark blue suit which looked good against his very fair complexion. His longish blonde hair was combed to the side, showing his ears which sported matching sapphire earrings. He totally looked like a young English Lord with his elegant bearings.

“Who are you sending messages to this early? Stop it or I’ll be so jealous!” he said in a coquettish voice that would normally make people cringe seeing it done by a grown man.

But Ralph remained straight faced. Cedric’s assistant was already used to his quirks and jokes after serving by his side for years. Nothing could dumbfound him more than when his obviously French boss gave the obviously French subdivision an English name. Hampton Hills was not supposed to be its name but Cedric was insistent on this.

As to why— it was to annoy the hell out of his cousin who could not move and beat his ass off at the moment.

André de Lancy.

Ah, and also because Cedric preferred his British heritage over his French one.

Ralph quickly dropped the phone he had been looking at and started eating. However, after each time he swallowed food, he started relaying news to his boss.

“Oh? They want to meet the owner of the chateau?” Cedric was amused.

“Yes, sir. The homeowners association sent a welcome message and invited the owner of the house to attend the banquet next week. Should I accept their invitation?”

Cedric smirked. “Why?”

Ralph paused as he looked at his boss. “Because the homeowners are mostly big bosses of companies in the country. It would be beneficial to show up even just for a few minutes.”

Rockefeller Group was a top international company. However, it did not belittle smaller local companies at all. Although it could also be ruthless to competitors, it had a more holistic approach to business and would reach out to smaller companies for partnerships, strengthening their positions in the domestic markets. Attending the banquet to mingle with the local tycoons was a good idea.

“But I’m not the owner of this house,” Cedric quipped, a devilish smile he was famous for played on his face, and he laughed after finally making Ralph speechless.

He did not lie, though. The house and everything in it including the car he was using were owned by André. He was merely borrowing them since his cousin was currently incapacitated.

Cedric de la Roche’s real identity was the very laidback little lord of a huge vineyard in Europe. But due to some unfortunate circumstances, this playful little lord was pushed into being the CEO of the huge Rockefeller Group, and had been manning the company as its figurehead for six years now.

“Boss,” Ralph Hall called with a perplexed expression, and Cedric laughed louder.

Cedric had been using the same excuse to avoid his duties for the past six years. It never worked, though. He sighed.

“Fine. I’ll attend. It’s not like I can go anywhere with you shadowing me all the time,” Cedric told Ralph with an accusing tone and stare.

Ralph Hall was his assistant, but technically, he was his supervisor— someone who made sure that Cedric did his work properly. He was originally André’s assistant before the latter had an accident.

“I will let the homeowners know. Should I let them know who you are? Or should I keep it a secret and let them know on the spot?”

“What do you think?”

Ralph cleared his throat. “I shall inform them that my boss will be there and nothing else.”

Cedric smirked. He was satisfied that at least Ralph compromised and still adhered to his small quirks and games. This was the reason why he was still sane working for his cousin when he disliked troublesome things, usually.

“Will the Hunts be there? I mean Evely and her family?” he asked.

“Are you talking about the young lady last night?” Ralph asked.

“No— it’s the chick I dated last week— of course, it’s the lady last night. Is there any other Evely Hunt you know?”

Ralph smiled apologetically. “I’m not sure, Boss. The young lady was sent to the hospital late last night.”

“What?” Cedric stood up suddenly, his green eyes reflected his shock. “She’s at the hospital? Why?”

Ralph looked at his boss strangely. “But Boss, wasn’t she injured last night when we saw her on the road?”

Cedric looked at him as if he was an idiot. “She was injured? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“But I thought you knew.” Ralph scratched the side of his head. “She was dirty and bleeding last night, after all— and it’s not like I had not tried telling you. You said it’s okay.”

“Merde!” Cedric suddenly cursed in French as he rushed towards the side to grab his coat.

“Boss, where are you going?” Ralph asked as he swallowed the last of his beans and ran after his boss.

Cedric was already walking briskly towards the waiting car.

“What else? I’m going to check up on Evely! If something happens to her, André will kick my ass!”