Semua Bab LUCAN VALE: THE GHOST ASSASSIN: Bab 101 - Bab 110

The phone rang twice before a crisp voice answered."Marcus Gunn speaking.".“Hey, Marcus! It's Cassius Devereux.”“Who?Charlie and Seraphina exchnaged a worried look. If they were friends, why was Marcus being rude towards him?Cassius let out a laugh, so that it would sound like him and Marcus were really friends and the latter was just pretending to not know him. “Haha, you're always funny…. How are you, my friend?"There was a pause. A long, uncomfortable pause. Frowning, Cassius immediately removed the phone from the speaker and pressed it to his ear. "Cassius Devereux?" Marcus's voice was cold, almost confused. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"Cassius's smile faltered slightly. But when he noticed Seraphina and Charlie looking at him with uncertain expressions, he laughed and said, "Of course it's me! Buddy, how could you forget me, when we play golf together every Sunday at the country club. Just last week you were telling me about Sterling's expansion plans—""I think you

Vanessa skimmed the final page one last time, the words blurring for a moment as the realization of what she was about to do settled over her. Then, with a steady breath, she picked up the pen. Her hand didn’t tremble, not outwardly—but her pulse thudded in her ears as she signed her name in bold ink.Done. The deal that will change everything for Smith Royale was sealed.Across the table, Marcus smiled widely as he pulled the documents towards himself and then he added his own signature. After he was done, he looked to Vanessa and said, “Congratulations, Ms. Smith,” he said smoothly. “Welcome to Sterling Enterprises’ circle of partners.”“Thank you,” Vanessa replied, her voice composed though her chest fluttered with barely contained relief. She didn’t care anymore who had helped smith royale, Jason or Cassius, what mattered now was that, they were safe from bankruptcy.Marcus rose from his chair, buttoning his suit jacket with effortless elegance. “Before you go,” he added, his ton

“As the head of this family, and your grandmother, I demand that you end your engagement with him, immediately,” demanded Lady Smith, her voice final.Vanessa felt a cold dread creep into her stomach. Her initial anger at Jason, fueled by the family’s fervent belief in Cassius, suddenly felt complicated. To be ordered so bluntly to dismantle her own life—even a part of it she currently resented—was infuriating.Her fingers curled so tightly around her glass she feared it might shatter. The thing Vanessa hated most about her family was how they always tried to make decisions for her—especially when it came to her love life.And she hated being told what to do. Especially by her grandmother, whose authority was absolute—and rarely gentle. Yet what could she say? She did believe Jason had lied, and the idea of being free of a fraud was tempting. Still, this engagement wasn’t meant to be broken. It had been arranged by her late grandfather.Meanwhile, Seraphina pressed a hand to her chest

As Jason sat in the backseat of his sleek black car, watching the city lights blur past the tinted windows, his phone buzzed.Vanessa: ‘Just so you know, my family’s throwing a party tonight at the Pearl Hotel. It’s big. Everyone important will be there.’Jason read the message once, his expression unreadable. The Pearl Hotel? Of course the Smiths would go all out. They had just landed a deal with Sterling Enterprises—thanks to him—and now they wanted the whole city to see them as royalty. He was curious to see how they will treat him now after he has helped them so tremendously. Jason now hoped they’d finally acknowledge the truth: he was the reason for their resurrection. Hoped they’d give their blessing to him and Vanessa—publicly, sincerely. He had helped them rise from the ashes. They had no choice but to respect him now. Or so he thought.What Jason didn’t know was that this night—this celebration—wasn’t going to be the victory lap he expected. In fact, to them, he wasn’t even

Jason could not believe what he was hearing. His gaze moved slowly between Charlie and Seraphina, disbelief etched across his face. He didn’t know what was wrong with these people, but it sure as hell was infuriating. And it had to be said that Jason barely let himself get infuriated, but this time he had no choice, because how could they not know he was the one who had made that deal happen?Back when the smith family got the news, Jason had specifically told them what would happen, and even Vanessa herself had confirmed it. ‘And who the hell is Cassius anyway?’ Jason thought to himself. But the name itself made Jason’s jaw tighten. Whoever this idiot named Cassius was, he had some balls—or maybe he was just a shameless bastard claiming a victory he had nothing to do with. It made Jason want to teach this Cassius character a lesson he wouldn’t forget.But thinking about lessons, Jason knew the Smith family deserved one too. He let out a slow, deliberate sigh and asked, “And who is t