Chapter 5: The Outsider and the Local Boss

Words : 1750 Updated : Aug 14th, 2025

The lights of the Goldia Hotel burned bright and cold, casting stark shadows across the furrows on Elijah Quinny's brow. He sat on a sofa in the lobby, eyes half-closed, radiating a crushing presence. The situation in Riveria had grown increasingly sinister, and he couldn't stop worrying about Jolie's safety. Raven, in a crimson dress, stood quietly to one side, directing their people. Her phone kept flashing with fresh updates, as if a storm were about to break. She leaned in and murmured by his ear, "Northville Marshal, Director Grant Spears of the Peacekeeping Bureau is here." Elijah inclined his head, his voice calm and low. "Let him in." Before long, Grant Spears stumbled into the room. He didn't dare raise his head before Elijah, his back hunched so deeply he was nearly folded in half. The title "King of Northville" was almost mythic in Riveria. Grant had thought it was only a legend, but seeing the man in person, he finally grasped what true menace was. "Y-Your Majesty," Grant stammered, sweat beading along his hairline. Elijah's expression remained unchanged as he flicked a few photographs across the table. The images of blood-soaked bodies drained the color from Grant's face. His throat bobbed, and it felt as though the sky had collapsed and his career was hanging by a thread. "This is the best your Peacekeeping Bureau can do?" Elijah's tone was glacial, bone-chilling. Grant's legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees with a thud. He didn't recognize the dead in the photographs, but he could guess. This wasn't an ordinary case. The forces behind it could destroy him beyond redemption. "Your Majesty, I truly knew nothing. Please give me a chance, and I'll investigate at once!" he babbled, kowtowing repeatedly. Elijah's mouth curved into a thin, wintry smile. "Investigate? The club girls-or the bribes in your own pocket?" Before the last word fully landed, Elijah slammed his palm down on the table. The heavy wooden slab cracked instantly, sending shards skittering across the floor. Grant nearly fainted as a chill ran down his spine, his heart pounding like a drum. "Your Majesty, I…" Grant's voice shook, the rest of his words catching in his throat. "I know all your little tricks. This is your last chance. Dig up every suspicious incident in Riveria in recent days and report all of it to me. Don't play games." Grant looked like he'd just been granted a reprieve. He bobbed his head repeatedly. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I'll get on it at once!" Embarrassment forgotten, he backed out of the room in a hurry, moving as though his feet were on fire. Watching him leave, Raven frowned and murmured, "Northville Marshal, if we don't tell him the particulars, will he take too long?" Elijah smiled faintly. "Riveria's waters run deep. Grant may bow to me on the surface, but who can vouch for him behind my back? It never hurts to keep a card up your sleeve." His gaze was steady, as if searching for a crack of light in the dark. By dawn, at the entrance to the Goldia Hotel, Elliot Looske and Felix Looske stood with a few of the family's hired enforcers, looking smug and full of themselves. Elliot eyed the hotel with a curl of his lip. "No wonder he had the guts to mess with our people. He sure picked himself a nice place to stay." The Goldia Hotel wasn't top-tier, but it was far beyond the reach of ordinary folk-enough to show Elijah Quinny wasn't to be taken lightly. Felix tugged at Elliot's sleeve, looking aggrieved. "Uncle, you've got to stand up for me." Elliot patted his nephew's shoulder, his gaze firm. "Since when does the Looske family stomach this kind of humiliation? We did nothing wrong. Today, we'll make him understand what he's dealing with. Besides, Grant Spears will be here shortly. Once Grant shows up, you think he won't back down?" They headed straight for the fourth floor and rapped on Elijah's door. The door opened. Raven stood there in a scarlet cheongsam, black hair falling like a waterfall, her features serenely composed. Uncle and nephew from the Looske family froze, their anger dampened by the sight of her. Their voices softened without their noticing. Elliot ventured, "Miss, we're here to see someone." Raven gave a faint smile and didn't bother to respond. Felix swallowed hard, trying not to stare. Elijah stepped out then, plainly dressed, his manner at ease. He took in the Looske men with no surprise, as if he had been expecting them. Felix sneered as he looked him over. "You're still here waiting? Not afraid we'd come knocking?" Elijah replied evenly, "Why would I run?" Elliot fixed his eyes on him, a flicker of contempt showing. "Elijah Quinny, you're under arrest. Come with us." Elijah glanced at him with a hint of a smile. "You're not with the Peacekeeping Bureau. What authority do you have to arrest me?" Elliot snorted, raising his chin. "You have no idea who you're dealing with. Do yourself a favor and come quietly so we don't have to make a scene. If you resist, you won't like the consequences. You might lose your life." In his mind, once Grant Spears arrived, the tide would turn completely. For now, it suited him to stir the pot. Elijah gave a small shake of his head, his voice cooling another degree. "Big talk. You think you call the shots in Riveria?" Raven stood to one side, a trace of helplessness in her eyes. To her, the confidence and swagger of the Looske uncle and nephew were small-time and clueless. They had no idea that the man in front of them held their fate in his hands. Beneath Elijah's calm, a lethal resolve was already building. The Looske clan's local kingpin act was nearing its end. Jolie's situation grew more perilous by the hour, and Elijah needed to seize control of the whole game. The air felt taut, like the pressure in the room had clamped down around them. A storm was brewing, and the collision of two forces had become inevitable.

Chapter 5: The Outsider and the Local Boss

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