Chapter 7: I, the King of Northville

Words : 1382 Updated : Aug 14th, 2025

Elliot Looske had gone chalk-white. He sagged into the seat, his fingers gripping his pant leg without realizing it. In the Looske family, he'd been a pampered troublemaker, swaggering around on the strength of his clan as if no one could lay a finger on him. This time, he had never imagined that one petty scheme of his would drag the whole Looske family down with him. At Grant Spears's curt order, his men surged forward like a pack of wolves, hauling Elliot and Felix Looske up by the arms, one to each side. Felix struggled briefly, then couldn't hold back a hushed plea. "Mr. Quinny, I am, after all, Leanna's husband. We were wrong this time. I'll admit it. Whatever you want, name it. The Looske family won't refuse." He forced a thin smile, trying to barter with the backing of his clan and his own status for a slim chance at survival. To Elijah Quinny, it was laughable self-deception. His lip curled in a cold smile, contempt sharpening his gaze. "The Looske heir does have nerve. But tell me-what do you think you can offer me?" Felix froze, his lips trembling. At last, he understood. The man before him was not one of those small fry in Riveria you could grease through connections, but the King of Northville himself, a figure towering above, his power overwhelming and untouchable. His last scrap of hope snapped. He crumpled onto the floor, ashen and hollowed out, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from him. Grant snorted in disdain and nudged Felix with his boot. "Stop making a spectacle of yourself. In front of the King of Northville, the Looske family is nothing. Take them away." He turned to Elijah, deference edged with dread. "King of Northville, I-" Elijah cut him off with an impatient flick of his hand. "Do what I told you to do. Cut the chatter." Grant bowed his head and dared not add another word. Elijah shifted his gaze to Raven, his voice low and chill. "Do you think Jolie's disappearance has anything to do with the Looske family?" Raven weighed it, then answered with care. "From what we have so far, the Looske family isn't directly involved. But the school Felix arranged is questionable. We can't rule him out." "Keep them under a close watch. At the first hint of anything, report to me immediately." His tone carried banked fury and a thread of raw anxiety. "Yes." Raven moved out at once. On the way out, Elliot tried to wriggle free and whispered urgently to Grant, "Grant, put in a word for me, will you? Weren't you going to-" Grant snapped, cutting him off. "I warned you to keep your head down. You crossed the King of Northville this time. No one can save you." … In the hotel room, Elijah sat at a desk buried under papers, his brow knotted. Reports on Riveria's underworld, scraps of intelligence from every channel lay spread before him, none of them yielding a single thread about Jolie. The fewer the leads, the more it burned in his chest. Every minute that slipped by meant Jolie was in greater danger. "Has Zero arrived?" he asked. Raven nodded. "He's waiting outside." The door opened, and a young man of about eighteen stepped in. His expression was calm, but his eyes held a seasoned steadiness at odds with his age. "Reporting to the King of Northville." His voice was clean and crisp. Elijah nodded, studying the youth who, by reputation, commanded Chiton's most secret intelligence outfit. "I'm counting on you this time." Zero smiled slightly, his expression at odds with his young features. "Rest easy, Northville Marshal. The orders are already out. But if even your people haven't turned up anything, the job's going to be tough." His tone stayed even, stripped of feeling, as if reciting routine business. A master of disguise, no one had ever seen his real face; nobody knew his true identity. His composure chilled the room. Elijah's reply rumbled out. "Prioritize the Looske family. Dig up everything you can. Whether or not they took Jolie, that clan has to disappear from Riveria." Zero inclined his head. His network thrummed to life. Meanwhile, the Looske family had already fallen into chaos. In a dimly lit back room, the patriarch sat straight-backed at the head, his expression grim-faced as he swept his gaze over the gathered relatives. Felix and Elliot had been locked up. Ashton Looske's face went dark. He had dialed number after number, only to be stonewalled; the Peacekeeping Bureau clamped down and would not give him any special treatment at all. "Looks like this time we ran headlong into someone we can't push around," Ashton said under his breath, anger leaking through his control. Arlo Looske, from the second branch, frowned. "This trouble came from Leanna Yare's ex-husband. Do we contact Mr. Noir?" The old man tapped the table, thought it over, then shook his head. "Not yet. Their clout has limits. No need to involve Mr. Noir. Go find Leanna. Have her meet Elijah Quinny and talk. Use a mix of pressure and persuasion, but don't overdo it." A glint of calculation ran beneath his tone, as if the board were his to play. He swept the room again. "All of you, tidy up. Get rid of anything incriminating." The tension in the room thickened. No one dared object. None of them knew that barely half an hour later, Zero had laid out the secrets they'd been hiding for years in front of Elijah. … That afternoon, Leanna Yare showed up as planned and stopped at the door of Elijah's office. He looked up, a cold smile touching his mouth. He had known the Looske family would send her. He had not expected them to move this fast. The air seemed to congeal. Undercurrents collided-storm clouds gathering.

Chapter 7: I, the King of Northville

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