Free Web NovelChapter 89: So it’s a family business.
"Please tell me there will be at least one person with a sense of humour."
"There will not."
"Oh come on.
I am in the land of uncultured swines."
Lucian groaned.
Claire, again, ignored him and the two started walking, Claire walked ahead, Lucian followed behind with his hands in his pockets.
"Say..."
He called out.
"How angry is this team going to be when they learn I am there because the client asked for me?"
"They won’t like you."
"Hmm, you don’t need to worry, I will make them like me.
I am very charming."
Lucian nodded and that made Claire pause for a moment and look at him.
"You will behave."
"What do you mean? I always behave."
Claire only stared at him and Lucian’s confidence faltered for a moment.
"Well... I behave... sometimes."
Claire wanted to facepalm, but she controlled that urge. About five minutes later, the two stopped in front of a briefing room.
Claire opened the door and walked in, Lucian followed. Inside, several people waited around a long table. Lucian looked at them and immediately noticed two of them.
The first was a man standing near the head of the table.
Tall.
Calm.
Sharp features.
He looked to be in his early thirties, but there was nothing young about his presence. He had neatly styled dark hair, straight posture, and cold grey eyes that did not move from him even once.
*Picture*
The moment Lucian saw him, he couldn’t help but remember a certain arrogant boy he met during the training.
"He is Alaric Ashcroft, the team’s commander."
Claire introduced and the instant he heard that name, Lucian’s smile widened.
"An Ashcroft."
He looked at Alaric with a shine in his eyes.
Just as he thought...
He indeed looked similar to his dear friend Dorian Ashcroft.
Claire looked at Lucian’s smile and she... she did not like it one bit. She had read reports about what happened between Dorian and Lucian during the training and she did not want that to be a problem in this mission.
"He is the eldest son, and the heir to the Ashcroft Family."
She gave some details.
Lucian looked at her with a smile, he could tell her words were more of a warning than information.
Heir to the Ashcroft Family huh...
That’s a dangerous title.
From what he had heard, the Ashcrofts held significant influence in the Enclave and to think he had only been here for a few weeks and was already standing in front of the Family Heir...
Lucian looked at Alaric and—
"Lucian Cross."
He introduced himself.
"I know who you are."
Alaric spoke in a calm, cold tone.
"You do?"
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"The Blood-Altered Human who humiliated my younger brother and mocked my family name."
’And there it is...’
Lucian sighed in disappointment.
Just when he was done with one young master, his elder brother was here.
’What’s next? The father? Then the hidden grandfather who everyone thought was dead but has been cultivating for the past 100 years?’
He wondered in his head.
Soon however, he shook his head.
With this fucked up world he was part of, that might actually happen. It was better not to raise any more flags.
Of course, this still didn’t mean he was going to take whatever Alaric threw at him lying down.
"Quite the family name if it was mocked with just that."
He snorted.
And the instant he said those words, the room became quiet.
Alaric looked at Lucian with the same calm in his eyes, then, he looked at Claire and—
"Let’s begin the introduction."
He nodded, completely ignoring Lucian’s words. Something that surprised Lucian quite a bit since he thought the older brother would be similar to the younger one and snap out.
Alaric did not, he instead looked at the rest of the team and—
"As you have heard, I am Alaric Ashcroft, I will be leading this mission."
The team members nodded, then one by one, they introduced themselves as well.
The one who moved immediately after Alaric was a young woman who was sitting at the side of the table, reading through a stack of documents.
She was the second woman Lucian had noticed when he walked in.
She had a calm, composed look on her face. Her dark hair was neatly tied behind her, her uniform was cleaner than everyone else’s, without a single unnecessary crease.
*Picture*
"I am Clara Voss."
"Oh?"
Lucian instantly reacted at those words and looked at Claire.
Claire looked away, not saying anything and Lucian’s smile widened.
"This is interesting."
"There is nothing interesting."
Claire countered instantly, Lucian just nodded.
"Of course not. Two people with the same last name in the same room, very normal. Happens all the time, especially in secret organisations."
Clara looked at the two, then, she ignored them and turned towards Alaric.
"I will handle public movement, cover adjustments, and logistical control for the mission."
"So it’s a family business."
Lucian nodded.
"Lucian."
Claire glared at him and he placed a finger over his mouth.
"Right, I won’t say another word."
Clara stared at him for a second, then she ignored him again.
After that, the rest of the team introduced themselves as well. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Elise Ward, she could sense demonic residue, corruption, and emotional tampering, so she was in charge of checking anyone who got near Evelyn: staff, assistants, doctors, managers, fans, bodyguards, and visitors. Claire moved to the front of the room. (Pictures in para comment)
Lila Marr, she was responsible for monitoring Evelyn’s physical and supernatural condition after Evelyn returned from Velvet House, she joined in as a health specialist.
And last, Sarah Black, she had strong instincts that helped her survive on the streets alone for years, Alaric believed her instincts would be useful when it came to protecting Evelyn, so he made her part of the team.
Once all of them had introduced themselves, Alaric nodded—
"Now that everyone knows each other,
We will begin the briefing."
He announced and the instant he did—
The lights in the room dimmed and a screen appeared on the wall with Evelyn Starling’s face on it.
