Listening to the young man, Toby Cooper swallowed hard, his gaze vacant, his mind thrown into disarray.He walked to the coffee table, picked up his phone, and glanced at it—sure enough, it was flooded with missed calls, all from his father.He hesitated. But with things having escalated this far, there was no escaping it.“Step out for a moment. I have something important to deal with.”Toby Cooper said to the woman on the sofa.“Oh, come on. You got me all worked up and now this? What, can’t follow through?”The woman pouted, clearly displeased. With a sway of her hips, she turned and left.“Go keep an eye on her. Tell her to wait for me—and let her know money isn’t an issue.”Toby Cooper watched her alluring figure retreat, still itching with desire. Letting her go just like that left him unwilling to accept it.“Yes, young master. I’ll handle it right away.”the scrawny young man replied respectfully.After the young man left, Toby Cooper fell into hesitation again. If he called,

“Senior General Clifford Castillo, Senior General Malcolm Sanchez, General Norman Price—good evening to you, and to all the commanders of our corps.”Dale Jimenez wore a conciliatory smile, peacemaker written all over him. Seeing that expression only made the others despise him more.He reeked of liquor as he approached; faces around him creased with open disgust.“Wipe that smirk off your face, Dale Jimenez,” Clifford Castillo barked, voice like ice. “You answer to the three Elders of the Central Council. Tell me—has General Eugene Wilson truly been killed? How did he die?”“Whatever you do with your days is your affair,” Malcolm Sanchez added, “but tonight you will give us an answer. Otherwise, this won’t end here.”“Was General Eugene Wilson murdered at the behest of the three Elders?” Norman Price asked coldly. “And are you planning to do the same to the young general?”“Gentlemen, please—be at ease, be at ease,” Dale said, lifting his hands. “Here’s what we’ll do: all corps comma

“Preston Gutierrez, I’ve put up with you long enough,” Benson Cooper snapped, slamming a palm on the table.“Then stop holding it in. Must be exhausting,” Preston replied, utterly unfazed.“Enough. No more squabbling,” Vincent Murphy interjected, pained. “It’s settled for now. Get the directives moving immediately.”“Old Cooper, your son made this mess. You’ll handle the cleanup.”“By morning, we issue a notice acknowledging the matter and announcing an investigation.”“Fine. I’ll see to it first thing—or better yet, right away,” Benson said with a curt nod.“If we post overnight, it signals we’re taking this seriously. Do it tonight,” Vincent agreed.“I’ll arrange it now,” Benson answered.“At this point,” Vincent sighed, “we can only hope Wayne makes headway in Nova City. Given the climate, I don’t see a clean way to break the stalemate.”“In this climate, how far my son can go isn’t entirely up to him,” Preston said. “He’ll do his best.”“Doing his best will have to suffice,” Vince