“Where is he?” Grace, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke. “Where is Elijah Langston?”Her eyes burned with fierce fire as she looked down at the girl.The dead body of Elijah Langston was supposed to be somewhere at the corner of the mass graveyard right now. That was the plan, the one thing she and her grandmother had held onto throughout the entire night. They had anticipated this morning so much that neither of them had slept.Others might not know it, but their Ainsworth family knew that the border military was laying an ambush for Elijah Langston today. Once he appeared here, they would make their move, and he would become nothing more than a forgotten story.His insolence had stepped on the military's toes, and there was no walking that back.That knowledge was exactly why they had so easily returned the deeds of ownership to estates worth billions back to the Langstons. It was also the reason they had deposited five

The shot rang out, echoing sharply in the ears of everyone standing around. But the scream that followed belonged to Tyler Blackwood once again.His other ear had been sliced clean through by the bullet, catching him just as he struggled to get back to his feet.Now he clutched both sides of his head, blood running freely down his face, his skull ringing without pause. Both his ears had been damaged.A sudden wave of fear gripped the surrounding great families, wiping away whatever composure had lingered on their faces moments earlier. Anyone standing in that graveyard could have taken the bullet just now, yet it had landed on Tyler again, which somehow made the threat feel even more unpredictable.Several instinctively wanted to run, to scatter in whatever direction offered a chance at safety, but the flashing laser sights tracked every small shift in their movements with total accuracy. It was painfully clear now that anyone here could be dropped at any given moment. Every one of t

The expression on Tessa finally changed, a sly smile slowly crawling to the corner of her lips. “Not surprising of the oldest aristocratic family here.” She knew the old man and was not surprised that he could easily guess who she was despite her plain clothing.Lady Mercer?This was a new bomb thrown into the midst of the great families, who were just beginning to regain confidence from the stepping in of Old Mr. Carrington. Some might not know who she was, but the Ironclad Commander of the Hell Wind Cavalry rang a much louder bell. That was General Silas Mercer. The elders around knew who the man was before he rose to become a great figure at the border. Silas Mercer had once served as Police Chief for the West District Police Department, and his history while holding that position was still written down in history. No criminal ever dared to step foot in that district lest they face the wrath of the chief.This was the daughter of tha

Huh?Little Mia's sobs stopped abruptly, and her eyes widened almost to the limit.Husband? Was she not hearing well?She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes to confirm the woman's face and make sure she wasn't seeing things.Tessa simply smiled in response, not knowing what was going on in the girl's mind.Mia blinked, refusing to believe it. Her big brother had another beautiful wife? He was married to another woman?How could she forget the face of the other big brother's wife she had seen days ago? Serena DiLaurentis was the woman's name, and that wasn't her standing in front of her right now.If she was going to compare their beauty, they were both...She pouted in confusion, trying to picture the two faces side by side in her mind.Serena DiLaurentis had a porcelain-smooth face, and this woman's smile was charming and welcoming. Even now, wanting to be angry at her big brother, the calm smile of the woman before her wouldn't let her hold onto that anger.Hmm. She had been a li

Tessa Mercer didn't take a step forward. Neither did the calm expression on her face finally change.She just said, “The Highborn Gravesend Family of Sorevia, hmm. A powerful name, I must admit...”Peter Stonewell's expression lightened immediately, and he broke free from his sister's grip to say boldly, “Do you fear now? Or didn't you know who we're associated with?” He added, “We have the Seven Calamities of the East, and the Highborn Gravesend backs us up in everything.”The great families slowly turned their attention to Peter Stonewell and could clearly see that his head was held high. Did the Stonewells really have a backing so great it could make the border military back off? Some of the elders easily recognized the Gravesend name and looked amongst themselves in great astonishment.There was no reaction from the Ainsworth camp, as they were already aware of the Stonewells' backing. It was the only reason they'd been bold enough to try and take control of the other great fami