“You’re really just letting him walk away? Why did you suddenly do that? Why didn’t you just kill him like you did the guy over there?” Ava snapped at Luca, watching as the man in the beanie packed his things, stood up, nodded, and waved at Luca.“What if he’s lying? What if he reports you and brings people back to hunt you down? You could easily get killed out here in the woods. It’s not too late to kill him now.”“No, because I’m curious if he actually belongs to a community where he could report the news of the murder,” Luca said, tucking his pistol into the small of his back and gesturing toward the woods, signaling Ava to leave. “If he’s an assistant who dared to kill his own powerful boss, there’s a good chance he has backing or even a cult to support him.”“I’m curious if he has a support group, and if anyone would notice right away if a boss suddenly turned up dead,” Luca added.***Upon returning to the factory, Luca and Ava headed straight for his office, but they ran into J

“Forgive me if the child seems sharp tongued, but please know he means no harm by his words. I’ve spent years trying to teach him manners,” said the man in the lab coat. Luca nodded, and the man gestured toward him.“By the way, my name is Michael. Michael Harvey, if you’re curious. I’m a scientist working in the packaging and pharmaceutical divisions of this child’s family company. I was also a confidant and right hand man to the child’s late father.”“I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I wouldn’t have expected a boss to make a scientist their confidant or right hand man, usually, they’re just ordinary assistants,” Luca remarked, prompting a laugh from Michael.“Yes, I understand. Usually, a boss only trusts a scientist as a confidant if they share a blood connection, close or distant, right? Well, the reason is simple: I’m not much older than the child’s father. We went to the same school and even sat next to each other,” Michael explained. Shortly after, a woman called out to him

“A–argh… My leg…”“Hey,” Luca said, approaching the scientist and the scientist’s eyes widened the moment he saw Luca.“M–Master Luca! It’s not what you think! I’m not here with any ill intent, and—”“Then explain why you’re in the hallway leading to my room,” Luca said, glancing at the empty silver tray that had fallen not far from where the scientist had collapsed. “Were you trying to steal something? Is a scientist’s salary not enough to cover your needs?”“N–no, sir! The pay is plenty!” The scientist paused, and Luca waited for him to continue. “I only came here because Ser Damon asked me to bring him his meal.”“Because that corpse was found inside the machine, I had to track down the two of you, the bosses, right? Well, I actually wanted to summon Ser Damon to see the body, but he treats me like a servant, so I had no choice but to comply. You can check his room. He’s eating right now. I swear to God, I didn’t steal anything!” the scientist explained and when Luca checked Damon’

“His wife said that she and the scientist have been in a relationship for a long time, and they have a daughter named Mia waiting for their return at home,” Ava explained once they had returned to the Kane family estate.Damon was being dragged toward his room by several servants as the white haired man appeared heavily intoxicated. Luca surmised that Joffrey had given up on trying to manage that behavior, as the butler simply walked in and shook his head the moment he saw Damon’s condition.“Right, and the scientist also mentioned that the situation is precarious because it seems he’s joined some sort of organization,” Luca said. “He said he’d keep an eye on his associates, just in case any strange deals or suspicious activities took place. He’s already given us the name of that major organization so we really ought to keep an eye on his wife and child as well, considering how much he’s helped us.”

Luca frowned upon hearing the announcement from the administrator. Suddenly, the administrator’s index finger pointed toward the section of the audience where he was standing.Luca blinked as a spotlight fell directly on him, cutting through the dim atmosphere of the library. He cursed under his breath, realizing that every pair of eyes in the room was now fixed upon him.“Damn it...” Luca muttered.“In this club, we have a new arrival: the heir to the Kane family, accompanied by his companion. Are you prepared to swear, by your family name and by this club, that nothing you hear here will ever be leaked, not even to other heirs?” the scientist asked.Everyone held their breath, staring at Luca. Realizing he had no other choice, Luca nodded.“Yes, I swear by my name that no outsider will ever learn anything about this club,” Luca said, choosing his words with care. “You are all surely aware of the struggle for the throne between my sibling and me, aren’t you? That should be proof enou