Chapter 274 Major Families Are Targeted
The dining room was quiet.
Dashiell and Seraphina ate their meals in silence, each engrossed in their own food.
"Mr. Rainier, don't you like meatloaf? If it's too hard for you to reach, let me help," Lucy suddenly offered.
She noticed that the only dish Dashiell could easily reach was the one closest to him.
"No, it's fine. I'm not very hungry," Dashiell declined. "Lucy, why don't you sit down and join us?"
Usually, they'd all eat together. But with Seraphina present, Lucy hesitated to take a seat.
She glanced at Seraphina, who, catching the look, snapped, "What are you staring at? It's not like I'm going to mistreat you!"
Lucy felt a pang of injustice.
She was merely trying to follow proper etiquette. In some households, servants weren't allowed to dine with the family.
With her high salary, she at least tried to uphold some professional decorum.
At that moment, Lucy couldn't help but reflect on how bad Seraphina's temper was.
She thought, 'In comparison to Dashiell, it is like night and day.
'No wonder their relationship is so strained.'
"Sit down, Lucy," Dashiell said gently.
Lucy accepted the invitation and took a seat next to Dashiell.
Seraphina had been enjoying her meal, finding the food prepared by the young servant to be passable. The only drawback was its blandness. Given that Dashiell didn't like spicy food, she understood.
After all, it wasn't like she had expected Dashiell to adjust his tastes for her one-off meal.
But when she looked up and saw Lucy continuously serving Dashiell, it struck her as annoying.
She glanced briefly and then went back to her food.
It was just like she thought—Dashiell was a constant eyesore.
Even a quick glance was too much.
That afternoon, the Lockhart Group's case hit the headlines.
[#Mr. Lockhart, Theodore's wrongful conviction overturned, released immediately#]
[#Vincent exposed as the real culprit, behind bars now#]
[#Alaric's courtroom debut stuns everyone#]
[#Alaric thanks Dominic for not marrying Cecilia#]
[#Cecilia and Alaric, giving their best version of themselves to each other#]
The news buzzed incessantly.
That afternoon, the Lockhart Group's stock experienced a dramatic turnaround, soaring from a trading halt to hitting the upper limit, almost as if by magic.
Alaric watched the news for a while before noticing an incoming call on his phone, which had been unmuted.
Cecilia had already fallen asleep. After a restless night and an early start this morning, she had managed to relax a bit and dozed off after lunch, sleeping soundly.
Alaric picked up his phone and moved to the balcony, closing the sliding glass door behind him.
"Cassius."
"William's dead," came the blunt reply from the other end.
Alaric's eyes narrowed. He had anticipated that William would be silenced.
So, as soon as William was taken away after the court session, Alaric had instructed Cassius to keep a covert watch on him. They couldn't save him, but perhaps they could gather some leverage.
"William was shot dead right outside the detention center by a sniper. I didn't expect them to be so blatant about it, so I didn't manage to identify the sniper right away. I was also concerned about exposing ourselves, so I didn't pursue it further," Cassius explained.
"Understood."
"Alaric," Cassius said, hesitating.
"What is it?"
"I suddenly have a feeling that Cecilia might be under surveillance."
Alaric agreed, adding, "To be precise, all four of the major families are being targeted."
From the moment the noble family took control of the Royal Family of Whitaker, their ambitions were clear—they aimed to dominate the entire Yakurosean Empire.
Now that they had secured political power, their next move was to seize control of the financial sector.
The fastest way to control the financial sector was to take over the four major industries of the Yakurosean Empire.
The Kingsley family was likely already bought off by the noble family.
Using the Kingsley family as a front, the noble family would employ seemingly legitimate business methods to take over the remaining three prominent families systematically.
The plan was well-crafted.
But, unexpectedly, their first target, the Lockhart Group, had fought back.
So, they opted for an extreme approach this time.
Apparently, it didn't work out as they had hoped.
In the wake of this failure, Dominic wasn't sure if the noble family would lay low for a while or double down on their efforts.
Regardless of what they chose to do, he knew he had to act quickly. For his own sake and Cecilia's safety!
Dominic left the courthouse and noticed reporters had surrounded Cecilia and her entourage, creating a wall of bodies and cameras. It was clear that Cecilia had become the center of attention in the Yakurosean Empire.
Anything involving Cecilia was guaranteed to trend on social media.
He thought, 'It seems like this woman has suddenly become a hot commodity!'
Dominic's frustration boiled over as he scrolled through the trending news on his phone. He was fuming.
The idea that Alaric might be thanking him for not marrying Cecilia was infuriating.
He thought, 'What is so special about Cecilia that makes Alaric so proud? I will have women far superior to Cecilia, with a thousand times more status.
'It's merely a matter of timing.
'When the day comes for me to make my move, Cecilia will realize just how insignificant she is to me.
'Alaric, too, will come to understand how little regard he truly has for Cecilia.
'All their current bravado is just setting themselves up for disgrace. One day, they'll find themselves in utter ruin.'
Dominic seethed as he stared at the news.
At this moment, the phone rang abruptly.
He glanced at the caller ID, took a deep breath to steady himself, and answered.
"William's dead, as ordered," the voice on the other end stated matter-of-factly.
Dominic was taken aback. He hadn't anticipated such a swift execution.
"If William hadn't been so quick on his feet, we might have been exposed. We can't afford to use this method again!" The caller spoke with a dispassionate tone, focusing on future strategies, "But I need control over the four major families."
"I'll do everything I can," Dominic quickly pledged.
"Your performance has been disappointing."
"Cecilia was an unexpected complication. I don't know why she's suddenly become a focal point, but I'm confident I can secure the Lockhart Group," Dominic assured.
There was a pause on the other end before the caller spoke with gravity, "Dominic, you were personally chosen by me. I don't want all these years of investment in you to go to waste!"
"For Lyra, I won't let you down," Dominic vowed.
"Once you've taken control of the Lockhart Group, I'll arrange for Lyra to marry you. I'll even give you half of my empire."
Dominic was thrilled by the prospect.
But he kept his excitement in check and replied calmly, "I won't let you down."
"Let's hope so!"
The caller ended the call abruptly.
Dominic set his phone down, his eyes narrowing with resolve.
He thought, 'Cecilia.
'I have to take Cecilia down.
'I can't let her stand in the way of my ambitions and my path to dominance.'
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