Chapter 715
Todd and Keith had just left when Quillan eagerly shoveled a plate of kidneys into his mouth.
Licking the blood off his lips, he said with a satisfied grin, "Must be from a four or five-year-old boy. Tastes pretty good."
There's an old saying: eat what you lack. Eating a boy's kidneys was supposed to strengthen his own.
Underneath Leonardo's mask, his face turned icy. His fingers drummed impatiently on the table. "Quillan, did you come all this way just to eat that?" he asked coldly.
Quillan wiped his lips with a napkin and raised his chin. "I'm here to discuss the future direction of the Black Gang with you."
He pulled out a stack of documents. "I don't oppose shutting down some businesses. But things like the casino? They don't involve murder, arson, or heavy weapons. They're legal in many countries. Why shut them down?"
Leonardo replied calmly, "Other countries have mature legal systems. Here, without proper laws, it breeds too much evil. The casino may seem harmless, but it harbors dirty dealings, leading to violence."
Quillan, growing impatient, interrupted, "Do you realize the economic impact of shutting down so many businesses? Our treasury has halved in the past month. At this rate, we can't sustain our military."
"I've secured the town reconstruction project," Leonardo said calmly. "It'll inject new life into Hinterlands. Don't worry about the economy."
Leonardo's indifferent rebuttal almost made Quillan vomit what he had just eaten.
Having operated in Hinterlands for fifty years, Quillan had built his own network of influence. After August's death, his influence had waned, but aligning with Leonardo had helped him retain the remaining family enterprises.
But he hadn't expected that after just a few days of stability, Leonardo would start thinking about reforms.
All their businesses were highly profitable but dark. Reform meant Quillan would lose his income.
For the family, this was a potentially fatal blow.
Fortunately, Quillan still controlled the military's economic lifeline in the region, so he didn't need to bow to Leonardo just yet.
Quillan sneered, "The profits from the town reconstruction project won't come in for at least a year. I'll wait and see how you plan to appease the army in the meantime."
Quillan stormed out.
As he reached the door, Isabel approached him. "Dad, how did it go? Did you talk to him?"
Quillan frowned. "Talk about what?"
"I told you to discuss the engagement with him!" Isabel stomped her foot. "Everyone knows you're planning to marry me off to Leonardo, but he doesn't acknowledge me as his fiancée. It's humiliating."
"Isabel, I have a new task for you," Quillan said in a low voice. "If you get the chance, kill him."
Isabel looked around warily, horrified. "Dad, are you crazy? How could I possibly kill him? He killed August. He's so powerful. I'm worried he might kill me."
"If you don't kill him, you can watch our family collapse," Quillan said angrily.
He had initially planned to marry Isabel to Leonardo to consolidate the family's power, but now it seemed that even if Isabel became Leonardo's wife, it wouldn't change Leonardo's decision to reform.
So there was only one solution: make Leonardo disappear.
"Isabel, you are my most beloved daughter. This task can only be entrusted to you," Quillan said earnestly. "If you succeed, I will be the next leader. Then, no matter what kind of man you want, I will find him for you."
Isabel hesitated.
With her status, getting any man she wanted wouldn't be a problem.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
