"I've never seen Travis this angry before," Aaron muttered under his breath, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
He had known Travis for years—always the calm one, never losing his temper. But even Travis, with his unshakeable composure, seed powerless against Ivan.
"Doesn't matter," Ivan said dismissively, his focus locked on the freshly signed contract in his hand. The agreent, drafted ticulously by Karna in a few minutes out of fear, now bore his signature, sealing a deal that handed over all rights to Karna's weapons.
Karna had a pained expression all the ti, his head lowered.
It was as though he had just sold away not only his dreams, but those of his father, straight into Ivan's hands.
It was over.
"From now on, you'll make weapons for , and only ," Ivan declared, thrusting the contract towards Aaron as if the matter were already long settled. "In return, I'll give you whatever you desire."
Karna stood in hollow silence, his eyes vacant.
Ivan's speech had turned strangely cold and he wasn't even speaking about the Cromwell family anymore.
But Karna no longer cared.
Sensing the lack of resistance, Ivan's eyes narrowed. "But on the slim chance, the foolish chance, that you ever think of betraying , rember this—I won't lay a hand on you. No." His voice dropped to a chilling whisper, eyes black. "Your mother will be the one to suffer the consequences."
Karna's body trembled violently, his eyes widening in shock and fear as he stared at Ivan.
It was like looking at the devil himself.
There wasn't even a flicker of empathy in Ivan's gaze—just cold cruelty.
"And trust ," Ivan added, his tone dripping with nace, "Ritavac will be the least of your worries."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned his back on Karna, already dismissing him as an afterthought. "Shut down your stall," Ivan ordered. "It's worthless now."
With that, he strode away, Aaron following close behind.
…
…
"I deeply apologize for having failed you…" Aaron mumbled, trailing behind Ivan.
"Think before you speak next ti, especially if you can't answer with composure," Ivan replied.
"I'll rember that," Aaron replied, humbled.
Despite the mishap, Ivan harbored no real anger towards Aaron. The encounter had drawn unwanted attention from Mordred and Theresa, but why should he be troubled by sothing so trivial?
After all, they were destined to be killed by his hand sooner or later.
"What will you choose, Lucas?"
Ivan's gaze shifted as he caught sight of Cattleya standing beside none other than Lucas Whiteford.
The two stood in front of the renowned weaponry company—[Griffin Industries].
Griffin Industries was the pinnacle of weapon manufacturing in Aurion, perhaps even across the entire Holy Continent. Their weapons were legendary for their precision, exquisite design, and deadly efficiency. And, as expected, their price tags reflected that level of craftsmanship. Only the wealthiest or most influential could dream of affording them.
Around them, students whispered in awe. Though many were fascinated by the products on display, none dared to step ahead of Lucas Whiteford and Cattleya Starlight—celebrities in their own right. As they approached the stand, others quickly stepped aside, so even surrendering their coveted spots in line without hesitation.
"I can ask my father to procure Griffin weapons for you, Milord," Aaron quickly offered, noticing Ivan's lingering glance at the prestigious stand.
Though his family's influence didn't rival that of the Whitefords or the Starlights, Aaron's father could still afford to purchase a Griffin weapon. And Aaron's loyalty to Ivan was such that he was willing to go to great lengths, even expensive ones, to earn his favor.
But Ivan paid Aaron no mind. He wasn't interested in Griffin weapons.
His attention was solely on Cattleya Starlight.
He wasn't captivated by her breathtaking beauty, the kind that could rival the finest models from Earth. No, what filled his mind was sothing far more valuable than her appearance—the Vault.
The Vault of the Asterions.
His eyes darkened in thought. How could he bend her to his will? How could he compel her to cooperate?
He couldn't deal her the way he had dealt Karna. No, Cattleya would require a different approach altogether.
She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and carried herself with an arrogance to match. Threatening her life might have been effective, but it felt excessive, even counterproductive. Ivan needed her cooperation—perhaps even a sliver of trust, not complete, but just enough to manipulate her to his advantage. Threatening to kill her would only push her further away from that.
At least, that's what Ivan gathered from the novel. Cattleya Starlight wasn't just any spoiled heiress; she had a significant crush on Lucas Whiteford. However, her temper often flared when Lucas paid more attention to Ludivine Richmont. Cattleya's jealousy would lead her to petty sches, trying to outshine Ludivine, only for things to backfire as Ludivine grew closer to Mordred.
Mordred, protective as ever, would step in to defend Ludivine from Cattleya's tantrums, ultimately earning Lucas' ire.
That would mark the beginning of Cattleya's downfall. Lucas would eventually cut her off, reducing her from a once-prominent figure to a background character, overshadowed by the main leads. She'd make a few appearances in later chapters, but her role would never regain its forr prominence.
The part that puzzled Ivan was her absence from the novel's prologue, which depicted the final battle against him. Travis, Lucas, and the others were all present, but Cattleya was nowhere to be seen.
There were only two possibilities: either she hadn't participated in the fight, or she had died before it even began.
Ivan couldn't be certain. The last chapter he read had marked the beginning of Travis's third year at Ocryphia, and at that point, Cattleya was still alive and very much a part of the story. Whatever had happened to her, it had occurred sowhere between then and the final battle.
But none of that helped Ivan in the present.
Perhaps he could win her over by helping her with Lucas, leveraging her feelings of jealousy and longing. But playing the role of a wingman wasn't sothing Ivan—or any of his personalities—was inclined to do. He had no interest in ddling in teenage drama, and the idea of getting involved in petty love triangles felt beneath him.
No, he had no intention of stooping to that level, even if the world were to burn in the process. His only concern was ensuring the survival of the six people who mattered to him.
"Give it up, man," a cheerful voice broke into Ivan's thoughts as he was ntally plotting how to deal with Cattleya. An arm suddenly draped around his neck.
It was Jaxon Webb, one of his classmates from the Elite class, grinning mischievously after noticing the direction of Ivan's gaze. "There's no way you have a chance with her," Jaxon teased.
Aaron's eyes darkened, and he imdiately grabbed Jaxon's arm, roughly shaking it off. "Get away, Jaxon."
"Alright, alright, sorry!" Jaxon raised his hands in mock surrender, laughing it off, but Aaron wasn't amused. The fact that soone had dared to touch Ivan so casually was enough to annoy him. Ivan, anwhile, was equally disturbed by the interruption, though he hid it well, his gaze shifting to Jaxon.
'Had he been in the novel?'
Ivan couldn't quite rember.
Sensing Aaron's irritation, Jaxon nervously scratched his head. "Co on, I was just trying to give your cousin so advice, Aaron. He shouldn't waste his ti hoping for soone like Miss Starlight."
Aaron scowled, already feeling that Jaxon's words were an insult to Ivan. "And why is that?" He asked, clearly annoyed.
Jaxon nearly burst out laughing at the question. "Why? Man, do you even know who Cattleya Starlight is? Even if your cousin's a Cromwell, she's out of his league."
Aaron scoffed, his protective instincts for Ivan flaring up even more. At this point, his devotion to Ivan was almost as intense as Ludomir's—though Ludomir would likely have ripped out Jaxon's tongue by now.
"Look, it's not just about family nas," Jaxon continued, oblivious to Aaron's rising annoyance. "Your cousin doesn't have the looks, strength, status, charisma, or charm to match up to Lucas. The list goes on, y'know?"
Aaron clenched his fists, visibly fuming. He wanted to lash out and say that Ivan had all of those things—billions fold compared to Lucas—but he bit his tongue, holding back.
"You... bastard," Aaron muttered under his breath.
Before things could escalate further, Ivan stepped in. "Leave it, Aaron."
Ivan approached Jaxon.
"Then tell ," Ivan said bluntly. "What works for Cattleya Starlight?"
Jaxon blinked, montarily stunned. Ivan's gaze had locked onto him with an intensity that made his casual bravado falter. For a brief mont, Jaxon felt sothing unsettling—an overwhelming presence that he called Charisma radiating from Ivan that even Lucas, with all his charm and status, could never hope to match in millions of lifeti. He had never felt this unsettled by soone's re stare.
After a silence, Jaxon stamred, "A-Are you serious, man? You might be risking your life, you know? Her family doesn't ss around."
Ivan frowned slightly, not quite following where Jaxon's concern was coming from. He wasn't interested in Cattleya's family or their power—he only wanted to figure out how to get close enough to Cattleya to gain leverage. If this outgoing fool could offer so useful advice, it might make his plans easier. He wasn't here for romance; he was here for access.
But it seed, Jaxon was misunderstanding him but Ivan had no intention to resolve it. Rather, he will let his misunderstandings as it will avoid suspicions concerning his objectives.
"I am serious."
Jaxon hesitated, scratching his head in confusion. "Even if you want to know... I don't know, man?" He shrugged helplessly. "I an, she's got the perfect guy right beside her—what could anyone else possibly do? Lucas ticks all her boxes."
Ivan's eyes narrowed, a flicker of disappointnt crossing his face as he turned away. "What a waste of ti."
Jaxon, feeling an unexpected pang of guilt, bit his lip. He wasn't obligated to help, yet sothing about Ivan's reaction made him want to try. Ivan's disappointnt had touched him more than he thought, and it pushed Jaxon to say sothing—anything.
"M-Maybe there's a way," he blurted out, not even sure where the words were coming from.
Ivan paused, glancing over his shoulder. "What?"
Jaxon swallowed, feeling the weight of Ivan's attention on him again. "I an, maybe if you could show her sothing Lucas can't. Sothing that'd make you stand out. You know, not by competing with him, but by being... different?" He fumbled through the idea, unsure if it made any sense.
"..." Ivan remained silent, waiting for Jaxon to continue ùmaking only more nervous.
'Why the hell am I nervous?!'
"Look, man, Cattleya's surrounded by guys trying to impress her the sa way—status, looks, power. Maybe if you co at it from another angle, she'll notice. Lucas can't offer her everything." Jaxon shrugged. "I don't know. Just a thought."
Ivan considered the words carefully, his expression unreadable. He wasn't aiming to win her affection, but he had to admit—coming at it from an unexpected angle might just be the key to getting her attention.
Or better yet, her trust but not the usual trust…
Soon enough Ivan found sothing that might work.
'Maybe I can just switch to him…'
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