Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 745: Clan Leader

"All my possessions, every follower under me, every Chronos I possess. I offer them to you, if you decide to take them."

Silence enveloped the lounge.

Kaiden gazed at his mother. Her arms remained outstretched, her stance rigid and formal, those crimson eyes locked on him expectantly.

He recognized that pose well. Arms extended, chin held high, back straight as an arrow. He'd seen it over dinner tables and in corridors since childhood. It signaled when his mother had decided the family's fate and was merely announcing it, not seeking approval. It was also her posture right before vanishing from a room for days on end.

She appeared as though arranging her final affairs permanently.

Lined up against the distant wall behind her stood the experts. Attorneys, guards, managers. Not one stirred. None showed shock, indicating she'd informed them prior to him.

"Mother." His words emerged softer than planned. "What do you mean?"

"I believe I spoke plainly."

"You did. But... why?"

Vespera brought her arms down with mechanical precision.

"The Ashborn bloodline has dwindled across generations. My parents oversaw its decay. I hastened it." She stated it flatly, like any undeniable truth needing no emotional flourish. "I created a home where my kids grew distant, fearful, and cut off from one another. I handed our legacy to an outsider and let him wield it to harm my children."

Her chin rose slightly.

"These aren't justifications. They're facts. The Ashborn legacy demands guidance I've shown myself unable to deliver."

"That’s not-"

"Legally, you're no longer part of the Ashborn family." Vespera pressed on, ignoring his interruption. "Your public persona is Kaiden Grey, since I've already banished you—a move that sums up my countless shortcomings. That's why I can't impose this weight on you. Refuse it, and the proposal vanishes; we'll never mention it again."

She observed him calmly, unwavering.

Across on the other sofa, Nyx gripped Aria’s wrist. Luna leaned ahead, arms unfolded now. The women watched Vespera with collective strain, knowing they beheld a mother attempting to abandon her kin.

Kaiden rose to his feet.

As his weight lifted from the couch, Bastet stirred, and Alice’s hand slid away from his arm.

"She’s leaving... Kai, mom wants to vanish..."

Alice’s voice sounded tiny and frantic.

Kaiden regarded Vespera, finally seeing her true essence. An unstoppable tempest, a living disaster. Yet also...

A guilt-ridden mother, weighed down by years of choices that shattered her family.

She viewed herself as the root of every suffering, convinced existence improved without her presence.

With the deliberate pace she'd used to traverse the four meters before, Kaiden closed the gap from sofa to mother and halted before her.

The room froze. Vespera’s face changed, and uncertainty flickered across it for the first time since starting her speech.

For several tense seconds, Kaiden's eyes drifted not to her, but to the row of figures by the wall. To their exact positions.

His eyes swung back to his mother.

"Mother. You deem your leadership lacking."

"It is."

"Then why do all these people stand behind you?"

They weren't placed midway between the sofas, oriented toward both. They flanked Vespera from behind. Just as retainers position themselves for their superior—precisely what she was to them, a truth known to all present.

Vespera’s lips parted soundlessly. Her scarlet gaze darted, against her will, to the wall and its occupants, whom she examined as if encountering them anew.

Their eyes met hers. None wavered. None budged.

She faced Kaiden again. Her mouth hung open still, and the Shadow Monarch, architect of details down to Natasha’s exact contribution, stood speechless.

"They’re not behind me, Mother. They trailed you here, lingered outside because you commanded it."

He extended his hand and clasped hers. Her fingers felt icy, as ever.

"You can’t label that a failure."

Vespera fixed on their joined hands. Her son’s hold brought warmth, an intrusion as grating as any proof contradicting a final judgment. Her argument stood complete. Her verdict delivered. The evidence should have been conclusive.

"Kaiden." Formality fled her tone; it was merely his name, whispered softly. "I-"

"I accept the burden," Kaiden proclaimed.

Her shoulders eased a touch.

"I accept the Ashborn name, and I accept the burden of being its leader."

Vespera released a breath. It was slight and measured, the nearest she'd gotten to showing relief openly that entire night.

"Good. Then I will begin the-"

"And as my very first move leading the Ashborn, I command you, Vespera Ashborn, part of my Ashborn family, to continue managing it."

That breath cut off abruptly.

"You heard me." One side of his lip quirked up. "You’re not passing me control and vanishing. I’m an awakened fighter swamped with my own advancement and streams. Running an intelligence network is beyond me. Handling sponsor ties? No way. And I sure can’t handle those late-night lawyer dealings you pull off at 2 AM."

His eyes flicked toward the row of experts, then returned to her.

"Here’s the plan. I’m the Ashborn family head. You ensure the whole operation runs smoothly. You take charge until I’m set to step up, staying near so I can pick up your wisdom as you handle it."

He locked eyes with her.

"That’s an order, Mother. Straight from your fresh leader. You’d best obey."

Kaiden gave her a wink. "Or I’ll have no choice but to banish you. And honestly, between us, ’Vespera Grey’ lacks that certain punch."

A noise slipped out from the group behind Vespera. A younger woman among them had her hand over her mouth, laughing through tears in one go. Others joined her.

Vespera was ready for him to accept or reject.

She hadn’t prepared for this twenty-two-year-old to seize all she gave and turn it back on her.

Her throat bobbed once.

"That... marks a highly wasteful deployment of leadership power."

Kaiden flashed a grin. "Exactly! That’s precisely why you belong steering the ship. I’m just a total novice."

From the couch behind them, a sob shattered the quiet.

It came from Alexandra.

To be fair, Alexandra owned most of the crying in the room, hands down the most openly emotional girl there.

In other words, tears struck her out of nowhere, several times daily, without any buildup.

The blonde maid’s talent for keeping emotions in check matched a paper bag’s skill at containing liquid. Her eyes had puffed up already, cheeks glistened with tears, hands pressed to her mouth in that classic sign of someone who’d abandoned all poise ages back.

"Alex." Nyx leaned across and gently thumbed away the wetness under Alexandra’s eyes, smooth and familiar, like soothing a pal who weeps over ads. "Breathe."

"I am breathing," Alexandra got out past her fingers. "I’m fine."

"Your makeup’s sliding right off your face live. It’s happening before my eyes." Nyx cocked her head.

"At least I’ve got a reason!" Alexandra’s hands fell away just to point sharply at Nyx’s face. "Why are your eyes red, huh?!"

Nyx’s smile held steady, though her hand darted fast to wipe her own eyes. "Lies."

A sudden rush from behind Kaiden struck Vespera.

Alice barreled into her mother’s waist at full speed—like she tackled life itself—arms clamping hard, face buried in her chest.

"You’re not going anywhere, right?" Alice’s words came muffled into her mother’s outfit. "The family’s new head commanded you to stick around. You’re always saying I must obey the head... Those rules go for you too, or it’s not fair!!"

Vespera glanced down at her daughter’s head.

"So be it."

Alice squeezed harder.

"Promise."

A pause hung there.

"I promise."

Alice held on for quite a while.