She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother Chapter 442: Steele Estate(2)

The atmosphere inside Edward Steele’s private study was thick with tension. The heavy wooden doors were closed, shutting out the rest of the world. Only the faint ticking of the antique clock on the wall could be heard.

Edward sat behind his grand mahogany desk, his sharp eyes fixed on his son with an unreadable, serious expression. Marcus sat across from him, his back straight, but his fingers subtly tapping against his thigh... a clear sign of his unease.

Edward finally broke the silence, his voice low and grave.

"Pierce was never a problem," he began. "The real problem... is the one who took him. Elyria Voss."

The moment the name left his father’s lips, Marcus’s eyes widened. A flicker of recognition and something close to fear flashed across his face. He knew exactly who Elyria Voss was.

Seeing that his son had understood the weight of that name, Edward continued.

"Now... do you get the meaning of her involvement?"

Marcus nodded slowly, but the confusion in his eyes remained. After a moment of silence, he spoke, his voice slightly unsteady.

"But... why would she do that? Are they involving themselves in this succession matter?"

Edward leaned back in his chair, his expression darkening.

"That," he said quietly, his voice heavy, "is both the most confusing and the most frightening part."

He paused for a second before continuing.

"If this was her own decision... if she’s simply helping the siblings for her own reasons, then it wouldn’t be much of an issue. But if she’s acting under the orders of the higher-ups..."

Edward’s voice dropped even lower.

"...then we are in a very difficult situation."

Marcus nodded gravely, his mind racing. After a few seconds, he looked up and asked the question that had been bothering him the most.

"But why would the Order interfere? Isn’t it against the rules?"

Edward stared at his son for a long moment, his sharp eyes unreadable. The silence stretched between them before he finally spoke, his voice low and grave.

"It is," he said. "And they rarely do."

He paused, his jaw tightening slightly as he leaned forward. His next words came out heavier, carrying a weight that made the air in the room feel colder.

"But this time... it’s different."

Edward looked at his son with a heavy expression and asked,

"Do you remember what happened to James?"

Marcus leaned back slightly and replied without much thought,

"Isn’t he a crippled now?"

Edward’s eyes sharpened instantly. His voice turned cold and firm.

"Never use that word outside this room again," he warned. "Especially not in front of others."

Marcus immediately straightened up and nodded.

Edward continued, his tone turning serious once more.

"Yes... Initially, he was the most favored candidate. But then he got poisoned. Somewhere, somehow. And as a result, he lost all his cultivation."

He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle before asking,

"Now tell me... who do you think would be the most suspected person in such a situation?"

Without thinking much, Marcus answered,

"The one who would benefit the most from his downfall. His biggest opponent."

Edward gave a slow nod.

Edward gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"Exactly. Richard Blackwood was the prime suspect."

Marcus frowned, still struggling to connect the dots. He looked at his father with a confused expression and asked,

"What happened again? Wasn’t it almost cleared back then? Didn’t he prove his innocence?"

Edward let out a slow breath and leaned forward slightly, his expression turning even more serious.

"Yeah... it was cleared," he said. "But if it had only been James, they wouldn’t have cared much. The real problem started when they caught a spy trying to poison James Blackwood’s father... the current leader himself."

Marcus’s eyes widened slightly.

"What? Who would have that much guts... unless..."

His voice trailed off as the realization slowly hit him. He looked at his father, his face filled with shock.

Edward nodded gravely, seeing that his son had finally caught up.

"You’re right," Edward said gravely. "That spy was from that cult."

He paused for a moment, his eyes darkening as he continued.

"And now... they’ve connected the cases. The incident with James and the attempt on his father’s life... they’re treating both as part of the same targeted attack from that cult."

Edward leaned back in his chair, his expression grim.

"Richard, who was once considered the sure winner in this succession, has now landed himself in real trouble," he said. "And because of that, our family has also gotten dragged into this mess."

Marcus listened quietly, his brows slightly furrowed.

Edward continued,

"On the other hand... Catherine has broken through into the Apex realm."

Marcus’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hmm? Really?" he asked.

Edward gave a slow nod.

"Yes. And not just that, she has already received the green signal from a lot of undecided families. Families that were initially staying neutral and not supporting anyone."

He paused for a moment before adding in a heavier tone,

"With Richard falling out of favor and Catherine rapidly gaining support, the balance is shifting faster than we expected."

Marcus thought for a moment before speaking up.

"But if Richard is already down, why can’t we just leave him and support Catherine instead?" he asked. "It’s not like we’ll die showing loyalty or some bullshit, right?"

Edward looked at his son for a few seconds. A faint trace of approval appeared in his eyes.

"You’re thinking in the right direction," he said. "But this case is different."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice turning serious.

"We already left them once. They will not accept us again so easily. I have invested far too much in Richard to abandon him now. And don’t underestimate him, he will bounce back sooner than you think."

Edward paused, his expression darkening.

"This is the real issue. Right now, there is no clear winner. And if we don’t choose wisely... we might end up on the losing side."

Marcus sat in silence for a few seconds, processing everything his father had just told him. The more he thought about it, the more uncertain the future looked. Finally, he looked up and asked,

"Then what are we doing? I believe you... you must have already planned something for us."

Edward stared at his son for a moment. Then, a slow, confident smirk appeared on his face. He leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes gleaming with certainty.

"Of course," he said. "Did you really think I would sit here without a plan?"

He paused, letting his words settle before continuing.

"It’s true that Catherine has gained some momentum. But she still has to work extremely hard and fast if she wants to gain a real edge. And from what I’ve seen... that doesn’t seem very likely."

Edward’s expression turned colder as he continued.

"And I have no intention of turning my back on Richard. How could I? I know far too much about him. If Richard becomes the next leader, it will be the most beneficial outcome for me and this family. "

He paused, his eyes darkening as he continued.

"But if Catherine takes the throne..."

His voice dropped lower, laced with quiet warning.

"...that will be the worst possible outcome for us. She already holds a deep grudge against us for betraying them during their worst time. And once she becomes the leader, she will see us as accomplices in everything that happened to James... and even her father."

Marcus listened carefully, his curiosity growing. He leaned forward slightly and asked,

"Then what?"

Edward’s smirk widened. He looked directly into his son’s eyes and said in a calm, deliberate tone,

"That’s when you come in."

Edward’s smirk slowly faded, replaced by a cold, calculating look. He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial tone.

"Sophia," he said. "She is the key to everything now."

Marcus looked at his father, waiting for him to continue.

Edward’s eyes narrowed as he explained,

"You have to make her fall for you. Not just a little... but badly. Deeply. So deeply that she can’t imagine her life without you. Once that happens, we will arrange the marriage. And when the time comes, even if her family hates us... they will have no choice but to agree."

He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice turning even darker.

"Because it won’t be about us anymore. It will be about her. Her happiness. Her future. Her choice. If we play this right, her own family won’t be able to stand against her wishes without looking like the villains."

Edward leaned back in his chair, his expression calm but dangerous.

"And once she becomes your wife... she becomes our bridge. A bridge we can use to protect ourselves from whatever storm is coming."

He looked directly at his son and added in a firm tone,

"So from now on, your only focus should be on her. Make her fall in love with you, Marcus. Everything else will follow."

Marcus listened quietly as his father laid out the plan. When Edward finished, a small, confident smirk appeared on Marcus’s face. He leaned back in his chair and looked directly at his father.

"You’re taking me too lightly, Father," he said calmly. "Whatever you’re telling me to do... I’ve already done it."

Edward raised an eyebrow, clearly interested.

Marcus continued, his voice steady and confident.

"I don’t need to pretend. Sophia already loves me. Deeply. She’ll do whatever I ask her to do. I doubt she would even choose her own mother over me if I asked her not to."

He paused for a second before adding,

"And for the record... I also want to marry her. So you don’t have to worry about that part."