Leonel was slightly taken aback. He turned his gaze to the panicked elderly man, carefully scrutinizing him before calmly inquiring, “Farrell, what’s happened? Why are you so flustered?”
Farrell was clearly startled as well, then replied, “I’m not sure, but Old Mr. Ford’s condition seems unusual. Mr. Ford, you’d better see for yourself. I still need to notify your two brothers.”
Leonel waved his hand, signaling him to leave. “Alright, go ahead. I’ll head over right away.”
As Farrell left the room, Ralph exchanged a glance with Leonel. Leonel chuckled softly and asked, “Ralph, what do you make of this?”
Ralph’s eyes flickered for a moment before he slowly said, “It might be related to recent events. You know Old Mr. Ford’s temperament; he wouldn’t call a family meeting lightly.”
Indeed, this was already the fourth family meeting this month alone. In the past, the Ford family rarely held more than three meetings a year, so this was certainly unexpected.
“Hmm.” Leonel nodded slightly. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this too. Hiphia has been peaceful for too long. It seems some forces are starting to test whether we, the Ford family, still command the same respect as before.”
However, he didn’t know that what they were about to face was far more dangerous than mere testing.
The entire Ford family might be standing on the edge of an abyss.
Soon after, a small conference room was filled with people this was the Ford family’s meeting room. Seated in the chairman’s position was Gerry, the Old Mr. Ford with graying eyebrows and beard.
He wore a serious expression, sitting upright in the main seat, while his sons and grandsons sat below. Seeing Gerry’s grave expression, everyone fell silent, quietly waiting for his instructions.
The Ford family was a disciplined clan. No one dared to speak out of turn before the family leader spoke. When the family leader looked displeased, no one dared to make any rash moves.
“Ahem.” Gerry’s gaze swept across everyone present, then he said, “I just received a call from your second uncle. He says that recently, a force in Hiphia has begun to stir, and this force seems to be beyond his expectations. He warned us not to act rashly in the near future.”
As he finished speaking, his brow furrowed, his serious expression deepening.
“Dad, are there forces we don’t know about? In Hiphia, our eyes and ears are everywhere. Even the Atkinson family… Wait, could it be the Atkinson family from Inassea?” Marlon stared intently at Gerry as he asked.
“Heh!” Gerry let out a contemptuous cold laugh, questioning, “Can the Atkinson family’s influence really be called an unknown force?”
Marlon furrowed his brow and replied, “Of course not.”
Cutler picked up the conversation, continuing, “I feel the same way. Hiphia has been peaceful for a long time, but now it seems some people are secretly coveting the Ford family’s power. Beckett now appears to no longer regard us highly, openly boasting that his influence has surpassed ours. He has the support of the Atkinson family from Inassea, but I don’t believe the Atkinson family truly intends to interfere here.”
“I think Fletcher understands the principle that a fierce man is no match for a local tyrant. I’ve had some dealings with him, and he seems to have no interest in Hiphia. Would an elephant lower its head to look at ants on the ground? Of course not.” Gerry didn’t hesitate to compare himself to an ant, reflecting how weak the Ford family appeared in front of the Atkinson family.
Gerry, proud all his life, rarely compared himself to such a lowly creature.
“Dad, then what can we do?” Cutler was also confused at this point, not understanding Gerry’s intentions.
Gerry snorted lightly and replied, “Since your second uncle has warned us to take this seriously, this force is certainly not to be underestimated. What I want to know is, is the Adams family’s development related to this force? Is the Adams family relying on this force?”
Gerry’s gaze turned to Leonel, asking, “Leonel, how’s the progress on the task I assigned you?”
Leonel’s eyes flickered, then he shook his head helplessly. “There’s been no news so far. Instead, there’s bad news Georgia is not dead.”
At these words, Gerry’s pupils suddenly dilated, his entire person looking extremely shocked.
“How many people did you send? How can she still be alive?” Gerry exclaimed.
Leonel pondered for a moment, then answered, “At least a few thousand! The entire underground force of Hiphia was mobilized! The group led by Cheetah, and Damian too. Cheetah called me yesterday, saying they had captured her and tied her up in the abandoned old warehouse.”
“And then?” Gerry’s brow furrowed as he pressed.
Leonel continued, “Then there was no more news from him! Until now, I haven’t received any information about Cheetah. I can’t contact either Damian or Cheetah.”
“Have you gone to check the scene yourself?” Gerry’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Leonel nodded slightly. “I went there. It looked as if nothing had ever happened there! This is the strangest situation I’ve ever encountered, I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
“What’s going on then? You couldn’t contact any of those people?” Gerry’s face grew darker, an ominous feeling beginning to spread around.
Leonel nodded again. “Not a single one! Everyone, they’ve all disappeared! As if they vanished into thin air! I even asked their families, none of them have returned home.”
At these words, everyone in the meeting room held their breath, feeling as if a cold atmosphere was hovering over their heads.
“Immediately gather all information about Georgia! I want to know everything related to her.” Gerry straightened his body, forcefully tapping the table with his index finger, looking extremely angry.
“We’ve already investigated. Her personal background is very clear, there’s almost no indication of how she could have reached where she is today.” Leonel paused deliberately at this point, assuming a thoughtful posture.
“What else is there?” Gerry asked urgently.
“The issue is, three years ago, she married a man of limited intelligence, and this man’s background is quite mysterious. Currently, I’m still investigating her husband’s background,” Leonel continued gravely.
Hearing these words, Marlon couldn’t help but smile slightly, then said, “Leonel, aren’t you being a bit too sensitive? I’ve heard some things about her husband with limited intelligence.”