When the car stopped in front of the main house, Bill shot her a glance through the rearview mirror.
Echo straightened herself, opened the car door, and stepped out. She turned back and gave a small, formal bow, mirroring Bill’s posture as they both waited for Ryan to exit.
These damn fancy rules…
Ryan climbed out of the car, radiating cold authority, with no trace of unnecessary emotion.
“Boss.” The word echoed in unison as every person present lowered their heads in respect.
Ryan let out a cold grunt, scanning the gathered crowd with icy eyes. He caught a hint of hesitation in a few faces and snapped, “Get back to your tasks.” With that, he stepped toward the main house.
“Yes, Boss.”
The reply came in perfect synchronization. As if wound-up clockwork had just been released, everyone moved at once-some leaving, some entering, others returning to their duties. Every man, woman, young, and old carried out their tasks in complete silence.
Echo picked up her pace to stay at Ryan’s side.
Now this is what it means to be at the top of the food chain, she thought.
The main hall loomed ahead, dominated by a massive, black-accented throne-like chair. One look was enough for Echo to know-that was Ryan’s seat, perched high above everything else. It was the seat of someone ruling not just this family, but every power connected to it. The seat of the leader of a century-old family dynasty.
Ryan walked forward silently and took his seat. Echo noticed an empty spot just below his chair and hesitated. Even though she hadn’t been part of many big organizations, she’d at least heard that the bigger and older the crime family, the stricter the rules. What she had just witnessed made it clear-this wasn’t the kind of place where you could just stand or sit wherever you wanted. She paused, unsure of what to do.
Bill, seeing her confusion, gave her a gentle push from behind. He moved to stand at the third position to the right of Ryan and motioned toward a spot across from him. Echo raised a brow slightly, realizing that was her place, and stepped forward to stand there.
Before long, people of status and rank from across the estate began to arrive, including Hawk, Tiger, and the others.
Echo observed Hawk standing to Ryan’s left in the first spot, with Cobra just below him. On the right side, Tiger stood in the first spot, followed by Panther in the second. Each person stood in their designated position. Echo raised her brow again, thankful she hadn’t stepped into the wrong spot earlier.
She glanced around. The grand hall was somewhere between a living room and a council chamber, and now it was packed with people-old and young alike. However, there wasn’t a single woman among them.
She noticed how some of the men gave her brief looks of surprise, their eyes flickering with disbelief at the sight of the lone woman standing in such a position. But the expressions vanished almost instantly, so quickly that if Echo hadn’t been paying close attention, she would have missed the surprise and subtle hints of doubt.
“Boss,” came the synchronized greeting as everyone bowed to Ryan.
It had only taken five minutes for the hall to fill from the moment Ryan entered.
Echo glanced around the room, stunned by how fast over a hundred people had assembled.
“Boss, aside from the seventy-five handling business outside, all 125 members of the Dark family are present,” Cobra reported after checking his watch.
Ryan gave a slight nod, his cold gaze sweeping across the gathered crowd. His presence carried an icy chill that followed wherever his eyes landed. Everyone in his line of sight straightened their backs under the weight of his stare.
After a brief pause, Ryan gave a barely noticeable nod and said in an icy tone, “Good.”
Echo listened quietly, keeping her surprise to herself. She glanced at the people in the room, wondering when Ryan had issued the order for them to gather-she had been with him the entire time and never saw him give one. Clearly, some rules didn’t require spoken commands. She narrowed her eyes, realizing that working under Ryan wouldn’t be easy.
What Echo didn’t know was that Ryan rarely came to the main hall unless something important was happening. His arrival here was a signal in itself. If Ryan showed up in the main hall, every high-ranking member of the estate was required to appear within five minutes-no exceptions.
Those who failed to show up on time would face punishment under the strict laws of the Dark family.
Here, Ryan’s word was absolute, and his rules were non-negotiable. Anyone who defied them either had to be powerful enough to overthrow him-or ready to die trying.
“There’s only one reason I called you all here today,” Ryan said coldly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd once more.
As Ryan spoke, his eyes flicked toward Echo. Before she could react, Cobra gave her a barely perceptible nudge, prompting her to step forward instinctively.
“She is Echo Black. From now on, she is the sixth leader of the Dark family,” Ryan said, giving Echo a slow, deliberate look.
His voice was firm and commanding, leaving no room for discussion. The cold, authoritative gaze that accompanied his words made anyone who had been about to speak swallow their objections in silence.
“Echo hasn’t been with the Dark family for long, but everyone here knows the contributions she’s made,” Hawk began, glancing at the surprised faces in the room. “In Southeast Asia, she saved Boss and us multiple times and secured the market for the Dark family. She also helped us clear out every obstacle along the way. Those actions alone are enough to earn her the sixth leader.” Hawk glanced at the surprised crowd and said calmly.
The crowd listened, and while the reasoning sounded a little thin-after all, Southeast Asia wasn’t a particularly valuable territory for the Dark family-no one said a word.
There were plenty of members with greater achievements and power who hadn’t earned a leadership position as high as the sixth. However, saving Ryan multiple times was something that couldn’t go unrewarded. And in the Dark family, Ryan’s word was as good as law. With his backing and a plausible reason, the others silently accepted the decision, even if they weren’t entirely convinced.
What they didn’t know was that Echo had earned this position fairly. She played a key role in covering up the Adolph arms deal mishap and securing the mining resources. But since those accomplishments couldn’t be revealed, it left the announcement feeling a bit hollow in their eyes, though none of it was Echo’s fault.
Echo raised a brow slightly as Hawk finished speaking.
When she noticed Ryan watching her coldly, she straightened her posture and scanned the room. Seeing the faces of the people below her-some feigning respect, others showing hints of resentment or disdain-she gave a faint smile.
She knew that in a family like this, lineage, ability, and influence mattered more than anything. She hadn’t earned the sixth leader through these traditional means but was brought in under Ryan’s favor.
Even though she had promised to serve Ryan, that didn’t mean she had any interest in making waves or taking over in the Dark family. The subtle mix of respect and disdain from the others didn’t bother her one bit.
And she understood Ryan’s real intention in announcing her new role-it wasn’t about giving her power to rise within the family. In a clan this old and powerful, having a title was essential if she wanted to get anything done, especially when it came to saving Skye.
Without a name to back her, doors wouldn’t open. To work effectively as Ryan’s subordinate, she needed to engage with these people. And she understood that perfectly.