Edward snorted. “If I didn’t do it on purpose, someone like Antonio could never catch me. He doesn’t have that ability yet”
Echo raised an eyebrow. She let go of Edward and sat down on the couch.
Edward shot her a glare, then adjusted his clothes. His every move exuded confidence and a sense of superiority-he didn’t look like someone who’d just been taken prisoner.
Echo raised an eyebrow, “You’re scared of the Dark family?”
Edward was right. Echo wasn’t dumb. She didn’t think of it until he mentioned it, but once she did, it made perfect sense.
A flicker of contempt flashed in Edward’s eyes. He said coldly, “Who doesn’t know that the Dark family never leaves anyone alive? If I don’t show myself in front of them and let everyone know I can escape the Dark family’s pursuit, what message does that send? No matter how skilled I am, I’m just one person. How could I stand against them alone?”
He paused for a moment, then glared at Echo. “And yet, not only did I not get out, but I ended up right back in here. You explain that.”
Echo raised an eyebrow, looking at the furious Edward. Suddenly, she was in a great mood.
She leaned forward and pinched his nose, smiling. “Great. I like it! Ha-ha!” There was no shame or anger in her; instead, she seemed genuinely amused.
Edward swatted Echo’s hand away from his nose, glaring at her with frustration. He growled, “From now on, you better make it clear. Everything that’s happened to me, I have you to thank for. Don’t drag me down with you again.”
Echo couldn’t help but grin as she watched Edward’s face puff up with frustration. It was then that she noticed a hint of childlike innocence in his expression.
She raised an eyebrow and teased, “You’re telling me all this so clearly. Aren’t you worried I’ll betray you?”
Edward shot her a look of disdain. “You wanna rat me out? Go ahead. I’m waiting for you in hell, and I’m curious to see how long you can last.”
Echo raised an eyebrow. “You’re underestimating me.”
Edward scoffed. “Underestimating? You’re not even worth underestimating.”
Echo gritted her teeth, baring her teeth at him in frustration.
Edward glared back at her, clenched his fists in anger, and snapped, “If it weren’t for the fact that if you die, I will die too. I really don’t want to be stuck with you.”
In this place, only Echo could truly protect him.
In this den of “wolves”, she was the only one who didn’t know the rules or codes of the underworld yet still had the favor of its boss.
The weaker Echo was, the greater the danger for him. If he wanted safety, if he wanted to rise above others without having to watch his back, the only solution was to elevate Echo.
The bigger the shield around her, the safer he’d be. He’d set everything up, certain nothing could go wrong, and somehow, this was the result.
Damn it. For the first time ever, Edward actually cursed, realizing his clever plan had backfired.
“The stuff you’ve been reading isn’t gonna help. What you need to do is become the Boss’s wife, not just Mr. Ryan’s subordinate. What’s the point of all those books?” Edward steadied himself and then tossed aside the papers. He crossed his arms and gave Echo a cold, unwavering stare.
Echo raised an eyebrow at Edward’s serious demeanor, which was totally at odds with his usual attitude.
“Go on,” she said, always open to feedback.
Edward gave a knowing nod, his tone now cold and controlled. “A boss’s wife needs to be far-sighted. She’s above everyone, supporting Mr. Ryan and overseeing everything. It’s not about fighting or killing, and it’s definitely not about competing with Hawk and the others for merit or loyalty. What you need to learn is how to use people, not how to let people use you.”
He paused, not waiting for Echo to respond, and continued. “All that other stuff doesn’t matter. You need to understand your place. You’re going to be Mr. Ryan’s wife, and every criminal, whether they’re famous or not, is going to want to get in your good graces. They won’t be relying on you; you’ll be relying on them. So what’s the point of studying all that crap? The world’s constantly changing. You think you can keep up with it?”
Hearing such words come from a kid who looked like an angel was a bit shocking. But the more Edward spoke, the darker his expression got. If it weren’t for the fact that he knew Echo had gone down the wrong path, he wouldn’t have bothered to say a word.
Echo paused for a moment, taken aback by what Edward was saying.
No one had ever told her anything like this before.
The organization she had been with had never given her this kind of advice, and in the Dark family, Ryan was a man of few words. Hawk, Adolph, and the others supported her, but they would never speak like this.
This was the first time anyone had spoken to her this way.
Listening to Edward, Echo realized just how wrong she’d been. She had thought that simply competing with people like Hawk would earn her respect, that she could wait for everyone to bow down to her.
But she hadn’t even gotten her position right. She wasn’t trying to push Hawk aside and take the top spot. What good would it do to compete with them?
After a brief silence, Echo looked at Edward and said, “I can’t use them.”
Hawk and the others weren’t the kind of people she could manipulate, no matter how much she had Ryan’s favor.
Edward shot Echo a cold smile and said, “I honestly don’t know how I ended up stuck with you. When it comes to skills, there are others who are way better than you. As for loyalty, you definitely can’t compare to the others when it comes to loyalty to Mr. Ryan. When it comes to brains, you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed. And your skills? A total disaster. I really didn’t know what Mr. Ryan sees in you.”
Echo raised an eyebrow, and for a moment, she thought he might actually have a point. She stayed quiet, not saying a word.
Edward saw she wasn’t responding and snapped, “What, you’re giving up?”
Echo rolled her eyes at him and shot back, “Which part of me looks like I’m giving up?”
She wasn’t going to let anyone accuse her of giving up, especially not when she hadn’t. She just didn’t feel the need to argue with things that made sense.
Seeing the determination in Echo’s eyes, Edward realized he’d misjudged her earlier. He snorted and said, “Even if you can’t use them, you still have to try. With Mr. Ryan backing you, what’s there to be afraid of? Anyway, forget about that for now. Right now, there’s something you need to know, something important. You might not be aware of it, but you need to understand the situation.”
“The Street family.” Echo immediately picked up on the most important issue, since that’s what she was most curious about.
Edward gave a grunt. “Listen carefully, I’m only saying this once. If you’ve got questions, ask them now.”
He handed her a few pages of information about the Street family.
Echo didn’t hesitate. She wasn’t worried about being a twenty-year-old woman asking a thirteen-year-old kid for advice.
She went straight to the point. “I want to know why there’s been no movement on their side. The lines have been drawn, yet nothing’s happening, except for the Ford family being wiped out.”
Edward raised an eyebrow, glaring at her, but Echo just stared back, unbothered. She wasn’t clueless enough to miss the point.
“Do you have any idea how much power the Dark family and the Street family control? Both of them are hundred-year-old families, both come from arms dealers, and they’ve dominated the underworld for over a century. Over all these years, their factions, their roots, their reach-it’s expanded to an unimaginable level. Every move they make impacts countless people, even governments. You think they’d make a move without being completely prepared?” Edward replied coolly, not getting worked up.
Echo frowned as she listened.
That reminded her of why the stock market had been so volatile lately, and why economic indicators were all over the place.
She’d already been briefed by Cobra about the situation, but hadn’t figured out the connection between the Dark family and the Street family. Neither family had anything to do with the stock market, but now it was starting to click.