Lyra no longer looked at Vicente Clark. Instead, she turned to Tessa Watson and said coldly, “Flynn’s status is far too noble for the likes of the Clark family to provoke. I want you to go back and tell Paxton to bring the entire family here and apologize on their knees!”
The room fell into stunned silence.
Incredulous gazes filled the hall.
Noble status?
The Clark family cannot afford to offend him?
An apology from the entire family?
Insane!
Everyone felt like they had lost their minds. One by one, they turned their disbelieving eyes to Lyra, unable to process what they were hearing.
Flynn, a discarded son of the Clark family, even if he was a Semi Lesser Sovereign with some medical skills, didn’t deserve to be described as “noble.”
Why would Lyra say such a thing?
Why?
The crowd’s minds spun, hoping this was merely a slip of Lyra’s tongue. But her serious expression and unwavering tone left no room for doubt.
If even Lyra regarded Flynn as noble, then just how powerful must he be?
How could it be possible?
How?
“What are you all standing there for? Still in shock? Get out!” Lyra’s expression darkened as she noticed everyone standing around like they’d been struck by lightning, their mouths agape in disbelief.
Tessa Watson’s lips trembled as she cast a pale glance at Flynn. Reluctantly, she gave the order.
“Everyone, leave!”
She turned abruptly, unwilling to remain a moment longer.
In just five minutes, she had endured an unbearable amount of humiliation.
Her dignity was in shreds.
Like a flock of frightened birds, the crowd scrambled toward the exit.
“Madeline and Layla, stay behind!” Lyra called out to the retreating group.
“General Whitaker, do you have further instructions?” Madeline halted in her tracks, her face tense with anxiety.
Layla also stopped walking.
Lyra’s eyes lingered on Madeline for over ten seconds before she shook her head, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
“Pretty face, shame about the brain,” she remarked with biting disdain.
“General Whitaker, I… I…” Madeline’s face turned ghostly pale. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip until it bled.
Her head hung low, and her trembling hands didn’t know where to settle, reminiscent of a student being scolded by a teacher for poor grades.
She was not only afraid of Lyra’s authority but also deeply wounded in her pride.
Even Tessa Watson didn’t dare to talk back, so how could Madeline?
“What’s with the ‘I’?” Lyra snapped sharply. “Are you blind?”
Lyra, a direct descendant of the Whitaker family, had a princess-like temperament despite serving as a general for three years.
She had seen Flynn’s dossier from Niarak and knew about his history with Madeline and Layla-one had been married to him, the other had broken off an engagement.
One was foolish, the other overly arrogant.
Neither had ever shown Flynn any respect.
They had bullied him for three months. How could Lyra let that slide?
Flynn might not want to bicker with women, but Lyra didn’t care. She was more than willing to settle the score for him.
In addition to venting Flynn’s frustrations, she was also deeply annoyed by their foolishness.
She wanted what she couldn’t have, while they had it and threw it away. How could she not be angry?
Madeline’s tears flowed even harder. Her pale lips, bitten until they bled, tasted salty and bitter.
She had just secured a contract with Titan Holdings, basking in her success as she mingled with Slatin’s elite second generation, feeling invincible.
Madeline believed she was finally shining again, expecting Flynn to look up to her.
If Flynn remained stagnant for a year, she thought she could surpass him effortlessly.
After all, she had entered Slatin’s top circles. Even as a Semi Lesser Sovereign, Flynn was just average in Slatin-not even comparable to the bodyguards of its elite families.
Madeline believed that in five years, she could sit at the same table as Paxton.
In ten years, she could break into Eahta’s upper echelon.
But Flynn had reached the top in one leap!
He was already friends with someone as powerful as Lyra!
Despair.
Regret.
Frustration.
No matter how hard she worked, she could never hope to reach Lyra’s level.
“Layla?” Lyra ignored Madeline’s tears and turned her gaze to Layla, scrutinizing her for ten seconds.
“Miss Whitaker,” Layla replied, her tone calm and unyielding.
To her, Lyra’s prestige and status didn’t provoke either shame or inferiority. She had her own pride.
Even if Lyra declared Flynn as noble, it couldn’t shake her judgment.
Not entirely.
Lyra regarded Layla’s stance with indifference, her voice laced with scorn. “The first saintly hand in the Southern Territory? Ghost Doctor’s apprentice? The rising leader of Slatin’s young generation? A Woods family heiress? Ha-what a joke!”
“And yet you go around treating others? You should call your master over and have him check your brain!”
Layla’s face darkened, but Lyra had already turned away, disinterested in further conversation.
“That’s enough. You two can leave now.”
Madeline fled in disgrace, her tears unstoppable. She understood Lyra’s implication all too clearly.
She was mocking Madeline for divorcing Flynn.
For failing to recognize the gem she had once held.
But it was the truth.
Flynn was someone even Lyra knew. What right did she have to look down on him?
Layla maintained her pride, sparing Flynn a glance before walking away step by step.
“You didn’t have to go so far,” Flynn said, stepping beside Lyra with a faint smile.
Lyra returned his smile. “I know you could have easily dealt with them yourself, but you’ve helped me so many times. Let me repay the favor, even if just for my own peace of mind.”
Her words explained only part of her reasoning.
Deep down, she was giving the Clark family one last chance.
Lyra hoped they’d realize the gravity of their situation and bring the entire family to apologize to Flynn.
If that happened, perhaps Flynn would spare everyone except Paxton and Tessa Watson.
It could avert a disaster.
But how could she know Flynn’s resolve?
Those who haven’t endured pain have no right to preach kindness.
Even if Paxton brought the entire family to kneel in apology, the Clark family’s downfall was inevitable.
Even the old monsters of Sleeve couldn’t stop it.
They, too, would meet their end!
“Tessa Watson’s birthday is in five days. All the forces that have hurt your mother and you will gather then. None will escape,” Lyra said, her tone firm.
“If you stop bothering me, we’ll call it even,” Flynn replied with a half-teasing smile.
Lyra rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. “Fine, I’m leaving!”
She stormed toward the door in mock anger.
“Hey! I was joking!” Flynn quickly followed after her.
Lyra paused, turning back with a slight smile. “Good. But I really have to go. The military is keeping me busy, and I only took three days off.”
“In a few days, I’ll have my father visit you.”
“What? No, please, don’t… You two are going to drive me crazy!” Flynn protested, chasing after her in a panic.
Lyra couldn’t help but laugh at his flustered expression but said nothing more.
Soon, the two exited the door.
“Your back’s better now, right?” Flynn asked before parting.
Lyra nodded. “Your acupuncture is miraculous. The pain was gone after one night’s rest.”
“Flynn, I’ve done all I could. From here on, it’s up to you.”
Her message was clear: if the Clark family remained stubborn, they were doomed.
If Flynn killed Mike Clark, the old monsters of Sleeve would undoubtedly intervene, triggering an all-out war.
At that point, she would be powerless to help.
No one could.
“Thanks,” Flynn said, though her help had been unnecessary. “Once is enough.”
His meaning was clear: don’t come running again and causing a stir.
Good thing Scarlet wasn’t here. If she found out I had such an admirer, she’d be sulking all day!
Lyra understood his underlying message. He just didn’t want her to get in the way of his flirting.
Rolling her eyes, she climbed into her Hummer.
As the vehicle started, a red Ferrari not far away also roared to life, its windows slowly rolling up as it drove down the mountain road.