?Chapter 1140:

    Neil stared at his phone, dazed, as if waking from a dream. Was that conversation real?

    Could the enigmatic Mr. Cartwright he’d once feared be his biological father?

    If it was true, then the guilt that had gnawed at him for years about killing his parents and brother vanished in an instant. They weren’t his real family—why should he feel any remorse?

    And his true father? Cartwright seemed to adore him, promising to grant his every wish. Neil’s heart swelled with pride, his dreams suddenly within reach.

    A triumphant grin spread across his face as he muttered, “Connor, Aelfric, Everett—you’re all finished!”

    His glee was interrupted by the arrival of his butler. “Aelfric requests to see you, sir.”

    Neil frowned. Why would Aelfric visit at such an hour?

    After a brief pause, heposed himself. “Let him in.”

    “Yes, sir.”

    The butler nodded, bowing slightly before leaving. Momentster, he returned with Aelfric in tow.

    Neil greeted his guest with a newfound air of confidence, a stark departure from his usual demeanor. No longer did Aelfric intimidate him; as the son of the formidable Cartwright, Neil felt invincible. Aelfric’s sharp gaze flickered over Neil, noticing the shift, but he remained unfazed.

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    “Aelfric,” Neil said, feigning politeness, “what brings you here at this hour?”

    “I’vee to talk about Derek and Melinda’s marriage,” Aelfric said, going straight to the point. “Even though they haven’t been engaged for long, their love for each other has grown profoundly. So, why not allow them to marry earlier and begin their lives together?”

    Neil’s expression became guarded. He was caught off guard by the sudden push to marry off Melinda to Derek. Derek had always blended into the background, barely noticed by Aelfric before. Now, with their family under pressure from Connor, Aelfric’s sudden urgency felt surprisingly out of character.

    Given Aelfric’s proud nature and his deep affection for his younger sister, it was unexpected that he would take the unusual step of proposing marriage on behalf of Melinda. Even if he was eager to see his sister married quickly, he usually preferred to give subtle hints, encouraging the other side to make the first move. This way, he could maintain his sense of pride.

    Knowing that Neil might be skeptical and not wanting to linger on the issue, Aelfric said directly, “My eagerness to see them married quickly is also about moving forward with our previous coborative n.”

    The coborative n they had developed was to get rid of Connor, thereby establishing Neil as the leader of the Daniels family. The Warrens and Daniels would then consolidate power over Blebert’s elite. Publicly, their n appeared unified, but secretly, each plotted to outmaneuver the other and ultimately dominate Blebert alone.

    As it stood, Connor was a daunting opponent, too powerful for them to defeat individually. Therefore, their alliance was crucial for the time being.

    Neil asked, “Could the marriage of Derek and Melinda expedite our ns against Connor?”

    “Yes.” Aelfric nodded. “Honestly, I’ve secured a powerful ally. With his support, we can surely defeat Connor. However, this ally isn’t offering his help without a price; he expects us to do something in return. Our task is to track down Dr. Finley, and at the moment, Derek is the most likely person to gather information on her, thanks to his role as the director of Daniels Group’s Research and Development Department. Despite Derek holding a favorable position, his abilities are limited, which makes this task challenging for him. That’s why I believe if he and Melinda marry soon, my own status will change, and it will make things much easier for us.”

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