CHAPTER 70: THE ART OF FINANCIAL WARFARE

Today in Blackshore

Edmund knew the world revolved around money. Even for massive syndicates like Lunox and Lucero, every business they touched was always tied to wealth.

How to expand it, how to hoard it, and most importantly, how to hide it from the government. Dominus was no exception.

Unlike Lunox, Dominus was not a major threat. They lacked size, influence, and strong international alliances.

Which meant cutting their financial veins would be easy. Nothing excessive, just enough to deliver a warning to step away from whatever pathetic nonsense they were attempting.

So here he was, seated in an empty restaurant with the most trusted and prestigious merchant in all of Blackshore, the Auriate.

Their representative slid a flash drive across the table and spoke without emotion.

"This is the information you requested," she said.

She looked like any beautiful woman with long blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. But her gaze was too precise, too lethal to be called normal.

She reminded him of the Twinster. The product of Blackshore. Their number one assassins.

"Good to be working with you, Miss Laura."

Edmund picked up the drive and slipped it into his pocket. "Fast, efficient, perfect as always."

Laura chuckled and took a sip of tequila. "Do not flatter me, Edmund. You are a VVIP member. Of course we put your needs first."

She leaned back, studying his expression. "Good work handling the situation in your arena. I heard it hit your business pretty hard, did it not?"

"Hard is an exaggeration," the Leopard replied.

"As long as the clients remain satisfied doing business here, everything is under control."

This kind of small talk irritated him. He wanted to move. He wanted to deal with Diablo and be done with this farce so he could return to the island.

Lucien’s scent was still in his lungs, sweet and addictive. He missed him already. He wanted to kiss him, hold him close, bury himself back into that warmth instead of sitting here wasting time.

’I need to buy something for him.’

Buying jewelry for him would be a good idea. Though Lucien would probably complain.

Beautiful things deserved decoration, and even the most precious diamond dimmed beside him. Still, Edmund wanted Lucien to shine.

"You seem to be in a good mood today," Laura said suddenly.

"Is it because of the little snake pet you acquired? I cannot believe you bought an entire island for it."

Edmunds left eye twitched, though the shift was small enough to hide. He kept a gentle smile in place, knowing that no secret escaped Auriates’ sight.

"Pet?" he chuckled. "He is my mate. More precious than anything."

Saying this to the most secretive information network was a dangerous choice. It could come back to bite him someday.

But speaking it out loud with confidence meant he was not afraid. If they wanted to test him, he would crush them without hesitation.

Laura smirked. "I never thought even the Gilded Leopard would find someone. And fire strong enough to melt metal, at that."

She rose from her seat and smoothed her coat. "I am done here. Let us work together again soon." She winked before walking away, her heels echoing through the empty space.

Edmund also stood. He needed to end this today. There would be no more warnings.

Time to teach Diablo what happens to insects who play with fire.

***

Now Edmund was seated with the Mayor, chatting under the polite disguise of business. The Mayor welcomed him warmly.

It was not every day he had the chance to request favors directly from Lunox.

The Mayor laughed loudly. "I see, that is a funny one, Edmund. I still cannot believe that horse dropped dead right in front of you and you lost fifty thousand dollars. That is insane."

The old man was a light drinker, which was why he only sipped his beer. But Edmund was entertaining today. The Mayor soon took another full gulp as his face flushed a bit.

"I know, such a shame," Edmund said, shaking his head. "Now enough about me. I heard you want to be elected as a House of Representatives member, is that true?"

"Rumors really travel fast," the Mayor replied, running a hand through his hair. "You will help me like usual, right?" He grinned wide.

Edmund smirked. "What if I told you that you do not need my help anymore."

The Mayor leaned forward. "I am listening."

"It is about a company that is growing too quickly. I have proof that it is a laundering operation for a mafia group."

"Really?" The Mayor set down his glass. "That is too risky, Edmund. I do not play with syndicates."

"Do not worry. I will back you up," the Leopard said.

"All you need to do is open an investigation and freeze their accounts. I will give you every shell company and every destination their money flows to."

"Hm. If the media could turn it into the top headline," the Mayor muttered.

"Exactly. I will handle the media. You turn it into a national scandal," Edmund said with a grin. "And I owe you one agreement."

The Mayor’s eyes gleamed like polished currency. He extended his hand. "Agreed."

---

"All that is left is waiting for everything to unravel so I can laugh at the end," Edmund said, sipping his whisky and savoring the burn down his throat.

Silas chuckled. "That is a very small punishment for Diablo." He shook his head.

"If he was smart, he would have followed the agreement. Then we could share Lucien without starting a war."

"Oh, I am glad he broke it," Edmund said, swirling the liquid in his glass.

"This island would turn into a nasty bloodbath if he was here. And I admit, your idea for the BDSM dungeon was good."

Silas smirked and lit a cigarette. "I know. You just hate that I thought of it first."

Edmund narrowed his eyes, already thinking about Lucien. "I want to see him tied up, covered in cum, with tears running down his face."

The thought hardened his voice and his body. He stood up. "I need to continue my work. You can go, Silas."

Silas rose too. "I would leave, but there is something you need to see, young master. You will be thrilled."

Edmund raised an eyebrow and followed Silas to the underground jail. The mansion was old and like many estates of its age, full of hidden surprises.

The basement stretched into a damp stone hallway, some cell doors removed and replaced with barrels of ancient wine.

At the end of the hall, one cell remained. Moonlight poured through a narrow window, illuminating a figure inside. Edmund stopped walking, and a slow smile shaped his lips.

"Oh, this is interesting. I cannot believe you caught a giant fish."