The Almighty Dominance

Chapter 145

Kafe Mansion, Vermont - Early Morning

Jericho Kane, the wealthiest lord in all of Vermont, sipped his tea in the heart of what he called a "garden"-

though it more closely resembled a small forest, artfully tamed to appear wild.

Tall pines and manicured undergrowth rustled in the breeze, while the sweet scent of damp soil hovered in the

cool morning air. Across from Jericho sat Vetala, an elderly man with a slender frand an ageless glint in his

dark eyes.

A bodyguard strode in, halted by Jericho's side, and leaned down to whisper.

"What?" Jericho murmured, his brow creasing in disbelief. "Harlan and Luke are dead?"

His hand clenched around the fine porcelain teacup, and a wave of anger washed over his sharp features.

Harlan was no mere associate he was Jericho's ultimate weapon in Vancouver.

Luke, on the other hand, had been trusted with guarding Charles Kingston, another piece of Jericho's larger plan.

"Who did it?" Jericho demanded, voice vibrating with fury. "Who dared touch my men?"

The bodyguard cleared his throat, choosing his words with care.

"It's rumored Harlan was killed by Hugo, his own right-hand man sir. But... it's also said he died just minutes after

declaring war on Jasmine Kingston."

"Jasmine Kingston?" Jericho repeated, narrowing his eyes. He drummed his fingers on the ornate wooden table,

each tap louder than the last.

"And Luke?"

"He was killed during a chase. He went after Kelly Kingston, that girl who's close to Jasmine."

Jericho inhaled slowly, a spark of annoyance flashing in his gaze.

"Kingston..." he hissed through clenched teeth.

Vetala leaned forward, gently setting his teacup aside. "Mr. Kane, this situation seems more complicated than it

appears." Jericho raised an eyebrow, his attention shifting to the old man. "Tell me."

Vetala stroked his beard, recalling the previous day's events.

"Harlan calledfor help curing his son. He mentioned he was busy tracking someone who'd injured the boy. |

planned to meet him today... but now he's gone."

His voice quivered with an undercurrent of suspicion. "I think he was set up."

Jericho's cold stare intensified. "And Luke? Did someone set him up too?"

"It's possible," Vetala replied. "Luke died chasing Kelly. She should have succumbed to my Aphrodite poison, yet

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not only did she survive, but she also took Luke's life in the process."

"Clearly, someone powerful is interfering. | fear that someone is baiting them- intent on killing both of them-and

baiting you in the process."

Jericho eased back in his chair, his mind racing.

He had reserved all his resources to control Vancouver, confident that the

Kingston family was his only obstacle in the city- Charles Kingston already in his pocket.

It was Jasmine Kingston who posed the real problem.

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Chapter 145

Now, it was clear that another hand was at work-an unknown player who could prove far more dangerous if he

acted rashly.

Verala spoke again, his voice low and cunning. "Sir Kane, | believe have a plan to handle this without drawing too

much attention to ourselves."

Jericho gestured for him to continue.

"Harlan's family," Vetala reminded him.

"The Drakes. They have a powerful presence, here in Vermont and operate the Drake Group. Their Vancouver

branch was under Harlan's supervision. Perhaps you can demand they recover whatever stuff we lost. Force

them to do your bidding-let them pick a fight off your behalf."

Jericho's lips curved into a wry grin.

"The Drakes... yes. Jarvis Drake is a King's soldier, a lieutenant commanding thousands of men. I'll make them do

the dirty work. And whoever's lurking in the shadows will be forced to show themselves."

Vetala returned his grin, his eyes glinting with equal mischief. "How about Luke?"

Jericho chuckled darkly when Vetala brought up Luke once more.

"Yes, Luke was my disciple," he said with a dismissive shrug.

“But | have hundreds, if not thousands of disciples. Losing a few here and there is

a small price to pay for victory."

Drake Family Mansion, Vermont - Afternoon

The Drake family convened in a grand hall lined with ancestral portraits.

Anxiety clung to the air like a mist, thick and stifling.

Their Vancouver branch lay in ruins, its assets seized by newly empowered authorities there-Vancouver

Securities.

And as if that weren't bad enough, Jericho Kane had ccalling with demands for repayment.

At the head of the room, the family's aging patriarch surveyed his kin.

He was frail in appearance, yet his voice carried the hardened resolve of a man who'd fought for his family's

survival for decades.

"Sir Kane invested three hundred million into Harlan's operations on Vancouver," the patriarch announced, his

ton

"He wants that money back. In a week."

Silence dropped like a hammer.

Slooked away, as though the patriarch's eyes were spotlights searching for a scapegoat.

ave.

A hot-tempered man in his fifties slammed his fist on the table. "That damned Kane has no loyalty! Uses us when

he sees fit, then throws us aside the moment we fail."

A woman with a delicate face and an air of practiced detachment exhaled a curl of cigarette smoke before

crushing the butt into an ashtray.

"Loyalty? Jericho Kane is loyal only to himself. Even his own family would be targets if they blocked his path."

A tense hush followed.

"So what do we do?" someone asked, voice taut with fear.

The patriarch pressed his knuckles onto the table.

"We have one option. We call Jarvis. We've put a fortune into securing him a rank

in the military. It's the earned his keep."

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Chapter 145

Vancouver - Late Evening, Outside the Drake Family's Secret Mansion

Engines roared through the night as a convoy of military vehicles arrived in formation.

Headlights cut through the darkness, revealing the mansion's imposing iron gates.

When the vehicles halted, row upon row of soldiers climbed out in precise unison, their collective presence

crackling with discipline and threat.

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A stern-faced commander stepped forward to the lead vehicle and saluted. “Sir, we've arrived!"

The door to the armored car opened, and Lieutenant Jarvis Drake emerged.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore the air of a man who had seen war too many times.

His gaze was cold and direct, scanning the perimeter with the razor-sharp focus of a hunter.

The heavy gates of the estate groaned as they opened inward.

From within, two attendants helped a frail young man approach.

Jasper Drake, trembling and pale, recognized his uncle at once.

"Uncle Jarvis," Jasper croaked. "Thank God you're here."

Jarvis barely spared him a glance, his impatience blatant. "Where is that bastard?

Letsee his body."

With a shaky nod, Jasper led Jarvis into a wide foyer lit by elegant chandeliers.

The scent of incense hung in the air, masking but not quite hiding the stench of death.

A single coffin stood in the center, polished to a mirror sheen.

Inside lay Harlan Drake, face ashen and unmoving, his features frozen in a final scowl.

Jarvis stared down at his brother's corpse with a strange mix of anger and apathy twisting his rugged features.

Without a word, he pulled out his gun and fired a series of shots into Harlan's still form. "Even in death, you make

trouble for me, bastard!" he spat.

Jasper trembled at the horrifying sight, his silence betraying the terror coursing through him.

"What happened?" Jarvis demanded, his voice a razor-edged snarl

His eyes bored into Jasper's, a silent, unyielding warning-do not dare lie.

Swallowing hard, Jasper's voice quavered. "They say... Hugo, Dad's own right- hand man, betrayed him. Killed

him in cold blood."

Jarvis inhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

He might not have loved Harlan, but the brutal reality was undeniable: his family

was now shackled to Kane's ruthless demands.

And they expected him-the soldier-to clean up this mess.

A family's strength, like a fortress wall, is only as strong as its weakest stone.

"Alright," he growled through clenched teeth. "Start talking. Every detail, every bloody shred of it-now."