Chapter 171 (1): You’ll Be Our Ambassador

Facing Auston’s threat, Wayne remained unfazed. He was only curious about who or what sold him out. Was it the hotel’s registration, or did a member of his team tattle on him?

“What, can you not say anything after all the fun you had the past few days?” Auston scoffed.

Wayne said honestly, “There was more than one bedroom in the suite, and I wasn’t responsible for arranging the accommodation. I’ll say that while the secretary is a nice woman, Veronica is more than ten thousand times better. I didn’t lay a hand on her. Nothing happened.”

Auston didn’t buy that at all. How could nothing happen when a man and a woman shared a room? If Wayne was telling the truth, he would have to question Wayne’s ability to produce an heir.

“I looked into your secretary. She’s a clergywoman of the Church of Heavenly Father and a member of the White Glove Society. She had to have approached you for something.”

“I know.”

Wayne knew that very well. She wanted something alright—his body!

“Then why do you keep her around?”

“I can’t help it. As the successor of the Lando family, women from all walks of life throw themselves at me even when I do nothing. A clergywoman from the Church of Heavenly Father makes a good shield, given her impressive background.”

Wayne made up an excuse on the fly with a deadpan look. “To tell you the truth, I learned that from you.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Auston refused to be lumped together with Wayne, or Wayne would have blackmail material on him rather than the other way around.

“It’s widely believed that Megan is your lover and secretary, and you never deny it.”

Wayne shrugged. In terms of messing around, Auston was a playboy well-known for sleeping with so many women that if his bed partners were lined up, they could circle the entire Financial Town. As Auston’s successor, Wayne should be commended for not following his example fully.

Auston scowled. He wasn’t going to explain himself in this matter. “A rumor dies with a wise man. Believing every rumor will only end up harming you. Your master isn’t the forgiving type. The fact that I’m still alive is good enough proof.”

“Oh, you’re saying that Master’s petty, prone to jealousy, and unreasonable!”

(눈皿눈)

Again, Auston wouldn’t have picked Wayne as heir if he had a choice. A scum like him went hand-in-hand with a barrel of cement.

“There’s another thing. How did you secure the contract? It should’ve been impossible.”

Auston couldn’t figure it out. Alberd Steel represented Luzerbourg, and they should have no reason to choose Wayne. It bothered him that he didn’t know how he secured the source of revenue.

“I don’t know either. Maybe it’s luck, or it can be my cha—”

“The truth!” Auston interjected. “You’re the Lando heir, and the Landos always come first, before the heir. Even after you take over as the head of the Landos, you still matter less than the family.”

Auston’s message was simple: Wayne was keeping too many secrets, and a secret meant an unknown variable. As the head of the family, Auston would allow Wayne to have secrets, but not when they might drag the family down to hell.

Wayne thought for a moment. He was going to give Auston the lie he had come up with, but Auston’s serious expression gave him pause. He said with a sigh, “After driving away demons on two occasions, the Church of Heavenly Father sees great potential in me and wants to recruit me. This business deal is their way of getting on my good side.”

That was the most Wayne could say. His being considered a reincarnated angel was so absurd that even he found it laughable; Auston would’ve laughed himself to death if he heard.

Auston frowned. Wayne was there when the Blood Tyrant and the Thousand-Eyed Demon tried to descend to Dragon Heart Island and Londan respectively. It wouldn’t be far-fetched for the church to make an offer to him. The reason was somewhat believable. However...

The truth had to be more complicated than that!

“Do you have a deal with them, Wayne?”

“It’s one-sided. They have been offering me things.” Wayne added after a beat, “I swear I’m telling the truth. I’ve been trying to shake them off, but they won’t give up.”

“Keep your distance from them. The royal family never likes the Church of Heavenly Father.” Auston shook his head and stopped pressing.

He had complicated feelings about his successor. Wayne made a good heir in every aspect but his tendency to attract troubles, more so than Auston!

“If I had a choice...” Auston tightened his grip around his silver coin and rubbed his temple. If he had known things would become so complicated, he would’ve put the scumbag in a barrel of cement to sink him to the bottom of a river long ago. Alas, there was no turning back now. He wondered if he had enough wipes to clean up Wayne’s mess.

“From today on, you’re not leaving the Lando Estate without my permission. Stay in your house. The furnishing is complete.”

Wayne shrugged. That would be fine. He hadn’t been focusing on his training for a while.

“Why aren’t you leaving yet?” Auston asked.

“We haven’t decided who would get the dragon blood.”

“...”

In the end, the dragon blood was divided into two portions. Megan brought another sealing bottle to store half of it. Both believed they had gotten the short end of the deal.

Shameless! This should’ve been mine in the first place!

Auston thought.

Despicable, this is what I’ve earned at the risk of my life!

Wayne cursed.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

***

Wayne brought the briefcase to his new house at the estate. It was beside the main house, situated purposefully so that the main house would shield his view of Veronica’s mansion. At the time of the construction, Wayne wasn’t yet the heir of the family, and Auston had nothing but distaste for him. Though Auston’s feelings hadn’t changed, the layout of the three buildings became unnecessary after Wayne became the heir.

The young master’s mansion began construction in July and took three months to complete. It was well-furnished with everything he would need in place. He only had to bring his personal belongings.

The efficiency was remarkable, impossible for a regular construction team. Magic had to have played a role.

Wayne moved into his new home. The layout was similar to that of Veronica’s mansion, with an extravagant, classical style. Although it was smaller than his residence on 11 Baron Street, it was still incredibly spacious, able to house twenty to thirty people in addition to the butler and maids.

Since he would be staying here for a while, he had to bring his belongings from his study and bedroom, including his diary and Valkyrie, as well as the safe storing his antique silver coin.

During his call with Veryl, he hadn’t specified clothes and cooking ingredients; the professional butler wouldn’t miss that. He also told Mona to stand by and keep in contact with Nicholas, making sure to get herself up to speed and become a proficient secretary.

At six at night, Veryl moved into the Lando Estate. He wasn’t sure how to feel when he looked at the nearby main building. He was back! Master Wayne had honored his promise to make Veryl the head butler of the Lando family again. But it wasn’t official yet. That would come later.

After moving in, Wayne attended a family dinner at the main house. Only two were in attendance. Auston and Silvia weren’t present, and Veronica alone shared the table with him, glaring at him viciously while she ate.

(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)

Wayne gave her an innocent look on purpose. He knew it would rile Veronica up and make her hand itch.

As expected, after dinner, Veronica wiped her mouth and curled her finger at him.

With the sealed bottle of dragon blood hidden in his shirt, Wayne went up to her with a beam, bringing his diary along.