Love At The Wrong Table

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The news of Summerton Corporation’s temporary closure and the hasty

departure of its leader from Onza had already reached Salem’s ears. Yet, he

still wasn’t sure who was behind the attempts to eradicate the Summerton

family.

“It must be Teddy Mole, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce!” Julian

exclaimed, “We’re married to the Quillen family, and they run the Nuthana

Chamber of Commerce. Teddy’s targeting them because he wants control of

Nuthana, and he’s going after everyone tied to the Quillens.”

Salem fixed Julian with an intense gaze. “Are you sure about this?”

With a casual shrug, Julian replied, “I’d say I’m about 80 to 90 percent sure. But I don’t have hard evidence. Believe it or not, that’s up to you.” He wasn’t

much of a businessman, so he spoke carefreely and didn’t feel the need to

speak with precision.

Oddly enough, Salem liked that about him. At least it meant he got to hear

Chapter 1931 Shadows of the Past:

some unfiltered information.

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“You’re right.” He nodded grimly. “It’s likely Teddy Mole. That man has been

trying to wipe out our family for thirty years.”

“What?” Julian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Why? Do we have some old

grudge with him?”

Ashton, too, was taken aback. It suddenly made sense why Teddy had been

so relentless in his pursuit, chasing them even to the far reaches of Eldoria,

determined to hunt them down.

Salem’s voice took on a grave tone. “That man may be our enemy, but he’s d formidable one. His ambitions are boundless. Our family’s arms business has

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been a thorn in his side for years. So, he’s been looking to take us out for a

long time.”

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There was no point in holding back now, especially with Julian–he was, after

all, the heir to the Summerton family in Onza, so he had every right to know.

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While processing this information, Jullan couldn’t help but ask,

“Great–Grandpa, I understand why you’ve asked for our financial support, but

why are we still stockpiling weapons when our family has retreated to the

mountains? Are you planning to take over the world?”

Before Salem could answer, his twenty–eighth wife chimed in with a soft

laugh, “Oh, the Great Master doesn’t want to take over the world; he just

wants to be a local emperor!”

However, she quickly stifled her laughter under her husband’s stern gaze.

“Forgive me, I misspoke!”

Salem took a few steps forward, his back to Julian, and spoke thoughtfully,

“The times have changed. Anyone dreaming of ruling it now is chasing a

fantasy. I saw that years ago. I didn’t want to be under anyone’s control, sol

moved our family from Zovince to these mountains, where we could live

freely.”

He paused, then sighed heavily. “But freedom requires strength: We’ve

trained fighters, but even that isn’t enough. We need modern weapons to

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defend ourselves, so we kept a branch of the Summerton family active in the

outside world. But who would have thought that each generation would grow

weaker? Our influence outside has dwindled, falling far short of what we’d

hoped for.”

Julian and his siblings knew this all too well. No one in the Summerton family

had ever had a knack for business, and the fact they’d survived for thirty

years was nothing short of miraculous.”

That was nothing but a distant dream.

Ashton, his curiosity piqued, asked before Roselynn could, “So, what exactly is

the grudge between our family and Teddy Mole?”

Salem’s eyes grew distant. “It’s a long and complicated story,” he began.

“Simply put, the power struggle in Zovince is brutal and intricate. The Big Four

are enemies and allies, depending on shared interests.”

His explanation was vague, but then, with a sudden shift in his demeanor, he

turned to face them. “The feud between the Tanner family and our

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Summerton family revolves around a priceless martial arts tome.”

“Is it the Lannister family’s tome?” Julian interjected quickly.

Salem’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “How do you know?”

“On our way up, the Lannister family was already at the mountain, trying to

get it back.” Julian shrugged.

“Oh, really?” Salem was taken aback, unaware of this. He had gone to bed

early the previous night for health reasons, and no one had reported this to

him yet.

“They’ll never make it up here,” Salem said confidently, a glint of pride in his

voice. “No one who isn’t part of the Summerton family can reach this place.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a commotion erupted outside.

Gary burst in, panic etched across his face, dropping to his knees as he

reported breathlessly, “Great Master, something terrible has happened! Three

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top fighters from the Lannister family are demanding their Dragon Tome

back. They’ve already broken through the seventh checkpoint!”

“What?”

Salem’s face tightened in shock, his pride visibly shaken. Tension crept into

his voice. “Are the senior fighters from the Lannister family here? How could

so many of our people fail to stop them?”

“No, it’s not that!” Gary replied anxiously, “They’re not the senior ones–just

three juniors. The leader, Gwain Lannister, is a prodigy who is truly one of a

kind. He looks to be under thirty, but his martial prowess is unbelievable. Last

night, none of our hundred men on the mountain could hold him back!”