A private mansion was located at the edge of a river, surrounded by large tall trees on either side and a private gated entrance.
It was quite the sight for people to see as they visited the city. As they crossed the large bridge or drove from the other side, many would spot the mansion and point at it, staring in awe.
They wondered what type of person could live in such luxury, what type of person one had to be to own such a place.
The thing was, no one really needed to ask the question because everyone in the city knew that it belonged to Harvor.
Sitting outside with the sun shining, Harvor was lounging in his grand garden with a number of guests.
He wore sunglasses and had his top off. No sweat was coming from his body despite the heat, but he felt a pulsating sensation.
"Do you think things will escalate?" Harvor asked as he took a large sip from his ice-cold beer.
"They shouldn’t. They have nothing they can find and no proof to pin it on you," Stanley said, sitting at the same table and tapping away on his tablet.
He was also looking at his phone at the same time, trying to work out a number of things.
"The White Rose only has a few options, even if they find something. They wouldn’t be foolish enough to go against us alone. No matter what, this has just delayed your plan," Stanley explained.
Right now, Harvor was under house arrest. Since the White Rose had managed to dig up something in the river, he was not allowed to leave his home as a prime suspect to avoid obstructing the investigation.
He was the last person that had been seen, but Harvor wasn’t worried; with his strength, they couldn’t arrest him even if they wanted to, which was exactly what Stanley was saying.
From Stanley's tablet, a few dings were heard, and pressing on it, a camera feed appeared showing the front of the house and a particular person at the door.
"Is it White Rose? Have they come to bother us again? I'm starting to think it would be better to make them all disappear in a type of accident," Harvor grumbled.
"That wouldn’t be wise. The Bree Family is watching us, the Howlers as well, and possibly the Lupus Gang. Although I’m confident in your ability to take them all out, adding the White Rose to that might just be too much, even for you." Stanley pressed his glasses back up on his face.
"It’s Rumper," Stanley said.
"Bring him in."
A couple of members greeted Rumper at the door and began to hold him by his sides, pulling him through the house until they eventually brought him out to the back.
“Let go of me, let go of me, you idiots!” Rumper shouted as he swung his arms, including the metal briefcase in his hands.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here today?" Harvor asked without even turning his head. “I know I failed to come to our last meeting, but I’m sure even you can understand why I was unable to, with everything going on.”
Before Rumper could move closer, Terrance, one of the Zodiacs, blocked his way, placing his hand out.
"You need to solve this issue now!" Rumper shouted. “This whole thing is a mess. Right now, I have Rickle investigating everything I’ve done!”
“Somehow, he’s managed to catch onto all of this. With how wild and reckless you’ve been, I can only blame you.”
Harvor took another big gulp of his drink and invited Rumper to sit on a chair located by a table not too far from his own. Rumper accepted, but he was still startled and shaken.
"So, it looks like one of your cofounders finally found out what you were doing, huh? You knew this day would come, so why are you so scared? I said that you could always come here and that I would protect you. It was part of our deal, so what’s the problem?” Harvor asked.
"Right, our deal that helped you build everything," Rumper said. "In return for taking the infected solutions and spreading them out to the lower-tier cities, I financed your entire AFC business. On top of that, I even provided normal Altered solutions to strengthen your gang! You owe me this protection, and I’m glad you remember that. As long as you remember that.”
Looking up at the sky, Harvor was remembering his days back at the lab.
"It’s a shame; I have quite fond memories of Rickle. You three were part of the Altered project and helped me become who I am today. In the end, you were the one who approached me, though.”
“So don’t worry; my loyalty lies with you. But you don’t have to be afraid. Don’t you have plenty of Retrievers under your thumb?”
Harvor could sense it—even though Rumper was in his house, surrounded by so many strong Altereds including him, he was still afraid.
"What’s wrong?" Harvor asked.
“You just don’t understand,” Rumper said. “If it were Tinth we were dealing with, it would be fine. But the one looking into all of this... it’s Rickle.”
“I know we call ourselves the three founders, but that’s just on paper. The whole of NIRV was Rickle’s idea to begin with. Wanting to revive the race of the Dragons—all of it.”
“That man… he’s been able to do things that aren’t human. Out of everyone, he’s the man I fear most in the world… even more than you,” Rumper said.
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