Chapter 756


    Gavin held the phone away from his ear as the busy tone droned on. After confirming that the line


    was indeed dead, he mmed the device down and spat in disgust.


    "That old coot really thinks he''s at the top of the ancient warrior lineage," he sneered. "Pfft! If it


    weren''t for the Abernathy family hitting hard times, do you think I''d give him the time of day?"


    Sensing his frustration, Madeline sashayed over and ran a soothing hand across Gavin''s chest.


    "Come on, there''s no need to get worked up over that bully. Oliver might be a bit heavy-handed, but


    he''s been good to us over the years. What did he want us to do this time?"


    Ever since the patriarch of the Abernathy family, Victoria''s grandfather, had passed away, their allies


    had dwindled. Most had defected to the Grimshaw family, who had shot up from a middle-ranking


    family among the five major families to the top spot in just a decade.


    Gavin might not have been the most capable leader, but he knew how to hitch his wagon to a star.


    Remembering the benefits they had reaped under the Grimshaws'' wing, his mood lightened slightly.


    "What else could it be? Waking me up in the middle of the night to berate me for some perceived


    failure in my duties! He acts as if we''re nothing but a subsidiary of the Grimshaws. Go fetch Victoria;


    tell her to make a trip to the police station."


    As he dressed with Madeline''s help, Gavin stomped towards the main hall, grumbling under his


    breath, "That useless girl! If she had any skill, she would have secured the Littleton family''s secret


    by now. If she fails again, we''re all done for!"


    Madeline followed quietly, a smug satisfaction swelling in her as she heard her husband berate


    Victoria. Her eyes gleamed with opportunism as she caught up to him. "Gavin, it''ste. Victoria and


    Harrison have surely retired for the night. Besides, with the Littletons already in custody, anyone


    could ask them a few questions. Why not let Sophie handle it? She''s a night owl, probably still up. It


    could be a good experience for her, don''t you think?"


    Gavin halted, considering her suggestion. Victoria was not a morning person and might resist being


    dragged out at this hour. Plus, Harrison had advised easing up on her to avoid pushing her to


    defiance, which could ruin their ns.


    But could Sophie handle it?


    As the moonlight illuminated his face, Madeline saw his indecision and doubled down. "Victoria''s


    been at it for ages with nothing to show. Maybe it''s time for a different approach. She''s hot-headed


    and shes with people too easily. Kaitlyn seems no pushover, either. Maybe a softer strategy with


    Sophie could work. The item''s with Vivienne now, but what''s been given can be taken back. If


    Sophie can build rapport with Kaitlyn, securing the secret should be a breeze."


    Her words struck a chord with Gavin.


    He figured that even if Sophie proved useless, with the Grimshaws backing them and the Littleton


    elders in custody, they''d retrieve the secret one way or another.


    Without further hesitation, he nodded subtly and led Madeline toward Sophie''s quarters. "Let''s do it


    your way."


    ...


    Meanwhile, Vivienne, having received a call from Kaitlyn, drove to the Littleton family estate. It was


    the only house with lights on in the otherwise dark neighborhood.


    As Vivienne and Percival entered, they found Kaitlyn and Tyler in the living room, looking utterly


    defeated. Amelia, exhausted from crying, had finally fallen asleep in her mother''s arms, tears still


    visible on her cheeks.


    The couple tensed at the sound of the door, fearing the return of their assants, but rxed upon


    seeing Vivienne.


    Kaitlyn rushed to Vivienne''s side. "Oh, Vivienne, you''re here! I don''t know what to do! My inws...


    they''re so old, and it''s all my fault. If only I had handed over the secret sooner, none of this would


    have happened!"


    She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.


    Tyler limped over, his heart aching for her. "It''s not your fault. me those despicable thieves that


    did this!"


    Vivienne frowned at the disarray in the room, then handed Kaitlyn a handkerchief. "Don''t worry, I''ll


    take you to them. We''ll get your parents-inw out."


    Percival chimed in, "Tyler, you should stay and take care of the kid with that leg of yours."


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Knowing his limited mobility, Tyler nodded in agreement.


    After a few words of reassurance to her husband, Kaitlyn wiped away her tears and followed


    Vivienne out into the night.


    With urgency pressing and thete hour upon them, Percival floored the gas pedal, determined to


    waste no time.


    In the backseat of the car, Vivienne patted Kaitlyn''s shoulder while asking, "Kaitlyn, can you break it


    down for me? How is it that something not thoroughly investigated can be dredged up yearster?"


    She had had her people look into the old couple''s troubles before. Upon discovering that Kaitlyn


    was the benefactor who had helped her and her mother, Vivienne had considered helping to


    overturn the wrongful usations.


    However, with too many other things on her te and over a decade having passed, the


    investigation by Matthew required time, so she hadn''t mentioned it to Kaitlyn.


    But what she hadn''t expected was for trouble to arise just as she was awaiting results!


    Tears still streaked Kaitlyn''s face, her eyes rimmed red. Vivienne''s question brought back a flood of


    memories, and she couldn''t hold back the tears that fell like rain, "Back then, the Abernathy family,


    leading an ancient lineage of warriors, coveted our family''s secret recipe. After I got married, they


    deliberately caused trouble for my inws and husband."


    By then, Kaitlyn had been cklisted by everypany in Rivenwood and could only work as a


    waitress in a hotel.


    Fortunately, her inws, both esteemed teachers, received excellent benefits, and with her husband


    Tyler''s ie, they managed to scrape by.


    But she never imagined that those people would go to such lengths to steal the secret recipe.


    One day, Kaitlyn went to the school to deliver lunch to her inws. From a distance, she saw a


    crowd of people arguing with her father-inw, their voices raised.


    She caught words like "bribery" and "corruption" and immediately sensed something was amiss.


    She rushed forward, scattering the users.


    It wasn''t until she got home and spoke with her father-inw that she learned the truth. There was a


    certain student in his ss, a rather unremarkable one with no special talents to speak of, and


    came from a family that was neither wealthy nor powerful, clearly not the type to attend a


    prestigious academy.


    Her father-inw happened to be the headmaster of that child, and he had been treating the child


    well. However, somehow, her father-inw became the target of these outrageous usations.