Chapter 177 177: Confrontation.

The sun came up and Leo and Snow got ready before they helped Lily get dressed for the school. While they were eating the food, Anastasia looked at Lily, who was unusually quiet and asked, "LIly, what are you thinking about?"

The little girl gulped a mouthful of her cereal and said, "I have come to understand something."

The three adults looked at her, and she said, "Knowledge is the greatest strength that can make other people submit to us."

Snow asked, "How did you conclude that?"

Lily pointed at Leo and said, "Last night Baba was talking to those old grandpas, and he made them do what he wanted them to do without any condition, because he knows something that forced them to accept Baba's condition."

Anastasia nodded and commented, "That is a good observation, but what if they take your Baba as a threat?"

Lily shook her head and said, "They will not act because we are stronger than them. I do not understand business much, but with the assets that Baba and Ma have pooled together, these people will not survive if they initiate an attack."

Anastasia asked with a faint smile, "Are you really that confident in your parents?"

Lily nodded and said, "If I am not confident of my parents ability, then what is the point? Unity of a family is the best wall to defend against outsiders, it is also a sword that can slay the threats before they could even sense it."

The elders were surprised, and Leo asked, "Where did you learn that?"

Lily smiled and replied, "In the study room, I found a small book, it has a lot of things written by Grandpa, I read it sometimes."

Leo smiled, and he patted the little girl on her head and said, "If you understand it all, then that is good, but do not think too much, just watch and learn, sooner or later you will grow big enough to handle these things."

Lily nodded with a smile and said, "I will be your assistant, the Cardinal Family will rise…"

She was about to stop when she saw Snow looking at her with a smile and she said, "Ma will be the queen of the Cardinal Family."

Snow rolled her eyes and said, "Little goblin, I am already a queen. Now, you better go and get your bag and Momo or Miss Verse will not give you any royal treatment for being late."

Lily chuckled and left the dining room quickly, and Anastasia remarked, "Sometimes I think that she is growing up too fast. How can she talk about such things with such ease? This is beyond her age."

Leo sighed and said, "Children who see tragedy and struggle earlier in life grow up faster than the rest. Although life is good now, but as a sensitive mind, she still remembers the struggling days she has seen with Snow. Looking after me ever since she could even recognize people."

Anastasia asked, "Is this why you are teaching her all this?"

Leo nodded and said, "She has the skills that can propel her to the peak of the world, however, when it comes to the world, it is a sewer and I don't want my baby to step into it without knowing what it is. While I accept my methods can be drastic, but as long as it is not harming her, I will continue with caution."

The old lady nodded and then the trio left the home. After dropping Lily at school with Zeenat, they came to the office, and just as they had reached the reception lobby, Leo heard a loud voice coming from a television, "This is live from the Aron Ville, the owner of the estate and the younger son of the Rao family, a prestigious media mogul, has been arrested under the charges of narcotics smuggling and influencing youngsters and blackmailing them for monetary gains.

The police and the narcotics department have performed a combined raid in which they discovered fifty kilograms of Meth, Cocaine and other drugs. Now they have taken Mister Rao into custody and are taking him to the precinct for processing."

…

Snow looked at Leo, who appeared to be unimpressed. The young man took out his phone and dialed a number which rang for a few minutes before connecting and Leo said, "Fucking catch the moment and stop sleeping, lazy ass vampire."

Snow was surprised to see him talking so crudely and then she asked, "What happened?"

Leo realized that he had lost some composure, because he saw something that he didn't expect. He sighed and said, "I caught a glimpse of Jimmy in that frame. I think it is time to handle him as well."

Snow looked back at the screen and sure enough when the camera moved to the right shoulder of the presenter, she saw Jimmy Shelby standing in the shade of a tree. She asked, "You need help?"

Leo shook his head and made another call and said, "Let's meet at the old place in a couple of hours, come alone."

The call was made to Jimmy, who was not even given a chance to respond before the call was disconnected. The latter didn't expect that Leo would call him this early and sound suspicious.

Leo called his guards to the side and looked at the second female guard in the team and said, "Julie, I want you to locate a lady called Alina Shelby, and go over there. Then I want you to use a sniper rifle and aim at her child."

These words shocked the people and Leo said, "Use tranq darts, if the intimidation tactic fails, knock out the woman and bring them to the mansion. Don't harm them."

The people were surprised, they didn't expect Leo to ask them to do something like this. Julie wanted to ask a few questions when the system algorithm kicked in and she said, "Okay, Sir."

Then two groups left the office, one headed to where Alina Shelby was staying and the other headed to the snack street near the Angkor City University. This was the old place that Leo called Jimmy at.

On his way he found that the press had obtained a statement from Elvin Rao, about the situation with Aron Rao, but that was all. Elvin called him and said, "Gave the interview. I am going back to sleep."

Leo said, "Jimmy was a double agent and he is still working over with the secondary power source behind Carole Primal."

On the other side of the phone there was a spewing sound and Elvin said, "Motherfucker, is this real?"

Leo replied, "As real as the juice stain on your lap. Can you drag your ass back to the old place?"

Elvin sighed and said, "Is it not too soon? I have been a shut-in for years."

Leo rolled his eyes and said, "Tell that to me when you clear the tire marks on your lawns. Dumbass."

The call was disconnected and Elvin was left with no option but to come over. Leo reached the barbeque shop that he used to visit in the past, and the young man looked at the young girl behind the counter as he said, "Little Cherry, I would like to book the place for the day."


The girl was surprised to hear her name from this handsome guy, and when she was dazed, Leo said, "Doofus Trinity has been forgotten it seems."

The girl jolted and said, "Damn, Leo Cardinal, you surely bloomed late, now I understand what Snow saw in you. Where have you been?"

Leo smiled, this girl was their old college mate but from a different course, she was Snow's friend. He said, "I will tell you later, but right now, I want to hold a rather intense meeting, can you arrange that?"

She nodded and said, "It will be done in a bit. You take your seat, I think since you are here, the other two are coming over as well."

Leo nodded and took a seat on the chair in the center and then little Cherry brought a glass of beer for him and said, "On the house, old friend."

Leo raised it to her and took a sip, before he saw Jimmy walking inside the place, looking around as if he was trying to recollect everything. Little Cherry greeted him, and he smiled as if he was really the naive guy he pretended to be, then he saw Leo, looking at him with an amused expression and his composure shook a little.

Just when he was about to greet Leo, a loud voice sounded from the doors, "Oh lord, this place is still the same!"

In came Elvin Rao, he smiled at Little Cherry and said, "Sister Cherry, one pint for me, Cardinal is paying."

Little Cherry chuckled and said, "You have not changed even a bit, Rao."

Elvin Rao glanced at Jimmy, and then went to sit over with Leo. The latter said, "Mister Shelby, please have a seat, we have something to discuss."

Cherry raised her brows and Elvin said, "Sister Cherry, if you don't mind, we would like some privacy."

Cherry left the counter with some doubt in her mind. She didn't know what it was but something was odd about this reunion.