Looking at the cane in his hand, Thomas quickly understood Black Ghost's intentions.
He hadn't expected this heavily armored fighter—known for overwhelming combat power—also had detection capabilities. A mere glance had revealed the hidden blade within his cane.
Without a shred of shame or an attempt to explain, Thomas simply smiled and said, "Apologies."
He handed the cane over to Black Ghost, then proceeded into the manor alongside Selene, following Black Ghost as he cleared the way.
Upon reaching the reception area, Thomas accepted a glass of wine that William personally poured for him. After thanking him, Thomas smiled and said, "Before we begin our discussions, we must thank you, Your Grace, for helping us eradicate the werewolves in England. Congratulations as well on earning the title Wolf Slayer. This epic honor will forever accompany your name in the history of both humanity and the bloodline clans."
This old fox… his opening remark was a subtle reminder that William had already made himself a sworn enemy of the werewolves.
Shaking his head, William gestured for Thomas and Selene to sit. With a smile, he said, "If Kraven hadn't goaded the werewolf leader Lucian into targeting me, perhaps I wouldn't even have known about you or the werewolves. And I certainly wouldn't need to constantly worry about one thing or another.
"So, let's cut the nonsense. We'll settle the compensation, and we can all go about our own business peacefully."
"Understood," Thomas replied, realizing that William was openly disdainful of him and the vampires. He decided not to waste time. After a single probing remark, he pulled an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table, sliding it toward William. "This is a gift list. I trust you'll find it satisfactory."
Before picking up the envelope, William scanned it several times with his mental power, ensuring there were no tricks. Only then did he open it, wearing his smart glasses to review the contents.
Sunday quickly reported that the properties and land listed in the document amounted to roughly £100 million.
William was so infuriated he chuckled. Tossing the envelope back onto the table, he said, "It seems we have nothing more to discuss.
"Please leave, Mr. Thomas. Tomorrow night, I will personally visit Victor's estate to negotiate with him."
Standing up, William gestured to Black Ghost. "Raizo, please escort our guests out."
"Yes, sir," Black Ghost replied, stepping forward and gesturing politely for Thomas and Selene to leave.
"Mr. Devonshire," Thomas said as he stood, adjusting his jacket. He maintained a calm demeanor as he continued, "Do you understand the consequences of opposing a clan that has existed for over a thousand years?
"Moreover, you've already made yourself a mortal enemy of the werewolves. Declaring war on our bloodline would be highly irrational."
Unfortunately for Thomas, his words only earned a dismissive smirk from William. His indifference forced Thomas to take a more threatening tone.
"Even if you manage to assert dominance for a time, don't forget—what is a century to us is merely a nap.
"When your time passes, have you considered what will happen to your descendants?"
"Perhaps by that time, I'll still be alive and well. Who knows? I might even look just as I do now," William said with a meaningful smile. "Immortality isn't exclusive to vampires, after all."
These words left not only Thomas and Selene shocked, but even Black Ghost silently glanced at William in astonishment.
Without giving them time to recover, Black Ghost reinforced the command, "Please."
Thomas stared at William for a long moment, clearly debating his next move. Finally, with a sigh, he reached into his pocket and produced another envelope.
"Fine. To avoid unnecessary conflict, Elder Victor has decided to propose a marriage alliance.
"He wishes to offer his daughter, Selene, as your bride, along with a dowry of land and property in England and mainland Europe worth $1 billion. Surely this will satisfy you?"
Now it was William's turn to be surprised. A flicker of anger flashed in his heart because Sunday had not reported this plan to him.
If Sunday, who constantly monitored the vampires' estate, had no knowledge of this, it meant these ancient creatures were already taking precautions against surveillance.
Although William was indeed attracted to Selene, this proposal did not align with his plans.
From the start, his goal had been to eventually wage war against the vampires and seize their wealth. However, he had always intended for Victor to meet his end at Selene's hands.
If Selene were the one to kill Victor, it would redirect the vampires' hatred and resentment toward her, thus diverting the attention of any remaining vampires and the other clans across mainland Europe.
After a brief moment of thought, William understood the vampires' intentions. If they could win him over, all would be well. If not, they could use the wedding as a stalling tactic to buy time—time to gather reinforcements and prepare for battle.
It made sense. These immortals, who had lived for over a millennium, wouldn't surrender so easily. And William's power, as far as they knew, was limited to his Type-3 armor. It wasn't impossible for them to develop high-powered weapons capable of breaking through its defenses.
Furthermore, centuries of arrogance had instilled in them an unwillingness to lose face. Surrendering without a fight would destroy their standing within the vampire community.
Realizing this, William decided he could no longer rely solely on Barney's nine-man team for future conflicts.
Feigning satisfaction, William smiled. "Mr. Thomas, could I have a moment to speak with Miss Selene in private?
"You understand that if I agree to this marriage, Miss Selene will be my lifelong companion. I need to ensure that her feelings align with mine."
"No problem."
It seemed William's reputation for being enamored with beautiful women was no secret.
Thomas chuckled, pointing to the bottle of wine on the table. "Take your time. I'll enjoy the opportunity to savor the fine wine from Château Latour."
"Thank you," William said with a nod. He then turned to Selene and, in a gentlemanly manner, extended his hand. "Shall we, Miss Selene?"
When she didn't move, William simply grabbed her hand and led her to a smaller lounge. After closing the door, he released her hand and shrugged as she glared daggers at him.
"Once you hear what I have to say," William said calmly, "I promise that the person you hate most will no longer be me."
Clapping his hands, he called out to Sunday, "Display Lucian's copper necklace."
A projection from the ceiling materialized, showing the copper necklace floating between William and Selene.
Looking at it, Selene asked, "What are you trying to say?"
"This necklace was handcrafted by your biological father."
"My father? My biological father?" Selene stepped closer to William, her tone urgent. "What do you mean?"
Seeing her bare her fangs, much like Nissa had done before, William couldn't help but smile. Despite her aggression, Selene's appearance lacked the usual terror or grotesqueness associated with vampires.
"It means," William said slowly, "that the person who killed your entire family wasn't a werewolf—it was Victor, the man you've always called father."
"That's impossible!" Selene shouted, stumbling backward in shock. She looked at William with disbelief, then lunged forward, grabbing his collar as if to lift him.
But before she could exert any force, William seized her hands in his own, holding them firmly.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free herself, let alone lift him.
Enraged and humiliated, she instinctively leaned in to bite his neck, but William's other hand clamped down on her throat, lifting her off the ground.
"Calm down," William said coldly, tightening his grip just enough to make his point. "Don't make me use force."
Feeling the strength in his hand, Selene finally stopped struggling and released her grip on his collar, her face dark with anger and frustration.
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Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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