Seeing Selene blushing with an unexpected shyness, William couldn't help but wonder if he could take it further. If he were to sit beside her, hold her, and engage in some "physical activity," would Selene end up biting him?
With his mental senses activated, he cautiously sat next to her. Testing the waters, he placed a hand on her shoulder. To his surprise, Selene only struggled briefly before acquiescing.
Since she didn't object, William didn't hold back. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in for a kiss.
After a long moment, Selene grabbed his wandering hand tightly, stopping him. It didn't take William long to realize that pushing further wasn't a good idea—for now.
With his forehead resting against hers, he whispered, "We'll continue this once your revenge is complete."
"Mm," she murmured softly. Hugging his neck, she rested her head on his shoulder, making William tense up nervously. Selene chuckled quietly, "Coward."
After exchanging a few whispered words, William held Selene's hand and led her back to the living room. When Thomas saw them holding hands, his face lit up with a pleased smile.
"It seems we need to have a proper discussion," William said, grinning.
Thomas nodded. "Indeed, Your Grace, we do. Please, go ahead. As long as your requests are reasonable, we'll do our best to fulfill them."
Thomas's misunderstanding was expected, and William didn't bother to correct it. He thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "As a gesture of goodwill and the start of a new relationship between us, I'd like to have a face-to-face meeting with your elders.
"To avoid unnecessary complications, the meeting must take place tonight. If you're uncomfortable meeting at my estate, you can choose the location."
"This…"
Though Thomas was somewhat offended by William's lack of respect for him, he had no choice but to take the request seriously.
"I'll need to consult the elders," Thomas said after a pause. "However, the chances of you meeting Elder Victor directly are quite low."
"No problem. I understand your concerns. Other elders will do," William replied with a smile. "I'm not expecting to accomplish much in this first meeting, but I need to speak directly with someone who has the authority to make decisions."
It was clear that Victor wouldn't show up. William's real goal, however, was to meet Amelia.
As for Marcus, he was still resting peacefully in his coffin.
Thomas hesitated for a moment, sneaking a glance at Selene, who stood beside William with a sullen expression, clearly reluctant.
"Give me some time to consult the elders," Thomas said finally.
Without Selene giving him any cues, Thomas stepped aside to make a phone call, speaking in a low voice as he reported the situation.
Twenty minutes later, just as William's patience was wearing thin, Thomas returned and said, "One hour from now, Elder Amelia will meet you at Hampstead Heath, at Kite Hill."
Listening to Sunday's report, William smirked. Hampstead Heath was indeed the ideal location for Amelia.
Not only was the park vast, with dense trees and numerous escape routes, but blocking all the vampires' potential exits would require a military force of tens of thousands.
But William had no intention of attacking Amelia. Smiling, he nodded and said, "No problem. I'll see you in an hour."
With the location confirmed, William hugged Selene again as he handed her a phone and an earpiece. In a low voice, he said, "After you return to your estate and meet with Victor, go back to your room and hide."
"Mm."
Selene replied softly, her face still stoic, though a hint of joy flickered in her eyes. She got into the car with Thomas and left.
An hour later, after preparing himself, William arrived alone at the park, carrying his Mark V portable combat armor. He stood quietly atop Kite Hill, waiting.
Before long, his mental senses detected a group of vampires swiftly leaping from tree to tree, closing in on him.
William ignored the dozens of vampires spreading out to surround him. Instead, he looked up at the sky, where his smart glasses displayed over a thousand Black Blade and triangular self-destruct drones, each no larger than a book.
Ten minutes passed. Once the vampires had confirmed there was no ambush, a car approached and stopped not far from William.
Sensing that it was indeed Amelia, William waved at the car with a smile. After a moment of hesitation, Amelia stepped out and walked toward him.
"I didn't expect you to actually come alone to meet me," Amelia said.
Ignoring her comment, William tossed her a pair of smart glasses. "Put these on and take a look at the sky and the area around your subordinates."
Amelia donned the glasses and looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw green dots covering the one-kilometer area around them.
The glasses highlighted the Black Blade and triangular drones hovering in the air. While shocked, Amelia wasn't entirely surprised. Strangely, she felt a bit relieved.
After all, if William, someone powerful enough to force her to meet him in person, didn't have a backup plan, it would have been far more suspicious.
Taking off the glasses, she tossed them back to William and walked closer. "So, what is it you want to discuss? Are you planning to kill me and my guards before declaring war, or are you genuinely smitten by beauty and want to talk?"
"Relax, I have no intention of attacking you right now," William replied, handing her a phone.
He added with a smirk, "I'm quite satisfied with Selene, but if you want me to trust her completely, she'll need to swear a blood oath to me."
Amelia opened her mouth to respond but paused when the phone screen displayed a message: "We need to talk about your son, David, with Thomas."
Seeing the message, Amelia, despite being an ancient vampire over a thousand years old, panicked slightly. She quickly understood William's intention: he didn't want their real discussion to be overheard by Victor through her communication devices.
The fact that William knew about her secret with Thomas was enough to unnerve her. However, Amelia's centuries of experience allowed her to quickly regain her composure. After a few deep breaths, she smiled and said, "That depends on Selene. We elders can't force her to swear a blood oath. If you're capable, you'll have to convince her to do it willingly."
From there, the two outwardly discussed trivial matters like the wedding. In reality, they were negotiating via text on the phone.
It didn't take Amelia long to realize the gravity of her situation. If Victor ever discovered that she had cuckolded him and secretly had a child with Thomas, his overwhelming desire for control and his obsession with honor would compel him to either execute her or imprison her for eternity.
Additionally, both Thomas and their son, David, would undoubtedly be killed by Victor.
Backed into a corner, Amelia, despite her hatred for William, had no choice but to agree to join forces with him to eliminate Victor.
Half an hour later, they reached an agreement. Amelia's faction would never set foot in England again and would turn a blind eye to William's efforts to eliminate Victor's forces.
In exchange, William would refrain from expanding his influence into Eastern Europe.
Regarding Victor's wealth, Amelia offered cash, antiques, and jewelry in exchange for all assets outside of England.
Already worried about how to handle assets spread across seven or eight countries, William quickly agreed to this arrangement.
After finalizing the details, William typed one last message on the phone: "Are there any people you care about left in Victor's estate?"
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