The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes
Chapter 58- bloodthirsty

Chapter 58: Chapter 58- bloodthirsty

After spending the entire morning buried in paperwork, Charles rubbed his temples, visibly exhausted. He finally set down his pen and retreated into the lounge for a quick nap. When Giles came to wake him, the fatigue had lifted slightly from his handsome features.

"Boss, Chairman Louis wants to see you. He’s requested an audience several times while you were away," Giles reported calmly.

Before Charles left the country, he’d given Giles some very precise instructions—and the man had executed them to perfection. Louis Group had diverted all their liquid assets into a partnership with an American enterprise. But Black Rock Co. had abruptly wedged its way into the deal, cutting Louis Group out of their original position. Their investment was now frozen, and capital loss was inevitable. The resulting stock turbulence would be hard to contain.

Harold Louis never imagined his modestly scaled company could be so easily devoured. But from the very first time he saw Charles at the Louis estate, he had sensed the youth’s ambition—and the chilling weight of his presence.

Charles leaned back into the executive chair, his movements elegant, his eyes once again returning to their habitual cold precision.

Whatever the personal entanglement, Harold was his future father-in-law—the man deserved a proper audience.

"Let him up," Charles said mildly.

Giles brought up Harold himself. The older man, dressed in formal business attire, appeared stiff and ill-at-ease. At the moment he stepped into the office, a fleeting trace of anxiety flickered across his face.

"Sit," Charles said evenly.

He wore only a forest green striped shirt, the top two buttons carelessly undone. When Harold walked in, Charles gestured toward the couch not far from his desk and pressed the intercom. "Novia, bring us a cup of Longjing tea."

A faint sheen of sweat gathered at Harold’s temples. Under Charles’s penetrating gaze, he walked over and sat down with a stiffness he hadn’t felt even in his dealings with Derrick. Facing the son, he found himself somehow... unsettled.

"Chairman Louis, what a coincidence. I just got back to the country today," Charles said first, breaking the quiet tension in the room. Every twitch of expression on Harold’s face was neatly catalogued in Charles’s mind. He allowed a foxlike smirk to curl his lips and sat opposite the man. At 183 centimeters, his tall figure sank into the leather sofa like brush strokes soaked in ink—graceful, powerful, composed. He was a painting come to life.

No wonder Elvira had been so obsessed with him. He was a man of mystery—and undeniable allure. Harold’s thoughts wandered, involuntarily.

"Is that so? For someone like Boss Charles to spare time for a man like me... I’m flattered," Harold said, lifting his eyes to the man seated like a silent predator. One hand rested loosely on the chair’s armrest, and even without a single frown, Charles exuded an oppressive aura that made Harold instinctively lower his voice.

Novia came in with the tea—Longjing for Harold, black coffee for Charles, as always.

Clearly, Harold had no idea that Janet had been abroad with Charles.

Charles smiled coldly and made a slight "please" gesture, prompting Harold to finally lift his tea. He took a tentative sip, stalling for composure. Charles, on the other hand, had no patience left for small talk.

Louis Group had made it this far only because of Anila’s father’s influence. And now, with such a gaping hole in their financials, if Harold couldn’t patch it, everything he’d worked for would come crashing down.

And the woman he once threw away—Cornelia—his regret over that decision had long begun to rot inside him.

"To be honest, Boss, I’ve come today to ask a favor," Harold finally spoke, his composure barely holding. His hands were clasped together, eyes filled with unspoken pleas as he looked at Charles.

"A favor?" Charles let out a soft, scornful laugh. When he lifted his gaze to Harold’s cautious expression, he found it difficult to detect even a trace of resemblance between this man and Janet.

He had given her life—only to discard her.

A girl barely twenty had been traded like a pawn on his political chessboard. Charles could almost picture the resignation on Janet’s face the day she was married into the Elwin family.

"And what reason do you think you have to convince me to help you?" Charles asked bluntly. He was not one to dance around words. Harold’s groveling, Louis Group’s dire straits—this wasn’t about charity. If anything, he was simply balancing the scales—for Janet.

"Then... for Elvira’s sake, I ask Boss to show some mercy..." Harold finally ventured, voice tight. He knew Elvira had always held unspoken feelings for Charles, and once upon a time, they’d even seemed close.

"I’m not particularly close with Miss Louis," Charles cut him off without hesitation. He could see the way Harold’s face twitched. A faintly sinister smile crept across Charles’s lips. Harold was just the beginning. Elvira—that woman—he hadn’t even started dealing with her yet.

"Then what about Janet? She’s from the Elwin family now. For her sake, could you..." Harold forced the words out, though his guilt toward Janet only deepened with every syllable. The lavish dowry Elwin House had provided for the wedding—he had pinned all his hopes on that match.

"And what makes you think marrying into the Elwin family guarantees her any special favor?" Charles stood up, his voice slicing through the room like a blade. "Chairman Louis, a daughter married is like water spilled—irretrievable. You try to use Janet as leverage? I’ll show no mercy."

He had never intended to leave Harold a way out. The web he’d spun with his own hands was set—and the Louis family would walk into it, one by one.

"Boss..." Harold’s voice trembled. Today, he had seen firsthand what they all whispered—Charles was cold-blooded. Once he locked onto a target, he never wavered. If only he had known Charles was doing all this for Janet... would he have regretted discarding his own daughter so easily?

"But," Charles added with a glint of amusement—almost predatory, "I could offer you... another way out."

There was a sharp edge to his smile—almost bloodthirsty.

The Louis family had two daughters. Janet had been their sacrificial lamb once. Now, would they be just as willing to sacrifice Elvira?

"Please, Boss. I’m listening..." Harold grasped at the faint thread of hope. The moment Charles’s tone shifted, his dull eyes lit up again. Every word from this man could change the tide of fate—and Harold knew it.

"I hear the newly established ZT Group has already carved out a strong foothold in A City’s financial market. Perhaps... you should consider working with the ambitious President Shang. You know, Manfred—that name may just carry more weight than Charles in the near future."

Charles’s tone was casual, but every word was laced with razor-sharp intent. He gave Harold a pat on the shoulder—light, but suffocating.

"And besides, your daughter Miss Elvira is both intelligent and beautiful. I imagine President Shang would find her... quite appealing."

A smile played on his lips, one that didn’t reach his eyes. Hidden beneath his gentlemanly demeanor was a blade aimed straight at the heart.

Two birds with one stone.

He had been keeping a close eye on Manfred for some time now. That man’s approach toward Janet wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. He and August had clearly coordinated their moves—inside and out. Neither was a simple character.

During those six years in America, August had changed. He was no longer the timid, incompetent boy he used to be. Charles could see the same flame of vengeance in both men—and what worried him most was that their target had shifted to Janet.

August must have realized something—must have decided to act. If that was the case... it meant Janet was already in the line of fire.