1426 BONUS


    With a disdainhil Mick of his wilst, Alex hurled Henry''s lifeless body aside like a worthless sark of garbage.


    Henry''s coipse crashed onto the marble floor with a sickening tho,nding heavily at Shane and the others'' fest – a brutal, undeniable message to anyone foolish enough to side with Dupon


    Henry''s ssy eyes stared into the void, frozen in an eternal mask of horror and disbelief.


    Even in death, he couldn''tprehend how Alex had dared to strike him down.


    His once untouchable states, his inherited power, his self-assured invincibility-all shattered in an instant, exposed as á hollow lie.


    A collective gasp echoed through the grand hall, followed by stunned silence.


    The onlookers stood paralyzed, disbelief etched on their pale, stricken faces.


    They stared numbly at the fallen heir, unable to reconcile this impossible nightmare unfolding before their eyes.


    The pride of the city, the golden son of wealth and power, was now nothing more than a corpse discarded on the


    Reality shattered into chaos as panicked whispers rapidly swelled into a roar of frantic usations and disbelief.


    "Have you lost your damned mind?! You-you actually murdered Henry?" shrieked


    a businessman, eyes bulging in terror as if staring at a demon.


    floor.


    Alex''s act was more than murder-it was a direct assault against power, amoner daring to y a king.


    It was ruthless, unforgivable, suicidal.


    "You absolute lunatic! You''ve sealed your fate! There''s no ce in this world you can run to now!" Shane shouted, his voice cracking under sheer panic.


    "The Dupont family will bury you alive along with everyone you''ve ever cared for!"


    Voices ovepped in panic-driven hysteria, each threat sharper than thest.


    "The Duponts own Chicago! They''ve got the mafia, the gangs-you''re now marked by every thug and brute in this damned city!"


    "You dare spill Dupont blood? Even gods and demons won''t shelter you now!"


    Amidst the mor, Alex stood unshaken, his eyes icy, his voice chillingly calm.


    "I dared to kill Henry Dupont. Remember that clearly. Don''t provoke me, and you''ll remain alive. Cross me, and you''ll meet his


    fate."


    Shane''s voice exploded through the din, his eyes burning with rage and disbelief,


    "You''re insane! Completely deranged! You''ll regret this until yourst agonizing breath!"


    A cold smirk spread across Alex''s lips. "Regret is for cowards. If the Duponts hunger for revenge, tell them I await them eagerly.


    Suddenly, a mockingugh sliced through the turmoil-Kelly Kingston stepped forward boldly.


    "And don''t forget I''m right here beside him. Side with Dupont if you dare, but brace yourself-the bacsh won''t be gentle."


    Kelly grabbed Alex by the arm, both turning their backs on the pale-faced elites. Stunned silence hung heavily as their footsteps echoed away.


    "This is war," whispered one man gravely, and murmurs of grim agreement rippled through the stunned crowd.


    War had officially ignited between Vermont and Chicago.


    Chapter 267)


    Kelly, Alex said quietly as they walked out into the night, "are yet truly prepared for this storm?" Absolutely," she answered flercely, eyes glittering with contemp


    "Those disgusting vultures thought they could bully us into submission. If we''d let their step on us now, they''d never siap grinding us into the dirt."


    Pulling Alex toward a vibrant food truck illuminated by twinkling city lights, Kelly added sharply, “Dupont will undoubtedly stir trouble in Vermont. Let them. They underestimate who we really are."


    "And who exactly are we?" Alex raised an eyebrow, intrigued.


    She leaned in conspiratorially, her voice a fierce whisper.


    "We''re Kingwell. With the King''s backing, we hold absolute powera crush rebellion. The Chicago Lords?"


    "They''re merely vermin the King would''ve exterminated already not for his concern for national stability. Let''s clean out this festering infection together." "Fair enough," Alexughed softly, his tension dissolving beneath the starlit sky. They lingered there, confident and defiant, ready for whatever storm the night would bring


    Back inside the banquet hall, panic spiraled uncontrobly. "Quick inform the Dupont family! That maniac will pay dearly for this!"


    Meanwhile, deep within Chicago''s shadowed council chambers, Conrad Dupont


    sat smugly addressing the four influential Lords of Chicago.


    "I''ve already seized control of Vermont''s underworld," Conrad proimed confidently.


    "Several Vermont key families have pledged their loyalty to me. With your influence added to the mix, Vermont won''t just be a territory — it''ll be a feast. A fat, ripe prize we can carve up and share among ourselves."


    "Interesting," one of the other lords mused skeptically.


    "But Kingston isn''t some pushover. Even though they started from the poorest state, Vancouver, I''ve heard they''re under the direct protection of the new king. If that''s true, we''re dealing with forces far beyond ordinary politics."


    "You''re right," another lord chimed in gravely.


    "Without royal backing, Kingston wouldn''t have been able to dominate Los Angeles, let alone Vermont. Speaking of which, what exactly did Jericho Kane say about handing the governorship over to Kelly Kingston?"


    A cynical smirk spread across another lord''s face. "Jericho''s hiding something shameful-he''s kept his secrets sealed tight. Didn''t say a damned thing."


    Conrad Dupont leaned back, confidently crossing his arms.


    "Rx. The Kingston family isn''t nearly as threatening as you''ve Heard. I''ve sent my son Henry to test the waters. Kelly Kingston will fold. She''ll bend to our will once she realizes resisting means we''ll tear her precious state apart.”


    A cruel smile crept across one lord''s face.


    "Perfect. Let her wear the title of governor like a fool wears a crown, while we, the Chicago Lords, run the real show from the shadows."


    Another nodded vigorously.


    ''A wless n-a win-win. But we need to strike Kelly Kingston hard, and we need to do it fast, before she fully consolidates her power in Vermont." Suddenly, the chamber doors burst open, and a panicked secretary from the Dupont family stumbled into the room, his frantic


    footsteps causing him to crash onto the polished marble floor.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" Conrad snarled, disgusted by the secretary''s clumsiness.


    "Pull yourself together and spit it out!"


    "I''m sorry, sir!" the secretary stammered breathlessly, scrambling to his feet. "Something terrible has happened!" "What is it?" Conrad snapped impatiently, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.


    "It''s Young Master Henry-he''s been murdered!" the secretary blurted out, trembling. “He was killed just moments ago!"


    "Impossible!" Conrad roared, jolting upright in sheer disbelief. His face twisted with rage and horror. "My son was perfectly fine a short while ago! How the hell could he be dead?"


    "It''s true, sir!" The secretary bowed his head low, voice shaking. Young Master Henry''s neck was snapped clean through. His body is being flown here by helicopter as we speak."


    "No... No! This can''t be!" Conrad''s voice cracked into a desperate howl of denial. He stormed out of the council chamber, racing toward the rooftop helipad. Inside the chamber, the four Chicago lords exchanged grim nces, the tension suffocating the air around them.


    "Could Kelly Kingston truly have killed Henry?"


    Another spoke ominously, "If Kingston wants war, we''ll give it to her."


    "First, let''s see the proof," another lord advised darkly, eyes glittering with anticipation.


    The fires of war had been lit, and all waited breathlessly to see how fiercely they


    would burn.