?Chapter 133:


    The Star Society wasn’t Elliana’s brainchild—it was the legacy of her mentor, Donovan Pearson. And Lexi wasn’t a name she picked out of a hat. It was the title passed down from the leader of the Star Society. When Donovan passed the reins to her, the title of Lexi came with the gig.


    To the outside world, Lexi was the big boss of the Star Society. What they didn’t know was that Lexi wasn’t a person—it was a role, like the president of a country, always there no matter who sat in the chair.


    Elliana had griped to Matthew about this before, and when she brought it up again, he just shed a small grin. “You’re Mr. Pearson’s one and only protégé. Of course, the Star Societynded in yourp. No one else could fill Lexi’s shoes but you.”


    His words only made Elliana’s frustration bubble over. Bing Donovan’s student wasn’t something she’d signed up for. When she was six years old, Donovan had crept into the Jones family’s backyard shed one night, snatched her up, and dered she was his apprentice. She’d said no way, but he didn’t care. And just like that, she had been made his sessor.


    Back in the day, the Star Society had been all about mastering elite martial arts, cherry-picking only those with raw, exceptional talent. It had flown under the radar, unknown to most folks. It was like Merritt, who’d once ruled the underground shipping world, yet barely anyone outside that circle knew his name.


    Later, when Elliana took the helm from Donovan, she had shaken things up. She branched out into bounty hunting, traded in herbal medicine, and even opened the Ublento Hotel. Only then did the Star Society start turning heads.


    During her years under Donovan’s tutge, her primary focus had been martial arts.


    Donovan was a force of nature—a martial arts master who carried himself like he could take on the world. Everything he taught her was the distilled essence ofbat.


    Even now, Elliana couldn’t crack the mystery of why Donovan had picked her as his protégé, or why, when she hit sixteen, he’d hurriedly dumped the Star Society on her and vanished, iming he was off to see the world. Donovan was an enigma, to say the least.


    “Matthew, it’s been five years since my mentor went radio silent. You think something’s happened to him?” Elliana asked, worry creeping into her voice.


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    Matthew hesitated. “Nah, not likely. Mr. Pearson’s a beast—nobody’s taking him down easily.”


    But his face betrayed a flicker of doubt. Even the toughest could trip over a pebble. Donovan was a legend, but he wasn’t untouchable.


    “Matthew, why don’t you take over as Lexi?” Elliana tossed out, half-serious.


    Matthew blinked and then shook his head with a wry chuckle. “Come on. Mr. Pearson raised me to back you up, not wrest the power from you. Your protégé is the next Lexi.”


    “Then I’ll make you my protégé and train you to take my ce,” Elliana shot back.


    Matthewughed. “You’re still young, and all you can think about is kicking back? What kind of talk is this even?”


    He genuinely found her words amusing. The truth was, she had already pawned off most of the Star Society’s day-to-day responsibilities to him. She barely lifted a finger. And now she wanted to ditch the Lexi title altogether? She was the poster child for cking off!


    She stared him down for a moment before dropping it. Matthew had been an orphan, taken in by Donovan. Matthew and she had grown up like siblings. Forcing him to be her protégé would mess with that dynamic.


    “Fine,” she said. “Then find me a worthy sessor.”


    Matthew patted her forehead yfully. “Finding someone to fill your shoes isn’t that simple. You’re a rare breed, and even Mr. Pearson spent a decade molding you. Even if I scout a promising candidate, you’re not handing over the keys anytime soon. Stop daydreaming, alright?”


    Elliana tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling like it held all her answers. Who could possibly understand what it was like to be stuck with a title she never wanted?


    Meanwhile, the only folks more miserable than Elliana were Myles, Aron, and Hugh—the three brothers.


    Last night, Cole, nursing a broken heart and acting like he’d lost his marbles, had gone off the deep end. He’d ordered his bodyguards to run a hundred kilometers in the dark and then dragged the three brothers to a cliffside for a martial arts showdown. The result was a bloodbath for the three brothers!


    The three brothers had been trained to the teeth in the Evans family since they were kids, each able to take on a small army. But against Cole? They were likembs to the ughter. Last night, even teaming up and throwing everything they had, they had still gotten crushed.


    In the end, they’d copsed, t-out refusing to go another round.


    They’d thought Cole’s bizarre rampage was over. But no—he’d suggested killing time with cash-based card games. And so, they’d sat on a cliff, ying cards to keep Cole entertained.


    It had been even more humiliating for the three brothers. Even pooling their brainpower, they had failed to match Cole’s sly cunning and lost every single round. When their cash ran dry, Cole had them bet their clothes. By the end, they were down to their boxers.


    With nothing left to strip, Cole had upped the ante: lose a round, stick a paper note on their faces. By sunrise, the three had been stered with paper slips, looking like human pi?atas.


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