?Chapter 1669:


    “Dad, why are you reacting like this? Does her disappearance have something to do with you?” Alban asked, letting out a lightugh.


    Santos shot him a sharp look. “I can’t stand Hurley, but I’d never sink to something like that.”


    “Tch.” Santos snorted, dropping back into his chair with a sour expression. “How is he always so fortunate? Three sons weren’t enough — he even got a precious daughter.”


    Henrik stared at his son and grandson, fury simmering beneath the surface. Having only one heir had already been difficult, and now it seemed his grandson would leave no legacy at all. Surviving Kory meant nothing if the Martel bloodline ended with Alban. The thought made Henrik m his cane hard against the floor.


    “That old man truly has fate on his side. Even if he doesn’t outlive me, his children are flourishing — while our Martel family…” He nced toward Alban and let out a heavy, weary sigh. “What wretched luck.”


    At those words, Alban’s parents wore troubled expressions, theirplex gazes settling on him. Their palpable concern made him ufortable and irritable. It wasn’t something he could change. None of it was within his control.


    “Could you stop looking at me as if I’m the family’s downfall?” Alban muttered, exhaling sharply.


    Henrik shot him an angry re. “You are the family’s misfortune. You said you’d purchase the Elderroot to strengthen your condition, yet you returned empty-handed. So tell me — what exactly do you n to rely on now?”


    “I nned to buy it for you. I may not be able to have children, but I’m not frail. Elderroot isn’t some miracle cure — it wouldn’t do anything for me anyway,” Alban snapped, his frustration mounting. “Besides, it sold for over three hundred million. Anyone who pays that much has lost their mind.”


    “What?” All three elders froze, certain they had misheard.


    “Did you say that correctly? The Elderroot sold for more than three hundred million?” Henrik demanded, stunned.


    “Yes,” Alban replied. “Miss Wade purchased it for over three hundred million, setting a new record,” he added with a mocking curl of his lips.


    “The Wade family?” Henrik frowned. “Who was bidding against them?”


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    At first, Henrik had assumed it was Alban — but if the Martels were involved, the Wades would never have dared topete. The financial gap between the two families was far too wide.


    “It was me,” Alban admitted.


    He briefly described what had happened. “Miss Wade was pushed into going all-in, and she didn’t dare defy that woman. Jordy let her control the bidding — that only confirmed my suspicion that she’s the Jones family’s lost daughter.”


    Henrik’s brow furrowed even deeper. “Why would they want the Elderroot?”


    “That’s something you’d need to ask them.” Alban wasn’t sure himself. “My guess is that it’s what Jordy wants.”


    “I don’t believe it’s that straightforward,” Henrik said, fixing Alban with a prating look. “You should investigate that woman.”


    “I already have someone looking into her.” As soon as Alban spoke, his phone rang. He nced at the screen and smirked. “Perfect timing.”


    Alban opened the file his subordinate had sent. As he read further, shock slowly crept across his face. The woman was far more formidable than he had anticipated.


    The three elders noticed the change immediately, their curiosity piqued. What could possibly leave Alban looking so unsettled? They had never seen him react this way before. They leaned in closer — and momentster, their own expressions froze in stunned silence.


    Was she even human?


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