<b>Chapter </b><b>586 </b>
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Sheldon led a group toward Sebastian’s warship, and sure enough, there she was–Raze’s mother, standing right at the bow.
As soon as she spotted Sheldon, she waved her arms impatiently.
“Sheldon! Where’s Raze? What’s taking him so long toe get me? I traveled all this way across the sea, and now I have to stand here roasting in the sun? I’m about to pass out from the heat!”
Raze’s mother was known for her fiery temper. Sheldon kept a respectful <i>tone</i>, replying,
“Ma’am, please wait inside the cabin where it’s cooler. I’ll go let Raze know and bring him here.”
“You mean you can’t just take me over now?”
“We’ve still got a few things to deal with. Just a little longer, please.”
Sheldon quickly returned and reported everything to Raze. The moment Raze heard that Sebastian had really brought his mother, his face turned dark as night.
“Despicable! Despicable! Despicable!”
He spat the word three times through clenched teeth, eyes locked on Sebastian like he wanted to crack his skull open.
“I didn’t think you knew the meaning of ‘despicable,‘ Mr. Raze. Seems you’re more fluent in Chinese than I thought,” Sebastian said coolly.
With the advantage now in Sebastian’s hands, the bnce of power had shifted. Both sides had cards on the table–it was time to negotiate.
“Why did you bring my mother? If anything happens to her, I swear, I’ll make you pay.”
Raze was furious just thinking about it. His mother had a heart condition–any stress or mishap during the trip could have been fatal.
“I understand your concern, Raze. It’s exactly how I felt when you kidnapped my wife.
“If all you wanted was my life, you could’ve taken it long ago. You wouldn’t have needed to go through all this trouble, setting up such aplicated trap.
“So don’t tell me all this was just for me and my wife. That’s hard to believe.
“I’m sure you have other goals. So how about we stop dancing around and have an honest
16:02 Wed, 3 Sept
conversation? Let’s see what my life–and hers–is actually worth to you.”
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No one at ck Wolf Fortress really wanted mutual destruction. Sheldon jumped in at the right time.
“Why not talk now? Lay all the conditions on the table. Let’s see what he’s really offering.”
At this point, Raze had already lost his upper hand. Dragging things out, or worse, triggering a fight,
would be disastrous.
And his mother–he only had one.
It burned him up inside, but he gritted his teeth and said,
“Fine. We’ll negotiate.”
Sheldon gestured,
“Mr. Vanderbilt, this way, please.”
The two sides finally sat down across a long table to begin talks.
Sebastian nced around the ck Wolf Fortress base and let out a low whistle.
“This ce doesn’t quite measure up to your old base in the North, does it?”
“Hmph.” Raze shot him a sharp re.
“Thanks to you.”
It was a loaded question and they both knew it. They were northerners–of course they didn’t belong
out here in the southern seas.
They’d been forced to flee <i>to </i>Crescent Ind to escape The Obsidian Order. Now they were practically pirates.
“My conflict with ck Wolf Fortress didn’t start for no reason. You brought it on yourselves. So of
course we hit back hard.”
Sebastian took a breath and continued.
“But if we keep going like this–me killing you, you killing me, your men seeking revenge, my family seeking revenge–when does it end?
“So instead of dragging this out forever, let’s have a serious discussion. Is there a way we can settle this?”
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Sebastian wasn’t just looking to stop the bleeding–he wanted to cure the wound entirely.
Unless ck Wolf Fortress gave up on revenge, he and his family would never know peace. Ambushes, sneak attacks… they’d never be able to rest.
“Settle our hatred with a few words?” Raze scoffed.
“You took my only brother. And didn’t your father and uncle both walk free in the end?”
“I know it’s not easy to let go. So let’s talk aboutpensation.”
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“Fine! I want our northern territory back. And I want KM International <i>Group </i>to be under our control- unconditionally–for the next fifty years!”
Raze wasn’t negotiating. He was making demands like a warlord.
Sebastian shook his head.
“I’ll return your northern territory. But KM International Group will never be under your thumb again.”
Bang!
Raze mmed his hand on the table.
“Then there’s nothing left to discuss.”
In an instant, all his men raised their weapons, aiming straight at Sebastian.
On the watchtower, Caitlin’s heart clenched as she watched everything unfold.
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Sheldon was startled and quickly stepped in.
“Raze! Come on, calm down! Let’s talk this through!” He waved at the men, signaling them to lower their guns.
Sebastian didn’t flinch. He stared Raze down.
“You’ve said what you want. Now it’s my turn.”
“You’re in no position to make demands.”
“And yet, I’m the one holding your dearest mother on my ship, And your men? Their wives and children are still up north. Or have you all forgotten about them?”
Sebastian’s words hit hard. Sheldon raised an eyebrow.
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“Mr. Vanderbilt… Are you saying you didn’t kill our families?”
“That’s right. I never ordered the killing of your loved ones. If you return to the North, they’ll be waiting for you.”
The men looked around at each other, stunned. Their expressions shiftedplicated, uncertain.
Who wants to live in exile? Who wouldn’t want to go home, to be with their family?
Sebastian’s words struck a nerve. Deep down, they all wanted to go back.
Raze hadn’t expected this. He thought his mother was the only bargaining chip Sebastian had. He’d assumed their families had been wiped out. But now\…
“And why should I believe you?”
Sebastian had anticipated the doubt. He pulled out his phone and yed a video.
“Here. This was recorded by The Obsidian Order right before I left. Take a look.”
The video yed scenes from their homnd–familiar buildings, familiar streets. Women, elderly folks, and children looked into the camera, some waving, others holding signs.
They all said the same thing: they missed their families. They wanted them toe home.
The voices of their wives and children broke through whatever walls they’d put up. Some men had tears in their eyes. Some looked away, fists clenched.
Raze didn’t speak. Not for a long time.
Sheldon finally said,
“Mr. Vanderbilt, thank <i>you </i>for not harming them. On behalf of all of us from the North… thank you.”
Sebastian saw the tide turning and struck while the iron was hot.
“Raze. If we keep this feud going, there’s only one ending–mutual destruction. Is that really what you
want?
“If you’re willing to let me and my wife go, to let the past die here, then I’ll return the northern territory to you. You’ll be free to go home and reunite with your families.
“What do you say?”
Everyone turned to look at Raze.
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Waiting for his answer.
But Raze… didn’t look convinced.