Chapter 258 - 257: Strange Way to Die_1
Chapter 258: Chapter 257: Strange Way to Die_1
Translator: 549690339
The Leopold Family were all overjoyed, even Whitley Leopold’s pervading gloom lifted, becoming excited.
During this period, the Leopold Family had suffered continuous failures, faced united encirclement and suppression from all fronts in the business arena, and fractures had even begun to appear internally. Many clan members had lost trust in the family and had started to seek other ways out.
In the face of such a situation, Whitley Leopold could only turn a blind eye, knowing that people’s hearts were never something that could be forced.
However, in his view, this was also a good thing. After all, the Leopold Family had been too comfortable for hundreds of years, never having a competitor capable of threatening them, which had led the clan members to become arrogant, extravagant, and dismissive of everything.
Besides, given the size of the Leopold Family, they could not be brought down simply by the alliance of Miguel Abbott and Stanislaus Potter. A skinny camel was still bigger than a horse, and the Leopold Family had a strong economic foundation from centuries of stable development.
The only thing that troubled him was the mysterious appearance of Julius Reed.
This man had no background that could be checked, yet he had managed to offend all the major bosses in Five-river Province one by one, and then arrived in Five-river Province alone, unharmed!
Extorting Maurice Yarrow and Miguel Abbott, he asked for several billion with a single word, and these two tycoons actually showed no sign of resistance and agreed directly.
Miguel Abbott was even worse; his favorite daughter got beaten up badly, and despite being humiliated in front of everyone, he not only didn’t get angry but also paid an additional sum of money. Moreover, when Julius Reed first arrived in Five-river Province, Abbott had come out to welcome him and took the initiative to show goodwill.
It would seem that the Moonlight Group was one of the leading players in Five-river Province, both powerful and sizable.
Whitley Leopold could not understand what had made Octavius such a judgment.
According to the common way of thinking, someone of high status who lived a life of luxury and was now humiliated would definitely want to regain face!
Moreover, once the fact that they had been extorted got out, it would be a huge blow to Abbott’s personal reputation.
Yet, against such a backdrop, faced with an unfounded young man, Abbott made the extremely correct decision to befriend, not to oppose!
No other boss in Five-river Province would have been able to do that!
In fact, Whitley Leopold was already regretting it. Even though Julius Reed had been captured by Master Pendleton, the price the Leopold Family had paid was too high.
The future successor, Atlas Leopold, had been beaten into disability, essentially unable to re-enter the core circle of the Leopold Family. Furthermore, the internal conflicts had led to heavy losses during the plan to strike Stanislaus Potter secretly and rescue Fernando Leopold.
Later on, hiring three top experts, each came with a sky-high price!
And right from the start, Master Pendleton asked for ten billion. Although it was extremely painful for the Leopold Family, they had no choice but to pay the money.
But fortunately, Julius Reed was finally dead, and the Leopold Family could chalk up another victory, bringing the people’s hearts together!
“Old Patriarch, why do I feel something isn’t quite right?”
A bodyguard, following closely beside Whitley Leopold, asked cautiously.
He had followed the Leopold Family for many years, grappling with life and death on numerous occasions, and his sense of danger was exceptionally sharp.
“What isn’t right? Malcolm, you needn’t overthink it. With Master Pendleton’s intervention, no matter who it is, they’ll be caught without fail!”
Whitley Leopold was immersed in joy and didn’t realize anything amiss.
After all, with Julius Reed captured, the greatest enemy of the Leopold Family had been swept away, and he had no interest in other matters.
“Old Patriarch, I indeed feel something is off! But, I can’t quite put my finger on it; this villa feels very strange today!”
Malcolm, still obstinate after what Whitley said, continued to express his thoughts.
“Old Patriarch, now that Malcolm mentions it, I just realized, where are the guards in this villa?”
Fernando Leopold looked around, his brow furrowed, and asked, “How many guards do we have stationed here in our Leopold Family?”
“Forty-seven men! All of them capable, ex-boxers.” replied Malcolm after a moment’s thought.
The Leopold Family had many such villas, and Whitley Leopold often had no fixed abode, to prevent those with malicious intent from knowing his whereabouts and plotting assassinations.
And the one responsible for arranging the guards was Malcolm!
Because Master Pendleton had taken up residence, more than twenty guards were drawn away to reinforce the old master’s security. After all, with someone as formidable as Master Pendleton, there was no need for bodyguards to assist.
“Over forty people, so why can’t I see a single one?”
Atlas Leopold swept his gaze around and saw no sign of anyone.
The gate was left wide open, which allowed them effortless entry into the villa.
“Atlas, now that you mention it, something does seem off! Such a large villa must have many guards; at the very least, they should have come out to greet us when we got out of the car.”
Whitley Leopold, leaning on a Boss cane, furrowed his brows deep in thought.
“Call someone!”
He turned and looked at Malcolm Percival.
The latter nodded and blew a loud whistle.
But there was dead silence throughout the villa; not a sound could be heard!
After witnessing this, Malcolm Percival blew the whistle again!
Yet after the sound dissipated, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, with no response whatsoever.
However, at the gate, there were no traces of a struggle, and besides, the Leopold Family had two masters in attendance—chaos was simply impossible!
“Call Atlas North!”
Whitley Leopold commanded with a frown.
“Understood!”
Malcolm Percival immediately took out his phone and called Atlas North.
But after several rings, there was no answer from the other end of the line.
“What on earth is going on!”
Whitley Leopold slammed his cane onto the ground in anger and bellowed, “What’s happening! Everyone is gone, and you have no clue about the situation! What if one day someone points a gun at my head, and you don’t even know who’s behind it!”
In that grand villa, with dozens of people, the fact that not even one was reachable drove Whitley Leopold to the edge of rage!
“Alright! Old master, please calm your anger. I’ll go check things out right away!”
Malcolm Percival wiped the cold sweat from his forehead hastily and took out his gear; he and several bodyguards headed deeper into the villa.
The deeper he went, the more unsettled he became. The villa was too spacious, as if it had been uninhabited for a long time.
This was utterly not right!
By the time he went further inside, he was so shocked that he was speechless!
Several bodyguards were neatly kneeling on the ground, forming a circle.
Every face was turned toward the center with an expression of sheer bliss, as if each person had found peace.
What shocked him even more was that the sharp weapons in their hands were all turned on themselves, striking at vital points—it absolutely didn’t appear to be the work of an assailant!
A complete suicide!
A suicide done willingly!
Malcolm Percival swallowed hard, his back tingling with numbness. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Quick… get the old master here! Wait… call someone to check around first, see if there’s any danger. Once it’s safe, then bring the old master!”