[Present Time]

"How about, before you start your coup, you all get down on your knees and beg for a better way to die?"

Before anyone could react, the sliding door from the adjoining room suddenly opened. Everyone turned instinctively toward the sharp sound.

There, seated just beside the room where the meeting was unfolding, was Lucian.

He sat calmly on a tatami chair, quietly eating at a low rectangular table.

As usual, his expression remained unchanged. There was no trace of anger, shock, or anything one would normally expect. If anything, he looked perfectly composed as he elegantly used his chopsticks to pick up small portions of food.

"Ma— Master!" Dante blurted out in shock, his complexion already turning pale.

Everyone’s eyes widened as their mouths opened and closed like fish out of water. Beads of sweat instantly formed along their backs, and their shoulders stiffened.

Yet aside from that, none of them managed to utter another word.

As for Hector, the shock on his face lasted only briefly. His expression quickly darkened as he glanced toward Lukas, who was blatantly smirking at him smugly.

Picking up the teacup he had filled earlier, Lukas quietly rose to his feet and walked into the adjoining room to join Lucian. Once seated beside him, he politely placed the teacup near the big boss.

"You—" Vincent hissed as Lukas casually raised a brow at them.

Meanwhile, Dante clasped both hands tightly against the table before lowering his head. His face twisted in dread while his heart pounded violently against his chest.

"This is exactly what I kept warning you about," he hissed through gritted teeth while glaring daggers at Vincent.

It had been Vincent’s idea to invite Lukas there, confidently assuring everyone that Lukas would attend without informing Lucian.

His reasoning?

Simple.

Lukas’s personality.

Or at least, that was what they had been led to believe.

Alejandro ground his teeth as he scanned everyone in the room before shifting his gaze back toward the adjoining room. Lucian had not spared them even a single glance. He simply continued eating quietly and calmly, as though he were not involved in any of this.

But before Alejandro could speak further, another voice echoed through the room.

"A... lost cause?"

Everyone — including Hector — immediately turned their shaky eyes toward the source of the voice.

Standing beside the sliding door was Gustav.

"Damn it!" Alejandro hissed as he scrambled to his feet without thinking.

Only a fool would resist in a situation like this. If Lucian, Gustav, and Lukas were all gathered in the same place they were never supposed to be, then this entire meeting was already compromised.

Which also meant Dominion’s people were likely already surrounding the temple.

THUD!

Alejandro barely made it into the adjoining room before dropping to the floor and crawling forward as quickly as he could. He stopped just several steps away from Lucian, his forehead slamming hard against the floor with a loud thud.

"Master, forgive me! I didn’t want to be here — I was forced into this!" he shouted frantically. "I was threatened!"

Seeing that, Vincent and Dante exchanged horrified looks, their hearts sinking instantly.

Before another word could even be exchanged, both men scrambled to their knees and hurriedly crawled toward the adjoining room where Lucian sat eating.

Just like Alejandro, they slammed their foreheads against the floor. The pain clearly did not matter anymore.

"Master, mercy!" Vincent gasped desperately. "I— I must have lost my mind for a moment to agree to such a ridiculous plan! Please give me a chance to make things right!"

Then he froze, quickly shaking his head.

"I’ll leave my position immediately! I’ve devoted almost my entire life to Dominion! Aside from this mistake, I’ve always been loyal to you!"

"I didn’t have a choice!" Dante exclaimed. "I’ll surrender the Southern Internal Branch without resistance! Please spare me for this moment of foolishness!"

As they begged, their voices overlapped into a desperate chorus.

Lucian paid them no attention as he continued eating while occasionally checking the time. It was mealtime, after all. He had promised his wife he would eat properly while away.

Though admittedly, he wished he were eating one of the packed lunches Ashley made for him instead.

Meanwhile, Lukas sat comfortably in his spot, happily enjoying the spectacle before him.

"How quickly people change their tone," he mused gleefully. "It never ceases to amaze me!"

Unlike Lukas, Gustav simply stared coldly at the men kneeling on the floor. His gaze lingered on the backs of their necks as though silently imagining where he would cut.

"Just moments ago, all of you were so lively," Lukas remarked as he pulled out his phone.

He paused the recording before replaying the earlier part of their conversation.

The moment their own voices echoed throughout the room, the three men kowtowing for forgiveness froze in terror.

Slowly, they looked up, dread written all over their faces as they saw the smug expression plastered across Lukas’s face while he held up the phone.

"Pfft—"

Lukas snorted before pausing the recording again. Straightening his posture, he smiled in satisfaction as he looked down at them.

"See? You were all very lively earlier." He tilted his head slightly. "Anyway, where were we again?"

He pretended to think for a moment before nodding.

"Right. You were talking about the murder of the late Madam."

Lukas smirked, raising a brow as he leaned slightly to one side.

"So what about it?" he continued mockingly. "She was murdered and has already been dead for a long time. The way she died doesn’t matter anymore because..."

His smile widened coldly. "Doesn’t that simply make her the loser?"

Gustav shot Lukas a sidelong glance but said nothing. He merely shifted his eyes back toward the dreadful expressions on the older men’s faces.

It was the first time both Gustav and Lukas had heard about this alleged truth, but it was nowhere near enough to change how they viewed their boss.

Sure, they had always believed Lucian deeply cherished his mother. But even if reality differed from what they once knew, it ultimately did not matter to them.

At the end of the day, these accusations would never erase Lucian’s achievements, his merits, or the heights he had brought Dominion to — heights none of the previous dons or madams had ever managed to reach.

"Have you eaten?"

Finally, Lucian broke his silence.

He turned slightly toward the people kneeling before him, but his gaze passed over them entirely and landed directly on Hector, who remained seated where he was.

"Join me, Hector," Lucian invited calmly. "For this last meal we will ever share."