Chapter 219: Secret son.

His words caused a sensation because the heir business had been a source of struggle in the family. This was a decision that affected the entire clan, not just the main family.

Grand Elder Simon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ten minutes. Not a second more." He didn’t know why they were making a fuss when Sabrina would use force to step up and take over. The patriarch of the main family, Ralf, was old and weaker than he used to be. Ever since Sabrina’s coup, he had become sidelined in the family business. It would not be a shock if his daughter rebelled in this meeting too.

The main family quickly retreated into a private room in the dining area. The moment the door slammed shut, the quiet family front completely melted away.

"You poisoned Derek, didn’t you?!" Alessa snapped, wheeling around to glare directly at Sabrina. "You knew father had chosen him as the rep, and you couldn’t bear to see that!"

Every single head in the room turned. Eyes narrowed. Everyone was thinking the exact same thing: Sabrina definitely did it.

"I didn’t do anything!" Sabrina screeched, throwing her hands in the air. "I swear on my life, I am completely innocent! Am I happy? Yes! But it was not me!"

For once in her life, she was actually telling the truth, but not a single member of her family believed her. While she did have a maid add something to Derek’s drink, it was just a tongue numbing toxin, rendering him unable to talk for a few hours. This stomach bug was not her doing.

Meanwhile, tucked away in the very back corner of the room, Lita was chewing on her fingernails so frantically she was practically eating her own knuckles. ’Please don’t look at me, please don’t look at me,’ she prayed internally, sweating bullets. She was sure the spray from the Divine Maiden had done this_ not Sabrina!

"Enough!" The Grand patriarch barked, cutting through the rising chaos. "We have no time for an in-house trial right now. Someone has to go out there and represent our family. I’ve carried this family on my back for decades, and it’s time someone else stepped up to take the opportunity."

Sabrina’s eyes flicked around the room before landing on one old man in the corner. She pointed an eager finger right at him.

"Elder Von!" she declared proudly. "Elder Von is clearly the best option!"

A collective groan washed over the family. Everyone felt instantly uncomfortable. It was no secret that Elder Von was Sabrina’s personal lapdog. If he went up there, he’d just do whatever corrupt bidding she asked of him. They all turned to the Grand patriarch, waiting for him to shut down such a ridiculous idea.

Instead, the old man smiled brightly. A little too brightly.

"Perfect," Ralf said cheerfully. "Let’s go back out, no time to waste." He led the way out, leaving the confused members of his follow to follow after him.

Back in the dining hall, the atmosphere was tense. It was time to name the young talents who had the potential to represent the clan in the competition. One by one, the other families proudly called out the names of their finest martial geniuses.

Finally, it was Elder Von’s turn to speak for the Kaelions.

Elder Von stood up, his knees visibly shaking. He hesitated, nervously glancing over at Sabrina. Sabrina gave him a sharp nod, mouthing the name: Elliot! Say Elliot!

Elder Von swallowed hard, cleared his scratchy throat, and said a name that shocked everyone: "Maverick."

Grand Elder Simon tilted his old head, cupping a hand over his ear. "Speak louder, Von. My ears aren’t what they used to be."

Elder Von closed his eyes and practically shouted, "MAVERICK KAELION!"

"Who the hell is that?!" Sabrina bellowed, jumping out of her seat, completely forgetting her manners.

Grand Patriarch Ralf stood up smoothly, adjusting his high-collared shirt with absolute calm. "That would be my son."

Gasps erupted across the entire gathering hall. People started whispering furiously behind their sleeves.

From the shadows behind Ralf, Maverick stepped forward. His face looked like it had been carved out of granite, and his eyes were cold enough to freeze a hot summer day. He bowed respectfully to the audience.

Sabrina burst out laughing, a sharp, hysterical sound. "That’s impossible! This man is a nobody! He doesn’t have a single drop of Kaelion blood! We are nobles!"

"I adopted him," Ralf replied smoothly, not even turning to face her. "It was a silent adoption. No need to make a big noise over family affairs, right?"

"A silent adoption?!" Sabrina growled, sounding like a wounded tiger ready to pounce. "Father, he is a fully grown man! How on earth can you just adopt a grown-ass man?! Besides, the Kaelion name was mother’s name, it is not yours to give."

Alessa casually leaned back, waving a friendly hand at the newcomer. "It’s not illegal, Sabrina. Father took on the Kaelion name legally, his children can too, whether they are from mother’s clan or not. Welcome to the family, Maverick!"

Elliot burst out laughing like a maniac. "Interesting!"

"Silence!" Grand Elder Simon thundered, slamming his wooden staff onto the floor. The hall instantly went quiet. "Grand Patriarch Ralf, explain please. You know the importance of bloodlines, especially in the main family."

Ralf stepped into the center of the ring. "If we want our clan to win this competition, our best choice would have been my grandson, Hunter. But since he isn’t here, Maverick is our strongest option. He is ex-special forces, trained in high-level combat, has a high-level half-life beast and is fully ready to fight for our honor. He’s tested and proved. We lost last year, and the year before, we were in third place. The Kaelion clan glory must come back home. He can always marry into the family if necessary."

Murmurs of approval rippled through the other family leaders.

"Ralf really cares about the clan’s future," an elder from another branch of the clan.

"To go as far as adopting a secret martial expert just to secure a win? Brilliant!" another agreed.

"I mean, other clan’s do this as well!" Another added.

Applause broke out in the hall.

Sabrina was practically foaming at the mouth. "This is ridiculous! My son, Elliot, is the best option here! He’s our only real chance to win!"

"He lost last time!" Someone shouted.

An Elder tsked, "And then broke the opponent’s spine out of furry! Such a disgrace."

"There are no laws!" Sabrina shouted, "Elliot is ready and you all know it!" She shrieked, shaking her head. She had paid these fools money_ a lot of it to back her son! What was this? This was not going according to plan.

Alessa smirked, leaning forward. "Well, if you’re so confident_ why don’t the young men spar right now to prove it? We’ll go with the winner."

Elliot, who had been sitting quietly beside his mother, suddenly swallowed extremely hard. He looked at Maverick_ who was staring back at him like a tiger looking at a piece of raw meat_ and then looked back at his mother.

Elliot furiously shook his head, making a frantic no way gesture with his eyes. His mother could not defeat Maverick, so how did she expect him to do so?

"No!" Sabrina blurted out instantly. "No sparring! My son does not need to prove a thing. I say he is the representative and that’s final."