Chapter 109: Blackmail

Dorian arched a single dark brow, a cold, mocking smile curling the corner of his lips. He should have known that Conri would reduce himself to something so desperate and pathetic.

"So you’re resorting to blackmail now?" he questioned, his voice dropping into an icy register. "I thought you said we were family at the end of the day."

"We are family!" Conri maintained. "And no, I am not blackmailing you. If I were truly blackmailing you, Dorian, I would be demanding that you step down from the throne and hand it over to Joffrey. That would be the ultimate blackmail."

Dorian’s eyes narrowed. That exact reason was precisely why he remained so deeply suspicious. Why was Conri refusing to use this information to its maximum potential?

"All I want is for my children to be accepted back into the fold," Conri continued solemnly. "A rightful place in the royal family. I know asking you to trust me is a far stretch, but you can start by giving Joffrey a chance to prove his loyalty."

"Joffrey went after my wife!" Dorian growled. "Just like he went after Elvira! If he tries anything funny this time, even the slightest step out of line, I swear to you, I will end his life myself."

"I give you my word," Conri vowed without a single flinch. "Joffrey is a completely changed man. If he tries anything funny, you have my full permission to do whatever you see fit."

A long stretch of silence reigned between them. The air in the study felt thick enough to draw blood. Dorian stared hard at Conri, his golden eyes sharp and piercing, meticulously reading every expression, every twitch of his jaw, before he finally spoke again.

"Who else knows about this?" he demanded. "Bethany? Joffrey?"

"No one else is aware," Conri lied smoothly. "Reynold brought the information strictly to me. I planned to tell you much sooner, but you wouldn’t even permit me or my family to set foot on your estate grounds."

Conri could see the exact moment Dorian began to weigh the proposal, and the subtle shift secretly filled him with dark pleasure. In truth, he could have used this information to force Dorian off the throne. But where was the true satisfaction in a quick victory?

He didn’t just want to unseat Dorian. He wanted to break him utterly and completely. He wanted to force the arrogant Alpha King to watch helplessly as he slowly stripped him of everything he cherished; his crown, his territory, his fragile hybrid wife, his very sanity! Every single thing!

So Conri’s grand strategy was simple: play the penitent uncle until Dorian slowly lowered his guard, and then unleash the ultimate betrayal, plunging a dagger straight into him when he least expected it.

"Before I accept your condition, there is one more thing I need to know," Dorian said finally, breaking the silence. "When Reynold told you about Alyssa’s identity, what did he say her other half was?"

Conri had been anticipating that exact question from the moment he walked into the estate. He put on the most ignorant, blank expression he could muster, shaking his head with a disappointed sigh.

"He didn’t say," he replied. "According to him, the stepmother died taking that secret to her grave. She refused to tell him what the girl’s other bloodline was, so he killed her. I honestly don’t know what your Luna’s other half is. If I did, Dorian, I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you."

Dorian nodded slowly. He turned away from Conri and settled back into the leather chair, his mind already piecing together a brutal counter-strategy.

Something in his gut told him Reynold Bennington knew far more than he had surrendered to Conri. He would simply have to hunt Reynold down and tear the full truth out of him.

"Very well," he muttered coldly. "I will send word for Joffrey, Serena, and Jenny before the Winter Solstice. They will be officially reinstated into the royal hierarchy."

Conri slowly rose to his feet, a triumphant smile stretching across his lips.

"I owe you my deepest thanks, Dorian."

"However," Dorian cut in sharply. "If I discover this is all an elaborate game, if you or your children give me even a single reason to doubt your loyalty, or if you endanger my Luna in any way, I will wreck total havoc on the entire Lowell bloodline. I will eradicate your line from the face of this earth. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, uncle."

"Clearly understood, nephew," Conri murmured, inclining his head. "In time, I truly hope you can come to trust me."

​"I highly doubt that," Dorian scoffed brutally. "Now listen to me carefully. Keep whatever was spoken inside this room strictly between us. You are the only living soul who holds this knowledge, so if it somehow leaks out, I will know without a shadow of a doubt that you revealed it."

"Understood," Conri nodded. "And what about Reynold? He knows everything, and he will undoubtedly strike again, especially now that his shapeshifter failed to kill the Luna."

"I will handle Reynold on my own," Dorian answered. "If I have to torture the answers out of him, I will. But his story had better tally perfectly with yours, uncle. Otherwise, you and I are going to have a very bloody problem."

Conri nodded sharply and bowed low with theatrical respect. "I am glad we could reach an understanding, Dorian. I shall take my leave now. Give my warmest regards to the Luna."

He turned and walked away, his cane thumping against the floor as he maintained the humble, grateful smile on his face.

But the moment the study door clicked shut behind him, the smile dropped. His face hardened into a mask of pure, bitter hatred.

He completely ignored the house guards who murmured greetings to him as he limped down the hallway and exited the mansion.

He climbed into his car and waited till he drove past the heavily guarded outer gates before pulling his phone from his pocket to dial a number.

The call was answered on the first ring. A deep, gravelly voice spoke from the speaker. "Sir Conri?"

"Do you still have eyes on Reynold?" Conri muttered coldly.

"Affirmative, Sir Conri," he voice responded. "We currently have his house completely surrounded, waiting for your command."

"Take the shot!" Conri commanded, his tone devoid of an ounce of mercy. "Kill him. Make sure he stays dead, and make it look like a tragic suicide. My dear nephew plans to question him, and I cannot allow that meeting to happen under any circumstances."

"Understood, Sir Conri. Consider it done."

Conri hung up the phone and flung it onto the passenger seat. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white as his foot pressed flat against the accelerator, sending the vehicle roaring down the winding mountain road.

With Reynold permanently erased from the chessboard, Conri could finally proceed with his main plan without the slightest fear of interruption or exposure.

Once Joffrey and his sisters were successfully reinstated into the royal hierarchy, they would serve as his eyes and ears inside the mansion, reporting every single that occurred.

Then, the takeover would begin. Before Dorian even realized his defences were breached, it would be far too late for him to stop it.

As he pulled into the driveway of his villa, his phone vibrated against the leather seat with an incoming text message. He snatched the device up, tapping the screen to reveal a message from his wife, Bethany.

{The rehab facility has finally accepted the offer. I will return to Wintercrest with Elvira in a week.}

A dark sneer cut across Conri’s features as he stared down at the glowing screen. His brilliant plan had just gotten way better.