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Chapter_248
Kai and Queenie were still catching their breath when they stepped into the grand living room of the Watson mansion. The air was thick with tension. Every senior member of the family was already there, seated in rigid silence.
Queenie blinked in surprise when her eyes landed on two familiar faces.
“Mom? Dad?” she gasped. “What are you doing back in the country?”
Her parents had been overseas for months, busy managing their business empire and preparing for an important international conference. Their sudden return was as unexpected as it was alarming.
Walter Watson, the family patriarch, answered in his usual grave tone from the central sofa. “I summoned them back.”
Without another word, Queenie quickly made her way to her mother’s side and sat beside her.
Kevin Watson, Queenie’s father, turned to his own father. “Everyone’s here now, Father. Please, tell us what’s going on.”
Walter’s gaze swept across the room like a blade.
The atmosphere grew heavier. No one dared meet his eyes.
Kai leaned back with his usual nonchalance and lit a cigarette, the flick of the lighter the only sound in the room.
Then Walter dropped the bomb.
“Howard Lane is dead.”
Kai froze mid-motion, cigarette halfway to his lips.
He stared at Walter, stunned.
Walter narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t been in touch with Simon lately, have you?”
Kai’s gaze dropped, avoiding the question.
Queenie’s face twisted in unease. George and Janson, seated nearby, exchanged tense glances.
Everyone knew the truth: Kai and Simon had spoken just the day before.
Walter picked up on it instantly. “Bastard…” he muttered under his breath, fury bubbling beneath his calm exterior.
Before the situation could spiral, Kellan Watson—Howard’s uncle and a fierce protector of his late brother’s son—spoke up to shift the focus. “How did Howard die, Father?”
Walter’s voice was low and controlled, but each word struck like a hammer. “Last night, Howard, along with Nutcracker, Giant, and the Unibrow Juggernaut of the Green Bamboo Association, were all killed.”
His eyes remained locked on Kai the entire time.
He wasn’t finished. He had received a troubling report: Simon Lane had been seen outside the Zabel residence the night before—alongside thirty grandmasters.
Walter wasn’t just angry. He was afraid. If Kai had been involved in Simon’s plans, the entire Watson family could be drawn into a war they weren’t ready for.
Queenie, sensing the delicate line her grandfather was walking, tried to defuse the situation with logic. She clutched her mother’s arm gently and spoke in a thoughtful tone. “Grandfather… the Smiling Grim Reaper showed up at the Zabels’ last night and mentioned having a mission. What if that mission was the assassination of Howard and the juggernauts?”
Walter’s frown deepened. He inhaled deeply and replied, “The Smiling Grim Reaper remained at the Zabel residence the entire night. No one saw him leave. Howard and the others died elsewhere. So their killer… remains unknown.”
That was what truly infuriated him.
If the Smiling Grim Reaper had been responsible, Walter would’ve accepted it—he had no quarrel with the assassin, and the Watsons wouldn’t be in danger. But this… this stank of something else. Something far more personal. And dangerous.
What if it had been Nash Calcraft?
Walter had spent the entire night connecting the dots.
It started with Crow’s death at Nash’s hands. That had triggered the Green Bamboo Association’s mobilization. Six of their juggernauts had descended on Jonford.
Hidden-Ghost Juggernaut had stormed the Zabel martial arts school with backup.
Meanwhile, Grim-Faced Juggernaut had arrived with his granddaughter, Wanda York, to challenge Bianca Lawson—the reigning champion and close friend of Hera Lewis.
All of it circled back to one person: Nash.
And now, with Howard and three juggernauts dead, Walter feared that Nash might have just dragged the Watson family into the line of fire.