Chapter 76: Taking The Edge From The Dagger.

Leo picked up Snow from her school, and the latter asked, "Did Symphony come on time?" Leo nodded and replied, "Yes, she did, however, I am worried about something else." Snow asked, "What do you mean?" Leo sighed as he drove the car, and said, "Call me paranoid, but your family should be aware of the Primal family being enemies with us, right? What if that wacko Spring went to meet that dog Carole? It would cause us some trouble." Snow shook her head and replied, "You haven’t yet understood the level of ego and pride that the Marlins have. They would prefer dying but never ask anyone else to help them. Do you think if they worked like this the royal family of the Stag Nation would hold them in such a high regard? My father is a Lance of Prosperity." Leo raised his eyes and asked, "Are you complimenting your father?" Snow shook her head and replied, "No dummy, Lance of Prosperity is a title given to someone who handles the tasks like acquiring tech, resources, businesses, and other things to ensure the prosperity of the nation, by any means necessary." Leo remarked, "You know that he does sound like a government recognized mafia in plain language, right?" Snow nodded and replied, "If you say it to their faces, they might thank you for the compliment. The things they have done over the years have been anything but simple." Leo’s expression turned somber and he asked, "Can you tell me how things work there? After all, he is your father." Snow looked outside the window and said, "The first step is to acquire things through a legal route, without any trouble to anyone, and even pay in appropriate compensation." Leo nodded, and Snow continued, "Second is pressurizing the target. It could be digging dirt on the target to blackmail them, kidnapping someone from the family, or if the assignment demands, killing someone important to the target." Leo gripped the steering wheel tighter and asked in a solemn tone, "For real?" Snow nodded and said, "In the chain of command, Spring is called the Needle. She usually handles the acquisition legally." Leo questioned, "Who handles the forceful means?" The young lady said, "Trevor." As she said this, her hands trembled. Leo noticed this and quickly held her hand before he asked, "Is he that dangerous?" Snow nodded, and took a deep breath before calming herself down, and asked, "You remember the scar on my back?" Leo nodded as he said, "That faint mark that you always say is a birthmark?" Snow smiled bitterly and nodded, as she continued while looking outside the window, "It wasn’t a birthmark, Trevor gave it to me when I was ten. I was sitting in the garden when one of his hounds broke the leash and attacked my caretaker. I poured a kettle of hot water at the hound to make it stop. The hound was hurt and it ran away, later that night Trevor found out what happened and he came to the dining hall. My father was there but he didn’t say anything when Trevor burned my back with his cigar. I was wailing and crying but none of them stopped. To them, I was even less important than a dog that went mad from rabies. So, I would rather just think of that scar as a birthmark." Leo clenched his fist and blood rushed to his brain. He was silent the entire way home. Snow sensed his emotional turmoil, but she couldn’t say anything, after all, she had been suppressing the same rage in her heart all these years. They parked the car, and Leo said, "Snow, if he comes to Clover Nation and tries to make a move against us, would you hold me responsible for countering?" Snow shook her head and said, "My father married into my mother’s family. Spring and Trevor are the children from his first marriage. They aren’t my real siblings. You can act however you want. " Leo was surprised and asked, "How can they disown you then?" Snow clicked her tongue and replied, "It is because my mother’s family has gained a lot of wealth and prestige since my father came into picture. They are willing to accommodate him as long as he is useful. The world of the rich and powerful is never run by emotions but by riches and power. So, I had no value. The only person who might still care about me is my mother, who is unable to do anything. After all, if she said anything, won’t the family disown her as well." Leo nodded and sighed as he said, "Your family dynamics are literally crazy." Sёarch* The nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Snow smiled faintly as they both entered the house. They found that Symphony was tutoring Lily about Piano, but Leo frowned after hearing a few notes. He walked up to them and asked, "Where did you learn the piano?" His sudden appearance startled Symphony and she played a note a bit too loud. Snow turned over to look at them and asked, "What happened?" Leo replied calmly, "I was listening to them play just now, although her technique is nice, the notes she played are wrong. So, I wanted to ask where she learned to play." Snow nodded and asked, "Symphony, where did you learn to play the piano, child?" The young lady timidly replied, "My grandfather used to play, he has a wall piano at home, but I cannot play much now, the piano doesn’t work, and that’s why I misplayed the notes." Leo smiled and said, "I see, you can practice here with Lily, but only after I have finished giving her lessons, you can learn from the side and come up to ask any doubts." Symphony was surprised and confused, she didn’t expect Leo to offer something like this. She shook her head and replied, "Sir, I can’t afford Piano lessons, they are very costly." Leo chuckled and waved his hands as he said, "Don’t worry about it, teaching you at the same time as Lily doesn’t make much of a difference." While he had many concerns on his mind, he didn’t forget to groom Symphony as a weapon that he needed against Carole Primal. Snow knew his purpose and didn;t stop him instead she encouraged him. The night was deepening and the Symphony stood up to bid farewell. Leo assigned a guard to drop her off, they had dinner and then Lily went to sleep. Snow saw Leo grabbing his laptop and went to her room as well. Her mood was heavy because of her family, she put up a brave front in front of Leo but her heart was unsettled. Leo entered the Dark web, found information on Trevor Marlins, and then he designed a small program that would alert him as soon as Trevor entered the country. Since this man was coming over with ill intentions there was a big chance that he wouldn’t come through the legal route. Leo couldn’t control them, but he knew who could. He picked up his phone and called Mark, the taskmaster for the Pristine Security Company. The call connected in an instant and the person said, "Hello, President. Is there something you need, Sir?" Leo replied, "Can you track Trevor Marlins for me?" Mark exclaimed and asked, "You mean the dagger of the Marlins, Sir?" Leo nodded and affirmed with a yes. Mark replied, "He is an old customer and an hour ago he contacted our asset in the Clover nation to buy some supplies." Leo sneered and asked, "Do you know why he is asking you for all this?" Mark shook his head and replied, "Sir, we can’t ask them what they want to, it’s bad for business." Leo chuckled and said, "He is coming over to target me, haven’t you investigated me, Mark?" The taskmaster was surprised and then quickly recalled Leo’s data, he said, "Sir, I will inform the asset to not go through with the deal. It is our mistake." Leo clicked his tongue and said, "This last moment denial is also something bad for the business, Mark. Let them go through with the deal, but I want to know every step that Trevor takes in the Clover nation. Do you understand? I want to be one step ahead of him." Mark thought and shivered, this man, Leo, was too cunning, he wanted to play the pig and hunt the tiger. He gulped and replied, "Understood Sir, I will get you the updates directly." Leo nodded and said, "Since you can arrange weapons for Trevor, find a legal way to get some for the security detail here as well. I don’t want to lose to some two dime murderer." Mark chuckled nervously and said, "I will inform the general manager about this." Leo finished the call and he sighed with relief, thinking that his enemy wanted to make a move against him and they chose his own knife. What a lucky coincidence. ’Ping: Host, please resolve the dangerous situation without involving your daughter. This will save her from trauma and you will be rewarded with a weapon license.’ Leo was surprised but then he nodded and accepted the task.