Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 1980

The subordinate repeated, "Mr. Burke is dead! He was killed by Andrew. The Hopkins family just sent word."

After he heard the report, Maurice was finally certain his ears were not playing tricks on him. Nonetheless, while his hearing was fine, his heart gave a painful jolt, and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

"That bastard really dared to attack the Driscoll family! I didn't think he'd actually have the guts to do it!" Maurice growled through clenched teeth, his voice rising into a furious roar.

Walter's death was, at best, a mild loss to him. The man had been a loyal servant for decades, yes, but to someone like Maurice, who was long accustomed to power plays and betrayal, loyal dogs were easy to replace.

What truly stung was not the man's life, but the insult to the family's reputation.

Walter had been the Driscoll family's chief steward and the leader of the Shadow Division. For him to be hunted down and killed by Andrew was undoubtedly a hard slap to the Driscoll family's face.

"Exterminate!" Maurice snarled. "An eye for an eye. Hit him the way he hit us!"

After the initial wave of rage passed, his eyes turned ice-cold. "Tonight, the entire Shadow Division will storm The Sovereign Residences and wipe Serenity Villa off the map. If this little brat wants to play, we'll play to the very end."

Two Shadow Division enforcers knelt before him, their voices in unison. "Yes, sir!"

Maurice continued, "Walter's dead, but I assume the Hopkins family is fine. What about Diego and Timothy? Are they on their way to Blumedale to follow orders?"

The two men exchanged a heavy look, both seeing the discomfort in the other's eyes.

One of them spoke reluctantly. "Sir, Mr. Hopkins Senior says the Hopkins family suffered heavy losses. It might take at least ten days before they can come to aid the Driscoll family."

"Just now, word came from Mr. Edison's side that Andrew went straight to his door," Scarlett said, her voice trembling. "Mr. Edison fought to the death but was defeated and killed."

The room went silent. Maurice didn't speak.

His expression froze instantly, as if someone had struck a pressure point.

Edison, by seniority, outranked Maurice. He had been considered the family's second most important figure, just beneath Maurice himself. Though his martial skill had never been top-tier and Scarlett herself could outmatch him, his prestige and influence within the Driscoll family far outweighed any of the younger generation.

Maurice's position as the family's leader was in no small part thanks to Edison's backing. And now, this crucial right-hand man had followed Walter to the grave, both killed by Andrew.