Arriving at the drawing room, Frank saw a familiar face that he had just met recently.


    "Oh, it''s you?"


    Ste was seated primly on the couch, scowling even as a servant brought her tea.


    "To what do I owe the pleasure?"


    Frank asked as he sat downfortably on the couch, leveling an interested look at the woman who was somehowpletely different than when he saw her days ago.


    If she had been haughty and endlessly confident about being an heiress of the Favonis, she was now the image of someone beaten.


    Her eyes were bloodshot even as she looked up, rasping, "F-Frank Lawrence, I''vee to apologize."


    "Apologize?"


    Frank was left dumbstruck by her words, not expecting Ste toe all this way to apologize.


    Still, he shook his head andughed. "Well, you don''t like you''re really apologizing! The public really have a lot to say about me these days, about me being a disgrace to all martial artists and whatnot." "It''s my family and my brother''s excuse."


    Ste apologized anxiously, apologizing and quickly leveling Frank a pleading look. "It was all Gerry''s fault, and you''ve avenged yourself after killing him. But I came to apologize for no other reason than to ask that you spare my brother''s life..."


    "Spare your brother''s life?"


    Frank snorted and asked coolly, "Why should I? He''s getting quite full of himself, bragging to everyone that he would make despicable me pay... And I wonder, even if I let him live, would you do the same to me?"


    Frank''s retort left Ste flinching, and she bit her own lips so hard that she could bleed.


    "Just go." Frank waved her off, feeling a little exasperated. "Your family is bent on taking me down in the name of justice, and so be it. I don''t care how others see me anyway, but they must be ready to pay since they are the ones who started down this path."This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    "N-No!"


    Ste sprang to her feet and stopped Frank from leaving.


    She struggled with herself and finally told him why she had to stop him.


    The Favonis were divided into two factions.


    Ste''s brother and father were leading the independent faction,


    which had taken the difficult path of striving to make something for themselves in Draconia.


    The other faction-consisting of Ste''s uncles and the rest-opted to ally themselves to one of the major sects in the South Sea.


    And one such offer came to them from none other than Hundred Bane Sect.


    To entice that Favoni faction, Hundred Bane Sect provided them with many Blood Centipede Pills.


    The pill enhanced a person''s attributes and cultivation, and many Favoni martial artists took it.


    But as it turned out, nothing really came for free the Favonis who dissected and studied the pill in secret found miniscule blood centipedervae residing in the pill. Once the pill was consumed, therva wouldtch on to the host''s


    meridian nexus.


    It would provide substantial pure vigor to the host for a while, helping them ascend, but no one could tell what adverse effects it would bring.


    As such, the Favonis were now in a dilemma.


    If Frank defeated-or worse, killed Jaden the independent faction


    would fall and the entire famil


    would be reduced to vassals of Hundred Bane Sect.


    When that happened...


    The very thought gave Ste the creeps. She would rather die than allow her body to be a breeding ce for vermin!