Saintess's Worthless Husband Turned Dragon Commander novel Chapter 204

CHAPTER 153 PART 2

“Make me your little sister,” Ives said suddenly. “Not blood, obviously. But like… your subordinate? Your ally? I don’t know the right word. Just-let me work for you instead of my father.”

The silence that followed was profound.

Miguel’s cigarette actually fell from his lips. “Ives, have you lost your mind?”

“Maybe!” Ives laughed wildly. “Maybe I finally found it! I’m sick of being a pawn in everyone else’s game! At least if I’m working for Marcus, I’m working for someone who actually has power!”

“You’d betray your own family?” Marcus’s dragon eyes studied her carefully.

“They’d sell me to the highest bidder without blinking,” Ives shot back. “At least you’d only use me if I was actually useful. That’s more honest than anything my family’s ever done.”

Marcus was quiet for a moment, then spoke with brutal honesty. “You’re impulsive. Emotional. Dramatic. You’d be a liability, not an asset.”

“Then teach me!” Ives’s desperation was obvious now. “Train me. Make me better. I learn fast when I’m not being coddled and controlled!”

“Absolutely not,” Miguel interjected firmly. “Boss, this is inappropriate. She’s my niece, she’s emotionally unstable right now, and-”

“Miguel.” Ives turned to her uncle, her eyes suddenly cold. “Tell me honestly. If Marcus ordered you to disown me, would you do it?”

Miguel’s face went pale. “That’s not-”

“Would you?” Ives pressed.

The silence stretched. Finally, Miguel spoke quietly. “Yes. If it meant keeping his favor, I would cut ties with anyone. Even you.”

Ives nodded, unsurprised but clearly hurt. “That’s what I thought. So don’t pretend you’re protecting me out of love. You’re protecting the family’s investment in Marcus’s goodwill.”

She turned back to Marcus. “I know what I’m asking. I know I’m not impressive. But I’m asking anyway. Let me prove I can be useful.”

Marcus studied her-really studied her. Beneath the drama and desperation, he saw something potentially valuable. Ives Abbott knew the inner workings of Five- River Province’s elite families. She had connections, information, access.

“One chance,” he said finally. “And only one. Prove you can be useful right now, or this conversation ends and you never approach me again.”

Ives’s face lit up. “Yes! Anything!”

“Information.” Marcus’s tone turned businesslike. “What do you know about current movements among the young masters? Atlas Lancaster specifically.”

Ives’s excitement dimmed slightly, replaced by calculation. “Atlas… he’s planning something. Tonight. There’s this party-Elize Yarrow’s ‘Liberation Assembly’ or whatever she’s calling it. Supposed to be her friends supporting her after the scandal.”

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“And?”

“And Atlas is going to crash it.” Ives’s voice grew more confident as she spoke. “I heard it from Haddon Michael’s sister. Atlas wants revenge for the beer bottle incident. He’s planning to humiliate Elize publicly, maybe even hurt her. Make an example.”

Marcus’s expression darkened slightly. “When and where?”

“Riverside Estate. Eight PM.” Ives paused. “Are you going to stop him?”

“That depends.” Marcus fixed her with a hard stare. “Is this information accurate, or are you making it up to seem useful?”

“It’s real!” Ives insisted. “I swear on my family name-which I know doesn’t mean much to you, but it’s all I have. Atlas Lancaster is going after Elize Yarrow tonight, and from what I heard, he’s bringing backup.”

Marcus was silent for a long moment, his dragon senses analyzing her body language, her micro-expressions, her heartbeat. She was telling the truth.

“Fine,” he said finally. “You’ve been useful. Once.”

“So I can-”

“No.” Marcus cut her off. “One useful piece of information doesn’t make you an ally. It makes you slightly less annoying. If you want to work for me, really work for me, you’ll need to prove yourself a hundred more times. Understood?”

Ives deflated slightly but nodded. “Understood.”

“Good. Now leave. I have planning to do.”

Ives hesitated, then impulsively stepped forward and did something that shocked everyone present-she hugged Marcus quickly before darting away toward the exit.

Marcus stood frozen, his expression a mixture of irritation and disbelief.

Miguel coughed. “Boss, I apologize for her behavior. She’s been unstable since the ransom incident-”

“It’s fine.” Marcus waved him off. “Though if she tries that again, I’m breaking her arms.”

“Noted.” Miguel paused. “Are you really going to Riverside Estate tonight?”

“Yes.”

“It’s obviously a trap.”

“Obviously.” Marcus started toward the elevator again. “But Izes was right about one thing. This situation exists because I used Elize as a weapon against Atlas. That makes me responsible for what happens to her.”

“The Dragon King with a conscience,” Miguel muttered. “That’s either admirable or suicidal.”

“Probably both,” Marcus agreed. “But I don’t abandon my pieces on the board. If Atlas wants revenge, he can try taking it on me. Not on some girl who got caught in the crossfire.”

Miles away, in the Lancaster family estate, Atlas Lancaster sat in his reinforced study, his left arm still in a sling from the Red Widow’s attack. Security footage played on multiple screens – the woman in red tearing through his guards, getting within three meters of his bedroom.

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