"What do you need me to do, Madam?"
A moment of silence fell between Lola and Florida. She held his gaze, studying the sincerity in his voice.
"A fight will break out in the main city," Lola raised her chin as she looked toward Tomie, who was approaching them. "And while that is happening, I want you to... sneak into the governor’s residence and look further into this."
"Henrik Bellemonte either needs something from those men—that’s why he was willing to beg on his knees—or..." she murmured, eyes narrowing slightly, "he’s trying to hide something that could ruin him."
"Either way, I’m not going through all of this mess without gaining the proper leash on one of the heads of the founding families."
Florida instinctively held his breath as he stared at her profile in quiet shock. Her last remark was something he hadn’t expected her to say. Even so, the woman standing before him was no longer just someone who had slept her way into Atlas’s bed and gained the title of madam of the Zorken Family.
Right now, the person before him was none other than the matriarch of the Zorken Family—someone who, despite the chaos surrounding her, kept her eyes fixed on a single goal that would benefit her and the Order. Not a hero playing savior in this place.
Florida lowered his head, voice firm and sincere. "I’ll do it without fail," he paused, then lifted his gaze. "Madam."
Her brow twitched slightly as she slid her eyes toward him. For some reason, the way he addressed her now felt different. It was still the same word—madam— but it carried a deeper weight of respect.
"Don’t let anyone know," she ordered, not commenting on the change in his demeanor.
"Yes."
"Good."
With that, Lola turned and smiled at Tomie, who had finally reached them. His expression conveyed a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to put into words.
*****
"Tomie."
He perked up slightly as he turned toward Lola, who was seated beside him at the back of the truck. They had already departed from Five District, leaving Long and the revolutionaries behind to manage the situation.
"As I mentioned earlier, I came here for a mission—not for this rebellion," she said, given that it was just the two of them, with Florida riding nearby. The boss and the others were on different trucks.
"Although I don’t mind that you’ve been using my signature, and things have already escalated to this point, I still need to fulfill that mission," she continued. Tomie nodded in understanding.
"If you need help, I’ll provide everything I can," he said earnestly. "Just tell me what it is."
"I may need your help later," she replied, "but for now, your focus should remain on this situation. Even if we win this war, things won’t settle immediately. Not when everywhere I look, I see fire."
Even without hearing the chaos from this distance, she could already imagine it unfolding.
"This is the first time since Jarvis overthrew the former governor that this region has spiraled out of control," Tomie said with a nod. "I can already foresee the aftermath. It won’t be pretty—but if we win... a win is still a win. Only then can we believe it’s the end of a regime, and the beginning of a better tomorrow."
Lola leaned back, puffing her cheek as she studied the old man.
"The last time I was here and now—those were two different versions of me," she sighed softly. "Back then, I was constantly suppressing my emotions, running on empty. I got easily swayed."
"Anything worth noting?" he asked.
Tomie considered it. "Ashkar’s been unusually quiet since you left Ravah. I expected things to worsen, but instead, things have been quiet."
"I found that strange," he added. "But I assumed it was because they lost family members so brutally." He paused, referring to the massacre she had carried out. "Other than that, Ashkar remains the same."
Then he raised his head slightly, something Lola immediately noticed.
"What is it?" she asked.
"On second thought..." Tomie blinked, refocusing on her. "There was a strange rumor that surfaced briefly before dying out. Silly, really—but I might as well tell you."
He cleared his throat. "They say the governor of Ashkar was assassinated, and that someone else is ruling in his place."
"Oh?"
"But it’s just a rumor," Tomie waved dismissively. "The governor made a public appearance shortly after, so that put it to rest. I only mention it because rumors like that don’t appear often in Ravah. If it were serious, the governors would’ve hunted down the source."
He laughed, but Lola merely raised a brow.
"Exactly," she said, causing his laughter to fade. "They would’ve hunted the source. And yet, the governor of Ashkar didn’t. Instead, he made a public appearance."
She tilted her head, thinking, while Tomie furrowed his brows. "That is interesting."

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