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The Wolf’s Bride by Coffee’s Tea novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11
Luna wound down the window and shouted at the minivans, “What is wrong with you people…”

Before she could finish, the two minivans’ doors opened, and eight masked men came out.

Athena’s first response was to wind up the window. She then said to Luna, “Ms. Crestfall, stay in the car. Don’t come out.”

Athena got out of the car and confronted the masked men.

The leading masked man wielded a dagger, waving it in front of Athena.

“Lady, our target is the girl in the car. If you don’t want to get hurt, leave.”

“You and your little ragtag group?” Athena scanned them and curled her lips into a scornful grin.

“Hmph! Don’t blame us!” The man thrust his dagger forward, aiming it at Athena’s weak point.

Luna screamed out of shock at the scene. In the face of danger, she lost her usual calm and her pitch for a slightly higher one.

It was eight versus one, and Athena was the underdog.

Luna suddenly realized that Andrius was in the car. She cried, “Andrius, go down and help!”

Andrius glanced at her before he got out of the car. He stood by the car and showed no intention of assisting Athena, which fueled Luna’s anxiety and nervousness.

She urged him, “Andrius! Go help!”

Andrius remained still despite her urging. As the Wolf King that dominated the battlefield, he was certain that there was a sniper in the area. The sniper hid so well that even Athena failed to spot him.

Therefore, Athena’s mission was to deal with the eight masked men, while Andrius’ mission was to find the hidden sniper.

Andrius picked up a pebble from the ground and pinched it between his index and middle fingers.

At the next moment, he shot the pebble in a certain direction.

“Argh!”

A painful cry sounded further away, followed by a body falling off the building. It was the hidden sniper!

After dealing with the sniper, Andrius returned to the car.

“Andrius, you…”

Luna could not believe that Andrius came back instead of helping Athena, and he even looked terrified. She was disappointed with his cowardice!

What a useless man!

She exhaled exasperatedly and turned her attention back to Athena. She wished Athena could win, or they would be in a tough spot.

Fortunately, Athena was powerful enough to defeat the eight masked men. She only had a cut on her forearm.

Luna immediately drove Athena to the hospital.

After Athena was bandaged, the three continued their journey back to Dream’s Waterfront.

Learning that Luna was ambushed on the way home, Harry brought the whole family to her place.

As soon as he entered the living room, he cried, “Luna, are you alright!?”

“Dad, I’m okay.” Luna turned to Athena. “Thankfully, Athena is here, or else things would have gone bad.”

“Thank you, Ms. Warland.” Harry then put a card into Athena’s hand. “This is for saving my daughter. Please take it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Crestfall.”

Athena then left the living room with the card.

After Athena left, Harry bellowed, “The Stormbrews must have sent the hitmen to assassinate you! We must hold them responsible for this!”

“Dad, calm down.” Luna pulled her father’s arm. She sighed and explained, “The Stormbrews are deeply rooted in Sumeria. We are not strong enough to face them directly.”

“Hmph!” Master Crestfall then expressed his dissatisfaction with his son. “Look at you, being so impulsive at a critical moment. Learn from your daughter! If I handed you my position, you would lead the family to its doom!”

“Father…” Harry looked dispirited after being scolded. He lowered his voice and explained, “If we don’t do something, the Stormbrews will probably do it again.”

His words silenced the entire family.

A moment later, Master Crestfall said, “The only way is to win the Valiant Institute’s project and get the local government’s protection. That way, the Stormbrews won’t dare to lay a finger on us anymore.”

“Father, but we are falling behind the Stormbrews…” Harry did not finish his sentence because everyone knew what he was referring to.

The Crestfalls’ proposal was decent, but the Stormbrews had better execution. Both families had their own advantages, or else the project bidding would not have dragged out for so long.

Some deliberate thoughts later, Master Crestfall said, “I have a plan.”

“What is it, Grandfather?” Luna asked hurriedly.

“Tomorrow is Mayor Freely’s birthday. The related department is holding a birthday event for him. If we can prepare a satisfying present and win his affection, it might increase our chances of winning the project over!”

Luna’s eyes gleamed when she heard the suggestion as if it was her last sliver of hope.

“It’s a good plan, but the event is invitation-only, and we can’t go in without one.”

“Everyone, contact whomever you know and see if we can get some invitations.”

The family reached an accord and left Dream’s Waterfront to do what they needed to do.

The development of the Crestfalls for the next twenty years would depend on the Valiant Institute project. If they could get the project, they would cruise into a bright future with ease; if they failed, they would have to face challenges from the Stormbrews.

Everyone in the family ought to do something to overcome the problem!

After her family left, Luna stood in front of the French window and started to contact her friends for help.

“Lambert, your father is working for the local government. Can you help us get an invitation to Mayor Freely’s birthday event? We can pay…

“No? Okay… Thank you anyway.”

She made more than a dozen calls, but none were fruitful. It started to ruin her mood.

Andrius then got up from the couch and said, “I can bring you guys into the event without an invitation.”

Chapter 12
Luna glared at Andrius. She said in a vexed tone, “Andrius, you are just a nobody from the countryside. Can you stop talking nonsense?”

Andrius drew a blank for a while before saying helplessly, “I’m telling the truth.”

“Heh!” Luna scoffed before she went upstairs.

After she witnessed Andrius’ cowardice earlier, the remaining fondness she had for him disappeared. To her, speaking a word to him was a waste of time.

In the afternoon, Luna asked Halle out instead of going to the office.

Halle had a wide connection in many different industries, so Luna decided to ask her for help.

Andrius also went out. He went to Crestfall Manor to look for Master Crestfall and ask for a Revolution Memorial Medal.

Master Crestfall was a veteran, so he had a medal that symbolized the revolution that he fought for. The medal would be the key to helping the Crestfalls win the Valiant Institute project!

After getting the medal from Master Crestfall, Andrius left Crestfall Manor. He then called Marcus, the mayor, and asked him for a meeting.

“Marcus, are you free to talk now?”

“Wolf King, anything for you.”

“Meet me at Dr. Artemis’ clinic in three hours.”

“Yes, sir.”

Andrius hung up the phone and flagged down a taxi to Dr. Artemis’ clinic.

Lyra was doing work at the reception when she saw Andrius at the entrance. She hopped out of her chair and strode up to him.

“Mr. Doctor!” she greeted him adorably.

Andrius did not see Dr. Artemis anywhere. He asked, “Ms. Artemis, where’s your grandfather?”

“My grandpa is at the Recovery Camp. Why are you looking for him? If you need help, you can tell me as well! Lyra is at your service!”

“I need some medicine to make something.”

Andrius then said a couple of professional terms for the medicine.

“Alright. Leave it to me!”

Lyra went to grab the medicine while Andrius prepared for the refining process.

Three hours later, Andrius crafted several capsules. The capsules were black and emanated a strange smell.

Lyra sniffed at it and asked, “Mr. Doctor, what are these capsules for?”

“It’s a supplement, specifically for treating gun and blast wounds.” Andrius picked one up and smiled at his creation.

“Mr. Doctor, are you hurt?” Lyra asked nervously.

“Not me. My subordinate was once shot and was heavily injured. This is for him.”

“Mr. Doctor, you were a soldier?”

“I am.”

“Then, your subordinate…” Lyra looked at Andrius curiously with her big eyes.

Andrius was, at most, in his late 20s, but based on his tone, he seemed to hold a high post in the military.

Then a series of footsteps approached, followed by a knock on the door. Lyra turned around and was stunned when she saw the person at her door.

It was Marcus, the mayor of Sumeria!

Marcus smiled. “Yes, I’m his subordinate.”

His words were like a clap of thunder, blasting Lyra’s ears with shock. The mayor of Sumeria, the most powerful person in the city, was Andrius’ subordinate?

Lyra looked at Andrius in disbelief. She was intrigued.

What kind of amazing life did the young Mr. Doctor live?

Looking at the stunned Lyra, Andrius said, “Ms. Artemis, why don’t you bring some tea for the mayor?”

“Ah! Yes, excuse me! Please hold on, Mayor Freely, I’ll go make some tea for you!”

After Lyra left, Marcus entered the room and asked respectfully, “Wolf King, what can I do for you?”

“I see your old wounds haven’t recovered, so I made some medicine for you.”

“Thank you, Wolf King.” Marcus took the medicine with both hands with excitement. The Wolf King’s medicinal skills were unmatched. With the capsules made by the Wolf King, his wounds that made him suffer for years would be cured soon.

After giving Marcus the capsules, Andrius switched the topic and asked, “Marcus, I heard there’s a Valiant Institute project that has been going on for a while now.”

“Yes, there is.”

A slight pause later, Marcus continued, “The Crestfalls and the Stormbrews are bidding for the project, and you still haven’t decided who is the best candidate for it.”

“Marcus, I have a gift for you. It’s from the Crestfalls.”

Andrius gave Marcus the Revolution Memorial Medal. “This medal belongs to Master Crestfall. He used to be an excellent soldier.”

Looking at the medal in his hand, Marcus immediately knew what this meeting was about. “Yes, sir. I understand. I will tell my men to put the Crestfalls in charge of the Valiant Institute project.”

Andrius hummed a reply. He then added, “There’s one more thing. I heard you are having a birthday party tomorrow night. The Crestfalls wanted to attend. Can you please make the necessary arrangements?”

“No problem! I’ll tell the guards to let them in without an invitation.”

A quick thought later, Marcus carefully asked, “Wolf King, I know you’re busy, but please attend the event if possible.”

“Then, send a car to pick me up tomorrow,” Andrius uttered.

Since he basically had nothing to do, it did him no harm to attend the event.

Marcus was over the moon. It was his honor to have the Wolf King at his birthday party as it would be an achievement that he could boast about for life in front of his peers.

After having tea that Lyra brought, Andrius left with Marcus.

Marcus respectfully invited him into the car, which shocked many passers-by. The mayor of the city invited a young man into his car with such respect! They wondered who exactly the young man was.

Halle also saw the scene as she was walking past the clinic after meeting Luna.

“H-how is this possible? Isn’t he a nobody growing up in the mountains? Why would Mayor Freely treat him with such respect?” Halle was deeply shocked. She stared at Marcus’ car in disbelief until it disappeared beyond her sight.

She only recovered her composure after a while.

She walked into Dr. Artemis’ clinic and asked loudly, “Hi, who was that man just now?”

Lyra had just returned to her receptionist position and heard the question coming from the entrance. She looked up at Halle and sized the woman up from top to bottom and replied, “You mean Mr. Doctor? He’s a soldier, and Mayor Freely used to be his subordinate.”

“U-used to be his subordinate?”

Halle staggered and almost lost her balance. She thought that Luna had run background checks on Andrius and identified him as a poor man from the countryside.

How could he be Mayor Freely’s superior all of a sudden?

No. It was impossible.

Halle refused to accept the fact. Her shaking hands pulled out her phone and dialed Luna’s number.

Chapter 13
Luna had already returned home when she received Halle’s call.

“Halle? What’s the matter?”

“Luna, have you really done a background check on Andrius?” she asked.

“I did!”

The mention of Andrius’ name disgusted Luna. “He’s some poor guy growing up in the countryside.”

“But today, I saw him…”

“Hold on!” Before Halle could finish, Luna interrupted her and said, “Axel has agreed to help us. I’m in a good mood now, so please don’t talk to me about him. It will ruin my day.”

“Luna…”

“Halle, I’m going to choose the evening gown for the event. I’ll talk to you later.”

Luna then hung up the phone.

When Andrius returned, Luna had already selected her gown and was doing a facial in the living room. As soon as she saw Andrius through the door, she frowned. She got up and went upstairs without saying a word.

On the next day, Luna woke up early in the morning to prepare the present for Mayor Freely.

Andrius wanted to tell her that he had given a present to Marcus on behalf of the Crestfalls, but when he saw her frosty look, he simply zipped his mouth.

Luna would know what happened at the event later tonight.

After a hot day, the night finally arrived.

An uninvited guest arrived at Dream’s Waterfront—Axel.

After crashing the car on the slopes, Axel broke one of his legs and had to walk on crutches for a while. He limped through the entrance and asked, “Luna, I’m here. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

Luna had changed into her evening gown and wore beautiful heels. She was stepping down from the second floor.

Axel’s eyes shone when he saw her.

Luna asked out of concern, “Axel, are you sure one invitation is enough to bring us all in?”

“Luna, my family is close to the mayor. One invitation is enough,” Axel said confidently as he tapped his chest.

“Thank you, Axel.”

Luna then walked to her garage and said, “Let’s go pick up my dad and grandfather first.”

Before they left, Axel turned to Andrius with a provocative gaze. “Even if you can speak fluent French and know how to race, you are still a poor guy from the countryside. Only I am worthy of Luna. I have the resources and the influence to help her in a pinch. You’d better know your own place and stay away from her, or else I will make you pay terribly.”

Axel then limped out of the room.

Andrius did not even bat an eye at Axel. The cripple was nothing but an annoying bug. If he was back at the Western Frontline, he would have slammed the bug dead.

After Luna and Axel left, a motorcade arrived in front of Luna’s house.

On top of that, all the cars had black license plates, which was a signature of the military. Marcus respectfully invited Andrius into the car and even became the driver himself.

Andrius got into the backseat and asked, “Marcus, is there an Axel Cloverfield attending your event?”

“Axel Cloverfield?”

Marcus pondered for a moment and answered, “I suppose so.”

Andrius said calmly, “I don’t want to see him there.”

“Consider it done!”

Marcus made a call.

“Inform the guards to stop someone named Axel Cloverfield. He is not to enter the venue!”

While Marcus was giving orders to his men, Luna had picked up her father and grandfather from the Crestfall Manor and was heading to White Swan Estate.

White Swan Estate was where Marcus held his birthday event.

Harry had bags of presents in his hands, seemingly wanting to win the mayor’s heart.

Meanwhile, there was already a large crowd at White Swan Estate. All of them were not invited, so they could only stay outside and peek into the event. There were countless media and reporters camping outside, doing a live telecast of the event.

Every guest that entered the estate would cause an uproar in the crowd. Only the most powerful and most influential figures were invited to the birthday event.

Harry, with his presents, walked proudly on the red carpet, enjoying the envious gazes from his surroundings.

The birthday party was an important one since it involved many influential figures, so armed soldiers were stationed at multiple entrances and checkpoints, serving as guards for the night.

Axel handed the invitation to the soldier at the entrance. Just when he was about to bring the Crestfalls in, the soldier stopped him.

“Hold on. One invitation for four of you?” the soldier asked.

The scene instantly attracted all the attention.

Axel calmly limped up to the soldier and said loudly, “I am Axel Cloverfield, and these are the Crestfalls. They are my guests. I have informed your superior about bringing them to the event with me.”

Marcus did give the order to treat the Crestfalls with respect and grant them entry even without an invitation.

When the soldier learned that they were the Crestfalls, he saluted and called out loudly, “Attention!”

Everyone else present was shocked.

“Damn!”

“A soldier’s salutation?”

“How powerful are the Cloverfields? One invitation for the four of them with a soldier’s salutation?”

This caused an uproar in the crowd, which surprised Axel.

In order to bring the Crestfalls into White Swan Estate, Axel spent a million to bribe the security captain for a smooth entry. He did not expect the captain to order his men to welcome him with such respect. A million well spent indeed. He even planned to top up another million to the captain after the event.

The thought boosted Axel’s confidence. He straightened his body and said proudly, “Master Crestfall, Uncle Harry, Luna, let’s go in.”

“Alright.”

Luna’s impression of Axel changed drastically. It seemed like Axel had changed and was no longer a playboy.

However, the soldier stopped Axel.

“Hold on. You are not allowed to enter.”

Chapter 14
Axel was stunned. He arrogantly shouted, “What the hell are you doing?”

“Are you Axel Cloverfield?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You are prohibited from entering the venue,” said the soldier.

The situation took a drastic turn.

A moment ago, he was greeted by a soldier’s salutation, but now he was being prohibited from entering.

He couldn’t wrap his head around the situation.

Embarrassed, Axel turned to Luna and said, “Hold on, Luna. I’ll deal with this.”

He then looked at the soldier and bellowed, “I know your superior. All I need to do is make a call, and you won’t be able to stay in this city anymore!”

Thud!

The soldier stuck the barrel of his gun at Axel’s forehead and said, “I said, you are prohibited from entering. Can you understand human language?”

With a gun at his forehead, Axel broke out in a cold sweat, but if he stepped back, he would be embarrassed for life, especially in front of Luna. The thought gave him enough courage to argue back. “Shoot me if you have the nerve!”

Bang!

The soldier kicked Axel to the ground and fired a shot in between his crotch.

“Aaaah!” Axel was scared witless.

After that, the soldier saluted Luna, her father, and her grandfather. “Master Crestfall, Mr. Crestfall, Ms. Crestfall, please enter. You are our VIP guests for the night.”

“This way, please.”

The soldiers on both sides of the red carpet saluted en masse.

The crowd finally understood that the salutation was not for Axel but for the Crestfalls!

With that, Luna, her father, and her grandfather entered White Swan Estate. They felt it was surreal; none of them could believe what just happened.

“W-what happened?” Luna looked around but was stumped.

Harry and Master Crestfall were both just as confused.

Harry said, “Forget it, we must meet Mayor Freely first.”

“There are a lot of VIP guests here. I hope we can meet him,” Master Crestfall said.

Even though Master Crestfall was a well-known businessman, there was still a wide gap between him and the mayor.

Then, Luna received a text on her phone. She got excited after checking the text. “Grandfather, Dad, the local government office has given us the Valiant Institute project! I just received the statement and agreement!”

“What?”

Harry and Master Crestfall were both stunned before excitement took over. They finally got the project that they had been fighting for all along.

A piece of exciting news indeed.

After some deliberate thoughts, Luna said, “Grandfather, Dad, I think someone is helping us. This mysterious person must also be responsible for what happened just now!”

“I believe so.”

Master Crestfall took a deep breath and said, “This person is our family’s savior! We must find out who he is!”

With that thought in mind, Master Crestfall contacted the person in charge and asked him for more details.

The person in charge sighed and said, “Master Crestfall, you are really lucky to have this person as your benefactor.”

“How so?” Master Crestfall asked curiously.

“Your benefactor is also Mayor Freely’s benefactor. Because of him, Mayor Freely decided to give you the Valiant Institute project.”

Master Crestfall was over the moon after learning the details.

Harry added, “Can you please introduce us to him? We would like to meet him face-to-face and thank him ourselves.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know who this person is either, but Mayor Freely is going to invite him up on stage later. You will know who he is then.”

“Thank you very much.”

The three of them chatted with the person in charge before they went to their seats and waited for the event to start.

At the same time in a VIP room within the White Swan Estate, Marcus brought Andrius a cup of tea. He bowed and asked, “Wolf King, I have a question.”

“What is it?” Andrius sipped on his tea.

“You command a million Lycantroops to fight off enemies of the country, and you hold absolute power that no one can imagine, yet you are here being matchmade with Luna Crestfall. Why?” Marcus’s voice grew softer as he continued, “And I’ve checked with the local court that your registration with her is fake.”

“My old man is in debt to Master Crestfall, so he requested me to marry Luna to repay the favor,” Andrius said as he facepalmed himself, looking helpless.

“I see!” Marcus finally understood what brought Andrius to Sumeria. No wonder he would come all the way here just to marry a woman.

Some thoughts later, Marcus added, “Wolf King, I have another request that I would like you to fulfill.”

“Go ahead.”

“The event is starting soon, and I would like to introduce you on stage…”

“I…” Andrius wanted to reject, but when he met Marcus’ anticipating gaze, he nodded helplessly. “Fine.”

“Thank you, sir! I’ll make the necessary arrangements!”

Marcus sent several orders to his men before going out of the room to get prepared.

The event finally started. The venue’s lights dimmed down, allowing the only spotlight to highlight the stage.

Marcus strode to the center of the stage and was welcomed by thunderous applause.

He waved at the crowd to silence them. He then said into the microphone, “Thank you, everyone, for attending my 50th birthday party. Please enjoy yourselves and have fun!

“I would also like to take this chance to introduce someone important to me: my benefactor, to be exact. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to stand here today as mayor of the city. Let us welcome him with a round of applause!”

All the spotlights shone on the left wing of the stage.

Thunderous applause followed.

A young man came into everyone’s sight as he stepped on the red carpet that symbolized power and wealth.

All the young ladies screamed in excitement when they saw the man.

“Oh my gosh! He’s so young!”

“He’s Mayor Freely’s benefactor? I’m sure he’s someone important as well!”

“Look at his outfit. It’s simple and plain. I bet he’s wealthy but humble. He doesn’t like to show off his status and wealth!”

“If I could marry him, I would be happy for the rest of my life!”

Luna was also intrigued when she heard the other girls talking about the young man.

As she concentrated on the young man walking to the center of the stage, Luna clenched her fists and muttered to herself, “That’s what my man should be! A respected and powerful person, not a poor guy from the countryside!”

The young man stood beside Mayor Freely and showed his face to the crowd.

When the Crestfalls got a clear look at his face, they were stunned beyond words.

Luna, Harry, and Master Crestfall were dumbstruck.

How?

Mayor Freely’s benefactor was actually Andrius!?

Chapter 15

Seeing Andrius beside Mayor Freely, Luna drew a blank in surprise.

A moment ago, she wished for her man to be a respected figure and not someone as poor as Andrius. Now, the respected man on stage turned out to be the man whom she looked down upon!

Master Crestfall was stunned when he saw Andrius on stage.

Harry reacted the same. His lips twitched helplessly as his heart skipped a beat.

“How? Why is it him? He’s just a poor guy from the countryside. How did he end up as Mayor Freely’s benefactor? Have I underestimated him?”

***

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Dishes were served on each table.

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