A man paced back and forth inside the office, his steps controlled but filled with irritation. The desk in front of him was covered with papers, some already crumpled, others scratched hard enough to tear the surface. He stopped for a moment, picking up one of the documents again, reading it for the third time as if that could change its content.
"Tsk, nothing relevant"
Only old records, minor thefts, inappropriate behavior in childhood, incidents that did not carry enough weight to be used against someone in Leon's current position. He let the paper fall onto the desk with a sharp motion.
"This is useless"
His voice came out low, but filled with frustration. On the other side of the room, a woman watched while seated, maintaining a relaxed posture as if that were not a real problem. Her eyes quickly scanned the papers before returning to him.
"Did you really think it would be that simple?"
"He didn't get where he is without hiding something"
"Or maybe he didn't leave anything behind"
The woman's reply came without haste, accompanied by a small movement of her finger across the chair's surface, as if she were simply organizing her thoughts. Another man, younger, leaning near the window, let out a quiet sigh.
"If he really had something relevant, someone would've used it already… at least I think so"
He turned his face slightly, observing the outside for a moment before continuing. The man seemed thoughtful before speaking again.
"Or do you think the king would let that pass?"
The man behind the desk closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before straightening himself again. This was terrible for his plans, but he couldn't do anything even if it was frustrating.
"That doesn't change the fact that he's still an opportunity"
"An opportunity that's hard to control. He's no longer someone we can pressure easily"
The woman crossed her legs slightly as she sighed. Another sound came from the corner of the room, where a fourth figure remained seated, silent until now. His fingers tapped lightly against the arm of the chair, a steady, almost irritating rhythm.
"Then we change our approach. If we can't use the past… we use the present"
"Explain"
"He's in a high position now, but that also means exposure. More contacts, more decisions, more points of failure"
The woman followed the reasoning with growing interest, while the young man by the window stepped away slightly, paying closer attention.
"You want to create a problem for him?"
"Not immediately, but observe, understand, and act when an opening appears"
The younger man let out a quiet, humorless laugh. This was quite amusing to him; these elders always thought like that, clever foxes. Of course, he himself had some of that, but he was still a bit impatient.
"That's going to take time"
"We're not in a hurry"
'Well, I am'
The young man glanced aside while the atmosphere stabilized after that, the initial frustration replaced by something more controlled. The man at the desk began organizing the papers, stacking them even knowing they were useless for now.
"And if no opening appears?"
"Then we create one"
No one reacted exaggeratedly, but all understood what that meant. The woman rested her chin on her hand, the young man kept his gaze on the floor for a moment, and the man at the desk simply nodded slightly.
"He can't stay out of our reach"
"And we can't act directly either"
Leon's biological father raised his gaze, now calmer than before, his earlier frustration gone. His abandoned son had achieved things greater than them, and those things should now belong to his family. After all, Leon had his blood, so everything that was his should be theirs.
"Then it's decided"
His voice came out firmer this time, without the earlier weight. He placed one hand on the desk, maintaining an upright posture while looking at the other three in the room.
"We'll monitor him closely and act when the opportunity arises"
The woman nodded slightly, without showing clear emotion. For her, that had been expected since the moment it became clear there was nothing useful in Leon's past.
"And in the meantime… we gather more information"
In the corner of the room, the last man stopped tapping his fingers on the chair. His gaze slowly lifted, analyzing each of them before speaking.
"Don't make unnecessary mistakes"
"I know what I'm doing"
The woman let out a small sigh, already anticipating that wasn't entirely true, but she didn't comment. The young man simply observed, finding the situation more interesting than worrying. The room fell silent for a few seconds until Leon's father finally moved again, picking up one of the papers and folding it carefully, as if closing that stage.
"We won't waste any more time on this"
The man leading the room was Darian Valtor, Leon's biological father. Tall, with a rigid posture and a constantly calculating gaze, his hair was completely white, standing out from the rest of the family. His face carried light signs of age, but his behavior showed he still maintained full control over the situations around him.
The seated woman was Selene Valtor, his wife. Her long red hair flowed neatly down her back, contrasting with her always calm expression. Her eyes were cold, attentive, and her posture conveyed someone who preferred to observe before acting.
Near the window stood Kaelu Valtor, the youngest son. His red hair was shorter and slightly messy, matching his less patient personality.
Finally, in the corner of the room, was Voren Valtor, the eldest among the present children. His red hair was darker and tied simply, and his posture was the most controlled among them all. He spoke little, observed a lot, and unlike the others, rarely showed any obvious emotion.
The Valtor family was a noble house that had not yet reached the top, but had no intention of stopping until they reached the position they believed should be theirs.