Chapter 518: Chapter 518

"As for Harrison—that’s just a coincidence."

His lips twisted into a smirk.

"The one who really wants to deal with him... isn’t me."

"Boss Nolan," the young man with the broken eyebrow nodded, though the confusion in his eyes remained.

"There’s one thing I still don’t understand," he said, lowering his voice.

"The Thomas family may have started in the underworld, and they’ve grown fast over the years, but they’re still nowhere near Harrison family’s level.

How could they dare to move against them so openly?"

Or more accurately—how could they have the nerve?

"Mr. Thomas is an old fox. Mr. Thomas’s always played it safe and steady," Nolan held a lit cigar between his slender, well-defined fingers, the smoke curling lazily in the air.

"If he dares to pull this off, it means he’s suddenly got someone powerful backing him."

As for who this unexpected benefactor might be, he already had an inkling.

Now, all he had to do was wait.

The young man with the broken eyebrow knew better than to press further when Nolan wasn’t in the mood to elaborate.

"Harrison and Gina’s incident happened at the charity gala hosted by Easton.

If you act now," he hesitated, then voiced his concern, "Lady Aistorn and the Crown Princess might take offense."

A cold smirk tugged at Nolan’s lips.

"They didn’t care whether the Nolan family was happy when they treated us like their personal cash cow."

Before, with no news of the former crown prince, his hands had been tied.

But now, with a glimmer of hope, he could afford to entertain other possibilities

. Like breaking free from the royal family’s grip. Just then, Nolan’s phone on the desk suddenly buzzed to life.

Nolan exhaled a plume of smoke, casting a sidelong glance.

The young man with the scarred eyebrow immediately picked up his phone, eyeing the caller ID.

"It’s Princess Kiara."

A flicker of disgust passed through Nolan’s deep-set eyes before he turned his gaze back to the window.

Understanding his boss’s silent command, the scarred-eyebrow young man answered the call.

Kiara’s voice dripped with displeasure when she realized it wasn’t Nolan.

Put him on the phone."

*She just schemed against him yesterday, and now she has the nerve to act so entitled?*

The young man’s lips twitched, but he kept his tone neutral.

"My apologies, Princess.

Mr. Nolan isn’t feeling well and is resting.

I wouldn’t dare disturb him."

The assistant paused, then added smoothly, "If you have a message, I’d be happy to relay it once he wakes up."

Princess Kiara’s temper flared as the young man with the scarred eyebrow remained unmoved by both threats and coaxing.

The scarred-eyebrow youth glanced at Nolan’s already furrowed brow and instantly understood.

Without waiting for Kiara to continue, he deliberately hardened his tone.

"If Your Highness truly refuses to speak, then this subordinate will hang up the calls to attend to other matters."

His words carried an unmistakable note of finality—he was ready to hang up.

Kiara’s anger surged, but the memory of her actions the previous night made her hesitate.

Pushing the Nolan family any further would only deepen Nolan’s displeasure.

Swallowing her rage, she forced herself to relent.

"Tell Nolan that Mother is hosting my birthday banquet tomorrow at the Dem Hotel," she said coldly.

"She wants him to come to the palace now to discuss the arrangements."

She emphasized the word "now," making it clear that this was Princess Luna’s command.

The crown jewel of the Nolan Group’s hospitality empire, and the most luxurious hotel in the heart of Luville.

At the mention of the name, the young man with the scarred eyebrow couldn’t help but frown.

"I’ll relay the message truthfully once President Nolan wakes up," he said. "Did you not hear me clearly?"

Kiara’s voice dropped to a hushed urgency, as if afraid of being overheard.

"Mother is waiting for Nolan right now."

She couldn’t bear the thought of Mother being displeased—or worse, blaming Nolan for the delay.

"You have to find a way to get him there sooner."

The scarred-browed man agreed flatly, eager to end the conversation before Kiara could press further.

"Good." Only then did Kiara hang up.

Setting his phone aside, the young man approached Nolan and relayed Kiara’s words exactly as they were.

Nolan took another slow drag from the cigar between his fingers, the curve of his lips tilting downward as if dipped in frost.

"Am I just some lapdog they can summon and dismiss at the royal family’s whim?"

Or rather, the Nolan family.

Over the years, Luna had exploited the Nolan family’s connections and funds—both openly and covertly—to multiply her own assets several times over.

A cold glint flickered in Nolan’s narrowed eyes.

The boss wasn’t wrong.

The young man with the broken eyebrow sighed inwardly, not daring to speak.

Lately, the queen’s health had been deteriorating.

More and more affairs, both within and outside the royal family, had fallen into the hands of the eldest princess.

And the way the princess handled things—especially her attitude toward the Nolan family—had grown increasingly brazen.

Take Princess Kiara’s birthday banquet, for instance.

It had been scheduled at the Dem Hotel without so much as consulting Nolan.

Come to think of it, why was this banquet so sudden?

The realization struck the young man, and he glanced at his boss before cautiously voicing his thoughts.

"Sir, why hadn’t we heard anything about Princess Kiara’s birthday celebration before?"

"Luna values her reputation above all else.

There’s no way she’d throw a birthday bash for her daughter while the queen is bedridden—not when it could invite public criticism."

Nolan exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his strikingly handsome features shadowed with something darker.

"Clearly, something far more significant must have compelled her to make this move."

And whatever it was, it had likely been decided abruptly—only after Aiston’s secret visit to the palace last night. Camilla’s sudden appearance.

Aiston’s late-night audience.

Luna’s hastily arranged celebration.

Nolan pieced it all together in an instant, the corners of his lips curling into a knowing, almost mocking smile.

"Mr. Nolan," The young man with the broken eyebrow looked at Nolan expectantly.

"Princess Kiara mentioned that the Grand Princess is still waiting.

"Go see her," Nolan replied, his voice as cold and indifferent as ever.

"Agree to whatever Luna says—but remember one thing."

Nolan leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable.

"You must get the guest list for the invitation."

Sending Kiara back last night had clearly displeased Luna.

Today’s summons was nothing more than a power play.

"Understood." The young man with the broken eyebrow nodded and withdrew silently.

Alone again, Nolan lowered his gaze and crushed his cigar into the ashtray with deliberate force.

A shadow of a smirk curled at the corner of his lips—dark, calculating.

If his suspicions were correct, those two names would be on that list.

Nolan would soon gain another capable business partner.

The Nolan family could finally rid themselves of those bloodsucking leeches.

Meanwhile, in a side chamber of the Lance Palace—

Kiara tightened the blanket around herself, her delicate yet sharply defined features unusually pale as she recalled the events of the previous night.

Knowing full well she had been drugged, her mother had refused to summon the royal physician.

Instead, she had ordered Kiara to be thrown into ice-cold water and left to soak for half the night.

At the memory, her grip on the blanket tightened, her knuckles whitening.

After treating her so cruelly, why had her mother suddenly decided to throw her a birthday banquet?

Was it an attempt at making amends—or something else?

And why wasn’t Nolan answering her calls?

Was he still angry with her?