Confirming that Otero Yusuf and his team were inside the French National Bank, Sean Briar prepared to take Christmas (Santa) to a CIA safe house to gear up. To his surprise, Santa made a call, and by the time they reached the bank, a box truck was already waiting for them, ready for action.
Upon entering the truck, Sean was greeted by a full arsenal of American weapons. There was no time to be polite—he grabbed rifles, pistols, ammo, flashbangs, and a tactical vest, piling them onto the table in the truck.
Before he could gear up, Santa tossed him a combat suit. "You already know who my boss is, don't you? Put this on. It's bulletproof. Wear this over it," he said, tossing a bulletproof vest. "Even if you get hit by a sniper rifle, the worst you'll suffer is a broken rib."
Sean examined the high-tech combat suit in his hands. Without hesitation, he stripped off his jacket and slipped into the suit. As he armed himself, he asked, "So the rumors about the Devonshire family being a line of covert operatives are true?"
Santa shrugged. "Sorry, pal. If you're curious, you'll have to figure that out yourself."
After fully equipping himself, Santa handed Sean a sealed black helmet. "Ready to go, buddy?"
Sean chambered a round in his rifle, slid on the helmet, and said confidently, "Let's do this. I can't wait to wipe out those scumbags."
With full-body protection, the two stormed the bank like unstoppable forces of nature. They had no fear of the MP5 submachine guns wielded by their enemies. In a matter of minutes, and after just a few encounters, six of Otero Yusuf's men were taken out.
Santa, following William's orders from Sunday (the AI), deliberately stalled by pretending to change gear and strategize, buying Yusuf enough time to retrieve $5 billion in digital currency and $35 billion in bearer gold bonds from the vault.
As his team dwindled and the situation grew increasingly dire, Yusuf realized he had to make a run for it. Abandoning his men, he used an electronic keycard to lock the vault's upper-level doors and fled alone.
Emerging from the bank, Yusuf climbed into an armored police vehicle, shut the door, and prepared to flee. Unfortunately for him, he never got the chance. From the shadows, a pair of hands reached in and snapped his neck.
The person responsible, of course, was William.
William quickly searched Yusuf's body, retrieving the key to the digital currency and a bundle of 35 bearer bonds, each worth $1 billion. He stored everything in his dimensional space and dragged Yusuf's lifeless body to the vehicle's cargo area. There, he swapped Yusuf's police uniform for plain clothes and staged his exit to make it appear as though Yusuf had escaped into the protesting crowd.
Through a concealed portal, William transported Yusuf's body to his Oxford estate, dumping it in an abandoned mine used for waste disposal. After changing back into his original attire in the castle's underground facility, he opened another portal and returned to the study in his Champs-Élysées villa.
The entire operation took less than ten minutes.
With everything settled, William rejoined the others on the villa's rooftop terrace, radiating good spirits as he embraced Abigail and Jesse. Together with Charles and the Spitz couple, they enjoyed the celebratory parade.
While William basked in satisfaction, someone else was having an even better day—though for entirely different reasons.
Seven hundred meters away, Neville, a cameraman from the French national television network, had his long-focus lens trained on William. He captured a live broadcast of William standing proudly between Abigail and Jesse, arms around both women.
"My God," Neville muttered.
In that instant, the focus of millions of viewers worldwide shifted from the parade to William and his companions.
Moments later, Sunday's voice echoed in William's earpiece. "Sir, as per your instructions, your image alongside Abigail and Jesse has been prominently featured in the live broadcast. Best of luck."
Whether luck was on his side or not, William didn't particularly care. What mattered was ensuring no one could directly link him to the $40 billion heist. If that meant being labeled a playboy, so be it.
After all, his reputation as a notorious playboy was already solidified after his infamous yacht party in New York, where he was surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
Better to be seen as a womanizer than give tabloids the chance to spin rumors of "unusual preferences."
The only one displeased by this unexpected publicity was Charles Cavendish. What was supposed to be a secret visit to William's villa had turned into a worldwide revelation of their familial connection.
In mere minutes, media outlets began detailing the relationship between the Cavendish and Devonshire families. Anchors highlighted how two branches of the same lineage held hereditary dukedoms in England, catapulting the Cavendish family's reputation from aristocratic obscurity to global prominence.
Soon after, Sunday reported that Ambrosio had texted William a single word: "Bastard."
Unbothered by the playful rebuke, William shrugged it off.
However, trouble wasn't far behind. Before the parade ended, a group of uniformed officials arrived at William's villa just before noon.
Standing on the front steps with Abigail by his side, William greeted Kevin, the first assistant to French President Beckon, with a handshake.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Devonshire. My apologies for this intrusion," Kevin said politely. "President Beckon sends his regards and regrets that he wasn't able to personally thank you for your assistance in London. It was a lapse in etiquette."
"No need for apologies," William replied with a smile. His gaze then shifted to another member of the group, Victor Gael, the head of the French Ministry of Interior and Paris' Chief of Police. "Mr. Victor Gael, I presume?"
"Yes, Mr. Devonshire," Victor said, stepping forward. He pulled a document from his pocket and unfolded it for William to see. "This is an official order. I'm afraid we must request your cooperation at the Ministry of Interior."
Glancing at the document, William noticed Kevin's stiffened expression. Suppressing a chuckle, he asked, "I take it my man is in your custody?"
Victor's face betrayed a flicker of malice. "That's correct. Arthur Carter Shaw is currently in our custody. As such, you're required to accompany us for questioning."
Ignoring Victor, William calmly retrieved his phone. Activating its holographic display, he played the damning footage of Victor executing Karen, the CIA's Paris station chief.
William pulled Abigail closer and said to Kevin, "I suppose I won't be accompanying them after all, will I?"
Kevin stammered, utterly flustered. "This… this…"
Snapping out of his shock, Kevin pointed at Victor and barked at the surrounding officers, "What are you waiting for? Arrest him!"
Victor's face turned ghostly pale. The video of him committing murder wasn't just in William's hands—it had been presented directly to Kevin, the President's right-hand man.
With no chance to argue or resist, Victor was handcuffed and taken into custody, his career and freedom obliterated in an instant.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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