The moment he saw the stranger appear, Jude's face changed drastically.
Without even stopping to wonder how the intruder had gotten in, his hand instinctively reached for the security button hidden beneath the desk.
As the residence of one of the wealthiest men in Fiore, the Heartfilia mansion's security measures were nothing short of elite. Dozens of trained bodyguards patrolled day and night, always on standby.
A sharp, piercing alarm blared through the halls the moment the red button was pressed.
Yet, after several seconds, not a single guard appeared. No footsteps, no shouting nothing. Even the servants failed to rush in. The entire mansion was eerily quiet.
"If you're hoping those useless wizards and servants will come running, you can forget it. They're all sound asleep right now."
Chase strolled over casually, dragging a stool with him before sitting down across from Jude. He crossed one leg over the other, his posture relaxed. "You're the only one in this mansion who's still awake."
The Heartfilia Group's bodyguards weren't exactly weak, but against him, they didn't stand a chance.
"I don't know why you're here. What business do you have with me?"
Jude accepted the situation and forced himself to appear calm. Sitting back down, he looked coldly at his uninvited guest. "Chase, from Fairy Tail."
It was during this brief moment that he had recognized the young man before him, though the realization left him inwardly unsettled.
Truth be told, even though Fairy Tail was the guild his own daughter belonged to, Jude knew very little about it. In the eyes of a man of his standing, such guilds were little more than "mercenary associations" hardly worth his time.
He had only recognized Chase because he had seen the widely publicized news about the "Demon's Ruin" incident in the papers.
"Mr. Jude, you're really forgetful. Did you already forget that you hired Phantom Lord to attack Fairy Tail?" Chase's eyes rose to meet his.
As expected from a man who had spent decades in Fiore's business world, Jude's hair and clothes were immaculate, and his sharp gaze carried the natural authority of a high-ranking figure.
"I simply asked Phantom Lord to bring back my runaway daughter. That's all."
Now that he was sure of Chase's identity, Jude's composure returned. "So what? Your guild was attacked, and now you've come here to blame me the client who made a perfectly legal request?"
He didn't believe for a second that a wizard from a legal guild like Fairy Tail would dare do anything reckless to him here, in the Heartfilia mansion.
"Whether you made the request or not doesn't matter to me. Honestly, I've been itching to beat those Phantom guys for a long time."
Chase's gaze narrowed, his voice calm but laced with intent. "But, Mr. Jude, you indirectly hurt Lucy and my friends. And for that, you'll have to pay the price."
"I see. Then tell me how much you want." Jude's lips curled in a sneer.
Based on his understanding of wizards, he assumed Chase had come for money. And if it was money, then it was no problem. As far as Jude was concerned, Fairy Tail would eventually be wiped out anyway especially if Lucy kept clinging to her foolish ideals.
"As expected of the head of the Heartfilia Group straight to the point."
Chase smiled faintly and raised a single finger. "One billion."
The enormous figure made Jude's brow twitch, but after a moment's thought, he nodded. "Fine. I can write you a check right now."
"Once I get it, I'll head back where I came from. My time's worth far more than yours."
"No, no, no. I think you've misunderstood me."
Chase shifted into an even more arrogant posture, lifting his hand to cut him off.
"One billion is just the price for destroying the guild."
He leaned in slightly, his eyes glinting.
"And then there's the cost of hurting my dear friends."
"I won't make it too hard for you. Just hand over, say… one or two hundred trillion, and we'll call it even."
"You!"
Jude froze mid–signature, his pen stopping dead on the check. His head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief and burning with anger.
"What's wrong with me? Isn't using money to solve every problem your favorite method, Mr. Jude?"
"You're just a lowly guild wizard. Don't overestimate yourself. That kind of arrogance will only bring disaster to your guild!"
"My, how terrifying. The Heartfilia Group," Chase said, his tone dripping with mockery.
He rose slowly to his feet, taking two deliberate steps forward until only the desk separated them. His gaze locked with Jude's, unflinching.
"Don't forget your daughter Lucy is also part of this so-called guild."
At that, Jude's already short temper flared to the breaking point. He slammed his hands down on the desk and stood, his voice cold and sharp.
"This this Heartfilia family is Lucy's true home!"
"Oh yeah? But Lucy is in Fairy Tail now."
"That was nothing more than a childish, foolish prank!"
"But Lucy is in Fairy Tail now."
"From the moment she was born, Lucy Heartfilia was destined to be different from the lower-class people like you, who scrape by on a meager salary!"
"But Lucy is in Fairy Tail now."
Jude's chest heaved violently, fury boiling over at the other man's illogical and infuriatingly stubborn retorts.
And yet… he could not deny the fact.
"Just a brat trying to blackmail me, all while calling me Lucy " Jude's forehead throbbed with bulging veins. He roared,
"As an outsider, how could you possibly understand the good fortune that has finally come to her?!"
"Well said!" Chase's voice rose, his presence filling the room.
"Then tell me, as the father you claim to be do you know how Lucy pouts when she's teased? Do you know how she cries when everyone rallies to protect her? Do you know how she laughs and complains whenever she feels like it?"
"I know! Every single person in Fairy Tail knows!"
Chase's tone and aura surged with conviction.
"Lucy calls me her brother. She calls you a cold father. Now tell me who's really the outsider here?!"
Jude's composure shattered completely. His once-calm, noble features twisted into raw, furious contortion.
"In that case, you should stop getting in the way of Lucy's happiness! Marrying the eldest son of the Jeluanu family "
Jude's voice rose to a furious roar, echoing through the spacious study.
" is the greatest fortune she could ever have!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Chase suddenly burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
What was this?
Was he insane?
Under Jude's puzzled glare, Chase finished laughing, then sank leisurely back into his seat. His hands gripped the armrests as he stretched out, crossing one leg over the other. When he spoke, his tone was slow, almost casual.
"To hell with your fortune."
Jude: "…"
As the wealthiest man in Fiore, Jude had spent his life in high-class circles, surrounded by refinement and polish. He was accustomed to hearing clever words, biting sarcasm, or cutting rhetoric but to be struck so bluntly, so crudely, left him momentarily speechless.
"Well," Chase went on, "if you, Mr. Jude, insist on forcing Lucy into marriage, I won't stop you. That's between you and your family."
Before Jude could respond, Chase's tone shifted, a sharp gleam in his eyes.
"But the groom's identity isn't set in stone, is it? It's supposed to be the eldest son of the Jeluanu family, right?"
"Heh."
At that, Jude's anger simmered down into a cold sneer.
"You ignorant brat. You dare set your sights on the Jeluanu family? Do you even have the guts for that?"
....
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