“Hello, Lucien Ashfall. Also known as Yunhui Luxin. Son of Jin and Meilin Ashfall. Last surviving member of the Yunhui Dynasty. Please state your request along with your current physical condition.”
A shudder shot down my spine hearing my given name after so long.
“Are you there?” the man on the other end pressed. “If you cannot talk due to your life being in jeopardy, please press any button and we will arrange extraction at your current location.”
“I’m here.” I cleared my throat, keeping my voice down just in case Rook had managed to fall asleep. “I’m Lucien Ashfall and request immediate assistance.”
“Please state what you require.”
“I have no passport, documents, or money, but I need to return to Ashfall Cliff in the Gaoligong Mountains immediately.”
“No problem. Extraction just for you?”
“No.” My eyes locked onto the girl cuddling my beast. My heart seared so hot, it threatened to turn to ash. “For three. One being an adult male panther.”
I tensed to be told Whisper couldn’t come. For this stranger to say such a thing would be impossible, which would mean I’d have to come up with another way because no fucking way would I leave him—
“As long as he’s non-violent toward the Sovereign Retrieval team, that’s fine.”
I let out a breath.
What the hell was this company and how had my father saved my life, all while rotting in his grave?
“He won’t hurt them.” I glanced at Whisper snoring quietly under Rook. “You have my word.”
“Good. I’ve activated your retrieval. The team is mobilising now.”
I couldn’t catch a breath.
It couldn’t be that easy, could it?
This had to be another trick—a sick and twisted game where nothing was how it seemed. Because if it wasn’t...no wonder Marcus never allowed me to access a phone.
If he knew I had this sort of help at my fingertips?
Fuck.
“Help will be there in precisely one hour. I apologise it’s slightly longer than our usual timeframe but you’re in a rural part of England.”
My eyes widened at the efficiency. “You’re tracking the phone I’m calling on?”
“I am. I’ve also arranged a private jet at the closest airstrip. You won’t require passports or documentation. As for money, the funds that have been held on your behalf have been automatically released the moment you input your keycode. They’re accessible anytime through your private account.”
My heart picked up its pace. “My father put aside a rainy-day fund?”
“I’d call it more of a flood fund,” the man chuckled. “There is currently an excess of one billion United States dollars ready for your use.”
I almost dropped the phone.
Marcus had always lorded my lack of stolen wealth over me—using it as yet another leash that even if I did manage to escape, I’d have nothing. No way of fighting him or extracting my revenge.
Turned out...he didn’t know nearly as much as he thought he did.
“I’ve taken the liberty of depositing ten million into the account linked to the phone you’re calling from. However, the current balance is over four hundred million, so you might not require it.”
Wait.What?!
I shot to my feet.
