The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1733

The man remained unfazed by Wynter's exclamation as he pulled the trigger. In that split second, Wynter bent her body and hurled three silver needles toward his wrist. The sharp pain caused the man to lose hold of the gun.

Standing up, Wynter found that the man seemed to have forgotten her entirely. His gaze lost its usual warmth, filled instead with a cold disdain for life.

"What happened to you, Fang?" Wynter called out to him.

Lupius hesitated at the sound of his codename. His eyes flickered with a brief clarity, but the distant chime of a bell brought him under control again. He yanked the silver needles from his wrists and attacked Wynter once more.

Wynter, hearing the bell, turned toward the source of the sound. She spotted a figure draped in a black robe perched high on a building. They gave her a slight bow, as if telling her to enjoy the gift they had prepared. The figure then slowly retreated until it disappeared from sight.

At that moment, Lupius swung a powerful fist toward Wynter, the air around it cracking with force. She shifted her gaze from the building and darted back, narrowly avoiding the blow. No matter how she called his name, his expression remained detached—like a man staring into the face of death.

Only then did Wynter understand why the old medium had taken Lupius. Dave once mentioned that the old medium had a use for Lupius, and now that need was painfully clear.

Knowing that Wynter wouldn't kill Lupius, the old medium had taken control of him to fight against her. Wynter, however, couldn't risk using her needles on Lupius, as one wrong move could lead to irreparable damage.

When the Special Unit members arrived at the scene, they found Wynter standing there. Upon drawing closer, they were surprised to see Lupius. "What are you doing here, Fang? We've been searching for you nonstop these past few days."

Yet, Lupius didn't respond to their call and merely focused on attacking Wynter. In his eyes, she appeared to be a dangerous monster that needed to be eliminated.

"He's not in his right mind. All of you hold him down, and don't let him move. I'll give him a sting to calm him," Wynter instructed as she avoided Lupius' attacks.

It was clear that he was either hypnotized or under the influence of parasite magic. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

At Wynter's command, the Special Unit members moved to encircle Lupius. When he lunged at Wynter, they rushed in to clamp down on his head and limbs. Once he was fully restrained, Wynter swiftly inserted a needle into his GV20 acupoint, finally bringing him to a calm state.

With Lupius subdued, the members helped him to his feet. One member, Grisell Colmer, couldn't help but ask, "What happened to Fang? Why is he only attacking the boss?"

"Something must've happened that put him under someone's control. I almost brought him back to his senses, but he slipped back into a trance after hearing the bell chime.

"Take him to the nearest lounge. I'll head over there soon," Wynter instructed before making her way to the building, where the cloaked figure had been.

Unfortunately, there was no one at the top when she got there. Instead, there was a piece of paper lying on the ground. She picked it up and read the words. "This is only the beginning. You won't get lucky next time."

Wynter gave a mocking smirk at the taunt. Quite a few had attempted to harm her, but those who did had seen their graves eroded.

At that time, Lucas had learned of the incident and swiftly called Wynter to check on her safety.

"I'm fine. We even found the missing member," Wynter reported.

"Good to hear. These people are getting too bold! Firing a rifle out in the open like that? They're blatantly ignoring Cascadia's laws. I'll make sure this incident is properly investigated!" Lucas declared sternly.

He considered it an affront to Cascadia's laws, and he refused to tolerate such disrespect. Adding to his fury, Wynter had been the bullet's target!

Lucas continued, "I had the area locked down immediately, but we still have no leads on the sniper. They must've scoped out the spot beforehand, then swiftly retreated after firing a shot."

Wynter pondered for a moment before advising Lucas, "Keep this to yourself. Don't let anyone else hear about it. We don't need to stir up more chaos."

"You can count on me. If you'll excuse me, I have some official business to attend to." With that, Lucas ended the call.

Wynter let out a deep breath, relieved that she hadn't brought Dalton along. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to manage the situation. A bullet shot or close combat could have been fatal, especially for someone as fragile as Dalton.

Stepping into the lounge, Wynter glanced at the sleeping Lupius on the bed and turned to the others presented. "Leave us for now. Don't let anyone interrupt."

Once the members had left, she took off Lupius' shirt and inserted the silver needles into his acupuncture points. At the last needle, she paused briefly to wipe her sweaty forehead.

Performing the 18 Sacred Needles technique took an immense toll on her energy, and the last needle was especially hazardous. If Lupius failed to withstand it, his life could be at risk.

After a moment of hesitation, Wynter inserted the needle into the last acupuncture point. She was aware of Lupius' deep love for the country. He would never soil his hands for anyone, even at the cost of his life. Such a resolve had been clear in the letter he wrote when he joined the Special Unit.

In fact, each member had written a letter like that upon joining the Special Unit. Though they never knew when death would come, they swore to defend the lands of Cascadia with every moment they had. That was the very core of their existence.

As Wynter inserted the final needle, Lupius hacked violently and spat out a mouthful of black liquid. A tiny bug mixed within the dark fluid.

The commotion drew the members waiting outside into the room. At the sight of the scene, Grisell instantly understood that Wynter had performed the 18 Sacred Needles technique to save Lupius. She quickly helped Wynter into a chair while instructing the others to remove the needles from Lupius.

Soon after, Lupius slowly opened his eyes. When he saw his comrades, a deep sense of relief washed over him.

Noticing that Lupius had awakened, Wynter inquired, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm better now. It's all thanks to you, Boss," Lupius replied.

Wynter waved a dismissive hand. "There's no chance I'll abandon any of you. I'm your boss, after all."

Everyone was moved to tears by Wynter's words. Ever since she took charge, their success in missions had noticeably risen. She would handle the dangerous missions alone, only contacting the members afterward to wrap things up.

Everyone had come to genuinely acknowledge Wynter as their leader. She always reminded them to value their lives, knowing they had families waiting for their return. Unless absolutely necessary, she never allowed them to sacrifice themselves.

Seeing the emotional crowd, Wynter quickly switched the topic. "Alright, that's enough. We're all grown-ups here. Let's get back to business. Fang, do you remember what happened?"

Lupius replied, "I found some clues at the farmers' market. When I attempted to investigate further, I was caught by a figure in a black robe. I was locked up in a dark room until yesterday.

"He came to me, chanting some spells I couldn't understand. Then, he gave me some food. When I regained consciousness, things had turned out like this."

Wynter pieced the information together. "It seems like that person has placed parasite magic in your food. Once the parasite entered the body, he was able to control you to do his bidding."

Lupius thought for a moment before adding, "While I was locked up, I heard him on the phone mentioning something about arranging a formation and pushing the plan forward."

"A formation and a plan? It looks like they don't know when to quit. In that case, we'll tear apart everything they've planned. They might be hiding in the shadows, but we're standing in the open," Wynter declared.

Soon after, Wynter arrived at the restaurant Cleo mentioned. She found him seated by the window, with Alaric standing quietly beside him.

Sensing her gaze, Cleo turned around and greeted her. "Come, sit down. I hope the food is to your taste."

Wynter took a seat across Cleo and gazed straight at him. "I doubt you traveled all this way for a meal, Mr. Sinclair. Just tell me what you need."

Cleo paused briefly, holding his fork in midair. He then replied, "The main reason I came was to see you. I used to dine here often with Mr. Gordon, so I came straight to the restaurant once I arrived at Colifernia."

"You never sought me out back in Hawford. Why did you come here now?" Wynter inquired.

Cleo chuckled. "Because you've proven yourself. I've been keeping an eye on you while you were in Hawford. I heard about your feats, but it wasn't enough. Ever since Shane caused a stir in Hawford, I realized that no one else could inherit Mr. Gordon's legacy. That's why I retired."

"Have you been secretly testing me all this time?" Wynter was surprised.

Cleo nodded with a smile. "Indeed. Mr. Gordon once told me that I could either step away or continue supporting the Quinnell family's heir. Have you found what Mr. Gordon left behind?"

When Wynter nodded affirmatively, Cleo requested to see the proof. She reached into her bag and handed him the gold-eyed goldfish emblem.

Cleo inspected the emblem carefully. "So, this is what Mr. Gordon left behind—the emblem to inherit the Southern Cascadia Chamber of Commerce. From now on, I, Cleo Sinclair, pledge my life to follow Ms. Wynter Quinnell."

With that, he rose from his seat and knelt before Wynter.

Wynter was shocked and hurriedly helped him up. "You're an elder who served Grandpa Gordon. I can't accept such gestures of respect."

Instead of continuing with the formalities, Cleo simply sat down with Wynter. "Ms. Wynter, are you aware that Rohan isn't the Colifernia Chamber of Commerce's real chairman?" he inquired.

Wynter replied affirmatively, "I learned of it recently. He's too haughty and domineering, showing none of the demeanor of a chairman."

Cleo explained, "The Colifernia Chamber of Commerce is still under Eric Lofstedt's control. He was a follower of Mr. Gordon, like me. Back then, Mr. Gordon was in a car accident. Strangely, Eric and I were the only ones who knew about his schedule.

"Mr. Gordon took a side road, and yet he crashed into another car. While the driver was later charged with DUI, Mr. Gordon didn't survive the crash."

As he recalled the tragic event, he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

Hearing that, Wynter turned to Cleo. "So, are you saying that someone caused Grandpa Gordon's death, and the possible killer is either you or Eric?"

"That's right. This has been weighing on my heart for a long time, and there's no one I can tell."

Wynter clenched her fists and growled, "Eric Lofstedt deserves nothing but death!"

Suddenly, she remembered the letter she retrieved alongside the gold-eyed goldfish emblem. If she recalled correctly, the letter mentioned something about Colifernia. She quickly took it out of her bag and opened it. Beside her, Cleo leaned in to read along.

Wynter's anger bubbled with each word she read. As the wind blew from the outside, she made her declaration. "It looks like the winds are picking up. I think Eric can start with bankruptcy."