An Understated Dominance - Chapter 2489

Austin looked at the royal advisors, his expression serious. “I’ll be investigating each of you one by one,” he said, his gaze sharp.

With a sneer, he added, “Make sure your records are clean. If I find anything wrong, I will deal with it strictly, and there will be no mercy.”

Panic filled the room. Everyone exchanged worried looks, their hearts racing. They quickly fell silent, realizing how angry Austin was. Until now, Langdon had been the loudest, but now they felt the heat of the moment.

People in their positions often had secrets, and they knew it. In the past, Rufus had ignored many issues, but Austin was different. He was ready to dig deep, and if he did, many of them could lose their jobs and reputations.

“Mr. Rhys, what should we do? Lord Austin is serious,” one advisor said, his voice trembling.

“Exactly, Mr. Rhys. If he investigates, we’re all in trouble,” another added.

“We only came here because of you. You can’t let us take the blame,” a third advisor chimed in, all speaking over each other in a panic.

They had come at Langdon’s request, hoping to clear Warrick of any charges. Success would help their reputations and earn them favor. But failure would mean crossing Austin, which could be disastrous. The situation was slipping out of their hands.

If they didn’t manage this carefully, none of them would escape unharmed.

“Why are you all panicking like this? You’re grown men!” Langdon snapped, feeling his frustration grow. Their noise was only making things worse.

“Mr. Rhys, we—” one advisor started, but Langdon cut him off, his patience wearing thin.

wasn’t a part of the brewing chaos. He seemed completely at ease, while the advisors felt the tension rising around them.

“You’re safe, but what about us?” one advisor finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “If you make one wrong move, we’re done for. And don’t forget, once Lord Austin finishes with you, he’ll turn his attention to us. What are we supposed to do then?”

Langdon, who had been so sure of himself earlier, now faced a room full of worried faces. The advisors were starting to murmur among themselves, blaming him for their predicament. If he hadn’t insisted on confronting Austin, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“How can you all be so weak?” Langdon snapped, his frustration boiling over. “As royal advisors, we’re meant to fight against injustice. If a few threats scare you, then maybe you should just go home and farm.”

The advisors fell silent, their expressions grim. They knew Langdon’s speech about justice was just hot air. He was only looking out for himself. Everyone was aware of his secret deal with Warrick. If Warrick lost power, Langdon would lose a lot too. That’s why he had pushed the advisors to confront Austin in the first place.

What started as a small show of support had spiraled out of control. They never expected Langdon to ignore their safety and keep provoking Austin. Now, everyone was under scrutiny, and they felt trapped because of Langdon’s actions. Still, he showed no signs of regret and didn’t seem interested in fixing the situation. If this continued, they were all in serious trouble.

As the reality of their situation sank in, the advisors began to think of ways to save themselves. Relying on Langdon was no longer an option. They needed a plan to appease Austin before it was too late.

Time dragged on painfully slow. In the reception hall, Austin sat back, sipping tea and munching on snacks, as if he had all the time in the world.

The advisors were feeling increasingly anxious as they waited in the room, while Austin sat calmly, seemingly unfazed. Inside, however, Langdon was a bundle of nerves. He worried about what would happen if Austin found something that could incriminate him.

Suddenly, a guard rushed in with news. “Your Highness, Mr. Cruz has returned.”

At that moment, both the advisors and Langdon felt their hearts race. The evidence Axel had gathered would determine their futures.

“Send him in,” Austin said, setting down a grape he had been about to eat. He remained seated, looking as steady as a mountain.

Austin knew the enforcement team was skilled. Even if they didn’t uncover everything about Langdon, they would still have enough to take him down.

Two minutes later, Axel entered the reception hall with several members of the enforcement team.

“Well? Did you find anything?” Austin asked, his tone casual.

“Yes, Your Highness. We have all the evidence we need to bring someone to justice.” Axel shot Langdon a mocking look.

Langdon’s heart raced, and he could feel that trouble was just around the corner.