Chapter 327 - 327 Shark Finning

"I could have waited a few more weeks, but after the efforts to clean the Khan Family of dissidents and enemies, this is the perfect time," Marcel said, taking a deep breath and drinking the remainder of the water in his glass. "Elder Michael Khan, please take the seat at the opposite corner of this table." Michael stood up hearing this, his heart beating on his eardrums. He felt the blood rush from his face, making it pale, before he gathered himself to swallow dry and walk towards the assigned seat. His eyes crossed with Tyrel's, and then with Noah's. And Noah saw the obvious emotions in his face, surprise, and fear, but there were also traces of something he hadn't expected, anger. His lips' corners extending sideways, his slightly furrowed brow and angled eyebrows, the micro-facial expression were telling a lot more than just his face would say. And when he sat down, Noah knew who it was aimed towards.

'Oh wow, that's a huge drama!'

'Shut up, snake. Things are getting serious, and I don't really know what's happening,' Noah said in order to silence her, trying to get something out of Marcel's expression. However, he was plain like a politician, whith an empty smile on his face. 'What the hell is he even trying?' he thought, trying to figure things out.

'This? He's just forcing the thieving elders to choose him for Head,' Lilith said as a matter of course, sliding up Noah's leg and resting herself on his lap.

'Excuse me? How the hell would that work?' Noah asked confused, as the silence progressed in a way that made him extremely uncomfortable, as he put his hand over the Snake's cold body, which helped him calm down.

'I think it won't be long before you know that. That Marcel guy seems to have put everyone here in his palm. He's a cunning little bastard," Lilith jeered, slithering her snake tongue at the people. 'But if you don't play his game, it's gonna backfire for him.'

Lilith's warning pulled Noah's attention back to the people on the table and Marcel, who was staring straight at him. He didn't quite understand what his plan was, but there were at least some cues he could take from the small glint of anticipation and fear in Marcel's face.

"Let us now put it to the vote, who, in here, favors Michael Khan as the Khan Family Head?" Marcel asked, making everyone stare between themselves and try to pry information off of one another. Noah was confused whether he should vote, but one thing caught his attention. The Sharks. Those guys were quietly exchanging cues on whether to vote for the fresh candidate, after being heavily opposed and stricken by Marcel's efforts to keep the family on the blue. But it took him a while to understand exactly why they would be so nervous about this indication. He saw other elders doing the same, and quickly formed an informed guess.

The Clan Head is the one responsible for everything. All the blame falls on him, and 16 pairs of eyes are always around to make sure he has not a single chance to prey on the Family. The catch is, someone who doesn't want to be the Clan Head, and was trained by the most rigorous and rightful member of the council, selected under the choice of the head who fined and killed corrupt Elders and traitors... Doesn't sound like the best bet.

'ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ No(v) e lBin ᴏɴʟʏ.',

'He's asking you to do something, Lilith's voice once again cut his daydreaming, and he stared to look around to see Marcel staring at him with a too blank expression, almost as if yellling wasn't enough to convey his feelings.

"Oh," Noah thought, raising his hand while looking towards the bearded warrior, who had also raised his. And, in a surprise to nobody, Marcel raised his hand, making the table stare at him in awe.

And that was the cue to his plan. While this all happened, for the first time in the whole meeting, Noah could hear some murmuring and people openly talking, while they had done so covetly in even as the vote had began. It goes without saying that, aside from the three votes, only a single Elder voted for Michael, filling him with ease.

"Now, who, in here, favors me, Marcel Khan, to continue as the definitive Khan Family Head?" Marcel said while smiling, where the hands of all those who had been punished begrudgingly became raised, aside from a couple extra Elders who favored his work. "With a result of 11 to 4 and 2 absenses, I, Marcel Khan, will do my best as the Khan Head until the time of my passing," He made the vow, ending the vote, and standing up. "Now that all matters have been discussed, I shall end this meeting. From the vote, I see most of you agree with my methods and actions. I'm looking forward to continue working as the Head from now onwards with full powers," and saying that, he turned around, leaving the room while leaving some people fuming. "Oh," he turned back before reaching the door, "Elder Stern, please come with me. We'll discuss the terms of your personal rewards." And went back to leaving the room without waiting for Noah.

'What an amazing asshole,' Lilith told him in thought. "Now nobody will be able to talk back to him about the punishments he had already been issuing even before being elected. The dirty guys are gonna have a very tough life from now on." She leaked an evil laughter as she told Noah this, who was holding himself from smiling at what had just happened.

He stood up, ready to take Marcel on his word, and bid farewell to his partners. But differntly from the bearded warrior, Michael had still not gotten over the events of this meeting.

"That motherfucker... He used me like that to strengthen his bases..." Noah approached him while he muttered angrily, looking at his fisted hands above the table.

"You gonna keep complaining about that, or are you gona harvest the fruits of this? He'll probably reward you one way or the other, chill, "Noah said while putting his hand on Michael's shoulder. "Also, you should be wary of those guys, before they try to frame you for anything they might do," Noah whispered into his ear before standing up straight, which brought Michael right back to the place he was in.

"Oh, shit, right... Thank you, Noah. I was afraid this meeting would've gone awry..." Michael sighed, "I never wanted to become the Head because it is a lot of management and politics and too little fighting. Yet he threw me into that possibility without even saying a word beforehand. I had not expected it at all," he confessed his feelings, staring at the bearded warrior who was looking at the other Elders' responses to what had just happened.

"Like I said, it didn't happen, so relax." Noah turned to leave, walking alongside the opposite side he took to come here, and fistbumping the scout, who was standing behind one of the elders on that side of the table without others noticing. As he reached the end of the room, he looked down to see the pitch black snake walking alongside him, I can start considering you my advisor by this point, right?'

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'Advisor? What a cheeky title. I just hel you here and there because you are my savior, and my master, and my Lord's Descendant. Rather, I'd prefer if you said I was your W—Right hand.'

Noah couldn't avoid noticing Lilith's cought up right at the end of the sentence, but his thoughts were very off.

'W? You mean, you are taking care of my prisoners? Warden sure sounds like a title for the second in charge of hell,' he told her, walking through the door. 'Lilith?' he aske as he turned around.He'd stopped seeing the snake following him, and look to she? was frozen in place behind. 'Hey, Lilith, let's go," he warned her, seeing her in place behind instead of accompanying him. "Rememberm, you are also my companion. I need your help with other things,' he said, waking the snake from her daze, and making her quickly reach him.

'Oh, yeah, right...' But Noah couldn't wash off the impression that she was deeply disappointed after what he'd said.

'Did I go too far on my joke?' he thought, thinking calling her a warden could've been what made her react weirdly. Noah, as always, was oblivious to the rollercoaster of thoughs and emotions Lilith had just gone through in the last few seconds.

As the two passed the door, Marcel was waiting ahead. "This way," he said, walking towards a hallway that branched off.

Noah followed him for a while, passing an area that was just like a call center he'd seen in the past. "It shouldn't be far from now, sorry. We're heading off to my office. It's pretty far from the entrance," he heard from Marcel as they hade their way to a large hallway with an elevator and a reception desk.

"Marcia, we're up to my room. Do not let anyone interrupt us," Marcel said to the woman behind the desk, who nodded silently. "Let's head up, shall we?" he said to Noah, as the doors to the fancy elevator opened up.

"Do you seriously have a private elevator?" Noah asked, as he and Lilith stepped in. Or rather, she slid in, he stepped.

"Don't you also think it's too much?" Marcel shot back at him with another question.. "Wait until you see the view," he said, staring at the glass back wall that now only showed a fancy brick wall.