Chapter 200: First Gathering

Ezra strolled down the street, taking in the sights.His destination was just a street away but he could already see it.

Standing higher than even the T-Max building was an old tower attached to an equally old building.

Ezra had learnt that the building had previously been a museum fifty years ago. The owners had decided that instead of spending credits on renovating, it was better to move to a new location.

To be exact, a new location in Griffin's old territory.

Now, he wondered if the owners hadn't been influenced by vampires in one way or another.

It didn't matter anymore as the building now belonged to Countess Yuri.

In a minute, he was in front of the property.

The main building was constructed from fabricated marble. The one usually gotten from the high-tech printers commonly used by construction companies.

Its age was evident as the stone had long lost its shine.

Its large arched windows had been sealed up with concrete, deterring any loiterers.

The tower itself rose majestically from the left corner of the building, topped with a conical roof made from red slates.

Ezra strode in, entering through the front door. The countess' Aura blanketed every inch of the building, giving her a view of all that happened within it.

He bowed slightly to thin air and made his way to the tower.

In contrast to the old look, the interior of the building was tastefully decorated. Ezra made his way to the elevator, riding to the top of the tower.

As he stepped into the throne room, he couldn't help but be impressed by what he saw.

The whole floor was covered by a rich red rug, making the other fixtures in the room stand out.

There were four marble pillars at equal distance from each other in the large circular room. Instead of walls, the room had floor to ceiling windows, giving a three hundred and sixty degrees view of the area.

Sun streamed into the room, bathing it in its golden light.

The only furniture in the room was the dark throne standing on the other end of the room, opposite the door.

The throne was made of a matte black metal that made it look like a shadow even in the light of the sun.

Standing in the room were two vampires.

On one side stood Helena, captain of the local peacekeepers, dressed in her pristine white uniform.

On the other side stood Lady Amara, popularly known as the lone lady, dressed in her customary black gown.

Both women stood in the thick, dark shadows casted by the pillars, protecting themselves from the glare of the sun.

"Ezra." Lady Amara nodded once in welcome.

"Lady Amara." Ezra nodded back. "It is both a pleasure and a surprise to see you here."

He cast a quick glance at Helena who watched him with a wary look on her face.

"Of course." Lady Amara answered, a slight smile on her face. "As you have probably deduced by my presence here, I was always on Countess Yuri's side."

Ezra paused. "You knew?"

"Yes. I did. I knew Countess Yuri was the new count."

"Then why..."

"Why did I agree to the deal to write off my debts?"

Ezra nodded. With Yuri taking her place as Countess a month earlier than planned, Ezra was no longer in charge of the debts at Ascendant Capital.

Which meant that Lady Amara's debt was now in Countess Yuri's hands.

"To put it simply, the Countess ordered me to." Amara said, eyeing Helena. "She knew you'd need the help."

Ezra nodded in agreement. Without Amara, he wouldn't have been able to keep the Blackthornes out of Griffin's hands and things wouldn't have turned out like this.

He opened his mouth to speak but before he could, the door opened and Countess Yuri walked in.

As she was in her domain, she didn't have a reason to keep herself veiled.

Her hair shone as it changed colors with every step she took. Her presence was as powerful as it had always been but as Ezra was no longer a weak second ring vampire, it wasn't as oppressive as it had previously been.

She walked up to her throne and sat on it, looking down at the vampires in front of her. They all bowed slightly in respect, even Helena.

"Welcome to Yuri County." Yuri spoke, smiling slightly. "As the ones who made this happen, you have my thanks."

"Ezra Matten."

"My lady." Ezra smiled slightly.

"You have done a great job of keeping Southside intact. Griffin was not able to steal much from you and for that, you deserve a reward."

"Choose any place or property you want to oversee in Southside and it would be granted to you."

"Thank you, my lady." Ezra bowed slightly.

He knew what was happening. Yuri could not afford to lose any subjects at this point in time, so she was keeping them tied to her with whatever means she had.

He almost sighed.

He didn't want to be roped into another fight he didn't start. Now, he knew his decision to leave First City was the right one.

"Lady Amara." Yuri continued. "You have stayed true to the deal we had." Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Lady Amara nodded along to the Countess' words.

"For that, you will receive the reward we have previously agreed upon. You can also take your pick of whatever you want to oversee on Southside and it would be granted to you. After Ezra Matten, of course."

"Of course, Countess." Lady Amara curtsied.

"Captain Helena." Yuri turned to look at the woman, a cold expression on her face. "Your actions almost jeopardized the whole plan. You almost handed Southside to Griffin on a silver platter. That cannot be allowed to stand."

"On the other hand, your actions also resulted in the death of Griffin, creating one less enemy for Yuri County."

"In light of this, you will not be given anything in Southside, whether hidden or public. Your authority will be confined to the peacekeepers as it always has been."

"So I have spoken."