Ch 257 - No Longer an Ambrose

"Has the government tried to suppress the news?" Rufus asked his father.

"Impossible," Jessop said, waving his hand. "They don't have the ability. And the Drake family wouldn't bother to hide it. No, someone else has been keeping this from us."

"Who?" Rufus asked. "What family has that much power?" He didn't think any of them could pull this off.

"Think about it," Jessop said, scowling. "It must be a family that hides in the shadows."

"The Ambrose family?" Rufus asked, shocked.

"Only they could do this! They're the only ones secretive enough to go about it this way!" Jessop insisted.

"But why would the Ambrose family involve themselves in this?" Rufus asked. "What do they have to do with us?"

"In the past, we didn't have the same resources as them," Jessop said. "We were not short of money, but we couldn't match their power. Thirty years ago, Lincoln, the head of the Ambrose family, invited me to visit their estate. He wanted to recruit me, so he offered me a lot of money, but I refused."

The Ambrose family had been going through a difficult period, and Lincoln had wanted to boost their strength by recruiting the Cliftons. But Jessop had always been a proud man, so he had declined Lincoln's invitation.

Later, Jessop had learned that the Ambrose family had been growing more powerful with every day. Now it was one of the largest families in the country, with branches all over the world.

Jessop didn't regret his decision to refuse Lincoln Ambrose. Instead, he was proud of it. Other families begged to join the Ambrose family, while Jessop had turned down their offer.

"Charles must die," Jessop announced. "He ignored my instructions and kept Debbie from me." He looked at Rufus. "Every one of our children should remain within the family."

"I'll take Edgar Grady with me," Rufus said. Edgar was a well-respected figure in the world of martial arts.

"No," Jessop said, shaking his head. "You said that Cliff Munson was defeated. Even if the Ambrose family are not responsible, there are clearly powerful people in Washington, D.C., so we must send the strongest fighter we have."

"You mean Paul Novak?" Rufus asked. Paul was one of their most powerful martial arts experts and was more famous than Cliff Munson, the man Alex had defeated.

"Yes, take Paul to Washington, D.C., to kill Charles and get Debbie," Jessop ordered. "But you must do it without drawing any attention." He held Rufus' gaze.

"Yes, I know what to do," Rufus assured him, leaving the study.

Once Rufus had gone, Jessop lifted the picture and looked at Debbie.

"If it hadn't been for you, my precious Cynthia would still be alive," he murmured. "Oh, Cynthia, why didn't you listen to your father? Why couldn't you have stayed away from Charles Marvel? I warned you it would end in tears."

**

Reginald collapsed on the sofa and breathed a sigh of relief, but his mind was still spinning. What did Alex mean when he said he was no longer a member of the Ambrose family? he wondered.

His phone buzzed with an incoming message.

Reginald sat up straight, recognizing the number as belonging to the Ambrose family. He had never called the number, and even if he had, no one would have answered.

The Ambrose family only used the number to provide information to those who needed to know something. As the head of a powerful family in Washington, D.C., Reginald was one of the few to receive such messages.

He opened the text message and read it.

[The Ambrose family has disowned Alex. From this point on, if Alex asks for help, you should ignore him.]

Reginald now understood what Alex had said.

"Dad, what's the matter?" David asked, puzzled by his father's shocked expression.

"Alex was thrown out of the Ambrose family," Reginald said.

"What?" David asked, incredulous.

"Alex is no longer a member of the Ambrose family," Reginald said. "He's on his own now, and the Ambrose family won't help him."

David was shocked. "Then we don't have to worry about him," he said. "Which means that I can take Debbie back." He couldn't forget Debbie, no matter how hard he tried.

"No!" Reginald said.

"Why not?" David asked, frowning. "You just said that he's an ordinary man now. So why can't we deal with him?"

"Have you forgotten how strong he is?" Reginald asked. "You can't possibly take Debbie back by yourself." He was annoyed at David, who had always been more concerned about his love life than the family business.

David didn't dare argue. He knew he couldn't beat Alex, but he was sure he could find someone who could.

"David, I have many years of experience with these matters," Reginald said. "The Ambrose family have disowned Alex for now, but they could take him back in the future. And I suspect that, if he does return to his family, then he may end up running it one day. Right now, Alex is at the lowest point in his life, so if we help him, he'll be grateful. Then, once his family takes him back, he'll be able to repay our kindness."

"But that all depends on Alex returning to his family," David complained. "If that doesn't happen, then our efforts will be in vain." David didn't care about helping Alex. He just wanted Debbie back.

Reginald was sure Alex would eventually be allowed to return to his family.

But he didn't know that the Ambrose family had never taken back anyone they had thrown out.

**

Alex took Debbie to shop for a wedding dress.

They had agreed to have a low-key wedding the following night. Charles hadn't invited any friends or relatives, so only his immediate family and the four Moon maidens would be there. The wedding would take place in the Marvel villa, and no one would see what took place inside.

Alex helped Debbie to pick out a plain white wedding dress, and they asked the clerk to wrap it for them. Then they left the shop and took a taxi to the Drake house.

Alex hoped to persuade David to stay quiet about what had happened. If everyone thought he was still married to Leona, then no one would know the truth about Debbie.

Alex walked into the living room and spotted Reginald and David.

"Mr. Ambrose, welcome!" Reginald said, treating Alex as if he were still the heir of the Ambrose family.

"Alex," David corrected him, feeling jealous. Now that Alex had been disowned, he had no right to the name Ambrose.

"Mr. Drake," Alex said. He glanced at the maid who was dusting the living room. Reginald understood and signaled the maid to leave.

Alex took Debbie's hand, and they sat on the sofa, looking at Reginald. "Mr. Drake, I think you should stay quiet about what happened with David and Leona," he said. "The truth could damage your family's reputation, so why not let everyone think that David and Leona are married? Then, after six months, you could reveal that they're divorced. I think that's for the best, don't you?"

"I agree," Reginald said. "I'm going to miss Debbie, but you're right."

"That's great." Alex said, overjoyed. He hadn't expected them to agree so easily. He gently squeezed Debbie's hand and looked at Reginald and David. "You should know that Debbie and I are getting married at the Marvel house tomorrow night."

He thought it would be better to tell them now rather than catching them by surprise. If David found out later, he might react badly and spread the news.

David's heart ached. He felt like Alex had taken everything from him.

"Congratulations," Reginald said. "You really are a perfect couple, and I'm happy for you. May David and I attend the ceremony?"

"We've agreed to keep the wedding small," Alex said. "The guest list is limited, as we need to keep a low profile. I hope you understand."

"Of course," Reginald agreed, nodding. "It will just be David and me. No one else. We can keep a secret. What do you think?"

"Well, I guess that's okay," Alex said, feeling as if he had no choice.

After that, Alex left with Debbie.

"Why do we have to go to Alex's wedding?" David asked, tormented by the thought of having to watch Debbie marry another man.

"I told you already," Reginald said. "We have to gain Alex's favor. Then, when he returns to the Ambrose family, he'll be in a position to help us."

David disagreed. Alex will never return to his family, he thought.