Ch 450 - The Mysterious Ambrose Family

"Oh?" Alex asked, surprised. "We are one of the most powerful families in the world. Who would dare to move against us?"

Although he had been disowned, he still felt protective of his family.

"I'm not sure," Justin said. "They're lurking in the shadows." He paused as someone spoke in the background. "I have to go. But remember that this is highly confidential. You didn't hear it from me."

"I understand, and I'll take care of it," Alex said. "Call me later, and we can meet up for a chat."

"Absolutely," Justin agreed. He hung up.

Justin knew that the Ambrose family was being targeted, but he didn't know the details. No one in the family was sure what was happening, but they had already been impacted by the stealthy attack. Recently, their companies' share prices had fallen sharply, several staff members had left to work for competitors, and some of their family secrets had been disclosed to the public.

As a result, the whole Ambrose family was preparing for war.

Alex paced, thinking of his parents and about his old family home. Even though he had been kicked out of the family, he still cared about them and wanted to help.

He began to pay more attention to his family's dealings, hoping to find a clue that would lead him to their enemy.

**

In the evening, Celia called Alex to invite him to a celebration dinner, and Alex agreed, hoping to use the occasion to hear any rumors about the Ambrose family.

There were only five tables for Celia's guests, but the other guests were unimportant. Celia only cared about Alex.

Celia and Ethan had become loyal fans of Alex, so they were delighted that he had agreed to come.

When Celia had gotten home from work, she had changed into an elegant dress that flattered her slim figure and had touched up her makeup. Now she stood and spoke to her guests.

"I've invited you all here to thank Alex for his hard work in rescuing the hostages," she said. "Ethan and I are very grateful to Alex for his cooperation in this matter, and I'd like to propose a toast. To Alex."

She raised her glass and took a sip, and the other guests followed her example.

The celebration was casual, and Celia had abandoned the serious attitude she usually had at work.

"Ethan and I have been talking," she said to Alex. "And we were wondering if you'd given any more thought to becoming an instructor at the Baltimore Military Academy."

Now that they were in a secure location, she was more willing to refer to the institution by name. He hadn't expressed much interest before, but she hoped the prestige that came with the name would impress him.

Alex simply shrugged. He wasn't particularly interested in the job, and he didn't want to be tied down. Rules and regulations weren't really his thing.

The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, and everyone was drinking. Even Celia, who was normally quite restrained, drank numerous glasses of wine.

Alex drank heavily, and Celia was astonished that he didn't get even slightly tipsy.

Not all the guests were martial artists. Some were officials and other wealthy people. Celia had chosen her guests carefully, but Alex wasn't interested in networking. He had only come so he could discover the latest gossip regarding his family.

"Celia, Ethan," Alex said, deciding to take a more direct approach. "Have you ever heard of the Ambrose family?"

"The Ambrose family?" Celia asked, blinking slowly. Her eyes were a little glassy, and she had obviously had a bit too much to drink. She thought it over for a moment. "I've heard the name, but that's about all." She frowned. "Why don't I know more about them?"

Celia had always prided herself on her ability to collect information. If she hadn't heard anything about this family, then they must not be worth knowing about.

Ethan didn't know much about them either.

Alex had suspected as much, since the Ambrose family tended to keep a low profile. Remaining in the shadows had helped the family to grow strong over the years.

"Oh, I do know about the Ambrose Group," Celia said. "Are you talking about them? As far as I know, they're just a business. Well, a collection of businesses, I supposed. But I don't think they're connected to the family."

Alex thought about it. The Ambrose family owned a lot of different businesses throughout the world, so he wasn't sure if this was part of their organization. The name might just be a coincidence.

"Oh!" Celia said, remembering something. "There's a senior executive of the Ambrose Group here tonight, so why don't we ask him?"

"No, it's fine," Alex said. "It's not important."

An overweight, balding man approached Celia and said, "Ms. Turner, thank you for your invitation. My name is Wesley Boone."

"You're welcome," Celia said. "I believe that you're the CFO of the Ambrose Group. Is that right?"

"Yes," he said. "The Ambrose Group has businesses spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, and we're preparing to expand into North Africa. Of course, I don't want to bother your pretty little head with boring details, so let's just say we're doing very well."

He took a business card from his pocket and held it out to her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Boone," Celia said, her tone positively frosty. She didn't take the card as she had no interest in him. Besides, the man made her skin crawl, and she was annoyed at his patronizing attitude.

"Oh." Wesley pulled his hand back in embarrassment and looked at the other guests. This was an important table, the seats filled with well-known figures in various fields. His eyes flickered over to Alex, but they didn't recognize each other.

"Mr. Alex, you must be very close to the Ambrose family, since you also have Ambrose in your name," Wesley said with a smile. He stretched out his large hand to shake Alex's.