"Good evening, Mr. Ethan," John’s voice echoed from the speaker, laced with an unusual timidity.
"Mr. John? Why did you call?" Ethan responded, his tone a mixture of surprise and suspicion, his eyes still locked on his eldest son.
"Hmm... Mr. Ethan... Someone of immense power has approached me with a proposition... A fifty billion investment."
Ethan’s eyebrow arched, his focus unwavering. "What kind of business?"
"A commercial plaza! Mr. Ethan, this is an extraordinary opportunity... You should be immensely pleased that you saved such an individual’s life," John exclaimed, a hint of relief coloring his voice.
"I didn’t save anyone’s life," Ethan corrected him, his gaze shifting to meet Amara’s on the second floor.
"Oh... That means someone from your family did."
Ethan’s eyes swept across his other children – Adonis, Katherine, and Leyla – before returning to Christopher. He nodded slowly. "Okay... So why are you calling me?"
"Mr. Ethan, I know there’s been some... friction between us. I’m calling to propose we wipe the slate clean... Let’s join forces and build this plaza together. Imagine the annual income, the profits we’ll generate..."
"Really? Why don’t you find someone else?" Ethan inquired, his skepticism evident.
"None of them possess your caliber! You are the ideal partner for this venture... Please, accept."
"Okay, okay... I am a businessman, after all. Why would I pass up such an opportunity?" Ethan finally conceded.
A palpable sigh of relief emanated from the phone’s speaker. "I will come to your company tomorrow to finalize the contract documents."
"Tomorrow? That’s quite early," Ethan remarked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Mr. Ethan, you don’t seem to grasp the influence this individual wields... A single word from him could dismantle Cordelia’s most prominent businesses. He possesses the financial might to cripple the top ten families single-handedly. And that’s not even mentioning his personal strength."
"Who is this person?" Ethan pressed.
"That is the one piece of information I don’t have... All I know is that his name begins with the letter ’C’ and a plus sign – ’C+’... I don’t know the significance."
"His name starts with ’C’?" Ethan’s eyes widened as he stared at Christopher.
"Yes... And let me tell you something else. He has five formidable individuals backing him, one of whom is a supreme-level tamer... We must not trifle with him. I know someone in your family saved his life, but do not become overconfident around an existence that even Boris would treat with deference."
Ethan nodded slowly. "I understand. We will discuss this tomorrow."
With that, he ended the call and placed his phone on the table, his gaze fixed intently on Christopher.
"Why didn’t you reveal your identity?" he asked, his voice low.
Christopher leaned forward, his expression so grave that both Ethan and Amara frowned in unison.
"Mum." He glanced over his shoulder at Amara, who watched from the second floor, before turning back to Ethan. "Dad... Do you both remember the time I went away, left the house for three whole months?"
"Of course, we sent you away," Ethan replied, a hint of defensiveness in his tone.
"That day, I encountered the late founder of C+... I saved his life, but his injuries were too severe... On his dying breath, he bequeathed me all his powers and appointed me the head of the entire C+ empire. The old man had no heir to carry on his legacy, so I became his successor in both strength and influence."
"Okay... But why the secrecy?" Ethan pressed, seeking clarification.
"When he entrusted me with his empire, he warned me about the Golden Organization – they were the ones who orchestrated his demise... Upon my return, my illness flared up because of this... And then, another extraordinary event occurred, granting me these abilities."
Christopher rubbed his ring, and a wave of beasts filled the room. Lazarus, in his imposing rhinoceros form, Lucas as a sleek purple cat, Grim in his formidable centipede form, the ten majestic flaming lions, two piercing-eyed blood eagles, and Reaper... All materialized in their non-combat forms.
The entire family was rendered speechless, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"I... I thought a tamer could only control a maximum of ten beasts?" Leyla stammered, turning to Amara for confirmation.
"No... A novice tamer can control one beast, an intermediate tamer two, an expert three, an elite four, a legendary five, a master six, and a supreme-level tamer ten... And only beasts of a lower stage... Meaning a novice tamer can only control one perfect-stage beast... But..."
Amara’s gaze sharpened, her previous shock giving way to intense scrutiny. "These beasts are already terrifyingly powerful... The ten lions are elite-stage beasts, with the weakest possessing a combat strength of at least Level 5... Those two eagles are legendary-stage, the weaker one at Level 8. And..." Her eyes locked onto Lazarus, Grim, and Lucas.
"Those three... They are suppressing their true power... I can’t pinpoint it precisely, but their strength is on par with my own beast, or... Or even stronger than mine." She stated, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"That?! That’s impossible! Leyla told us your beast is of the divine stage! Are you saying brother’s three beasts are also divine stage?" Katherine exclaimed, her voice laced with incredulity.
"A master tamer wouldn’t be able to sense it, or even perceive it... But I am not a master tamer."
With a fluid motion, Amara ascended into the air, hovering for a moment before gently descending to the sitting room floor.
Christopher, Ethan, and the assembled beasts turned their attention to her, while Adonis, Katherine, and Leyla exchanged bewildered glances.
Amara nodded at them, then slowly approached Grim. She observed the massive centipede for several tense seconds, and before anyone could anticipate her action, she channeled all her life force into her fist and unleashed a lightning-fast punch.