Chapter 4 Who are you?

"Who exactly are you?"

Her eyes remained fixed on Landon as she asked the question, but before he could answer, Carter spoke first.

"That's funny. We've been asking questions since we walked in, yet nobody seems interested in answering them."

The remark immediately irritated Bertram. The butler stepped forward and pointed a finger at Carter.

"You'd better watch your mouth. You're standing inside the Cross Estate, not some roadside tavern where people like you can say whatever they want."

Carter looked him up and down before shaking his head.

"I've seen armed insurgents with better manners than you."

The comment nearly made Bertram choke.

"You little—"

"Enough, Bertram."

Sophia's voice stopped him instantly.

The butler reluctantly stepped back, though his glare never left Carter. Sophia ignored him and returned her attention to Landon.

"You said you're looking for someone. Who is it?"

"Ethan Cross."

The reaction was immediate.

The atmosphere inside the foyer changed. Conversations died mid-sentence, smiles disappeared, and several guests who had been preparing to leave quietly turned back to watch.

Landon observed them carefully. Nobody looked surprised or confused.

They looked uncomfortable.

That alone told him plenty.

"I came looking for Ethan Cross," he repeated, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

The silence that followed felt even heavier.

"How dare you."

Bertram recovered first, marching toward Landon with open outrage.

"You have some nerve coming into this house and speaking that name."

Before he could get any closer, Sophia raised a hand.

"Bertram."

The butler stopped immediately.

Sophia's expression remained calm, but her voice carried a cold finality.

"There's no one by that name in this household."

Landon stared at her.

Interesting.

The dead man had been born in this house, raised in this house, and carried the Cross name his entire life. Yet less than a year after his death, they were acting as though he had never existed.

"Escort them out."

The order was directed at Bertram.

The butler's face lit up.

"With pleasure."

At his signal, four large men stepped forward from different corners of the foyer. Their movements were disciplined, and the shapes beneath their jackets made it obvious they were armed.

The guards quickly spread out around Landon and Carter while nearby guests retreated to a safer distance.

Bertram folded his arms.

"I gave you the opportunity to leave peacefully, but you chose to be difficult."

The guards advanced.

Several guests watched with open interest. To them, the outcome already seemed obvious.

Four professional security guards.

Two uninvited strangers.

What could possibly go wrong?

Landon remained completely unmoved.

"For a butler, you seem remarkably comfortable giving orders involving violence."

Bertram laughed.

"For a trespasser, you seem remarkably comfortable talking."

One of the guards reached for Landon's shoulder.

Before he could touch him, Carter stepped forward and placed himself between the guards and his commander.

The movement was simple, but it immediately drew attention. He didn't look nervous. He didn't look angry.

If anything, he looked disappointed.

Carter loosened his collar slightly before glancing at Landon.

"Boss, would it be inappropriate if I handled this?"

Without waiting for an answer, he stepped forward before the guards could make another move.

The large man rolled his shoulders and looked at the four security guards surrounding them. Standing well over six feet tall with a broad frame built through years of military service, he made the guards look far less confident than they had moments earlier.

A grin appeared on his face.

"Well?" he asked. "Who's coming first?"

His voice echoed through the foyer.

The guards exchanged glances. For the first time since stepping forward, hesitation appeared on their faces.

Bertram noticed immediately.

"What are you waiting for?" he snapped. "It's two men against four. Move!"

Carter sighed.

"You're really making this harder than it needs to be."

Before anyone could react, he moved.

One moment he was standing beside Landon.

The next, he was in front of Bertram.

The butler's eyes widened.

A split second later, Carter's hand crashed across the side of his face.

The impact spun Bertram off balance and sent him stumbling into a decorative pillar.

A collective gasp swept through the room.

Several guests stared in disbelief.

"Did he just hit Bertram?"

"How did he move that fast?"

"Who are these people?"

The atmosphere changed instantly. The laughter and celebration vanished, and no one seemed interested in smiling anymore.

Carter casually stepped aside and gestured toward the hallway.

"After you, boss."

Landon nodded and continued forward. No one dared block his path.

"Ethan Cross is dead."

Sophia's voice echoed behind him, forcing him to stop.

Slowly, he turned around.

The entire foyer watched as Sophia met his gaze without backing down.

"If you're looking for Ethan, you're too late."

Landon's expression hardened.

"Don't speak about him as though he never existed."

His voice remained calm, yet several people instinctively lowered their eyes.

Sophia offered no response. After a brief silence, Landon turned away and resumed walking.

Behind him, Bertram finally struggled back to his feet, his face red with humiliation.

"You think you can come here and cause trouble?" he shouted. "Do you have any idea where you are?"

Carter glanced over his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Bertram immediately grabbed the communicator attached to his belt.

"We'll see how brave you are when the young master arrives."

Carter smiled.

"I've been hoping to meet him."

Without another word, Landon continued toward the grand doors at the end of the corridor.

The massive entrance was decorated with gold trim and the Cross family crest. He placed a hand on one of the handles and pushed.

The doors swung open.

A large banquet hall came into view. Dozens of members of the Cross family sat around an enormous dining table covered with expensive food and wine while servants moved back and forth attending to guests.

Landon's eyes slowly swept across the room.

Almost immediately, he noticed what was missing.

There was no photograph of Ethan. No memorial. No sign that anyone in the room had recently lost a family member.

Nothing.

Instead of a grieving family, he saw people celebrating.

Carter noticed it as well.

"Interesting."

Landon remained silent.

Near the center of the table sat a man dressed in a striking red suit.

Luther Cross.

The man whose name had surfaced repeatedly throughout the investigation.

As Landon studied him, a younger man carrying a wine glass stumbled toward him with a laugh.

"Luther! You still haven't had a drink with me."

The man threw an arm around Luther's shoulder.

"We're practically family now. You can't ignore me forever."

Several guests laughed.

Then someone noticed the entrance.

The laughter faded.

One head turned, then another. Conversations stopped as more guests realized two strangers were standing in the doorway.

"Who the hell are they?"

The young man's smile disappeared.

Landon walked into the banquet hall as though he belonged there.

"I walked in," he said calmly. "The door was open."

Several people frowned.

The answer was simple, but the confidence behind it immediately irritated them.

Ignoring everyone else, Landon fixed his gaze on the man seated near the head of the table.

"You must be Luther Cross."

The entire hall fell quiet.

Luther slowly set down his wine glass and studied the stranger standing before him. After a moment, a mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Of course I am."

He leaned back comfortably in his chair.

"My name isn't exactly unknown. Most people in this country know who I am. The difference is that when they say it, they usually do so with a little respect."

His gaze swept over Landon.

"Something you clearly weren't taught."

Several guests laughed.

A young man standing beside Luther laughed louder than anyone else. The smell of alcohol practically followed him as he pointed at Landon and shook his head.

"You're pretty bold, aren't you?"

He slowly circled Landon with open contempt.

"Look at yourself. You don't even look like you belong here. You look like someone who climbed over the wall hoping to steal leftovers."

A few more laughs followed.

The young man grinned and glanced at Luther.

"Should we throw him out now?"

"Easy, Cyrus."

Although Luther said the words casually, the amusement never left his eyes. He looked back at Landon and sighed.

"Listen carefully, kid. I don't know who you are, and honestly, I don't care. Whatever fantasy convinced you that barging into my family's home was a good idea, it's time to wake up."

His smile disappeared.

"Leave now before I lose my patience."

Then he raised his voice.

"Bertram!"

The name echoed through the hall.

"Get in here and remove these two rats."

Before anyone could react, Carter spoke from behind Landon.

"No need to shout."

The giant soldier folded his arms.

"A mute can't answer you."

The words landed like a stone thrown into still water.

Every conversation stopped. Several people blinked in confusion while others instinctively looked toward the doorway.

Only then did they realize Bertram was nowhere to be seen.

The laughter faded as whispers spread across the room.

"What does he mean?"

"Where's Bertram?"

"Did something happen outside?"

Luther's smile slowly disappeared.

For the first time since Landon arrived, he looked genuinely interested.

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue.

"It seems my family has been too kind lately. Now every stray dog thinks it can wander into the dining hall."

Nobody laughed.

The atmosphere had shifted.

Something felt wrong.

Then the banquet hall doors opened again.

Everyone turned.

Sophia stepped inside.

The moment she appeared, the room became even quieter.

Her face was pale. More importantly, a clear mark could be seen on her cheek, and a thin trail of blood remained beneath her nose.

"Sophia!"

Cyrus rushed toward her.

"What happened to you?"

The entire hall stood.

Some people gasped. Others stared at her face in disbelief.

"Was she hit?"

"Who did that?"

"Someone actually attacked Sophia?"

The whispers grew louder as eyes gradually shifted toward Landon.

Sophia didn't need to say a word.

The room had already reached its conclusion.

Luther rose from his seat.

The smile was gone. The amusement was gone.

Even the servants could feel the change.

He walked around the table and stopped several feet away from Landon.

For a long moment, neither man spoke.

Then Luther finally broke the silence.

"If you're the one who did this..."

His eyes briefly shifted toward Sophia before returning to Landon.

"...then you'll be leaving this estate in pieces."

The threat was delivered calmly.

That only made it more dangerous.

Several members of the Cross family exchanged uneasy looks. They had seen Luther angry before—rarely—but whenever it happened, someone always paid the price.

Cyrus grinned viciously.

Others looked at Landon as though he had already been sentenced.

Yet Landon didn't move.

He didn't retreat.

He didn't even blink.

Instead, he took a step forward.

The movement alone made several people tense.

His eyes locked onto Luther's.

"Then you'd better prepare yourself, Luther Cross."

The hall fell silent.

Even the servants stopped moving.

Landon's voice remained calm.

Too calm.

"Because if anyone leaves this place in a coffin tonight..."

He paused.

His gaze sharpened.

"...it won't be me."

The words settled heavily over the banquet hall.

For the first time, nobody laughed.