An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

After a hearty meal, the burly Warrick sprawled lazily onto the bed and dozed off. He slept soundly till dusk, lost in a deep dream. When the sky was painted in brilliant hues of the setting sun, only then did he wake up leisurely.

The exhaustion from the previous day seemed to have melted away. He felt invigorated, refreshed, and in high spirits.

At that moment, Leigh had already set the table in the hall with quiet efficiency. Compared to the first meal, this spread was far more lavish.

At the center of the table sat a whole roasted pig. Its golden-brown skin glistened with a rich, crispy sheen. The mouthwatering aroma filled the room, making it impossible not to crave a bite.

Warrick had never been one for formalities. The moment he saw the feast, he didn’t hesitate. He strode over, took a seat, and started digging in. He ate with zero restraint without sparing a single thought for Mulder, who was still out gathering intel.

After a while, half of the roast pig was gone. His face was smeared with grease, and he occasionally let out a satisfied belch.

Just then, the tightly shut door creaked open.

Mulder and his men returned, looking weary from the road..

Seeing Warrick feasting alone, his face slick with grease, Mulder wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he sat beside him and started eating as well.

His subordinates could only watch hungrily from the sidelines and didn’t dare to overstep their bounds.

“Well? Did you find anything useful?”

Warrick asked.

fill. He set down his fork and knife, let out a loud belch, then grabbed

got good news and bad news. Which

kept

bad news,”

“The bad news is that West Lucozia’s forces are conducting a full-scale manhunt for you. They’re combing every city and village, leaving no stone unturned. If nothing unexpected happens, they’ll find

you’re saying we only have

every port and

Warrick frowned. “So, you’re telling me there’s no

“I had someone look into it. Four of the five smuggling routes we planned have already been compromised. With West Lucozia’s forces patrolling the area, trying

one last hidden route that is yet to be discovered by them, so we can use

we waiting for? Let’s

soon, even the last remaining path might be discovered. And if

Prescott, don’t be so hasty.

we can’t rule out the possibility that this is a trap set by Austin. He might have left

trap?” Warrick stroked his chin and scoffed. “Austin’s just a greenhorn. Sure, he’s witty, but there’s

concerns our lives, so we can’t