Chapter 349: The Calvary's Out
Today was the day. The day he would finally be getting answers to all his questions.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter, trying to keep his calm. No matter what he did, his excitement still bubbled through.
He wasn't sure if he should be feeling excitement though. He was going to find out the reason why his wife was going all out against people much powerful than her. All alone.
He would be finding out about the people whose death drove her to stand against the insurmountable odds.
He glanced at Connell who sat beside him, dressed in a beautiful gown. She sat straight with a confident look in her eyes. It was future Connell.
She was his partner for the ball. She was the perfect choice as she was in charge of the plan tonight. As if she could hear his thoughts, she turned to him.
"Don't forget the plan, Ezra." She said. "The most important thing is to wait. Don't even approach Lana until the commotion with Alfred begins."
"That's the only window where James and Anya would be preoccupied. All you need is to be ready for that chance."
"Of course." Ezra said, keeping his eyes on the road. "But are you sure? Will this threat work on Lana?"
Connell had already told him what to say and how to say it but he was skeptical. Would anyone even believe that kind of threat?
"It will work." Connell nodded confidently. "I've been through this situation before. All you need to do is to show her the sign at the appropriate time. Everything else would take care of itself. Trust me."
Ezra glanced at her. She was so confident it was as if even if she was lying, the world would come together to make her lie the truth. "All right." He nodded. "I already said I'll trust you. It'll be stupid of me to stop now."
Connell nodded at his words before sitting back and looking out the window. "I'm going to step back now. I need to conserve vitality for when I'm needed. Good luck."
After saying that, her expression and body language shifted to mark the change.
Future Connel was gone and present Connell was back.
She blinked as she took in her surroundings. She had already been briefed on what was about to go down, so she wasn't alarmed.
She glanced at Ezra before settling back in the seat, saying nothing.
Ezra took his eyes off the road to give her a reassuring smile. "Almost there, Connell. Just stay close."
Connell nodded in response.
Before long, they arrived at James' estate, pulling up to the red carpet. They stepped out, following the carpet up the staircase.
Ezra looked around, noticing that something was different.
In the previous years, the media people and paparazzi at this event usually swarmed the entry, taking pictures like their lives depended on it.
But this year, there were only a few photographers who snapped away like it was a chore. Ezra frowned at that. What was James planning that he had so little media presence?
As they stepped inside, they walked up to join the queue leading to the security checkpoint.
Ezra couldn't help but sweep the room with his eyes casually. His eyes took in every detail, especially the ones hidden from human eyes.
There were guards stationed all around the place and the majority of them were vampires.
James available Subjects masquerading as humans. Even if he had not sensed them through their vitality, the fluid way they moved would've given them away.
At the front of the line, the vampires there were scanning the guests with metal detectors, scrutinizing their invitations as they presented it one by one.
As they got nearer to the front of the line, Ezra's eyes met one of the vampire guards.
The man's eyes flicked from Ezra to Connell, assessing them both. His Aura was out, laced with compliance and submission.
That was when Ezra realized it. They were not here to just scan people for weapons. They were checking the humans for signs of tampered memories.
This way, they can stop any potential disaster from the humans before it ever happens.
This means James was expecting something to go down at his party. The whole place was crawling with guards both hidden and visible.
Him and Connel were quickly cleared and Ezra led Connell into the ballroom.
Even though he'd been attending this ball for the past nine years, he couldn't deny how impressive it was.
Every year, there were always new styles of chandelier on display in the room. The drapes this year were colored red, creating a more intimate setting.
They mingled among the guests, Ezra striking up conversations with acquaintances and introducing Connel to them.
During a break in the festivities, Ezra and Connell stood alone at a table, wine in their hands.
Connell looked around the room, feeling out of her depth. Ezra knew she was trying her best to not display her discomfort.
"This feels strange, doesn't it?" He said with a light tone. "Calling you Connell, having you call me 'Captain,' especially here."
Connell looked up at him, a faint smile breaking her usual shyness. "Yeah."
"Okay, how about this?" Ezra suggested. "Let's drop the formality, just for tonight."
"Err... okay." Connell agreed.
"Alright." Ezra nodded with a smile. "Call me Ezra, then."
"Call me Hannah." She replied with a shy smile of her own.
"Okay, Hannah." Ezra gave her a genuine smile.
"Let me guess." A familiar and unwanted voice said from behind them. "New wife?"
Ezra sighed before turning to look at Alfred.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your fellow guards."
"Ah, Ezra. I thought you'd be able to see through the situation here tonight." The smirk that was already on Alfred's face widened at Ezra's words.
"You must know by now that Lord Harlow expects something to go down." Then, Alfred lowered his voice as if he was about to reveal a great secret. "And do you know who he thinks will disrupt the peace? Your wife, Genesis."
"He's expecting Gen?" Ezra narrowed his eyes at Alfred before glancing at a spot where a vampire was hidden. "Don't you think he's overestimating the threat?"
"Maybe." Alfred chuckled before leaning in, lowering his voice theatrically. "But let me give you a piece of advice, since you're so perceptive. Try your best to stay right where we can see you, alright? I'd hate for anything… unpleasant to happen to you."
Ezra stepped closer to Alfred, staring him down. "And if I don't?"
Alfred's voice turned cold. "If anything happens and you're nowhere to be found? Who knows? You might find yourself in chains before you can say 'I'm innocent.'"