Masked In Nobility: Secrets Of Mrs. Chavez

Joe grinned as he called out to Jeremiah and Samantha, then quickly darted back behind Yvette, looking as smug as he could be. With Yvette, his powerhouse, by his side, he thought he could just relax and trust her with everything.

He looked up at Yvette with an exaggeratedly sweet smile, tugging on her sleeve a little. “Yve, they’re not the ones who tried to kidnap me, so maybe take it easy on them, okay?”

Joe thought he was being reasonable enough. He decided that once he got back to Mysonna, he would make sure the people responsible and the underground auction house had nowhere left to hide.

However, he admitted that he did owe a bit to the guy on the couch who had kind of saved his life.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Jeremiah, sitting on the couch, squinted at Joe’s hand on Yvette’s sleeve, a sneer forming on his lips.

Yvette leaned casually by the doorway, casting a glance at Joe’s self–satisfied expression. She cracked her knuckles, saying nothing. She thought, “This guy never gets tired of tugging on my sleeve…

Jeremiah said in a low and firm voice, “Take your hand off her, or I’ll cut it off.”

Joe’s reflexes kicked in before his brain did–he immediately let go and took a step back. Then, realizing how embarrassing that looked, he opened his mouth to try to say something defiant. However, seeing the gleam in Jeremiah’s eyes, he shut up.

Joe felt a chill as he realized that Jeremiah looked dead serious about that threat.

Samantha, leaning against the wall with one knee bent, cleared her throat. “Uh, maybe we should all just sit down and talk, It feels like there’s a bit of a misunderstanding here.”

Yvette turned to Joe who looked slightly hurt after Jeremiah’s warning. “Let go and get in there.”

Finally, Joe started piecing things together. He thought, ‘If I was actually in trouble, Yve wouldn’t be so calm–she’d be ready to fight anyone messing with me. So… Why has she shown up here so suddenly?‘

Joe looked around the room and pointed a finger at the people inside, nervously turning to Yvette. “You… Do you know these guys?”

Yvette gave a slight nod. “Yeah, they’re my friends.”

Joe’s face fell. Here he had been, strutting around and showing off, only to find out these people were actually Yvette’s friends. That was embarrassing.

The next second, Joe quickly straightened his clothes and smoothed his hair, then flashed a big grin at Jeremiah, Samantha, Eagle King, and Emmett.

He said, “Well, this was just a misunderstanding, right? Since you’re friends of Yve’s, we’re all on the same team. I was just joking around. Violence isn’t really my thing, so let’s just forget about it, okay?”

Eagle King scoffed and went back to drinking his beer. Samantha and Emmett exchanged nodded politely to him and gave a self–introduction, but Jeremiah just sat on the couch with a blank face.

Feeling a little uneasy, Joe edged closer to Yvette, clueless that he would regret that move in about half an hour.

Yvette strolled over to the couch, took a seat, and glanced at the very proper–looking Jeremiah. With a slight smile, she met his intense gaze and said, “Upset?”

Jeremiah’s dark eyes held hers as he replied, unhurried, “Is he worth 100 million dollars? Then what about me?”

With a smirk, Yvette crossed her legs and tossed her hair back with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Priceless.”

In an instant, the coldness around Jeremiah vanished. He gave her fingertips a gentle squeeze. “Alright, I’m good now.”

Samantha, Emmett, and Eagle King felt speechless.

Meanwhile, Joe stared at Yvette and Jeremiah’s intertwined fingers, stunned. He rubbed his eyes, then looked again as if he had just stumbled upon some shocking revelation. He thought, “What on earth is going on between them?”

Joe raised a shaky hand, pointing at Yvette and Jeremiah’s interlocked fingers, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. “You… Yve, are you…“.

Jeremiah glanced at the shocked Joe, then smoothly pulled Yvette closer with an arm around her shoulder, suggesting he step back.

Joe stumbled back a step, looking utterly crushed. He thought, ‘Does Yve have a boyfriend? Oh, that hurts.

Yvette glanced up, rubbing her temples before turning to look at the long, slender fingers resting on her shoulder. She suddenly saw the naïve side of him.

With a steady voice, Yvette said, “Jeremiah, this is Joe. He’s Carl Yoder’s grandson.”

As soon as Carl’s name was mentioned, both Samantha and Emmett looked taken aback. Samantha studied Joe carefully. She thought, ‘Sure, he does resemble Carl a bit, but the resemblance ends there. His demeanor is worlds apart from Carl’s.

Emmett couldn’t help but ask, “Are you serious, Yvette? Is he really Carl’s grandson?”

Their reaction was understandable, and even Jeremiah, sitting on the couch, raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Carl was well–known in certain circles. He was one of the earliest immigrants to Mysonna and had carved out a prominent name in business at a time when Clusia was still struggling to gain a foothold in the global economy.

At an early time, he became a leading figure for the Clusian community there, a legend in his own right.

For years, the Yoder family had been a legendary presence in Mysonna, representing the highest echelon among the Clusian community.

Back in the 1970s, Carl had gone abroad three times and managed to reclaim several invaluable national relics that had been looted by foreign forces.

He paid an enormous sum to retrieve them and later donated these artifacts back to Clusia. These treasures were still displayed in the Betrico National Museum.

Emmett and Samantha were stunned that the boy, standing before them with such an easygoing air, really was the grandson. of Carl, a figure of such renown.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Joe straightened up defensively. “What’s with all the looks? I’m not worse than my grandpa.”

Emmett couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Are you sure? Just look at Mr. Yoder’s elegance and charm–you’re miles away from that.”

Joe wanted to protest, but he couldn’t find the words to counter that.

Meanwhile, the Eagle King, upon hearing Carl’s name, looked at Joe with a bit of surprise. No wonder Joe’s face had seemed vaguely familiar. It turned out that he really was Carl’s grandson

Actually, Eagle King had a history with Carl. Back in his early days, he had even taken on a contract to assassinate him. Fresh into the field and far from as skilled as he was now, he had taken any job that came his way.

Over his long career as an assassin, there was only one time he had ever been caught–during a failed attempt to take down Carl. After capturing him, Carl, adhering to the usual protocol, ltd subjected him to some brutal questioning.

As a professional assassin, loyalty to his client was paramount, and he had refused to reveal the person who had ordered the hit, holding tight to his code.

Later, Carl came to the dungeon and proposed a deal. He asked Eagle King for a favor, with the promise that if he agreed, he would be released. Knowing which side his bread was buttered on, Eagle King took the offer, and they worked together.

True to his word, Carl set him free, and in return, he managed to retrieve a crucial document for Carl. In the end, though, he knew he still owed Carl a favor–he had intentionally let him go.

And now, here he was in Fhongsoly, running into Carl’s grandson Joe. On top of that, Joe was connected to Yvette, which surprised him.