Chapter 200 - 199: He’s the One

Hearing this, Leo Grant instantly sat up straight, his grip on Yvonne Lowell’s hand tightening unconsciously.

Yvonne Lowell gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, then smiled and nodded at Auntie Dahlia. "Yes, he’s the one."

Leo Grant felt a surge of emotions, and the corners of his mouth lifted into an uncontrollable smile as he gazed at her, unblinking.

His eyes were filled not just with adoration and love, but also with reverence.

The girl beside him was more than the one true love of his life; she was the singular ray of light in his otherwise ordinary days, his personal guiding star.

She was always giving him a sense of security in her own way—whether it was in front of her friends, her own flesh and blood, or now, this other family of hers.

"In that case, you should find a time to bring him back for a visit. But I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to get past that group of old geezers, especially not Old Man Quinn."

Auntie Dahlia smiled meaningfully.

After all, Yvonne Lowell was the darling of Apeiron, cherished by all the old-timers—themselves included—and especially by their Continent Lord, Kai Preston.

And Yvonne Lowell hadn’t disappointed them, proving herself with her exceptional skills.

In just three years, she had become the successor everyone believed in—the next Continent Lord of Apeiron.

Everyone in Apeiron, from top to bottom, knew full well how much Kai Preston valued and doted on Yvonne Lowell. Yet no one objected, because they all felt the same way, eager to teach her everything they knew.

In Apeiron, Yvonne Lowell was a truly special existence.

Though Kai Preston was always nagging Yvonne to find a partner and give him a little grandson so he could start training the next successor ahead of schedule...

...it was all just talk. Who would truly be in a hurry to give away the rose they had personally nurtured?

Auntie Dahlia hadn’t forgotten how, when he first saw Yvonne’s relationship announcement, he spent a whole day in Apeiron cursing out Leo Grant. His booming voice had been something else...

She’d even snuck a peek through a crack in the door back then and discovered the old geezer had dusted off hacking skills he hadn’t used in years to run a complete background check on the man.

He was cursing and swearing the entire time he read the file, and boy, was his language foul.

Leo Grant pressed his lips together and said in a firm tone,

"Auntie Dahlia, Uncle Stark, I will earn the approval of all the elders."

Not that he would *try* to earn it, or *do his best* to earn it, but that he *would* earn it. He was certain of it.

"I believe in him, and I believe in my own judgment even more." Yvonne Lowell glanced at Leo Grant, a cocky smile tugging at her lips.

"If the old geezer doesn’t give in, I just won’t inherit the position. Let him tough it out for another thirty or forty years, then we’ll see.

Besides, if he doesn’t approve, how am I supposed to produce the next successor for him?

Then again... thirty or forty years should be enough time for him to cultivate a new successor, don’t you think?"

Even Uncle Stark couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He pointed a finger at her a few times. "You... you’re the only one who dares to get him under your thumb like that."

Just as Yvonne was about to reply, Ian Lynch strode in, flashing a wide, toothy grin that immediately captured everyone’s attention.

"Are... Are the results in?"

Auntie Dahlia looked at him expectantly. Seeing the smile on his face, she couldn’t help but imagine the answer she so desperately wanted.

"Yes, the results are out. You two should open it and see for yourselves."

With that, Ian Lynch handed over the file folder with both hands.

Auntie Dahlia eagerly tore open the folder. The moment she saw the result at the bottom of the page, the dam broke.

She turned and threw her arms around William Lynch, who was standing beside her, completely stunned by the test results.

"Kai... You’re my real Kai..."

William Lynch’s eyes reddened as well. His hands moved on their own, wrapping around Auntie Dahlia as his lips trembled.

"Mom..."

"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry... Mom let you down..."

In that moment, Auntie Dahlia was no longer Rakshasa, the female assassin whose name struck terror in the underworld. She was simply a bereaved mother who had found hope once more.

Uncle Stark turned his head, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, his gaze fixed on the two loves of his life.

When William Lynch met his gaze, he instinctively reached a hand out to him.

"Dad."

"Yes!"

Uncle Stark gripped his outstretched hand and nodded firmly.

Their exchange was brief and simple, but they both understood the other’s unspoken meaning.

It was the bond between father and son, the silent understanding that passed between two men.

The others had long since excused themselves, leaving the living room to the family of three.

After leaving the house, Yvonne Lowell didn’t say a word, simply walking aimlessly down the street with Leo Grant.

Leo Grant squeezed her hand and asked softly,

"Still thinking about Auntie Dahlia and the others?"

Yvonne Lowell nodded, then shook her head.

"I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed with emotion."

’She was moved by the sight of a completely different Auntie Dahlia, by their family’s reunion after twenty-two long years, and by the memory of her own family’s reaction when she had first returned to the Lowell family.’

Seeing her subdued mood, Leo Grant deftly changed the subject.

"By the way, when Auntie Dahlia said you should find some time to ’take me back’... where is ’back’?"

Yvonne figured it was time to tell him. She turned her head and asked,

"Have you ever heard of Apeiron?"

Leo Grant froze on the spot. ’It couldn’t be the Apeiron he knew of, could it? The one hidden from the mortal world?!’

’Apeiron. An entity that belonged to no country or organization. A mysterious and powerful force that existed above the mundane world.’

’No one knew its exact location. Some said it was hidden in plain sight, while others claimed it was on a private island, yet even satellites couldn’t detect its existence.’

’No one knew what they did, either. The only certainty was that it was full of masters—masters of every conceivable skill, including legendary figures from the underworld who had long since retired.’

’But even masters weren’t immortal, so they surely needed to recruit new blood. Yet, no one knew how they did it.’

’It led many to joke that new members were chosen purely by fate, that they were literally plucked off the street at random.’

’Judging by Auntie Dahlia’s reaction earlier, Yvonne’s status in Apeiron was clearly not low.’

’So, he was about to face a trial from a whole group of these masters!?’