Derek's keen eye observed the sudden flurry of movement in the room, as Lena, her golden locks bouncing with haste, closed the distance between her and Gregory.
The urgency in her stride was unmistakable. Presenting her phone screen to Gregory, a heavy hush enveloped the room.
Confusion spread across Gregory's face as he saw a video with a thumbnail of Victor sitting on a white sofa and surrounded by 5 half-naked, burly, and oiled-up minatours looking at him like a prized candy.
The title read - [ DEBONED In 4K - Sandwiching An Elite Hunter Five-Way Style ]
"Deboned? Sandwiching? What nonsense is this..." Gregory mumbled with a puzzled and irate look as he grabbed the phone from Lena's hands to tap on the play button and see what it was about.
Lena's eyes widened as she tried to stop him, "Father, don't!"
But it was too late, and his finger had already pressed on the play button.
As the video played, the subtle changes in Gregory's face – widening eyes, tightening lips, and a face draining of color – spoke volumes.
"T-This...What in the name of the angels...The rumors were true?" Gregory's hushed words, filled with disbelief and shock.
He was so shaken by what he saw, he unconsciously stumbled back, making Lena quickly step forward to support him, "Father..."
Cecilia tilt her head upon hearing some commotion over there, curiosity evident in her gaze, "What's going on, Derek?" she inquired, her words punctuated by Rachel's brief, almost imperceptible cold smirk upon seeing Gregory's expression.
Without waiting for a reply, Derek swiftly stood up, "You two stay here," he commanded gently. With purposeful strides, he moved towards the duo, his deep voice inquiring, "What happened?"
Gregory, with a protective and almost paranoid gesture, tilted the phone away from Derek's view, "Lena, we need to contain this and capture the bastard who uploaded this. Now!!"
Lena pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply, "Our people are on it. But it's gone viral and the uploaded is anonymous. In fact, a number of people had uploaded the same thing in different sites. Even if we manage to get a handle on the media, getting the streaming platforms to pull it down will take time," Her expression became grim as she added, "Our family might face serious backlash from this."
Derek promptly took out his own phone. A few swift swipes later, he stopped, eyebrows knitting together, a flash of realization evident in his eye.
Gregory's panic was palpable, his grip on Derek's arm almost painful, "Derek," he pleaded, his voice almost a whisper, "you have to help me with this, please..."
Keeping his composure, Derek took a deep breath, "Let's talk in private, shall we?" he suggested, his voice betraying nothing, as the mysteries of the situation continued to thicken.
Gregory nodded stiffly as he briefly glanced at Rachel and Cecilia before walking out of the room along with Lena.
Cecilia turned her head around and asked in a low voice, "Derek, did something happen? Greg looked quite shaken. Poor man lost his only son, who turned out to be sick enough to try and kill our daughter. What more could have distressed him like that?"
Derek waved with his hand and said hurriedly as he walked towards the door, "I will tell you everything once I help him sort out some things."
Rachel leaned towards her mother, handing her the phone, "This, Mom. This must be what Uncle Greg saw."
Cecilia's bright blue eyes stared intently at the screen, her complexion paling with every passing second.
The voice of Victor continued to echo from the video she was watching,
[ "Lastly…I want to confess that I should have been born as a demon so that I could satisfy my carnal desires." ]
Cecilia gasped as her hand covered her mouth, "Oh my god..." she whispered, her voice breaking, "Born as a demon? Is... is this really Victor?" With trembling fingers, she played more of the clip, her horror evident, "He did such disgusting, demonic things?"
Rachel nodded slowly, her eyes cold and distant as they fixated on the video, "Victor was a demon in human's clothing," she said with bitterness in her voice, "I should've realized it the moment he allied himself with the Demon Rippers." She paused, taking a deep breath, her disappointment evident, "I should've listened to Amelia when she tried to warn me."
Cecilia, still in shock, continued to watch until a particular scene made her recoil, dropping the phone onto the couch, "Engh! I can't watch anymore," she exclaimed, her face contorted with disgust.
Even after dropping the phone, it still continued to play out loud grunts and rough moans, making Cecilia wrinkle her nose as she furiously tapped on the screen to make it stop and accidentally broke the phone under the force of her tapping.
"How could the Hart Family birth such a monster? No…Greg should have noticed something. He wouldn't have let this go on for so long. He would have done something about it. Or was Victor that good at hiding such things like Cedric?" Cecilia mumbled with an aghast expression.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she gently cupped Rachel's face, "I had no idea, my angel. I had no idea you were promised to such a monster," She hesitated, her voice filled with regret, "I only agreed to the engagement because he was Greg's son, and your father seemed quite confident about it. If only we knew, we would've chosen someone from our own branch family just like how I and your father got married."
She sighed as she shook her head and added, "I should have listened to our elders. They always say marrying within the same bloodline is the best and safest way. Not only can we further our bloodline, but our power and resources can't be claimed by outsiders. I can't begin to imagine how all this is going to hurt you since Victor was your fiance. People would be spreading all kinds of rumors. Our entire legacy could be tainted by this. If only your father had…"
Rachel's eyes darted back to her mother, narrowing slightly as a recollection crossed her mind, "Was that the reason? I remember you and Dad having a disagreement when discussing my engagement with Victor for the first time," she asked, her voice heavy with suspicion.
Cecilia sighed, the weight of the past seemingly pressing down on her shoulders. She nodded slowly, "Yes," she admitted with a sad look in her eyes, "I always had this uneasy feeling about it. It wasn't something our family practiced often, and given you're my only child..." She trailed off, looking away for a moment as if collecting her thoughts, "But Derek and Greg have been close friends for ages. And the Hart Family, they seemed fine with the idea. I couldn't find a strong enough reason to stand against it, especially when everyone seemed in favor."
Rachel's brow creased even more, the unease evident on her face, "But why? Why did Dad even consider such a alliance in the first place?"
Cecilia took a deep breath, her gaze direct and resolute, "I don't know, Rachel," she said, her voice firm, "But trust me, I intend to have a thorough talk with your father about it later."
Pausing for a second, Cecilia then pulled Rachel into a tight embrace, her voice soft and gentle, "One thing I am certain of is this: I am so relieved all of this came to light before you were bound to Victor in marriage. I shudder to think of the harm it could've caused to you, my precious angel, and to our entire family. You are a Hunter with honor and virtue and you don't deserve to get entangled with such evil."
Rachel's chin quivered as she hugged her mother firmly and asked in a low voice, "Would you hate me if I...am not such a Hunter?"
Cecilia blinked in surprise, taken aback by the sudden change in the conversation.
For a moment, her eyes flickered, but then she gently smiled, "Rachel, where is this coming from? You are my daughter. I've watched you grow, and I know your heart. If you are saying this because of everything that happened with Victor, it's not your fault. Don't let the demons win by making you doubt yourself. You are stronger than that."
Rachel nodded with a complicated smile though Asher's face, and his words continued to echo in her mind.
[ "Fucking god, I have no idea what I am about to watch here. Another Elite Hunter turning into a Corrupted Hunter? What kind of century are we living in? Never before had the demons dealt such a heavy blow to our world. Still, to those who are curious to see Victor Hart's controversial sex tape with five beefed-up minotaurs posted on HunterTube, quickly close the doors to your room as I react to the ultra-HD video live! ]
"Turn that blasted thing off!" Gregory shouted, his voice booming in the room where the three were standing alone.
Lena quickly lowered the volume as she cleared her throat and said, "I was only checking if it's been removed from the online platforms. But it seems like certain platforms are making it all the more complicated."
Derek, standing tall, his posture rigid, said, "Lena, it's past the point of no return. Pulling the video won't undo the damage it's caused. Even if you people manage to do that and claim the video is fake, there would be people selling memory crystals right away before it's too late since this happened in public during the quest. By then, the whole world could know."
Gregory, his face red with anger, jabbed a finger toward Derek, "Are you suggesting that we just stand by and let my family name be sullied? All because my son lost his way?"
Derek's eye was steel, his voice cold, "You are not the only one who has the right to feel infuriated. My daughter could've been tarnished for life because of Victor. And even now, people will talk. They'll say she knew about Victor's dark side and kept quiet, or even worse, that she was complicit in his deeds. But he didn't merely just lose his way, did he? He publicly revealed how corrupted he is. He would be the first case in the last two centuries to be this corrupted."
"That's because of that damn demon named Hellbringer! I knew he would grow to be a great danger, especially after being a nightmare to our juniors. We shouldn't have ignored such a ticking bomb," Gregory said in a seething tone.
Derek narrowed his eye, "That is true. We underestimated this demon named Hellbringer. But it's not only because of that. The blame falls on you as well. I trusted you to have taken good care of your son, and this is what happens?"
Gregory's sturdy frame seemed to deflate, the weight of his son's actions pressing heavily upon him, "I... I never thought he'd turn out this way. Not after everything we did to set him straight all those years ago."
Derek's stern gaze didn't wave, and his voice remained firm, "You should have kept a closer eye on him, Greg, especially after that incident 15 years ago. I warned you about Victor's tendencies back then. You should've acted before it was too late."
Gregory swallowed hard, the pain in his eyes unmistakable, "I did. I beat the living shit out of him to make sure he never does something like that again, something that could bring us all down. I thought he mended his ways, and he began to perform better and better, especially since he tried to compete with Cedric. I just…I don't understand how he could have hidden all this from me. Somebody must have helped him."
Lena narrowed her eyes as she stepped forward and said, "Or he wasn't the little boy you thought you could control, father. He had his connections and friends you couldn't have known."
"Fuck!"
*Crack!*
Gregory's anger was evident in the force with which he hit the wall, creating a hollow echo in the room while cracking it. If it wasn't for the mana-infused wall, it would have been smashed into smithereens.
His voice trembled with a mix of emotion, "Derek, what should I do now? Tell me."
Derek responded with an unwavering stare, "The only way forward now is to disown Victor. Remove him from the family line, and act as if he never existed."
Gregory's face contorted with shock and disbelief. He lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of Derek's shirt. His eyes, filled with desperation, bore into Derek's, "Do you have any idea what you are suggesting? To erase one's own blood? Aside from the humiliation of being the first Head to commit such an act in 1000 years, I might even lose my seat in the council."
Unflinching, Derek replied, "Would you rather the world think that your Hart Family knew about Victor being corrupted and just covered it up? Which is worse, Greg? But if you play this well, it might end up benefiting you."
The weight of Derek's words pressed heavily upon Gregory. With a shaky breath, he released Derek's shirt. He seemed to age a decade in that moment, the sharp lines on his face deepening, "If that's what it takes to protect the family... I'll do it."
But as he looked back into Derek's eye, the despair in his own was palpable, "But, I'll still need your support more than ever to mitigate this disaster."
Derek's eye narrowed, assessing, "I will lend my help, Greg. But not without talking to your father first."
Gregory blinked in surprise, "You're still planning to proceed with Project Mars after all this? Now that my son is dead, how do you think it can even be possible considering what we discussed initially."
Derek's face tightened, the shadows of old memories evident in his eye, "I've invested too much into that project, sacrificed a lot. I can't back down now, not even in the face of these setbacks. And helping you in this situation forces me to take risks as well. So if you need my help, you will make this happen, Greg."
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