As I was doing that, my phone rang, indicating that someone was calling me, which made me a bit confused as I didn't have many people's contact information. To be honest, most of the people I know don't even have a smartphone as it hadn't launched yet, and the only reason I have one is because of my girlfriend's connection with the company that made the smartphone.
"Hello?" I said, my tone a bit confused.
"Hello, Ivan... it's me... Maria," came the reply from the other side.
"What do you want?" I said, my tone returning to its original coldness.
"I-I hired a group of mercenaries to kill my uncle's whole family... who lived outside of Russia... in Nepal, to kill them and make it seem like an accident," Maria said, her tone shaking a bit as she was primarily the main reason they died. It's natural for her to be a bit scared since she's just 13 years old.
"What?" I muttered in surprise before I looked around myself, then sighed, as I remembered that this is my own private jet that was given to me by my generous father to use, and that I don't have to worry about my plans being leaked or being heard by others.
'Keke, I didn't expect that she would kill them, a whole family, lol! Now, a total of 6 people have died and now only 14 remain,' I thought, my grin spreading across my face as I had that evil smile on my face.
"Hahaha," I laughed, my laughter audible to her through the phone as she was surprised.
"Who would've thought that my only subordinate would be so helpful, reducing the number that I have to kill," I said, my tone cold as I still had that huge grin on my face.
"I-I..." she stuttered, must have been traumatized.
"Haha, take a deep breath and remember all the things that the Vorontsov family has done to you and your mother. It might help you," I said, giving her advice since she seemed a bit too unsettled right now, and also because I was in a good mood hearing such great news.
"Also... Did you meet up with the mercenary group yourself?" I said.
'It would be bad if she met them... these mercenaries aren't trustworthy, to be honest, who knows if they get caught and are enticed by the offer of being able to be free from jail if they tell them who hired them,' I thought, as I brought my hand near my mouth, biting my teeth.
"No... I didn't meet up with them or anything... we just decided on all that on the Internet," she said, her voice meekly and with a bit of fear evident in her tone.
"Haha, you did great. You should never meet up with them in real life for your own safety," I said, giving her advice that Alex had given me when he used to talk about how he hired some mercenaries in the past and all that stuff.
"A-Alright," she said, stuttering.
"Then, I'll see you later," I said before cutting off the call, not giving her any time to say anything.
'Now that the family of 5 are dead and the second son, they must be suspicious of who's targeting them, no?' I thought, planning out my next move.
'If I want to kill more of their bloodline, then it will be more difficult now since 6 whole people have died already,' I thought.
'But... it's not much of an issue anyway. Even if they have tens of bodyguards, a group of mercenaries who can distract them and a sniper will do the job just fine,' I thought.
'Andrei... Oh, Andrei... I wonder what you're feeling and your expression right now... you must be furious and having a meeting with your family. You can do whatever you want to protect yourself from me but you'll never be successful... because... I will do whatever it takes to completely wipe out the disgusting name of "Vorontsov" from the face of this world and no one will be able to stop me... not if I'm still alive,' I thought, my only usable eye burning with the determination to kill them and the fire of revenge still alive even after 7 whole years.
'Now then, I should focus on hiring some more experienced mercenaries after getting back... but only after another year because... he will drop his guard down... since he'll think that whatever was targeting him has stopped and given up,' I thought, thinking of plans for the future.
'I wonder what expressions you will make upon being the only man of your bloodline and then meeting the child that you thought to be dead,' I thought, my heartbeat increasing and beating loudly from the excitement that I got just from thinking of the near future.
---
[Vorontsov Family]
[Moscow City]
[Inside the meeting hall of the huge mansion of the Vorontsov family.]
In the grand meeting hall of the Vorontsov mansion, fourteen family members gathered, their faces reflecting worry. The room, decorated in rich colors, felt heavy with the weight of recent events.
At the head of the table was Andrei Vorontsov, the family head. His sharp eyes and serious tone made it clear he was in charge. Beside him was his father, Viktor Vorontsov, 79 years old, dressed in a spotless white coat, looking tired but dignified. Amy Vorontsov, Andrei's wife, sat next to him, her eyes red from crying.
Henry Vorontsov, the 29-year-old first son, was also present. His medium-length blonde hair was styled in a trendy quiff, giving him a youthful, yet slightly unkempt look. He leaned back in his chair, listening intently.
Andrei started the meeting. "We've had two big losses. My second son was killed in Paris. I know this is hard for all of us." He glanced at his wife, who was quietly crying, holding a handkerchief.
Henry spoke up. "And now, the attack in Nepal. Uncle and his whole family were killed. This isn't random coincidence. Someone is targeting us."
The room filled with murmurs of agreement. Viktor's voice was firm. "Could these attacks be connected to the trouble we're having with our business? Our wealth has dropped, and there are rumors of sabotage."
Amy wiped her eyes. "Who could do this? Why would someone target our family and our business?"
Andrei's face was stern. "We need to step up our security right away. No more lapses. Hire more guards, boost surveillance, and make sure everyone is careful."
Henry nodded. "We should also think about the possibility that the same group is behind both the attacks on us and the sabotage of our business. If they're targeting us, they might be targeting our operations too."
Family members nodded and spoke up with their ideas. "We have to find out who is doing this," Henry said. "They're organized and dangerous."
"Yes," Andrei agreed, "and we must stay alert. No one leaves or enters the estate without thorough checks. We can't let our guard down."
As the meeting went on, the family members exchanged worried looks and discussed their next steps. The room buzzed with concern, everyone trying to understand the threats against them and how to respond.
---
[Evening]
[Back at the Hawthorne Family Mansion.]
[Ivan's Room.]
"Since I'm back, what should I do? Should I focus more on the training that I left when I headed for Paris a week ago?" Ivan thought, musing over what to do.
"Well, I guess I'll just focus on training now... since I still have to wait a year to start the operation of killing them all in one swoop," he muttered before he walked toward the gym where he met with Alex, who was just sitting there, enjoying his coffee, having no idea that Ivan had already come back.
When Alex saw Ivan, he smiled. The reason for that is, Ivan is too talented, and Alex, being a guy who enjoys training people where talent wants him to use every last bit of their potential, was naturally happy to see him again after a week of not training.
"Well, well, look who's back after a week," Alex said as he stood up, with an amused face.
"Haha, let's start the training, Commander," Ivan said, excited to start training already as it's something that gives him strength and makes him feel alive.
"Haha, you don't have to tell me, soldier. I'll just do that. Start with a light stretching and then do 300 push-ups, no rest in between until you complete it."
"I hope you haven't rusted much," Alex said, bringing his chair as Ivan stretched out his hands a bit before getting into a push-up position.
###
A/N:Haha, sorry for being late to update... I was reading a new manhwa that I came to like... so I forgot that I was an author and had to update, haha . Anyway, throw in your stones.