Rising from the Ashes (Andrew and Lauren)

Suddenly, a thought sparked in Mosby's mind, and his entire face lit up as he

burst into laughter. "The Crimson Dynasty's Ten Great Treasures... now that's an absolute fortune.

"Sure, most treasure stories through the ages are nothing but legends. People have always said the Ten Great Treasures were just old myths. But more often than not, even lies can carry fragments of reality.

"The treasure map held by the Bates family is one of those fragments-hidden in plain sight, woven in half-truths. And if I get my hands on it, then riches beyond imagination are already within reach!"

As he finished speaking, Mosby clenched his raised fist as though he could already feel mountains of gold and silver folding into his palm.

Old Hayface was staring with wide-eyed greed. He licked his lips and asked eagerly, "Mr. Lake, is the treasure held by the Bates family really that miraculous? I mean... what if it's just another fantasy? Something someone made up to throw people off?"

Mosby gave him a rare approving nod. "It's good that you're thinking critically. That means you're not completely hopeless. But don't forget-our Holtrien ancestors were no fools. Just like I said earlier, truth and lies often blur together. That's what makes things so hard to pin down.

"Most folks today think treasure tales are played out, just superstitions. But it's exactly that dismissiveness that allowed families like the Bates to safeguard the real thing through generations.

"I'm telling you—there's no doubt. Because I've already traced the whereabouts of a few more missing map fragments. The others are hard to get at for now... but Ronan? He's the softest target on the board."

Old Hayface's excitement nearly made him tremble. He leaned in, eyes gleaming. "Mr. Lake, you already have leads on the other pieces? Could you maybe just maybe satisfy your loyal apprentice's curiosity and tell me what you've found?"

Mosby smirked and shot him a look. Then, with agonizing slowness, he uttered just two words. "Not... happening."noveldrama

Old Hayface blinked. "Huh?"

He fumed silently, cursing Mosby in his heart. The old man was tight-lipped as ever, paranoid and guarded like a fox.

Mosby let out a cold snort. He knew exactly what was going through his apprentice's head.

These so-called students of his? They would all turn on him the second he let his guard down.

There were people out there who would murder a family member over a few thousand bucks, so with something as massive as this treasure on the line? Please.

If he so much as whispered the full truth, his dozen apprentices would probably join forces, kill him in his sleep, and split the prize among themselves.

Mosby was not naive. In his downtime when he was not treating patients—he would browse the web, read stories, and keep up with trends.

It did not take long for him to realize that loyalty was a myth these days, and a sense of gratitude and responsibility was just a joke

-where the more loyal you act).r

the more likely you were to stab your parents in the back.

Sure, his apprentices acted like they respected him. But the moment be

slipped up, they'd be the first to

ransack his assets, steal his

heirlooms, and probably even run off with his mistresses.

Hell, they would probably rob his damn casket too.

So, no-Mosby was not about to share a single clue about the treasure map's deeper secrets.

Just then, one of the apprentices burst into the room, yelling like a man possessed. "Mr. Lake! Something's happened! It's Ellis! He... he... he's—"

Mosby frowned in disgust at the

boy's panicked face and cut him off

with a snort: "What, you think the

sky's falling? With me here, do you really think anything could go that wrong? Let's go. I'll check on Ellis myself."