Garin stepped inside the grand foyer of the mansion and paused, looking around.
The estate was still a buzzing hive of activity despite the recent bloodshed.
Uniformed police officers, armed security personnel, and visibly shaken servants moved through the high-ceilinged halls in a tense, hurried rhythm.
After politely asking for directions from a few preoccupied officers, Garin eventually navigated the sprawling corridors and found J.
Marvin’s private office.
The heavy wooden door was propped open.
Inside, Cammy, Bruce, Felix, and Jean Marvin were waiting in a heavy, uncomfortable silence.
Garin peeked hesitantly around the doorframe.
Cammy noticed the small shadow first, her sharp eyes flicking over.
“Well, look who decided to show up.”
Garin stepped into view, giving a small, rigid bow.
“H-Hello.”
Jean’s exhausted expression instantly softened, and she offered a warm, maternal smile.
“Hello, dear.”
Garin looked around the room, her eyes searching the corners.
“U-Um…
where is Miss Diana?”
Cammy leaned back in her leather chair, steepling her fingers.
“She went somewhere downstairs with Mr.
Marvin.
Structural inspection or something.”
Bruce gave a slow nod from his position by the window.
“They should be back soon.”
Garin quietly entered the room, choosing a chair tucked away in the corner, and sat down.
Before anyone could pick the conversation back up, the sharp ring of a cellphone cut through the quiet.
Jean reached into her pocket, pulling out her device.
She checked the screen, and her tense posture immediately relaxed.
She answered it on the second ring.
“Hello?”
A familiar, professional voice spoke from the receiver.
Jean’s expression eased considerably.
“Mr.
Edward.”
A brief, crackling pause as the man on the other end spoke.
“Yes, you’ve arrived at the perimeter?” Jean asked, standing up from her seat.
“Another attack happened just an hour ago.
That’s why the entire mansion is currently on high alert.”
She listened for another moment, then adjusted her dress.
“Oh, wait there.
I’m coming down to the gate.” She glanced toward the three hunters.
“I’ll verify your identity with the front checkpoint and bring you inside personally.”
Nobody in the room found the statement strange given the circumstances.
After a coordinated two-wave demon assault, everyone entering the property had to be thoroughly vetted.
Jean excused herself with a polite nod and slipped out into the hallway.
A few minutes later, the distinct sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the corridor.
The office door swung open, and Marvin entered first, looking slightly less pale than before, though his eyes were still wide with a lingering sort of shock.
Diana followed closely behind him, her hands buried deep in her white coat pockets, her posture entirely loose.
Garin stood up from her chair so fast it nearly scraped against the floor.
“M-Miss Diana!”
Diana’s gaze flicked toward her corner.
“There you are, kid.”
Garin straightened her shoulders, her small face turning dead serious.
“I’m ready.”
Diana blinked, her expression blank.
“For what?”
“M-My first real investigation,” Garin said, her voice small but determined.
The room became entirely quiet.
Cammy, Bruce, and Felix watched the exchange with mild amusement.
Diana stared down at the girl for several silent seconds, her crimson-tinted eyes calculating.
Then, she gave a single, firm nod.
“Good.”
Garin’s eyes visibly sparkled.
Diana turned and pointed a gloved finger straight toward the open hallway.
“Go talk to the staff.”
Garin blinked, her momentum stalling.
“Huh?”
“The servants.
The security guards.
The gardeners.
Anybody who actually works on these grounds,” Diana stated flatly, leaning against the doorframe.
“And don’t try to solve the case.”
“O-Okay.”
“Just collect information.
Raw data,” Diana instructed, her tone dropping into a cool, professional register.
Garin nodded eagerly.
“I can do that.”
A small, genuine smile touched Diana’s lips.
“Good.
Remember the golden rule, kid: listen significantly more than you speak.”
Garin gave another quick, determined nod before spinning on her heel and hurrying out into the busy corridor.
A few minutes later, the office door clicked open once more.
Jean returned to the room, her expression lighter.
Beside her stood a meticulously well-dressed man carrying a thick leather case file.
His charcoal suit was completely immaculate, not a single wrinkle in sight.
His posture was confident, upright, and poised without crossing the line into arrogance.
The moment he crossed the threshold, he gave the room a polite, practiced nod.
“Good afternoon, everyone.”
Marvin visibly relaxed, the tension draining from his shoulders.
“Edward.”
The lawyer approached the desk, offering a firm hand.
Marvin shook it warmly.
“I’m incredibly relieved to see you safe, Marvin,” Edward said, his voice smooth and grounding.
Jean immediately stepped closer to her husband’s side, her fingers brushing his arm.
“Everything went fine downstairs?” Her deep concern was written all over her face.
Marvin gently squeezed her hand, his tone softening.
“I’m alright, Jean.”
Only then did the young woman let out a long, visible breath, relaxing against him.
“Miss Diana, allow me to introduce Edward Smith.
My father’s personal legal counsel, and now mine.”
Edward turned and offered his hand to her.
“A true pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Diana.”
Diana accepted the handshake, her grip brief but firm.
“The pleasure is mine.”
Edward smiled, adjusting his cuffs.
“I’ve heard quite a lot about you and your agency’s…
unique capabilities.”
“I hope nothing too expensive,” Diana replied dryly.
The lawyer let out a soft, genuine laugh.
“As a legal professional, I unfortunately can’t promise that.”
A few light chuckles rippled through the room, breaking the heavy atmosphere.
Diana studied the man for a silent moment, her eyes tracking the sharp lines of his suit, before she asked casually: “You took your sweet time getting out here to the estate.”
Edward didn’t look remotely offended by the blunt accusation.
“A perfectly fair criticism,” he admitted smoothly, raising his hand to adjust his wire-rimmed glasses.
“However, I wasn’t simply sitting idle while the city lines were clogged.”
The lawyer unclasped his leather folder, laying it flat on the mahogany desk.
“I spent the entire morning personally looking into the background of the previous human attacks on Marvin.”
That specific detail immediately got Diana’s undivided attention.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Oh?”
Edward removed several glossy photographs and printouts from the folder.
“I managed to secure a legal connection.”
The room became profoundly quiet, the hunters leaning forward.
Edward selected one specific photograph and slid it across the polished wood.
Diana picked it up between two gloved fingers.
The image captured a woman.
Elegant.
Richly dressed in expensive fabrics.
She looked to be in her late forties, her expression cold and calculated.
“Who’s this?” Diana asked, turning the photo toward the light.
Edward folded his hands neatly over his folder.
“Matier Silverstein.”
Marvin’s expression instantly shifted, his jaw tightening into stone.
“Matier?”
Diana’s sharp eyes caught the reaction instantly.
“You know her?”
Marvin let out a long, bitter sigh.
“Unfortunately.”
Edward continued, his voice perfectly level.
“Several independent municipal witnesses reported seeing her meeting privately with individuals directly connected to the local syndicate—the exact group of thugs responsible for the earliest assassination attempts on Marvin’s life.”
Bruce frowned from the window, his large chest expanding.
“The human attacks?”
Edward nodded once.
“The very same group.”
Diana looked away from the photo and focused on Marvin.
“And who exactly is Miss Silverstein to the family?”
Marvin leaned heavily back into his chair, his gaze dropping to the floorboards as his face darkened.
“After my mother passed away…
my father became heavily involved with her.”
The room fell into a dead silence.
Diana didn’t need any further explanation.
She immediately understood the dynamic.
“His mistress.”
Marvin nodded grimly.
“She never liked me.
She viewed me as an inheritance barrier.”
Edward quietly added his legal perspective to the silence.
“And under the current structure of the elder J.
Bruce’s will…
if Marvin dies without an heir, certain massive corporate arrangements become significantly simpler for her faction to liquidate.”
Nobody spoke for several long seconds.
The pieces of the puzzle were finally moving.
Diana looked down at the photograph again, then up at Edward, then back down at the elegant woman’s cold eyes.
A brand new suspect had just entered the board.
And for the first time since she had arrived at the blood-stained mansion, the chaotic violence seemed to be pointing toward an actual, living human being.
Diana looked at the photograph one last time, a cold calculation passing behind her eyes.
“So…”
She held the glossy printout up for the entire room to see, then turned her focus toward Cammy, Bruce, and Felix.
The three veteran hunters immediately understood the silent command.
Cammy let out a loud, dramatic sigh, shifting her weight.
“Fine, fine.”
Bruce stood up straight from the wall, his massive frame casting a shadow.
“We’ll go pull her in.”
Felix reached down, his large hand wrapping around the grip of his heavy shotgun.
Diana shook her head, her voice sharp.
“Nope.”
The trio stopped in their tracks, their movements freezing.
“…What?” Cammy muttered.
Diana pointed a finger around the room, gesturing to the shattered windows and the damaged walls.
“You three are needed right here.”
Cammy’s brow furrowed into a deep frown.
“Lady Diana?”
“The client has already been targeted by two separate, coordinated attack waves today alone,” Diana stated, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
“I want the three of you actively patrolling the perimeter of this mansion.
Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.”
Bruce gave a slow, reluctant nod.
As a tactical decision, it was entirely reasonable.
Felix grunted and sat back down in his chair, resting his weapon across his knees.
“Then who’s going out to secure the suspect?” Felix asked, his deep voice rumbling.
Before Diana could formulate an answer, the distinct, heavy thud of standard-issue police boots approached from the hallway.
Everyone in the office turned toward the entrance.
Officer Andrew walked into the room, his uniform slightly rumpled from the wind outside.
Marvin blinked in surprise.
The officer from earlier?”
Andrew gave a polite, professional nod to the room’s occupants, his eyes scanning the crowd.
“Mr.
Marvin.
Mrs.
Marvin.
Miss Diana.”
However, the exact moment his gaze landed squarely on Diana, his polite demeanor vanished, replaced by an intensely serious, terrifyingly still expression.
“Diana,” he said, his voice dropping an octave.
Diana immediately noticed the shift in his tone.
Her entire posture stiffened.
“Aye?”
Andrew slowly folded his arms over his chest, his eyes locking onto hers like a laser.
“We need to discuss something.
Later.”
The entire office fell into an incredibly awkward silence.
The lawyers and the clients looked back and forth between them, completely confused.
Diana stared back at the veteran cop, her mind racing.
“…About what?”
Andrew didn’t blink.
He just continued to stare at her with the raw, unadulterated fury of a father who had been left completely in the dark.
Diana suddenly had a deeply terrible, sinking feeling in her stomach.
…Oh.
It finally clicked.
Andrew wasn’t mad about the demon case.
He was entirely, monumentally upset because she had casually adopted Garin yesterday and hadn’t bothered to mention a single word of it to him or Ellie.
If that old fool Jun Pyo hadn’t messed up the standard guardianship paperwork and filed it as a full-blown immediate adoption, none of this would have happened,* Diana thought fiercely to herself, desperately trying to shift the blame in her own head.
Andrew’s silent, suffocating glare continued to pin her to the spot.
Diana cleared her throat nervously, her confident hunter persona cracking just a fraction.
“…You’re still upset about that?”
“Later,” Andrew repeated, his voice clipping the end of the word.
Diana immediately threw her hands up in silent surrender, completely backing down.
“Later.
Definitely later.”
Entirely satisfied with his absolute domestic victory, Andrew gave a single, sharp nod and let the matter rest for now.
Diana quickly changed the subject before he could change his mind, eager to get his focus onto something that involved ballistics instead of family dynamics.
“Good.” She stepped forward and handed him the glossy photograph from the desk.
“We’ve got a primary human suspect.”
Andrew took the picture, his detective instincts kicking in as he studied the sharp features.
“Matier Silverstein.”
“That’s her,” Diana confirmed.
Andrew smoothly slid the photograph into his official case file under his arm.
“The department will take her into custody for formal questioning as soon as we can locate her current coordinates.”
“I happen to know exactly where she is hiding,” a smooth voice interrupted.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Edward Smith.
The lawyer remained perfectly calm, adjusting his glasses without a hint of nervousness.
“I can guide you directly to her private residence.”
Andrew’s eyes narrowed as he looked the well-dressed lawyer up and down.
“And how exactly do you have that information before municipal dispatch does?”
Edward offered a modest, entirely professional smile.
“As the legal counsel for the late J.
Bruce, I am required to maintain certain…
logistical resources regarding family associates.
It falls within my purview.”
The answer sounded perfectly reasonable, wrapped in neat legal logic.
Marvin nodded in agreement from his desk.
“Good work, Edward.
Thorough as always.”
Jean smiled warmly at the man.
“Wonderful work, Mr.
Edward.
Thank you.”
The lawyer bowed his head slightly toward them.
“Thank you, Boss,” he muttered to Marvin, before shifting his gaze to Jean.
“Thank you, Madam.
Just doing my duty.”
Then, he turned his focus entirely onto Andrew.
“Officer?”
Andrew considered the offer for a brief, silent second, analyzing the lawyer’s steady posture.
Then, he gave a firm nod.
“Alright.
Let’s go.”
Edward picked up his leather folder, securing the clasps with a sharp click.
“Shall we?”
Andrew glanced back toward Diana one last time, his eyes signaling a silent warning about their upcoming conversation.
Diana simply shrugged her shoulders, gesturing toward the corridor.
“Go.
Pull her in.”
The veteran officer turned toward the door.
“Let’s move.”
Edward followed tightly beside him, his polished dress shoes clicking in tandem with Andrew’s heavy boots.
Neither man noticed that Diana’s sharp eyes were fixed intently on their backs as they crossed the threshold.
The heavy office door swung closed behind them, the latch clicking into place.
For a long moment, nobody in the room spoke.
The silence returned to the office.
Then, Diana let out a slow, deep breath through her nose.
“Hm.”
Cammy, who had been watching her closely from the start, noticed the shift immediately.
“What is it?”
Diana slowly turned her gaze away from the closed wooden door, a faint, unreadable smile playing at the very edges of her lips.
“Nothing.”
“Diana,” Cammy warned, her eyes narrowing.
“Just thinking,” Diana murmured softly.
Cammy knew that exact expression.
It was the quiet baseline before the storm.
Whenever Diana started “just thinking” in the middle of a compromised room, someone’s day was usually about to become significantly, violently worse.