Maurice personally stepped in, along with one of the Driscoll family’s martial elders, Bradley Perkings, an expert at the peak of Martial King level. The two worked together, channeling their energy into Scarlett to stabilize her injuries.

Only after a long while did Maurice withdraw his hand and exhale sharply, his expression dark and furious.

Beside him, Bradley wiped the sweat from his brow and forced a bitter smile. “Sir, if we’d been just a moment later, Ms. Driscoll could’ve lost her cultivation base entirely. Our family hasn’t faced a disaster this serious in years.”

Maurice said nothing. His face, already grim, was even more terrifying now. With a sudden roar, he thrust out his palm.

A porcelain vase in the corner exploded with a loud crash, shattered into pieces by his strike from across the room.

Walter flinched and bowed quickly. “Please, Mr. Driscoll Senior, don’t lose your temper. This isn’t the time to vent. Scarlett returned from Goldridge in critical condition. This means our operation at the Southern Martial Union headquarters is all but ruined.”

He added, “We need to send backup immediately, or all the benefits will fall into the hands of Henry and the McCormick family of Goldridge!”

Maurice snapped coldly, “You think I need you to remind me? I’ve spent years sending Scarlett to lay the groundwork at the Southern Martial Union headquarters. The goal was to weaken Jerome’s hold and pave the way for our family’s rise in influence across the region.”

He continued, “From there, we’d grow our position and consolidate our power across the martial world. But now? Scarlett’s nearly dead, and everything in Goldridge is a complete mess! Andrew… It’s that Andrew again!”

He growled, “That bastard keeps ruining the Driscoll family’s plans. He must die! He absolutely must die!”

Maurice’s voice grew louder with every word. By the end, his eyes were bloodshot, his rage boiling over.

Bradley hesitated. Then, he turned to Scarlett and asked, “What I still can’t understand is… What does Andrew even have? How could someone like him push you to the brink of total defeat in Goldridge? Our strategy was flawless.

“Within Gabo Creek, we focused on weakening Derek, starting with his assistant, Chantelle. We laid our trap in Verhampton Valley, orchestrated the parasite poison crisis, and drew Hank into the plan.

“Our aim was to drag Chantelle into the chaos, keep her trapped there, and if we were lucky, erase her entirely. Meanwhile, you oversaw operations in Goldridge, teaming up with Henry and the McCormick family to launch a full assault on Jerome.

“Sure, they would claim the main prize, but there’d be more than enough scraps for us to feast on. With that, the Driscoll family would rise above all others in the Southern Martial Union and extend our reach far and wide.

“Let Henry and the McCormick family take the headquarters. We would dominate Gabo Creek’s martial world entirely. It was such a well–structured, airtight plan… but in the end.”

He sighed, glancing at Maurice and Walter, their faces grim.

Bradley dared not speak another word, afraid Maurice’s rage might quite literally kill him.

“Kill him!” Scarlett, having recovered a bit from the treatment, opened her eyes filled with venom.

She hissed, “He must die! Andrew must be the first to go! Then, we take down the Keller family, too. As for Derek, there’s no point in playing nice anymore. It’ll have to be a direct confrontation! But Andrew… that bastard… I can’t sleep, can’t breathe, can’t live as long as he’s still walking around!”

Maurice furrowed his brows. “Scarlett, calm yourself. Your condition has just stabilized. This isn’t the time to be losing your temper. Now tell me, what exactly happened with the Yeagers in Goldridge?”

Scarlett’s eyes turned bloodshot as humiliation crept in, and her voice trembled. “Dad… everything had been under my control. But that damn bastard Andrew… he ruined everything! Letting Jerome escape was bad enough, but then he interfered again when we went after the Yeagers!

“I don’t know what kind of tricks he pulled, but somehow he got two of the Yeagers‘ hidden elders on his side. They ambushed us, me, Henry, and the rest. And in the end that bastard got away clean, while we were trapped by the Yeagers!”