Chapter 276: Decisions!!
The moment those words settled into the air, something inside Ghost shifted completely.
His shoulders straightened, his stance adjusted with subtle precision, and his eyes sharpened into something far colder and more alert. The boy who had been quietly sharing coffee moments only minutes ago was gone, and in his place stood the operative feared across unseen battlefields.
Careful.
Ready.
"Do not worry," Louis said calmly. "I know who you are. And I know why you are here."
Then his gaze paused.
A faint mark.
Recognition struck instantly.
"You..." he said quietly, his voice turning sharper. "You are DGSE?"
"Oh, so you recognized me," he replied. "That makes things easier. Yes, I am the one who tipped your country’s intelligence about this situation. And they decided to hire Graveyard."
"I must say," Louis continued, "I did not expect the infamous Ghost, the one whose name alone unsettles the underworld, to be someone who looks like this. A boy. Almost innocent in appearance."
"But Graveyard has always produced warriors like you. I am not surprised."
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Come with me."
The door opened.
Ghost watched for a fraction of a second, then followed.
The car began to move.
"At first," he said, "I believed you were close to my granddaughter because of my son. But now I see that you had no idea."
"I was told Gabriel has no family," he replied. "And I never saw Chloe going to that estate."
"That is because today you saw the real entrance of the estate."
"That explains it," he said. Then his voice lowered. "So is Chloe involved in all of this?"
"No," he said firmly. "She is far away from all of this. She is an innocent soul."
Then Louis looked at him directly.
Ghost met his gaze without hesitation.
Louis did not answer immediately. His eyes drifted for a moment, as if weighing something far deeper than the question itself.
Ghost’s expression dimmed slightly, but his voice remained steady.
Louis observed him quietly.
Ghost turned slightly toward him.
Louis’s gaze sharpened faintly.
Ghost shook his head slightly.
Louis nodded once, accepting the correction.
He leaned forward slightly now, his tone shifting.
Ghost’s eyes narrowed.
Louis gave a faint smile.
Ghost replied without hesitation.
Louis looked at him carefully.
The car continued moving steadily through the rain as the weight of his words settled.
Ghost remained silent, listening.
Ghost’s voice came low.
Louis nodded.
Ghost let out a quiet breath.
Louis gave a faint, almost cynical smile.
Ghost let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.
For the first time, Louis’s expression changed.
Regret.
"I am ashamed of what he has done," Louis said quietly.
"So he sold himself?"
"I am afraid... he did."
"I tried to stop him," Louis continued. "Again and again. I gave my entire life to protect my country. Anyone who betrayed it... I made sure they faced the consequences."
"But now... it is my own son."
"Then we stop him," he said firmly. "We prevent the deal from happening."
"It is too late."
"What do you mean?"
"The transaction has already been flagged internally,but I am continuing to delay it and hiding it from the department" he said. "He will be taken into custody soon."
"Then we extract him."
"And then what?" he asked calmly. "Protect him? Hide him? Just because he is my son?"
Louis’s voice lowered.
His gaze remained steady.
A heavy silence followed.
Ghost looked at him, his expression darkening.
"This is the price of betrayal," he said. "And this time... it is my own blood who must pay for it."
"I cannot hurt my son," Louis said quietly, his voice no longer carrying the same authority as before. "I will not be able to see him tortured."
Ghost sat still, his eyes fixed ahead, yet his mind was far from calm.
Louis let out a faint breath.
Ghost turned slightly, his gaze sharpening once again, the earlier hesitation fading as the mission returned to the forefront of his thoughts.
He paused for a moment, then continued, his words carrying quiet intensity.
His eyes darkened slightly.
A faint, dangerous edge entered his voice.
The air inside the car felt heavier.
"You are mentally very strong for someone your age," Louis said, almost as if he was acknowledging something rare and unsettling at the same time.
"Can you promise me one thing?"
"What?"
"If I break... if my love for my son makes me act against my country... then you must put a knife in me too."
Too calm.
Ghost did not answer immediately.
For the first time since entering the car, his thoughts were no longer purely tactical.
Heavy.
He leaned back slightly, exhaling quietly, his mind drifting to a face he could not push away.
Her laughter.
Her warmth.
How could he raise his blade against the family of the girl he loved?
How could he protect both?
Louis observed him quietly.
Ghost did not deny it.
He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts.
He opened his eyes again, determination slowly returning.
Louis let out a small laugh, but beneath it, there was unmistakable sadness.
The car slowed.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
He pulled out a handgun.
His expression was calm again.
"I did not expect the people of Graveyard to be this careless," Louis said. "You trusted me so easily that you came with me."
Then he laughed.
"What will you shoot me with?" he asked. "An empty gun?"
He looked down.
Before he could react, Ghost calmly held out his hand.
"Here it is," Ghost said casually.
"How did you..."
"You can take your time and figure that out."
Louis watched him for a second longer.
A genuine laugh this time.
He paused briefly, his eyes reflecting something deeper.
Ghost did not turn back
The sharp sound cut through the silence.
Marcel.
"Lead, where were you?" Marcel’s voice came through, slightly rushed, carrying both concern and urgency. "You were not answering the calls. You will not believe what I have found in the footage..."