Chapter 348: Light!!
Calum looked at Miles with curiosity.
"Did Mother tell you?"
Miles let out a helpless sigh and smiled.
"No."
"It’s just..."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I’ve started believing there’s something strange about this office."
Calum looked even more confused.
"What do you mean?"
Miles leaned back against the sofa.
"I keep running into the same situations."
"Different people."
"Different companies."
"But somehow..."
"They all end up leading me to the same place."
He laughed softly.
"It gives me a strange feeling of déjà vu."
Calum smiled.
"You mean..."
Miles nodded.
"Yesterday..."
"A friend came here with almost the same problem."
"The company behind it was also Miller Corporation."
Calum blinked in surprise.
"What a coincidence."
Miles became thoughtful.
"Tell me something, Uncle Calum."
"Do you have any personal feud with Orville Miller?"
"Is that why he’s targeting your project?"
Calum slowly shook his head.
"I don’t think so."
"If it were only a personal dispute..."
"I would’ve dealt with it already."
He folded his hands together.
"But..."
"I believe there’s something much bigger behind all this."
Miles’ expression turned serious.
"Do you have any clue?"
Calum nodded.
"The deal we’re trying to secure..."
"Involves a large piece of land in Poland."
He paused.
"It was once part of a famous World War battlefield."
Miles listened quietly.
"The property originally belonged to an extremely wealthy merchant."
"His name was Antoni Kawaski."
Miles immediately recognized the name.
"Kawaski..."
"I’ve heard of him."
"He was known for collecting priceless treasures throughout his lifetime."
Calum smiled.
"Exactly."
"It’s said that before the war began..."
"He secretly hid all of those treasures."
"When the war ended..."
"The land and remaining properties passed down through generations."
"But..."
"No one ever found anything."
He shrugged.
"Eventually people began believing there was never any treasure."
"Some historians even claim Kawaski traded everything to the Germans in exchange for his family’s lives."
"There are also rumors..."
"That he created a treasure map."
"But it disappeared long ago."
Miles tapped the armrest thoughtfully.
"So..."
"They’re actually selling such historically valuable land?"
Calum nodded.
"For decades..."
"People excavated almost every corner."
"They scanned it."
"Dug through it."
"Spent fortunes searching."
"There isn’t a single untouched area left."
He smiled helplessly.
"The family wasted enormous amounts of money chasing something that probably never existed."
"Eventually..."
"The land simply became another piece of expensive property."
"There weren’t many serious buyers."
Miles smiled.
"Then why does the Connor family want it?"
Calum answered confidently.
"We’re not interested because of the treasure stories."
"The landscape is beautiful."
"It has lakes."
"Forests."
"And open fields."
"It’s the perfect location for a luxury holiday resort."
"We finally reached an agreement with the owners."
"But..."
"Miller Corporation suddenly began creating unnecessary trouble."
"They started spreading treasure rumors across the internet again."
"And from what we’ve discovered..."
"A German company appears to be backing them."
Miles slowly nodded.
"That makes sense."
"So..."
"The real problem isn’t Miller Corporation."
"It’s the German company standing behind them."
Calum smiled.
"Mother said you might be able to help."
"She mentioned you still have unfinished business with Miller Corporation."
Miles looked genuinely surprised.
"Great Aunt actually told you that?"
Calum nodded.
"She did."
He smiled.
"Was she wrong?"
Miles chuckled.
"Not really."
He became serious again.
"Do you know which German company is supporting Miller?"
Calum shook his head.
"Not exactly."
"But I investigated where the rumors originated."
"It all started from a single online video."
"It was uploaded by a young woman."
"Later I found out..."
"She’s the daughter of a very influential family."
"The Krause family."
The moment those words were spoken...
Miles immediately looked up.
"Did you say..."
"Krause?"
Calum nodded.
"Yes."
"Do you know them?"
Miles folded his arms.
"The Krause family owns businesses across several industries."
"But..."
"Their biggest source of income comes from their auction houses."
Calum frowned.
"Does that create some kind of connection?"
Miles smiled slowly.
"A perfect one."
"And..."
"I think I know why they’re interested in that land."
Calum looked surprised.
"For the treasure?"
"But everyone knows there isn’t one."
Miles remained silent for a few moments before speaking.
"Uncle Calum..."
"There’s still something I need to verify."
"I don’t want to jump to conclusions."
"But..."
He smiled confidently.
"You can rest assured."
"I’ll take care of Miller Corporation."
"In fact..."
"I’m already dealing with them."
Relief visibly appeared on Calum’s face.
Miles continued.
"And don’t worry about the Krause family either."
"They aren’t legally allowed to acquire land in Poland directly."
"They’re not truly interested in owning the property."
"If my assumption is correct..."
"They’re using the land for an entirely different objective."
Calum slowly let out the breath he had been holding.
"Seeing your confidence..."
"Really lifts a weight from my shoulders."
Miles smiled warmly.
"Uncle..."
"How about you stay with us tonight?"
"We can visit Dad’s cemetery together tomorrow."
"Everyone happens to be home today."
Calum smiled.
"I’d like that."
"I’ll come with you."
Miles picked up his phone.
"Let me text Mom first."
Calum stood from the sofa.
"Before that..."
"May I use the restroom?"
"Of course."
Miles looked toward the hallway.
"My office restroom is being cleaned."
He turned toward June.
"June."
She immediately understood.
"Certainly, Boss."
She smiled politely at Calum.
"Please follow me, Mr. Connor."
Calum nodded appreciatively.
"Thank you."
Together, they walked out of the office, leaving Miles alone as he quietly typed a message to Elena
...
After sending the message to Elena, Miles leaned back in his chair for a moment.
His fingers lightly tapped the desk.
Then, as if remembering something important, he picked up his phone again.
He scrolled through his contacts before pressing one name.
The call connected after several rings.
A sleepy voice answered from the other side.
"I was trying to sleep."
Miles smiled faintly.
"I honestly don’t know what time it is in Africa."
"And to be honest..."
"I don’t really care."
Kenan let out a long sigh.
"Yeah."
"I expected that."
"So..."
"What do you need, Ghost?"
"Aren’t you retired now?"
Miles looked out the office window.
"My retirement..."
"...is exactly the problem."
He became quiet for a second.
"It’s that time of the year again."
The drowsiness instantly disappeared from Kenan’s voice.
"So..."
"You want to attend it?"
"Yes."
Miles answered without hesitation.
"This time Graveyard won’t let me go."
"The Commander won’t hand me an invitation."
Kenan immediately understood where the conversation was heading.
"So you mean..."
Miles nodded even though Kenan could not see him.
"Yes."
"I need you to get me an invitation."
Kenan laughed helplessly.
"You know I only received one invitation."
"And we’re not allowed to bring guests."
"Even if I request another invitation..."
"The attendee has to be someone who was previously approved."
He paused.
"Ghost attended every year because Graveyard sent him."
"You can’t simply register under your own name."
Miles smiled mysteriously.
"When did I ever say..."
"Ghost would be attending?"
Silence followed.
Kenan frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don’t speak in riddles."
"I need sleep."
Miles’ smile slowly widened.
"Tell them..."
"The Little Light..."
"...has finally become an adult."
For several seconds...
There was no response.
Then suddenly...
Kenan’s breathing became heavier.
"Li..."
"Little Light?"
"You mean..."
"You are..."
Miles calmly interrupted.
"By the time you wake up..."
"You’ll receive enough proof to show the Krause family."
Kenan almost shouted.
"Wake up?"
"How the hell am I supposed to sleep now?"
Miles chuckled.
"That’s your problem."
"Just get me the invitation."
Kenan sighed in defeat.
"You’ll have it tomorrow."
Without waiting for another complaint...
Miles ended the call.
He placed the phone back on the desk.
A faint smile remained on his face.
...
A few minutes later...
June returned after showing Calum to the guest restroom.
Miles picked up his phone once more.
This time...
He called Monica.
The call connected almost immediately.
"Yes?"
Her voice sounded noticeably weaker than usual.
Miles smiled.
"Feeling any better?"
Monica groaned.
"My head is killing me."
"How did I even drink that much?"
Miles could not help laughing.
"I told you to take it easy."
"You should get a little more rest."
"I will."
She rubbed her forehead before asking.
"So..."
"Why did you call, Boss?"
Miles thought for a moment.
"Do you happen to have any of my old belongings stored somewhere?"
Monica immediately answered.
"I think so."
"There are still a few boxes inside the storage room at Soul Tower."
"I never threw anything away."
"So they should still be there with the things we brought here."
She sounded curious.
"What are you looking for?"
Miles smiled.
"Just something I suddenly remembered."
"I’ll ask someone from the office to retrieve it."
Monica nodded.
"Alright."
"I’ll let them know and have someone help."
Miles then asked another question.
"How’s Father doing?"
Monica smiled.
"He’s perfectly fine."
"I’m the only one suffering."
"This hangover is terrible."
Then her tone became curious.
"By the way..."
"Is someone coming over?"
"I saw one of the guest rooms being prepared."
Miles nodded.
"Yes."
"Great Aunt Nora’s son is visiting."
Monica sounded pleasantly surprised.
"Really?"
"Aunt will be so happy."
"She always lights up whenever guests come over."
Miles laughed softly.
"Except when it’s your grandfather."
Monica immediately corrected him.
"My grandfather is your maternal grandfather."
Miles surrendered with a helpless smile.
"Yeah..."
"Yeah..."
"I know."
"Now go get some rest."
Monica laughed weakly.
"I will."
The call ended.
A few moments later...
The office door opened again.
Calum walked back inside after freshening up.
He smiled.
"Shall we head out?"
Miles stood up and picked up his suit jacket.
"Let’s go."
He turned toward June.
"June."
She immediately nodded.
"Don’t worry, Boss."
"I’ll take care of everything here."
Miles smiled appreciatively.
"Thanks."
With that...
The two men walked out of the Chairman’s office together, leaving Sterling Enterprises behind as they headed toward Pearl Villa.
...
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
The historic Krause family mansion stood peacefully beneath the gray sky. Built centuries ago, the estate carried an air of timeless elegance. Every hallway, painting, and antique reflected the family’s long history.
Inside a quiet music room, an old gramophone slowly played a classical symphony.
Sitting beside it was the head of the Krause family.
His silver white hair was neatly combed back, and despite the wrinkles carved by age, his sharp blue eyes had not lost their brilliance. He wore a perfectly tailored dark suit with a pocket watch resting against his vest. One hand gently tapped the armrest of his leather chair in rhythm with the music while the other held a porcelain teacup.
Without turning around, he spoke calmly.
"Did we send all the invitations?"
The elderly butler standing behind him bowed respectfully.
"More than half have already been delivered, sir."
The old man gave a slow nod.
"And..."
"Did you prepare one for him?"
The butler hesitated for a moment.
"I did, sir."
"But... do you truly believe he will come?"
"We have searched for him for many years."
"There has never been a single trace."
"Perhaps..."
"He is already dead."
A faint smile appeared on the old man’s weathered face.
"That child..."
"He was far too clever."
"I refuse to believe someone like him could die so easily."
He looked toward the window, his eyes carrying a hint of expectation.
"I am certain..."
"One day, he will come."
The butler smiled warmly.
"I truly hope your wish comes true, sir."
The old man simply closed his eyes and continued listening to the gramophone as the melody quietly filled the room.