1219 Hidden Crisis
Bruce respectfully welcomed Lucas to the reception hall, where Connor personally served him tea and stood at the side.
Lucas picked up the teacup and took a sip. “I’m just here to take a look. You don’t have to be so tense.
“I heard that the Hales are developing well now. You’ve become the leading family in Orange County, and you’re second only to the Coles in all of California.”
Bruce smiled. “Yes, but this is all thanks to you, Lucas. If it wasn’t for you, the Hales wouldn’t have been able to develop so well within such a short period of time!”
!!
He wasn’t exaggerating and flattering Lucas.
Previously, the Hales were wealthy, but they only had influence in Orange County. Compared to the other affluent families in California, they were quite lacking.
But due to Bruce always standing unwaveringly on Lucas’s side, and especially after Lucas became the hegemon of California and Oregon, the Hales had been relying on Lucas’s status to develop well.
Speaking of which, the Coles, who had also always stood firmly on Lucas’s side, and the Parkers from LA had both obtained ma.s.sive benefits thanks to Lucas. So the Coles were now the leading family in California, with the Hales and the Parkers slightly behind in second.
Now, the Parkers were gradually expanding to other areas and markets and s.h.i.+fted the focus of their development to DC, so the Hales became the second-ranked family in California.
Although Bruce was old, he was still clear-headed. So he was well aware that the biggest contributor to the Hales’ current success was Lucas.
Thus, Bruce was extremely respectful and grateful to Lucas.
Leading the Hales to submit to Lucas was probably the best decision Bruce had ever made!
Bruce truly respected Lucas from the heart.
However, Lucas noticed something a little off.
There was a trace of sorrow on Connor’s face.
Connor was still young, so he hadn’t mastered the art of hiding his feelings. Lucas could clearly see the anxiety and uneasiness on his face, and he seemed hesitant to speak.
Lucas put down his teacup and asked. “Did something happen lately?”
Connor immediately looked up at him and said expectantly, “Mr. Gray, there’s indeed something—”
“Shut up!” Bruce stopped Connor from speaking without hesitation.
After stopping his grandson, Bruce turned to look at Lucas and explained, “Uh, Lucas, it’s just a minor issue. We won’t trouble you with it.”
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly. “Tell me about it.”
When entering just now, he saw several members of the Hale family. When they saw him, they were first stunned before looking surprised as if they had found a savior.
So Lucas guessed that the Hales had encountered some trouble.
Bruce didn’t want to complain to Lucas at first because he didn’t want him to have to solve the Hales’ troubles as soon as he came back. But since Lucas had already asked about it, Bruce naturally wouldn’t continue hiding it.
Bruce said bitterly, “It’s like this. Three days ago, a few people came to the Hales and claimed to be from the royal family. They were very arrogant and wanted us to pledge allegiance to them.
“We naturally refused, but those people said that they’d give us three days to consider. If we still don’t comply, they will eradicate us from California…
“According to my inquiries, the Hales aren’t the only ones. Several other wealthy families in California also received the same threat. Of course, the families with lower statuses weren’t threatened. The royal family probably couldn’t be bothered with them.”
“The royals?” Lucas narrowed his eyes.
He was no stranger to the royal family, such as the owner behind Club Illuma, the Whitleys, one of the royal family branches. He had crossed paths with Ashton several times, but of course, these encounters didn’t end well for Ashton.
“Yeah, they claim to be the Hamiltons. The person in charge is a young man named Brett, who’s about thirty years old. The people he brought with him were all powerhouses, and even our top experts are no match for them,” Bruce said worriedly.
Brett Hamilton.
Hearing this name, Lucas knew that he was really from the Hamilton branch of the royals.
The Hamiltons actually wanted the forces of California. They even wanted to make the Hales and other top families of California pledge allegiance to them. What a huge appet.i.te.
“Since they gave you three days to consider, when’s the deadline today?” Lucas asked.
Bruce said, “They want us to give a clear answer by tonight.”
After thinking about it, Bruce quickly explained, “Mr. Gray, I have no intention of submitting to them! After all, we’ve long pledged allegiance to you, so how can we submit to someone else? Even if they’re royals, we won’t change our minds and betray you!
“I… I didn’t tell you about it right away because I didn’t want you to have to deal with such trouble for us as soon as you came to visit. Besides, the Hamiltons seem hard to deal with, and I don’t want you to make such a powerful enemy…”
Lucas looked at him and nodded without blaming him. “In that case, how do you plan to deal with this?”
Bruce said with a grim expression, “I’ve already made a pact with Edmund Cole and the helmsmen of the other families who received this threat. We have agreed to join forces against the Hamiltons!”
Lucas raised his brows. “As you’ve said, Brett Hamilton has brought many powerhouses with him, and even the strongest experts of your family aren’t their opponents. So, how do you plan to deal with them?”
“Well… It’s our turf after all, and I thought that even though they have many powerhouses, we could win as long as we joined forces and outnumbered them…” Bruce said hesitantly. Near the end, his voice became softer and softer. Clearly, he knew that outnumbering them wasn’t a good idea, but it was their last resort.
In fact, there was another solution—using firearms to deter the Hamiltons.
But this was too risky. The Hamiltons were a royal family branch after all. In case Brett really died here, they might face the maniacal revenge of the Hamilton family, resulting in havoc and chaos in California.