[Chapter 146: Frank Douglas's Gratitude]
Frank Douglas shared a warm hug with Daniel, unable to hide the smile brightening his face.
The group entered the luxurious living room, where a servant promptly brought them coffee. Frank pulled out a box of cigars and offered one to Daniel. "Mr. Cross, have one. These aren't your usual Cuban cigars you find on the market -- each one is top quality."
Frank rarely smoked cigars, but today he was happy enough to break his habit and bring them out. Ford's eyes lit up the moment he saw the box.
But Daniel waved him off. "I don't smoke." Not only that, but as a Lesser Ascendant, and even back when he was just at Foundation Order, his body would have rejected smoke.
Seeing Daniel decline, Frank had no choice but to close the box without offering any more. He turned to Ford.
Ford hesitated but said, "Maybe next time." He knew how expensive those cigars were -- a price tag of three thousand dollars wouldn't even be considered high. He usually couldn't afford cigars like that.
Frank glanced at Ford, slid the box back into place, and decided not to indulge either. He had the butler, Charlie, take the cigars away.
Finally, Frank Douglas couldn't hold back his question: "Mr. Cross, the Brotherhood of Saints..."
Daniel replied flatly, "The Brotherhood of Saints no longer exists."
Though they had prepared themselves mentally for this news, hearing it directly from Daniel still brought broad smiles to Frank, Ford, and Katherine's faces.
Sheriff Ford asked, "Completely wiped out? Not a single one left?"
Daniel nodded. "Of course, it's impossible to eradicate every last one. But anyone left out there now should just be ordinary Soul Switchers. Even if there are one or two cultists remaining, they won't be able to cause much trouble."
Hearing this eased their minds even more.
Katherine suddenly asked, "Mr. Cross, were you hurt?"
The question brought a flush of shame to Frank Douglas and Sheriff Ford. They'd been so focused on the Brotherhood of Saints that they'd completely forgotten to ask about Daniel's well-being.
Hearing Katherine's concern, they quickly turned to Daniel with genuine worry.
Daniel smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. But yes, I did run into some trouble. The Brotherhood of Saints was more powerful than I imagined."
Katherine pressed, "What kind of danger?"
Daniel didn't go into too much detail -- just enough to convey the gravity of the situation. For example, there were over 20 Consecrated Thralls, like the one they'd encountered before, each stronger than the last. The leader of the Brotherhood had sacrificed countless people to transform himself into a flesh giant standing over six meters tall.
Daniel mentioned these things casually, but Frank and the others listened with their jaws practically on the floor.
After a long pause, Frank sighed, "Thank goodness we had you, Mr. Cross."
Ford nodded in agreement. "With that kind of power, no ordinary armed forces could break through. And from what I can tell, even if they'd tried to mobilize stronger forces, someone would have blocked it. No one would be allowed to interfere."
The three discussed it quietly and eventually reached a single conclusion: had it not been for Daniel, this time they would have been done for.
On the surface, Frank Douglas had influential connections and wouldn't go down easily. But the Brotherhood of Saints could have used Katherine as leverage to seize his assets. And Sheriff Ford, with his limited influence as sheriff, was the first to be suspended and left powerless.
They expressed their gratitude to Daniel again and again.
Suddenly, Katherine asked, "Mr. Cross, I heard your house was blown up by them too?"
Daniel nodded. "That's right. I was just getting ready to buy a new place."
Katherine immediately turned to her father. "Dad, hurry up and give Mr. Cross the gift you prepared."
Frank chuckled. "You're always terrible at keeping secrets."
With that, Frank retrieved an exquisitely crafted wooden box from a nearby cabinet. He opened it and handed it to Daniel.
Daniel looked inside to find a file folder and several keys.
"What's this?" he asked.
Frank replied, "This is a house I bought for you in Beverly Hills -- not too far from here. Mr. Cross, you've done so much for us, even saved my family. I've been trying to figure out how to thank you. Since I heard your house was destroyed, please accept this as a small token of gratitude -- from me and Katherine."
Sheriff Ford eyed the box with envy, knowing exactly how valuable that house was. But it was only envy. He felt Daniel deserved even more -- and that this gratitude barely scratched the surface.
Daniel didn't hesitate to accept the gift. He really had saved the Douglas family. Compared to their fortune, one house was a small thing.
Still, Daniel preferred cash over property.
Cash could be reinvested and multiplied quickly. A house appreciated more slowly -- unless, of course, he sold it. But selling this gift immediately would have seemed ungrateful.
Frank seemed to sense Daniel's thoughts and handed him a checkbook. "Mr. Cross, I know money might seem a little crude to you, but this is the greatest thing I can offer."
Daniel opened the checkbook and looked inside.
There was a check -- a number with seven zeros on it. In front of the zeros was a 2.
Twenty million dollars.
Daniel almost laughed out loud. 'Crude, my foot. This is fantastic.'
He closed the checkbook, flicked his hand, and tucked both the checkbook and the house documents into his System space.
Trying to keep a straight face, Daniel said, "It might be a bit vulgar, but since it's given with your good intentions, I can't refuse."
He couldn't stop himself from laughing. 'Frank, I'm just a vulgar guy; give me all the vulgar stuff you've got. The more vulgar, the better.'
Frank Douglas beamed. "Looks like we'll get along just fine. I've always worried about Katherine's situation, so our meetings felt rushed. From now on, we can spend more time together."
Sheriff Ford smiled. "Mr. Cross, I don't have a gift like Mr. Douglas does. All I can offer is my phone being on for you 24/7."
Daniel smiled and nodded, offering Ford a reassuring look.
...
After a lavish lunch at the Douglas house, Sheriff Ford had to return to work and said his goodbyes.
Katherine was eager to visit Daniel's new house.
"Wait a moment," Daniel said, striding toward the room where Tanusha had been kept before.
Before long, he pushed open the familiar door and saw Tanusha still tied up in a straitjacket.
Wrinkled and worn, she looked old and broken, still bound in the straitjacket and bite guard, her whole appearance dejected -- almost pitiful.
Before Daniel entered, her eyes were like stagnant water, lifeless as if she'd lost all interest in living.
But when Daniel stepped inside, a flicker of life returned to her gaze. She looked at him intensely, eyes full of questions.
Daniel said coolly, "The Brotherhood of Saints is gone. I destroyed them with my own hands."
*****
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