“That’s impossible!” Yulia snapped, gring at him with a mix of anger and disbelief.

  “One huhousand Galleons? Do you think my family owns Gringotts?” she scoffed. “If we had that kind of money, we wouldn’t have o align with the Dark Lord in the first pce!”

  Alex wasn’t surprised by her rea. He hadn’t expected her to agree to the amount ht. iation always started with an eous demand, after all. “Then tell me,” Alex said, his voice steady, “rice do you think is appropriate?”

  Yulia’s jaw ched as she tried to suppress her growing frustration. “Two thousand Galleons,” she spat. “That’s the highest I offer.”

  Alex ughed, shaking his head. “Two thousand Galleons? For a vault full of bckmail material? Are you serious? There were ohousand Galleons in gold s in the safe alone. And you’re trying to use my spoils as bargaining chips? That’s a joke.”

  Yulia’s lips thinned, but she refused to back down. “If you’ve already found the safe, then you must have also found the unsigitle deeds iwo thousand Galleons, plus the gold and deeds, should be more than enough.”

  Alex’s smirk deepened. “Those Galleons and deeds are mine—spoils of war I cimed at great personal risk. I nearly lost my life to Torquil, and now you want to use my spoils tain with me? Don’t insult me.”

  Alex had truly risked everything this time. Exhaustion g him as he stayed up all night dug experiments, enduring grueling pressure, and even fag physical torment. On top of that, he had to keep up the act for the Aurors, pretending he was just another kid in over his head. For someone who valued a disciplined routiaying up te was as good as torture. Yet here he was, risking not only his health but also his Galleons and possibly his life—each step closer to suddeh.

  A, Yulia still had the ue. "Do you even uand who you're dealing with? The Travers family is one of the Sacred Twe, the oldest and purest bloodlines in the wizarding world! If you accept our terms, you'll gain an ally. Refuse, and you'll make an enemy—not just of us, but of the entire pure-blood elite!"

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. ‘Oh, you’re trying to py games with me again? Trying to pull both threats and promises to manipute me? Fine, let’s see how far you’ll go.’

  “Do you know who you’re dealing with right now?” Alex’s voice dropped, low and icy. His expression turned menag as he took a step toward Yulia, his gaze sharp enough to cut through steel.

  Yulia flinched under his gre, instinctively bag up until her legs hit the edge of the sofa. She lost her band stumbled, colpsing awkwardly onto the cushions. Looking up at Alex, who loomed over her with cold, uing iy, she felt utterly ered.

  “Let me introduce myself properly,” Alex said, his tone dangerously calm. “My name is Alex Wilson. I turned fourteen this year. I don’t enjuments—they’re a waste of time and make unnecessary enemies. But if someone insists on being a problem for me, I don’t hesitate to deal with them. I won’t lose. I’ll crush them before they even know what hit them.”

  He leaned in closer, his voice hardening. “You’re standing before a wizard who single-handedly eliminated five Death Eaters. Do you think I’m afraid of your crumbling little family? I’m not here tain with you because I know your dirty secrets. I’m here because I have the strength to wipe the Travers name off the Sacred Twe and turn it into the Sacred Twenty-Seven!”

  Each word nded like a hammer. By the time Alex finished speaking, Yulia ale, cold sweat dripping down her back. She tried to muster her ce, gring at him through gritted teeth. “Are y to scare me?”

  “No.” Alex’s lips twisted into a grim smirk. “I’m stating facts. And yes, I’m warning you. sider it a threat if you like.”

  Yulia felt like prey, ered and defenseless against a predator. She trembled uhe weight of his words, the oppressive aura radiating from him making her feel smaller and smaller.

  “But... we ’t possibly produe huhousand Galleons,” she finally stammered, her voice faltering. “You’re making an impossible demand.”

  “I know,” Alex said, straightening up. He walked back to his seat and sat down, casually crossing his legs. “If you ’t pay in gold, you pay in other ways. Materials, potions... or knowledge.”

  Yulia’s breath hitched. Her instincts screamed that whatever he was about to say would be disastrous. “What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Oh, you kly what I mean,” Alex replied with a pointed look. “The Travers family vault has plenty of treasures, doesn’t it? Rare artifacts, Slytherin’s manuscripts, mithril... and ‘that.’”

  Yulia froze. She had no idea how Alex knew about ‘that,’ but her mind raced. Torquil must have spilled everything! How much had this brat uncovered about their family?

  “You’re trying to strip us of everything,” she accused, her voice trembling with both fear and fury. “You want to dig out our roots and leave us nothing!”

  “Don’t be so dramatic,” Alex said lightly, his tone almost mog. “As long as you’re alive, there’s always hope. Isn’t that what you pure-bloods love to say? pared to rotting away in Azkaban alongside Torquil, those treasures are just meaningless objects, aren’t they?”

  Yulia ched her fists, torween rage and despair. The Travers family vault was more than just wealth; it represehe legacy of geions, their very identity. And now Alex was treating it like some bargain bin.

  Seeing her hesitation, Alex didn’t push further. Instead, he pulled out his pocket watd g the time. “You’d better decide soon, Yulia,” he said with a sly smile. “Your window of opportunity is closing fast. The reporter from the Daily Prophet I invited should be here any moment now.”

  As if on cue, a knock echoed through the room. “e in,” Alex called, his tone calm and posed.

  An Auror stepped inside—a familiar face. “Vanessa, long time no see,” Alex greeted her with surprising warmth.

  “Alex,” Vanessa replied with a nod, her professional demeanor slipping slightly as she smiled. “It’s been a while. But let’s skip the catch-up. There’s a reporter named Rita Skeeter waiting outside. She cims you invited her. Do you wao send her away?”

  Alex shook his head. “No, I did invite her. But let her wait a little longer—I’m ing things up here.”

  "Don’t worry, I won’t keep you waiting too long," Vanessa said lightly, then g Yulia, whose expression was twisted with frustration. "Probably not."

  Vanessa noticed Alex wasn’t alone, her eyes shifting toward the figure seated on the sofa with her back fag her. Though she couldn’t see who it was, it was obvious the guest was a woman. "You didn’t run into any trouble, did you?" Vanessa asked with a trace of . She had always thought well of Alex a pelled to che him.

  "Trouble? Me? What could possibly trouble me?" Alex replied with an easy smile. "This is just a friend of mine. We finally caught up after a while and are discussing, you know, 'life' and 'the future.'" His tone carried a teasing hough his smile seemed genuine.