The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1686

"They should pay the price for occupying the resources." Wynter didn't hide her intentions from Lucas. She was always honest when talking to him. "If they didn't see me, it meant that their current charges might not have gone deep enough.

"Even if they were arrested and sentenced, they'd probably only serve five or six years. Meanwhile, their descendants would still enjoy privileged positions and benefits. Yet, the resources stolen from others can never truly be recovered."

Lucas had suspected as much. Wynter wasn't someone who would reveal her identity lightly. Her decision to expose herself was deliberate—meant to leave no room for these people to harbor illusions of escaping justice.

"Mr. Monty said he did nothing wrong." Wynter's sharp gaze cut through any pretense. "But he's a frequent guest at the Wray family's club. Of course, he plays a more sophisticated game—preferring a touch of poetic elegance in his indulgences.

"Much of the documents regarding Club Solstice were destroyed. We tried recovering them but only managed to retrieve fragments. There's no direct footage implicating him.

"But, Lucas, none of the people here today are innocent," Wynter said gravely, her tone heavy with conviction. "I'm here to seek justice for those who can no longer speak for themselves."

No one could see the swirling black mist behind Wynter, where one soul after another emerged.

They were young women who had perished in the prime of their lives. They were those who couldn't speak for themselves, who didn't even know their rightful positions had been stolen, and those who were still struggling to make ends meet before their deaths.

Atwater had often emphasized the importance of harmony with nature, aligning oneself with the flow of heaven and earth, when teaching her the Arcane Way. But Wynter, born with a defiant spirit, refused to simply go with the flow.

If she ever truly became a cultivator, ascension and the so-called Sacred Path wouldn't interest her. Her path was clear—she wanted to protect the living and give a voice to the dead.

Lucas looked into Wynter's determined eyes and sighed with a mix of exasperation and fondness. "I understand now. Mr. Munn Senior wasn't wrong when he scolded me. Compared to you, I don't have even half the courage."

Initially, the "teachers" who had received the signal to retreat from the area didn't believe they would be caught.

The plan devised by Edward was flawless. While everyone else was still in disarray—scrambling to detain responsible parties and reacting to the uproar—these individuals intended to preserve their strength and quietly withdraw from the schools.

They could either relocate to another city and begin anew or wait until the situation calmed before returning under the guise of a natural rotation.

They were confident that no one would detect anything unusual about their movements. Hence, they didn't think this uproar would implicate them.

They had already subtly planted insidious ideas into their students' minds and, as if it were just another routine day, went to their offices to hand in their resignations.