"Since you didn’t want to come back then, there’s no need for you to come back now!" His face darkened, and he spoke with utter disrespect.

James’s heart skipped a beat, fearing that Nathalie Quinlan would walk away.

He quickly glanced at the girl, keeping a close eye on her reaction, ready to intervene and mediate at any moment.

After all, Nathalie Quinlan has now entered The First Research Institute, securing the top spot in the December group assessment, earning the privilege to visit the Level 8 laboratory, something even Zevaney Kingsley doesn’t have.

Although the Kingsleys Family is powerful, they are not omnipotent; The First Research Institute is beyond their control.

For decades, the Kingsleys Family has meticulously cultivated and planned their influence within The First Research Institute, and Nathalie Quinlan is nearly a prodigy in the field of black gunpowder.

How could James not want Nathalie Quinlan to return?

So he reacted quickly, harmonizing with Hansel Kingsley, immediately putting on a conciliatory face: "Sixth Elder, Ms. Quinlan is also young, and since she’s here, let’s hear what she has to say first."

After speaking, he stared at the girl without blinking, his eyes full of expectation, seemingly encouraging her to speak up.

Nathalie Quinlan coldly observed their performance, and once everyone was silent, she lifted her duckbill cap and lazily spoke: "Done talking?"

This attitude was utterly arrogant!

Everyone in the Kingsleys Family changed their expressions.

This is the old house of the Independent Continent Kingsleys Family!

There are few in Inderia who dare to have such an attitude here.

The air seemed to fill with tension.

Zed Moore squinted, his hand already in his pocket, gripping the weapon he carried, his body exuding a murderous aura ready to erupt at any moment.

Lynn Kingsley also noticed him, casting only a sidelong glance at Zed Moore, the oppressive presence of an authority figure weighing heavily down.

The pressure almost made Zed Moore unable to breathe.

"..." Is this the might of the Kingsley family chief?

Zed Moore pressed his lips into a straight line, nerves taut, enduring the overwhelming pressure bearing down like a mountain, expressionless as he stared at everyone in the living room.

Luckily, Lynn Kingsley only glanced at him before withdrawing his gaze, focusing back on the girl, still showing no emotion: "What do you want?"

Nathalie Quinlan didn’t waste words, unzipping her single shoulder bag and tossing out a recording pen.

In front of everyone in the Kingsleys Family, she directly pressed the switch on the recorder.

Inside was the voice recording of her gamble with Hansel Kingsley at the underground auction a few days ago, and the words Hansel Kingsley left at the end.

After playing the contents of the recorder, Nathalie Quinlan casually picked it up again, glancing nonchalantly around the living room.

"I’m here to claim my prize."

In one sentence, everyone’s expressions in the Kingsleys Family changed.

Hansel Kingsley, from looking confident and even a bit disdainful and proud at the start,

Now fell into an instant mire, utterly disgraced, with his thin skin almost breaking from tension.

He widened his eyes, tightly clutching the armrests beside him, panting heavily, glaring at Nathalie Quinlan: "You... you...!"

But Nathalie Quinlan wasn’t the least bothered by his shameful anger, casually looking at Lynn Kingsley and the others: "I came today just to ask if the previous bet still counts. If it does, you must be ready, right?"

James was dumbfounded: "Ms. Quinlan, you..."

She’s here to ask for the black gunpowder recipe; regardless of the result, she’s openly making an enemy of the Kingsleys Family!