"Adam, hold on a minute," Annabelle intervened, her tone stern.

"We need to be cautious. We can't just recruit anyone and everyone. If we expand too rapidly, people will start asking questions. And I'm sure there are certain things we don't want them to know."

She turned to Adam, her eyes sharp. "Talents awaken at level 10, right?"

Adam nodded, the question taking him by surprise.

"And it's not easy to level up, is it?"

He shook his head, still trying to grasp where she was leading.

"Exactly," Annabelle continued, "So when people get more comfortable with the Dreamverse and they start gaining levels, they're going to question how you were able to reach level 10 on the first day of the apocalypse. And the last thing we want is for people to find out that you... caused all this."

Silence settled over the room once again. Everyone present was serious, contemplating the implications of Annabelle's words. As grim as they were, she was right. They had to be careful about who they let into their inner circle.

"We can't afford to expand too rapidly initially," Annabelle concluded, her gaze settling on each person in turn. "The risk is too great."

There was a general murmur of agreement around the room. Adam, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, could only nod in understanding.

The sound of a phone ringing cut through the solemn atmosphere. Melissa picked it up, checking the caller ID. Her face scrunched in a puzzled expression before she excused herself. "I need to take this call. I'll be right back."

As Melissa exited the kitchen, Annabelle turned to Adam, her eyes reflecting a serious intent. "Adam, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Adam, curious and slightly apprehensive, agreed. As they left the kitchen, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. Things were getting complicated, fast, and he wondered what new issues would crop up.

Stepping into the hallway, the pair found themselves surrounded by a comfortable silence. Annabelle was the first to break it, turning towards Adam, her eyes watery yet filled with gratitude.

"Adam," she started, her voice unsteady, "I want to thank you. Thank you for telling me about the apocalypse. I know I didn't believe you earlier, and I was... skeptical. But now, I believe you wholeheartedly."

She gave a weak smile, her eyes never leaving his. "I'm sorry for being so combative earlier. I'm..I’m just going through a lot right now."

Adam watched as Annabelle's gaze fell to the floor, her expression growing distant. "I left the Edwards and the Emmanuel's behind. I have nothing to my name, they made it so." she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Adam, taken aback by her sudden vulnerability, stepped forward. He reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You have us, aunt Annabelle," he reassured her. "You're a part of my family, and you're always welcome here."

Annabelle looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She nodded, managing a small smile. "Thank you, Adam. I know that. Leaving them meant leaving everything I had, but I knew it was a punishment. A punishment for not serving the Emmanuels, for daring to leave."

She inhaled deeply, her gaze hardening. "But I made the right choice. And now, hearing what you told us made me even more sure about my decision.”

She looked a bit puzzled, “Adam, I don’t know why I'm feeling this way right now, maybe it’s my emotions or the stress but I will do everything and I mean everything I can to help. I will be your greatest ally."

Adam felt a surge of gratitude towards her. He was about to respond when she held up a hand, her expression becoming serious. "But promise me one thing," she pleaded.

Adam frowned, puzzled by her sudden urgency. "What is it?"

Her eyes bore into his, a fierceness in her gaze that took him aback. "Stay away from your grandmother," she commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. "If you can't do that, at least keep her at a distance."

Adam blinked, taken aback by her harsh words. He opened his mouth to question her but was cut off by the venomous look on her face.

"Matriarch Emmanuel is a snake, Adam," she hissed, her voice dripping with hate. "For your own sake, it's best if you stay as far away from her as possible."

Her words echoed in the hallway, leaving Adam in a state of bewilderment and concern. He nodded slowly, the gravity of her warning sinking in.

Annabelle sighed, her gaze never leaving Adam's. "Listen, I can see that you don't believe me, so let me explain why I said what I did."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Adam, there's a reason why all the other noble families no longer have servant families at their beck and call. With the world becoming more modern, the servant families of the other aristocratic british families managed to break free from their shackles, often turning into business families and expanding their wealth. However, the Emmanuels still have the Edwards as a servant family, and there's a reason for that."

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Adam watched her, his curiosity piqued. He had never heard her talk about the Emmanuels in this way before.

"That reason is your grandmother," Annabelle continued, her voice bitter. "She hides her ruthlessness behind a facade of nobility. Nothing is beneath her. If she wants something from you, she won't simply ask. Instead, she'll engineer events and constrict your choices until you have no option but to give in."

She paused, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "Do you know what she did to me? When your mother was a few weeks pregnant with you, she wanted her favorite daughter's child to have a servant. So, she forced me to get pregnant. She didn't ask me, she made it so that I had no choice."

Annabelle's voice started to crack, her eyes shimmering with barely held back tears. "Your mother had recently left the Emmanuels. I had no support, no one to turn to. Stella... Stella was born to serve you. I haven't told Stella this, so please don't let her know."

“There’s a reason why Stella went to the same state school as you, why she can keep up with you academically. There’s a reason why me and your mother have a few months difference in age. These are only a few things, I can list so much more.”

Adam could barely believe what he was hearing. He was so shocked that he could barely process the information. From somewhere upstairs, he could hear the distant sound of his mother's voice, arguing. But he couldn't make out the words.

"Adam," Annabelle continued, her voice softer now. "The reason I'm telling you this is because right now, your mother is on a call with Matriarch Emmanuel. I couldn’t help but notice the caller ID. Please Adam, be careful. For all of our sake."

With that, Annabelle hugged Adam tightly before releasing him, she wiped her eyes and retreated into the kitchen, leaving him alone in the hallway. As the gravity of her words fully hit him, Adam could only stand there, stunned and confused, unsure of how to process this new information.

Annabelle's words were still echoing in his mind as Adam stood in the hallway, the sounds of the house seeming distant and muted. His mind spun, trying to reconcile the image of his distant grandmother with the one his aunt had just painted.

'She manipulated events just so she could have a servant for her grandchild. How much control does she have? How far will she go?' he wondered, his heart pounding in his chest.

There was a heaviness in his chest, a mixture of guilt, anger and a creeping sense of dread. Stella, his childhood friend, the girl who always stood by his side, who was always there to support him. To learn that she had been groomed to serve him from before they were even born was... It was too much.

Annabelle's warning echoed ominously in his head, 'She'll engineer events and constrict your choices until you have no option but to give in.' He shivered, suddenly feeling very cold.

'Be careful, Adam.' The words replayed in his mind. Annabelle wouldn't have shared such information lightly. He knew he had to heed her warning, to be on guard.

He was lost in these thoughts when his mother came down the stairs, her eyes red but her expression steely. When she saw him, she quickly wiped her eyes, trying to put on a brave face.

"Adam," she said, reaching out to hug him. "You need to see your grandmother today. She wants to meet with you."

Adam stiffened, a chill running down his spine at the mention of his grandmother. 'This can't be a coincidence.' He thought, his aunt Annabelle's warning was fresh in his mind. His heart pounded in his chest, but he did his best to keep his expression neutral.

"Alright," he managed to say, hiding the tremor in his voice. "I'll get ready."

As his mother nodded and turned away, Adam couldn't shake off the unease that settled over him. He knew he had to tread carefully. He had a feeling that he was stepping onto a battlefield, and he was dangerously unarmed.

---

Adam sat in the elegant waiting room of the Emmanuel manor, the ticking of an ornate clock echoing through the silence. His leg bounced impatiently, a physical manifestation of his growing frustration. His mother had driven him to the manor but she hadn't accompanied him inside, stating that she wasn't permitted to attend the meeting and expressed her own distaste for entering the manor.

The room was beautifully decorated, yet the air hung heavy with an unspoken tension. Thoughts of his conversation with aunt Annabelle swirled in his mind, her warning about his grandmother resonating with a chilling sense of foreboding. Each passing minute felt like an eternity as he waited to be summoned.

Adam glanced at the clock again, thirty minutes had passed since his arrival. The receptionist had hardly looked his way since he had been seated, her attention focused on the screen of her computer. His patience was wearing thin. He was about to get up and question her when, without even glancing up, she finally announced, "Matriarch Emmanuel will see you now." The sharpness of her tone left no room for argument.

Adam let out a sigh of relief mixed with a hint of annoyance. He rose from the plush chair and straightened his shirt before making his way towards the grand double doors that marked the entrance to his grandmother's office. The receptionist opened the door for him, revealing the opulence within.

Matriarch Emmanuel's office was like stepping into another era. Everything from the grand mahogany desk to the antique globe bar cart was a testament to the old world. The room was bathed in a soft, ambient light that filtered through the sheer drapes. It had an air of sophistication and authority, just like the woman who occupied it.

Matriarch Emmanuel was seated behind her desk, engrossed in some paperwork. She looked up as Adam entered, her eyes holding a certain sharpness that belied her age. With a curt nod, she gestured towards the chair opposite her.

"Adam," she greeted, her voice like velvet. "Do take a seat."

Adam hesitated for a moment, the sight of his grandmother bringing forth Annabelle's warning in his mind. He took a seat across from her, his demeanor cautious.

Matriarch Emmanuel regarded him with a reassuring smile, but Adam remained guarded. He was unsure of her motives, and he had every right to be. "You're not in trouble for the incident with Rupert, dear," she said, leaning back in her chair.

Adam, although mildly relieved, was far from comforted. He knew better than to let his guard down around her. He simply nodded, waiting for her to get to the point of the meeting.

"I've called you in today because I've come across some information that I believe you should know about," she said, her expression becoming grave.

Adam furrowed his brows. "What information?" he asked, his heart rate increasing.

As Matriarch Emmanuel pushed a stack of papers across the desk to him, Adam took them hesitantly. Glancing over the documents, his eyes widened in disbelief.

His hands tightened around the papers, his mind racing with confusion and anger.

"How do you have this?" Adam asked, clenching his jaw.