Chapter 1079:

Brook exhaled. “And you know I can’t propose surrender either.”

He remained quiet for a long while before finally getting up and admitting, “Forget it. This is all my fault. I was too idealistic, thinking I could stall for time. I’m not meant for this. I should have stuck to the office.” With that, Brook rose to leave.

Jayden halted him. “Wait a minute! Who said you could leave? Did I give you permission to go?”

Brook stopped. “You’re not planning to kill me, are you?”

“Rest easy. In a clash between factions, emissaries aren’t killed. I won’t kill you, but you’re not free to leave either,” Jayden declared. “You’ve realized the truth about yourself. You really aren’t suited for warfare. You’re better off in an office, poring over documents and negotiating deals.”

Elyse grasped the gravity of the situation and said sympathetically, “You’re effectively a prisoner now. You shouldn’t have come here. You’ve lost your freedom.”

Jayden commended her understanding. “See? Even she gets it more than you do.”

Brook was silent again for a long time before he stated, “Now I’m captured and Corrie’s hospitalized, so you surely know what comes next, right?”

Jayden arched an eyebrow. “Absolutely. This was precisely what I was aiming for. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

Brook asked, “I need to know, do you really want to continue this? Aren’t you worried about the eventual repercussions?”

Jayden scoffed. “Why should I worry? It seems he’s the one pushing me to my limits and wanting me gone, isn’t he?”

Elyse felt bewildered, unsure about whom they were discussing.

Garret descended the stairs, his gaze falling on Brook, who was already tied to a chair. With a smirk, he quipped, “What’s this? No sense of family affection? You capture your cousin without hesitation?”

Brook shot Garret a defiant glance, remaining silent but resolute.

Jayden, standing nearby, remarked coolly, “He walked right into my hands. If I didn’t use him as leverage, I’d be an idiot.”