The Cadens' demise wiped out core members of the Great Four; ordinary family members were excluded from such secrets. After the Cadens' destruction, the Great Four remained silent. However, rumors spread. Some claimed Nicholas killed himself out of guilt, setting fire to the Cadens' villa in a futile attempt at redemption. Others suggested the Cadens had offended someone powerful. The truth remained elusive.

Then, James issued a chilling ultimatum: kneel for ten days and pay with their lives. This was absurd. The families were fabulously wealthy, possessing hundreds of millions in assets. Kneeling for ten days, let alone suicide, was unthinkable.

Family representatives left Rowena's ward one by one. Hector, Warren's eldest son and Rowena's brother, rushed to the hospital. "Rowena, what's this about kneeling and paying with our lives?" he demanded, flustered.

"Hector, don't ask. Just do as I say. Get our brothers, second uncle, and fourth uncle to repent. A few should sacrifice instead of hundreds of Xaviers," Rowena sobbed, deeply regretting her actions. Everything stemmed from her brother, Trent. She wouldn't have pursued Nicholas, married him, or broken up the Cadens to obtain the "Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside's Edge" if not for Trent.

She didn't know the painting's location. Only Trent knew, and he was dead.

"Rowena, what are you afraid of? Who's the surviving Cadens? Do they really hold such power?" Hector pressed, incredulous at the demand to kneel at the Cadens' cemetery for ten days and then commit suicide. It was impossible!

Rowena wept, "I can't tell you. The more I say, the faster the Xaviers will perish. I don't want them to die because of me."

Hector, understanding his sister's character—a woman who'd faced hardship without fear—was unnerved. "Let's ask the Blithe King for help. Trent was his confidant," he suggested.

"It's useless! The Blithe King would have acted already if he could. Don't you realize the person destroying our family is someone even he fears?" Rowena cried.

Boom! The revelation hit Hector like thunder. He staggered back, pale and breathless. "Impossible! The Blithe King commands the Western border—one of the Five Commanders! How could anyone be more terrifying?"

Rowena, tears streaming, whispered, "I've said all I can. Whether you act or not is your choice. I can't protect myself, let alone the Xaviers."

Meanwhile, the heads of the Great Four's other families met. Melvin (Frasier) asked, "What's Rowena so afraid of? The Xaviers have deep ties to the Blithe King, yet she's terrified."

Kelvin Wilson scoffed, "I don't believe this Cadens survivor could kill hundreds of Wilsons!"

Drake Zimmerman agreed. "Nothing to fear. I'm close to Jerald in the underworld. I can pay him to protect the Zimmermans."

Kneeling and self-sacrifice were unacceptable. With the previous heads dead, they now held power—and billions in assets. Pride wouldn't allow kneeling; suicide was unthinkable. They devised countermeasures.

They hired underground figures, spending a fortune on protection, confident that any surviving Cadens wouldn't leave alive.