The Amazing Son-in-Law

Chapter 1781

Zara was again hurt by Charlie Wade's attitude. She looked at his profile, bit her lip, and silently turned to leave the courtyard with her brother, Fitz.

As they stumbled out, Fitz whispered, “Zara, those ninjas—were they defeated by that young man?”

Zara replied solemnly, “Not that young man. It was Grace.”

Fitz nodded quickly. “Grace? Did he defeat those ninjas barehanded?”

“Hmm,” Zara said seriously. “I’ve never seen anyone so strong. This is a first.”

Fitz smacked his lips. “It would be amazing if we could recruit him into the Banks family.”

Zara shook her head. “Impossible. He’s arrogant and wouldn’t submit to anyone. He might be a top master from a hidden sect; he probably wouldn’t even consider the Banks family.”

Fitz said angrily, “True… Hey… Thanks to our benefactor; otherwise, we’d be dead in Kyoto.” He continued, “Zara, call Dad! The family must have sent masters after we were kidnapped—Dad’s probably here! He needs to know we’re in Kyoto, and he needs to deal with that Matsumoto bastard! I never imagined he was behind all this!”

Zara nodded and pulled out her phone.

Suddenly, a fire erupted behind them, turning the night crimson. Zara spun around to see the small two-story building where they’d nearly died engulfed in flames. The wooden structure crackled, sounding almost like firecrackers—a strange New Year’s atmosphere in the heavy snow.

Fitz touched his chin. “Zara, do you think those ninjas died?”

Zara countered, “Is it possible to survive that fire?”

Fitz waved his hand. “No, I mean, did our benefactor kill them before setting the fire, or did he just… incinerate them all together?”

A chill ran down Zara’s spine. She shook her head. “I… I can’t say.”

Charlie Wade’s image filled her mind. She muttered, “Grace… he’s not human… I really want to know his identity…”

Fitz smiled. “If you want to know, let the family investigate. Is there anyone in the country we can't find?”

Zara shook her head. “Grace clearly doesn't want us to know. If we investigate, we might anger him.”

Fitz smacked his lips. “Right…” Then, recalling Charlie Wade’s conversation with Iga Shangren, he added, “When I was blindfolded, I heard him tell the Iga family he’s a friend of the Ito family’s young lady.”

“Oh, yes!” Zara exclaimed. “He’s here for Ito’s daughter.”

Fitz said, “Nanako Ito, right?”

“Yes,” Zara confirmed. “Nanako Ito. She’s beautiful and a martial artist.”

Fitz gossiped, “Zara, do you think he’s her boyfriend? Maybe even her future husband? We should cooperate more with the Itos. More contact might give us another chance to see him.”

Zara felt a pang of discomfort. Disappointed, she wondered, “Is he really Nanako Ito’s boyfriend? He’s Chinese; why would he be with a Japanese woman? Shouldn’t he be with a Chinese woman? Shouldn't he fall in love, get married, have children with a Chinese woman?”

Sighing, she said, “Let me call Dad first…”

“Okay,” Fitz nodded, scooped up snow, and smeared it on his face. “The feeling of being alive… it’s good.”

Chapter 1782

Tokyo was in chaos. The Metropolitan Police Department was frantic. First, the Banks siblings were kidnapped, and a dozen people were killed. Then, the Takahashi family found several frozen bodies. Then, Takahashi’s son was burned alive in his car!

Each incident would be a major criminal case on its own. Yet, they occurred one after another in Tokyo! Nearly every major family was involved. It was a slap in the face of the Metropolitan Police Department, a repeated and brutal beating!

Worse, they had no leads. They'd practically dug up Tokyo and still couldn't find the Banks siblings, let alone their abductors. The entire department was stumped.

Zayne was losing patience. His children’s fate hung in the balance, and he had to wait endlessly for the incompetent Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. It was the worst suffering of his life!

Just as he was about to contact the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to escalate the situation into a major diplomatic incident, he received a call from a local number. It was Zara: “Dad, it’s me, Zara!”

Zayne’s heart leaped. “I know…”

Zara interrupted. “Dad, is anyone around? Don’t let anyone know I’m calling!”

Zayne looked around. Besides his own people, there were police officers and even cabinet members. He hastily changed his tone. “Know what? Busy! Hang up unless it’s important!”

Zara said, “Dad, my brother and I are safe. We’ve been rescued, but we’re not in Tokyo. We’re in Kyoto.”

Zayne breathed a sigh of relief but frowned, glaring at the incompetent police. He raged inwardly, “These idiots! They swore the abductors were likely hiding in Tokyo and wouldn't leave the city! They said they’d blocked all exits! My children were supposed to be in Tokyo! And now they’re in Kyoto, hundreds of kilometers away! They should have ‘idiot’ tattooed on their faces!”

He knew he needed to focus. “What do you need me to do?”

Zara said, “Dad, don’t tell the Metropolitan Police Department. I doubt their abilities; they might leak information. Send our own people to Kyoto to pick us up.”

Zayne immediately agreed. “Okay!”

Zara continued, “Dad! Ryoto Matsumoto was behind the kidnapping! He wanted to kill us and blame Ito Yuhiko, so he brought us to Kyoto!”

“What?!” Zayne’s voice dropped. “Him?!”

Chapter 1783

Zayne had strongly suspected Ito Yuhiko. But the Metropolitan Police Department’s investigation found nothing. He'd initially thought they were protecting Ito, but now he knew Ito was innocent—almost framed!

The mastermind was Matsumoto! He hadn’t even considered him a suspect! Matsumoto was truly sinister. He’d orchestrated everything, making the Ito and Takahashi families suspicious of each other, while focusing suspicion on them.

Zayne wanted revenge. He gritted his teeth. “I understand. Keep the line open, and I’ll have someone contact you.”

Zara said, “Okay, my brother and I are waiting in Kyoto.”

Zayne hung up, stood, and addressed the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. “I have to go.”

The Commissioner asked, “Mr. Banks, where?”

“None of your business,” Zayne snapped. “Find my children, or I’ll call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!”

The Commissioner pleaded, “Mr. Banks, give me twelve hours. I’ll turn Tokyo upside down!” He added, “Even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will still refer the case to us. They don’t have the manpower…”

Zayne coldly snorted. “Hurry up!”

Zayne left, instructing his confidant, Eric Redd, “Bring twenty men to Kyoto to pick up Fitz and Zara. I’ll give you Zara’s number.”

Redd asked, “Master, have you found them?”

“Yes,” Zayne nodded. “They’re fine, but the mastermind… beyond our imagination!”

Redd asked, “Who?”

Zayne gritted his teeth. “Matsumoto! He dared to target my children! He’s going to pay! Before dawn, I want Matsumoto’s head!”

Redd said, “Yes, Master. I’ll get this done!”

Zayne rubbed his temples. “Send a plane to Osaka. Once you pick up Fitz and Zara in Kyoto, fly them to Osaka. They’ll return to China from there. I’ll handle things in Japan.”

“Yes!”

Minutes later…

Chapter 1784

Nearly one hundred Banks family masters in Tokyo ceased their search for Fitz and Zara. Twenty went to Kyoto; the rest targeted Matsumoto’s mansion.

Matsumoto was oblivious to his impending doom. It was ten o’clock. He called Iga Kaminbu, planning to have him kill the Banks siblings and then hide their bodies at the Ito mansion. He’d then anonymously report it to the police, framing Ito Yuhiko. Then, he’d deal with Shinichi Takahashi, who’d be vulnerable after his son’s death.

But Iga Kaminbu’s phone went straight to voicemail. Matsumoto frowned. He’d instructed Kaminbu to keep his phone on at all times. He wondered if something had gone wrong. He thought, Maybe they encountered the Ito family's ambush, but that’s unlikely; they hadn't received orders to kill the siblings. What happened in Kyoto?

His self-confidence wavered. Takahashi Machi was also unable to contact his ninjas. He’d ordered them to kill Nanako Ito, record it, and use it to torture Ito Yuhiko. Now, they were unreachable. He threw his phone down, enraged. "Damn it! Invincible Tenglin ninjas—all useless!" He muttered, "What happened in Kyoto?!”

Chapter 1785

Neither Matsumoto nor Takahashi understood what transpired in Kyoto. But Matsumoto was far shrewder. He couldn’t contact Iga Kaminbu, and he sensed a major problem. He frantically called other Iga family members, but they were also out of contact with Kaminbu.

Panic set in. He paced, his brows furrowed, his hand trembling as he held his cigar. His brother, Ryosuke, tried to calm him. “Brother, don't panic!”

Unlike Takahashi, whose target was Nanako Ito, Matsumoto knew that if his motive was exposed, he’d face the Banks, Ito, and Takahashi families. He said, "Our plan has risked everything. If we win, the Matsumotos become Japan's top family; if we lose, we're destroyed." He added nervously, "We're out of contact with Kaminbu. If our motive is discoveredwe're finished. If it isn't, it's just framing Ito, but if it is…"

Ryosuke urged, “Brother! We don’t know if we’ve been exposed. We can’t just wait. We must fight back!”

Matsumoto gritted his teeth. “We fight back! We bet that our motive isn't exposed. We eliminate Machi Takahashi and Ito Yuhiko! We kill them—then we have a chance!”

Ryosuke was surprised. “Kill them? We’re only dealing with the Banks family.”

Matsumoto shook his head. “It’s futile to fight the Banks family directly. But Takahashi is vulnerable. He’s lost ninjas and his son. Now is our chance! Send more Iga ninjas! They’re in this with us!”

Ryosuke asked, “And Ito Yuhiko? How do we kill him? He’s strong.”

Matsumoto said, “Outsmart him. Kidnap some police officers’ families, and force them to go home to assist in investigating the Banks family. Once he leaves, we strike!”

Ryosuke continued, “What if the Banks family knows?”

Matsumoto said viciously, “If they know, then everyone dies!”

This cleaned-up version improves grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraphing for better readability and flow. It also maintains the overall tone and style of the original text.