Part 282

Edward leaned back in his seat, looking uncharacteristically relaxed given the grave news Ivy had just shared. He casually pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, ignoring the "No Smoking" sign in the corner of the room. With just him and Ivy present, he didn't seem to care about any possible consequences.

Ivy blinked in surprise at Edward's nonchalant attitude. "How can you act so calm about this, Ed? Aren't you…well, did you know about this beforehand?"

Edward flicked the ashes from his cigarette into a nearby ashtray. "I didn't know for sure, Ivy, but I had my suspicions."

"What do you mean by that?" Ivy pressed, crossing her arms.

Edward stared into the distance, his eyes squinting slightly. "You see, with the Leo File gone missing, it's obvious that every Zodiac family out there would be scrambling to come to Chia. They might claim to be assisting the Drake family in finding the file or hunting down Cassius's murderer, but as you know, all of them have their own