Novels by kingstonhall222

She answered the call, keeping her voice clipped and businesslike. “I'm busy. I'll call you back later.”She knew what Derek was going to say before he even said it. He'd been pestering her for days about Damian's apartment. Now that Damian was gone, Derek probably wanted to know when she was going to sell it so they could split whatever money came from it.She didn't have the energy to deal with that conversation right now.Her finger moved toward the red button to end the call.“No, no, no, no, no! Don't end the call! Don't end it!”Derek's voice came through the phone so loud and frantic that Megan pulled it away from her ear slightly. Maxwell glanced over, one eyebrow raised.“What's wrong with him?” Maxwell muttered.Megan brought the phone back to her ear cautiously. “Derek, I said I'm—”“Something strange happened!” Derek's voice was high-pitched, almost panicked. “You didn't tell me that good-for-nothing Damian is an awakener now! Why didn't you tell me?”Megan's jaw tighten

Hearing what Darlington just said, Maxwell knew immediately what was happening. Without being told, he understood that Darlington wanted to mock him at this moment. Darlington wanted to rub salt in the wound, to humiliate him in front of the entire family by pointing out that he'd brought some random woman to a critical family meeting.Maxwell wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. He wasn't going to give Darlington any room to laugh at him or make him look foolish or call Megan a spy.So he gestured toward Megan with a confident smile. “She's my girlfriend. My wife-to-be, actually.”The entire chamber went silent. Eyes turned to stare at Megan, then back at Maxwell. Even the patriarch was looking at him with those sharp, calculating eyes, waiting for an explanation.Maxwell's smile widened. “Let me cut the story short for everyone here. She's an awakener. Not just an ordinary awakener she's special.” He paused for effect. “She has the ability to boost other people's powers. Y

Immediately Maxwell's jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth might crack.He couldn't believe this. Couldn't believe Darlington had the audacity to walk in here and ask for the assignment that had just been given to him to not five minutes ago. Yes, they were rivals. Yes, they'd competed their entire lives. But to request this task, to try to take it from him when the patriarch had already made his decision it was a slap in the face.If the patriarch took the assignment away from Maxwell and gave it to Darlington instead, Maxwell would be humiliated in front of the entire family. His authority would be undermined. His position would be weakened. Everything he'd worked to build would crumble.He couldn't let that happen.Maxwell cleared his throat and spoke before the patriarch could respond. “I'm afraid that's not going to be possible.” His voice came out steady, controlled, even though rage was burning in his chest. “I've already been given sole authority to find the God of Acup

Maxwell and Megan had already returned home. They didn't go to New York anymore because of the call which Maxwell had received. So without wasting another second, he arrived home. He arrived at the family mansion.The entire family was at the living room chamber, waiting for him. Immediately he came in, Megan followed him there as well.That was when the patriarch said, “I told you to turn your jet back immediately, and you still have the guts to delay for this long?”Maxwell quickly went on his knees. “I'm very, very sorry for the delay. When your call came in, we were already heading in the opposite direction. So before I could—”The patriarch raised one of his hands, cutting him off. “No need to explain yourself. I'm not interested in your stories.”Maxwell's mouth closed immediately.The patriarch continued. “The real reason I called you back—I told you a little bit about what happened over the phone, but now let me make it clear. Let me make it make sense to you.” He paused, his

Derek sat there on the floor, staring up at Damian with wide, terrified eyes. But even through the fear, something else flickered across his face. Something calculating.“You think you're going to get away with this?” His voice shook, but the words came out sharp. “You think you can just assault Marcus like that and walk away?” He let out a bitter laugh. “You have no idea what you've done. Marcus's father - you know who his father is?”Damian said nothing. Just watched him.“General Marcus Stone. One of the seven guardians protecting the Southern Gate.” Derek's confidence was coming back now that he had distance between them. “When he hears what you did to his son, he's going to come for you. And when a General comes for you, there's nowhere to hide.”The SARS Gates. Dimensional rifts that opened twenty years ago, spilling monsters and corrupted energy into the world. That's what had started all of this - the awakenings, the abilities, the new world order where power meant everything

Without being told Damian could tell just by looking at Derek's face that he had no idea what really happened. Derek knew about the divorce - Megan probably called him the second she stepped onto that private jet - but he didn't know about the warehouse. Didn't know his sister had ordered Damian beaten to death, didn't know about the sledgehammer or the crushed hands or the blood pooling on concrete.Derek thought this was just another day of pushing around someone weaker than him.“I don't have time for this.” Damian's voice was calm. “Turn around and leave. I'm having a quiet time with my daughter.”Derek's face went red. “Quiet evening? With that bastard?” He pointed past Damian into the apartment. “That mistake the Cross family will never accept into the bloodline? You're still calling her your daughter?” His voice climbed higher. “Leave this place now before I throw you out myself.”“Or else what?”Derek stepped right up to the doorway, invading Damian's space. “Or else what? Yo