At that moment, upon hearing what Jason just said, Derek slowly bowed his head in deep disappointment. His shoulders dropped, and for a second, he couldn’t even bring himself to look Jason in the eye. He clenched his fist tightly, his lips quivering. His voice cracked as he finally spoke, barely above a whisper.“Jason… I… I don’t really know what to say anymore,” Derek muttered, his head still lowered. “I know you’re angry. I know I might have sounded like a coward back there, but please, don’t take it the wrong way. Don’t see me as weak…”He paused, exhaled shakily, then looked up slowly, locking eyes with Jason.“I’m just scared. Not scared of you, no just scared of what this means. You’ve become a target now. You defeated the head of the Fire Clan, Jason. Do you understand what that means? People… clans… even hidden masters will now come for you. They’ll want to test you. They’ll see you as a trophy, something to claim, someone to defeat. That’s dangerous. That’s… terrifying.”Jas

At that moment, Derek would then somehow gather the courage a courage that had been buried under layers of fear and shame and speak to Jason.“I’m going to support you in this fight,” Derek said quietly at first, but firmly. “I can’t let you fight all alone anymore.”Jason turned his head slowly toward him, his face unreadable.“I mean it,” Derek continued. “I’m going to support you one way or the other, no matter how things turn out. Even if we lose… even if it costs us our dignity at least we’ll lose it together.”He took a step closer, his voice trembling just a little, “But if we win… we win with something more than just money. We win with shared determination, with shared willingness to fight. I want to be part of that.”The silence between them thickened for a moment. Jason didn’t answer right away. His eyes drifted to the arena ahead already roaring with excitement and bloodthirsty energy and then slowly back to Derek.Then Jason spoke, voice low and calm. “No.”Derek blinked

Camilla and her friends were already at the shopping mall, the most luxurious one in the city, the kind that sparkled with gold lights, crystal chandeliers, and shelves lined with designer brands. Camilla had told them earlier that they needed something stunning for their upcoming outing to Pasumika Zoo, and of course, with her status and taste, it had to be nothing short of breathtaking.They were walking through the boutique’s glossy marble floor, trying out dresses, heels, and accessories each one more expensive than the last. The atmosphere was light, full of laughter, and the sound of cameras clicking as they took selfies in front of the mirrors.But then, in the middle of admiring a limited edition handbag, one of the girls suddenly turned to Camilla and raised a question that had clearly been on her mind for a while.“Camilla,” she said, tilting her head and raising a brow with a sly smile, “don’t you think it’s about time you introduce your husband to us? I mean… come on. All

Summer’s father sat quietly in the middle of the living room, one hand resting on his cane, the other loosely holding a newspaper he had long since stopped reading. The tension in the air was almost visible. On the opposite side of the room, Soma sat with her legs crossed, arms folded tightly, trying her best to keep her cool. Her younger sister, however, had no intention of letting her rest.“Just do what I told you, Soma,” her younger sister said again, her voice slightly louder this time. “I’m telling you, if you just follow my idea, you’ll have Jason running after you in no time!”Soma rolled her eyes and looked away, clearly irritated. “You’ve said that like twenty times already,” she muttered. “Can you just stop already? You’re disturbing me.”But her sister leaned in closer, smiling mischievously. “No, because you’re not listening to me. You keep pretending like you don’t care, but I know you do. You like Jason, and you don’t want to lose him to that Camilla girl. So just follo

At that moment, upon hearing what his son had just said, Somer’s grandfather didn’t pause to think. His tone turned cold and slightly mocking as he spoke through the phone, “Well, it seems you’re still hungry… still bitter about everything that happened in the past. You haven’t even forgiven yourself yet, have you?”He gave a short, dismissive breath, almost like a scoff. “But me, I’ve already forgiven you. Yes, I have. And I’m telling you now, you can come back to the family. I’m giving you the chance. But don’t take too long, before I change my mind about you.”There was silence on the other end for a moment.Then, without wasting any more time, Somer’s father responded, his voice steady but full of quiet fire. “You can change your mind whenever you want,” he said, “but let me make one thing very clear... as for us coming back into that family—it's not going to happen. Not today, not ever.”He took a deep breath, his eyes hardening as he stared out the window in silence for a second