The other villagers whispered among themselves, their voices hushed but filled with curiosity and awe. None of them had ever seen such a formidable display of soldiers marching through their small riverside village. Children clung to their mothers, and the older folk squinted into the night, shaking their heads in disbelief.Asher Storm, still reeling from the chaos, ushered Jaden Rift back toward their modest house. He didn’t dare pry about the armored men trailing behind, though his eyes darted to them more than once.Sensing his hesitation, Jaden Rift offered a gentle smile. “Mom, Dad, you don’t have to worry. This is Kaelus, and the rest… they were Axel’s brothers-in-arms.”At that, Asher’s face lit up, though his eyes glistened faintly. “Ah… Axel’s comrades! Welcome, welcome. My boy was truly blessed to fight alongside men like you.”Kaelus and his men bowed their heads slightly, their hardened expressions softening. The mention of Axel stirred a deep ache in their hearts. Though

George Ortega let out a long, weary sigh, his face shadowed with frustration. “That’s truly unlucky for Jet. To vanish like that without leaving so much as a trace…”Gideon clenched his fists, his teeth grinding audibly. “Father, I know Jet’s in trouble, but we can’t just let this matter rest. What about Lazarus? He’s still in the hospital! Do you know what the doctors suggested?” His voice cracked with rage. “They’re talking about a damn sex-change surgery because he’s lost his manhood! Are we supposed to swallow this humiliation and move on as if nothing happened?”The fury in his words hung thick in the air.George’s brows furrowed deeply, the lines on his forehead etched with both anger and calculation. At the mention of Jaden Rift, his eyes darkened. “Jet may be gone, but Lazarus still needs to be avenged. Someone has to pay. The question is—if not Jet, then who?”He leaned back in his chair, tapping the desk slowly with one finger. “Our network in Ironvale is fractured. With Bla

Fear flashed in T-Rex’s eyes. His stomach twisted as the truth gnawed at him—he had indeed been the one who led Jaden Rift and Morix Sable straight to Lazarus Ortega. But admitting it here would be signing his own death warrant.He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to stay steady. “No… of course not. I’ve always been loyal to the Young Master.”Nemesis Thorne’s lips curled into a faint smirk, his eyes cold and unreadable. “Are you sure about that?”The silence that followed was suffocating. The men holding T-Rex tightened their grips, sensing what was about to come.Before T-Rex could stammer out another excuse, Nemesis moved like lightning. His dagger flashed under the rooftop lights and plunged deep into T-Rex’s abdomen.T-Rex’s body convulsed. His eyes widened in shock, and a guttural cry tore from his throat. “Y-You…!”Nemesis twisted the blade cruelly, grinding it against bone and flesh. His voice dropped into a low snarl. “Loyalty? Don’t insult my intelligence. My being here is

The food arrived within minutes, each dish plated with artistic precision. Every plate was a statement of wealth—delicate cuts of marbled beef, steaming seafood bathed in rare spices, vegetables carved into ornate shapes. The fragrance alone seemed to cling to the air like a promise of luxury.Yet when Wilder Verrick reached for a drink, he ignored the hotel’s wine list entirely. Instead, he set a plain-looking carton on the table and carefully withdrew a slender bottle from within. The label gleamed faintly under the chandelier’s golden light, its seal unmistakable.“I may be just an errand boy at the Grand Council,” Wilder said dryly, his lips curving into a faint smile, “but I’ve had the privilege of enjoying some of the finest wines. My boss receives these in bulk, and once you’ve tasted something of this caliber… well, ordinary wine simply tastes like dishwater in comparison.”The cork popped sharply, and the fragrance of the limited-edition vintage filled the room.Gasps rippled

Wilder Verrick’s gaze hardened into ice. His voice came out flat and merciless.“The men are talking. You should shut your mouth.”Nora Verrick bit her tongue, but the fury burning in her eyes was plain for all to see. The veins in her neck stood out, her chest heaved, yet she forced herself silent.Wilder turned back to Vane with the authority of a judge passing sentence. “Vane, answer me. Are you willing to kneel before your father and beg for forgiveness?”The room went quiet. All eyes were fixed on the meek man sitting hunched in his chair.Vane’s lips trembled as he lowered his head further. His voice was faint, broken. “We… we did nothing wrong. And even if I apologized, Dad wouldn’t forgive me.”Wilder sneered, his lip curling. “Then kneel until he does. Three days at the gates of the Verrick mansion should be enough to soften even his heart.”Gasps rippled around the table. Three days of kneeling, out in public, in front of the mansion? That wasn’t repentance—it was humiliatio