Adrian stepped out of the Maybach, buttoning his crisp suit jacket before extending an impatient hand toward Sara.She moved like a ghost, stepping onto the pavement without taking his hand, her face a mask of silent endurance.Behind them, Jocelyn, Patrick, and Mira were hustled out of the SUV, surrounded on all sides by stone-faced Lucario guards."Move along," Adrian said, his voice clipped as he guided Sara toward the side entrance of the Haven District Courthouse. "The magistrate and the legal team are already waiting in the private chamber."They navigated the echoing, marble-clad corridors of the grand institution, their footsteps reverberating against the tall granite walls.After ascending a set of carpeted stairs, they reached a secluded wing housing the high-ranking notary offices.Standing outside a set of double mahogany doors was a sharp-looking attorney holding a leather-bound folder.Before they reached the entrance, Sara stopped in her tracks.A wave of nausea washed

The grand notary room was suffocatingly formal, lined with dark mahogany paneling and heavy velvet drapes.At the far end sat an austere, middle-aged magistrate behind a polished oak desk, surrounded by stacks of legal dossiers.To the side, Jocelyn, Patrick, and Mira were lounging on leather sofas, sipping sparkling water as if attending a celebratory gala."Ah, the bride returns!" Jocelyn exclaimed, clapping her hands together with a shrill, ecstatic laugh. "Sara, dear, come sit down. Look at these lovely documents—the Lucario legal team has been so wonderfully thorough!"Patrick smirked, swirling his glass. "Yeah, sis. Hurry it up. Once you sign, the Lucario lawyers are filing the final motion to drop my remaining charges permanently."Sara’s stomach churned violently.She looked at her family—so blinded by greed, vanity, and shallow relief that they were practically sprinting into a meat grinder.Adrian escorted her to the desk, his hand clamping onto her shoulder like a vice.He

The hammer fell, but no shot rang out.The metal mechanism simply fused solid under an imperceptible, overwhelming temperature spike, turning the weapon into a useless piece of slag in Adrian's grip.Panicking, Adrian dropped the burning metal with a curse.Before he could retreat, Alistair was suddenly standing directly in front of him—his movement so swift it defied human perception.Alistair reached out, his hand casually closing around Adrian's throat like a collar of cold iron, effortlessly lifting the grown man several inches off the floor.Adrian kicked futilely, his hands clawing at Alistair's wrist, but Alistair’s arm remained completely unyielding."You spoke of choice earlier," Alistair murmured, looking into Adrian’s bloodshot, suffocating eyes with absolute detachment. "Let me offer you one. You can call off your hounds, surrender your forged documents, and face the federal authorities yourself... or I can shatter your spine here and now, ensuring you spend the rest of yo

Sara glared at her mother with absolute disgust."Do not speak his name like that!" Sara said, her chest heaving as tears of anger spilled down her face. "If it weren't for Alistair, you would have happily watched your son and daughter sign away their lives today! He saved us from a trap you willingly led us into because of your disgusting greed! He owes us nothing, yet he was the only one in that entire courthouse who actually kept us from becoming casualties!"Jocelyn opened her mouth to spit another insult, but the sheer, fierce intensity in Sara's eyes choked the words right back down her throat.Sara turned her head away, staring out the window at the passing city.Her hands trembled in her lap as Alistair's final words echoed in her mind, leaving behind a cold, hollow ache of total regret.The taxi screeched to a halt in front of the Connor manor.Before the engine even cut out, Sara threw open the door and practically shoved Jocelyn, Mira and Patrick toward the grand entrance.

Just as the guards were about to fire, a bang sound echoed as a military vehicle drive through the manor gates.Following the truck were almost twelve more trucks, all owned by the military. Then, Colonel Taylor jumped out of the leading truck with a megaphone. “Inhabitants of the Lucario manor, I am Colonel Taylor of the Southern Military Regiment. Under the orders of the Southern Heavenly General, I am here to arrest the Lucario family as they have been found guilty of crimes against the state including money laundering, human trafficking and drug peddling. Now, lower your weapons and come with us otherwise, you will be treated as enemies of the state and treated accordingly!”The sudden declaration reverberated through the courtyard, freezing the mercenaries in their tracks.Red laser sights wavered and dropped as the heavy armor-plated military vehicles fanned out, completely surrounding the Lucario estate with hundreds of heavily armed soldiers deploying in defensive formations.