Chris didn’t go to his room after the conversation he had with his grandfather. His thoughts kept him awake.He wondered if his father used the watch too and if the watch was still in existence.After hours of non-stop thinking and pondering, he decided to leave the library. He stood in the hallway for a few seconds, hands in his pockets, just casually going through his phone.Then he turned. He was startled to see Silas was already there, leaning against the wall like he had been waiting.Adrian also stood by the side, his expression flat.“You guys don’t sleep?” Chris asked.Adrian shook his head slightly. “Not when there’s work to do, sir.”Chris gave a small nod. “Good. Then we’re on the same page.”Silas straightened. “I saw the godfather walk out of the library hours ago,” he said.Chris didn’t pretend not to understand. “Yeah…” he responded flatly.Silas pushed himself off the wall. “I’m sure you have questions that needs answers but before I begin, there’s somewhere you need t

“Before I answer that,” he said, “you need to understand something clearly.”Chris didn’t interrupt.Silas continued. “Your father was not operating in isolation. There were other families. Other groups. Some aligned. Some… waiting.” He said.Chris gave a small nod. “That makes sense.”“When he died,” Silas went on, “there was a shift.”Chris’s jaw tightened slightly. He exhaled slowly and said, “So, what happened?”“We lost a lot, especially our major franchise, Mikaelson Global. The company and some assets are being strangled by the Thorne family.” “Thorne family?” Chris asked as he looked at Silas seriously.The room went quiet again.Silas stood up and dramatically turned around, “Years ago, Brian Thorne syndicate stole the Mikaelson Global and many other assets from us when we were least expecting it. Weeks after, they killed master Edmund and his wife Carmen during his weakest.”Chris’s jaw tightened unknowingly and his breathing became rapidHe looked at Silas, “What about the

Days turned into weeks. Chris’s life split into two worlds.By day, he sat in the study, learning the company his father had built.“Read this,” Silas would say, sliding documents across the table.Chris flipped through financial reports, contracts, transaction histories.“They moved money through these accounts,” Silas explained. “Layered transfers. Hard to trace.”Chris leaned forward. “But not impossible.”Silas smiled faintly. “Now you’re thinking like your father.”Chris spent hours studying.“Why didn’t anyone stop them?” he asked one afternoon.“Because they controlled the narrative,” Silas replied. “And fear is a powerful tool.”Chris nodded slowly.“We’re going to take it back,” he said.By night, he trained.“Again,” Bretley would say.Punch. Block. Fall. Get up.“Again.” Bretley would say again and again.Chris’s body began to change.His movements became sharper, faster. His instincts stronger.One evening, after a particularly intense session, Chris dropped to the ground,

Marcus tilted his head. “With who?” he asked. “Someone your size? Or do you want me to find you something easier?”Chris held his gaze. “You.”That did it.The laughter came fast this time. It was louder and real.“Did you hear that?” one of the guards shouted, amused.“He wants Marcus!” the other one said.“This is going to be embarrassing…”Marcus muttered to himselfHe stopped moving. Then slowly turned back to face him fully. “…Me?” he repeated.Chris nodded. “Yes.”Marcus stared at him.Then smiled. It was wide, sharp and dangerous.“Well…” he said slowly, “…now I’m interested.”He looked at the guards. “Open the gate.”The metal creaked as it swung wider.Marcus stepped back, gesturing inside.“Let’s see what you’ve got,” he said.Chris walked in.Adrian followed.And behind them, the gate closed.With a sound that didn’t feel like an entrance.It felt like commitment and the beginning of war.The moment Chris crossed the gate, the atmosphere shifted.It wasn’t immediate. But it

Marcus leaned forward, eyes narrowing just a fraction.“…Again,” he said.A second fighter stepped forward immediately.This one didn’t rush.He dropped into the pit slower, eyes locked on Chris, measuring him.“You got one,” he said calmly. “That doesn’t mean anything.”Chris didn’t respond.From above, some people shouted“Don’t play with him,” someone shouted. “Put him down!”The second fighter nodded slightly.Then, he moved. He was faster and sharper than the first.The opening exchange was tighter with less space and more control.Chris felt the difference immediately and staggered a bit.This wasn’t someone trying to overpower him.This was someone trying to outmaneuver him.The first strike landed.On Chris.A quick hit to the side.The crowd reacted instantly.“There it is!”Chris stepped back half a pace. He needed to adjust.The fighter pressed.Two strikes.Chris blocked one. Took the other.Pain flared but it didn’t break him.From the side, Adrian’s voice was low but fi