Michael had been waiting for Duncan up ahead. The perimeter of the villa was already crawling with guards; even Harry himself was there in person to secure the premises."Are you still worried, sir? Is the opposition's influence truly that vast?" Michael asked, his confusion mounting.With the strength of a General, crushing them should have been trivial, let alone now that he was the Boss Dragon—the head of the massive power structure Nathan had spent decades building.What could a God of War possibly have to fear?"What concerns me is that they will target the people around Edward and me," Duncan replied, his brow furrowed slightly. "Look at the past few days. There has been constant trouble. If I hadn't prepared the defenses and the boundary, perhaps..." He trailed off, looking into the distance with a deepening frown."It seems a great storm is brewing this time," Michael remarked.He had also noticed the irregularities over the pa

"We'll talk about this later. Let’s deal with them first," Duncan said, his brow furrowed.Edward nodded in agreement. Driven by an instinct for self-preservation, he ducked low, shielding his head as he crouched on the floor of the vehicle."Michael, have our people arrived?" Duncan asked, scanning the surroundings."They're here," Michael replied tersely, not wasting a single word.Suddenly, a black car appeared behind them, accelerating at a frantic speed as if trying to ram Duncan’s vehicle off the road."Are you holding up?" he asked Michael."Don't you worry, sir. My driving skills haven't gone to seed just yet," Michael said with a grim smile, suddenly swerving to slam hard into the flank of the black car.Their vehicle shuddered from the impact. Edward, watching Duncan’s composed demeanor, was struck with shock. What kind of life had Duncan led over the past few years to acquire such formidable nerves? Edward

As the man heard Carlo's command, his eyes bulged; for a few seconds, he seemed to forget his own agony."You people..."But before he could finish, Carlo's subordinates dragged him away to carry out the order. True to their word, they stripped the man of every stitch of clothing and hung him in a highly visible spot, keeping him just barely clinging to life.Watching his handiwork, Carlo smirked, a look of grim satisfaction on his face. His subordinates felt a chill run down their spines; they had never realized their leader possessed such a twisted side.After reporting the results to Duncan, Carlo immediately led his men back to their base.On the other side, Duncan received the news with quiet satisfaction. He glanced at Edward, who seemed lost in a fog, but for now, Duncan pushed his suspicions aside."Stop overthinking," Duncan said to him. "As long as you're out, I have everything prepared.""Do you even know who you're up agai

Duncan remained silent for a long moment; he had never realized she carried so much suppressed resentment in her heart."Have you thought this through?" Duncan asked, his voice tinged with helplessness.It wasn't that he hadn't tried. For years, he had fought on the front lines at the borders, always the first to charge into danger. He had faced death countless times and survived backstabbing betrayals; every scar on his body was a testament to a brush with the reaper. He had vanished for years, so that when he returned, he could give the woman he loved and his family the very best life possible.And yet... the person he cherished most was suffering so much, and he had been unable to soothe her pain."It’s not that I’ve done nothing. For years, I struggled and fought my way up to become the General. I only hoped that you and Father would find happiness. I am sorry for leaving you to endure such suffering alone."Duncan wanted to explain

Duncan found it utterly laughable—from an orphan who had to rely on others, he had suddenly become someone with relatives."I didn't realize I had an uncle," Duncan said, his voice so icy that the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees."Well... " It’s a long story," Ryan MacCoinnich replied, his expression somewhat awkward.In truth, Duncan was the son of Tracy MacCoinnich, the only daughter of the MacCoinnich family. Years ago, Miss Tracy had become pregnant before any formal engagement had been made. Fearing a scandal, the MacCoinnich family had confined her to a villa in a small town. She gave birth to a baby boy, but the family naturally refused to let the child bear the MacCoinnich name.However, Tracy had been adamant about naming the boy Duncan, and she eventually sent him to an orphanage in City Neon. She knew that if the child returned to the MacCoinnich family, he would face a miserable fate; it was better for him to