Charles stared at her hand clamped on his wrist, her nails digging in like claws. He finally saw it clearly: Tracy wasn’t broken, she wasn’t pleading.She was playing the victim, as always, wrapping herself in false vulnerability to pull him back into her.“Quit the drama, Tracy. I’m not falling for this again. I won’t be driving you home. Call your damn driver.”Tracy’s lips twitched into a bitter smile as she stepped out fully from the car. Her eyes flicked to the suitcase dragging behind him, and she laughed.“Look at you,” she sneered. “Dragging that same bag everywhere. It’s obvious… you have nowhere to go. You are broke, Charles. You don’t even have money to book a hotel room. Yet you stand here acting all cold, pretending you don’t need me. Pretending you are above me.”Her smile widened, feeling triumphant. “I even booked you a hotel, but no… you are too proud to step in. What now? You would rather rot on the roadside?”Charles’ throat tightened, but his voice came out calm, s

After the divorce papers were signed, Charles stepped out and inhaled the fresh air of a new life.Even if that new life felt bleak…he had nowhere to sleep in two days, but at least he had finally escaped Tracy’s emotional manipulation.Just then, Tracy appeared, Derek at her side. She stared at Charles for a long moment, her expression torn. She looked like she wanted to cry but couldn’t, not with Derek around. Showing weakness was out of the question.She sneered. “Are you finally okay now? I tried to keep our marriage together, but you were so keen on breaking it. Are you happy now? Ugh.”Charles’s voice was calm, cold. “Your delusions and gaslighting are at their peak. I’m the one who ended the marriage, not you. And you brought your lover to the divorce? Tracy… I regret ever meeting you.”Tracy sniffled. “Well, I know one day you’ll come back. Sooner or later, you’ll need my help. Because lowlifes like you always do. But I won’t help you.”“I would rather drown than ask for y

Charles couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Him?. As the next godfather?. That was nearly impossible for him to grasp.Even though he knew this was his grandfather, and taking the position shouldn’t feel strange, but it wouldn’t be easy. Becoming a mafia leader would mean doing cruel things. The power and the wealth could be tempting, but you could die if you weren’t smart enough.He gulped and asked, “Do you really mean it? Can I?”Mr. Vincent spread his arms. “You are the only family I have. It only makes sense I give everything to you. But becoming the mafia leader is not just about being rich and wealthy. It consists of many things, and I don’t know if you can handle it.”I know it, Charles thought.Then Mr. Vincent added, “Before you can inherit it, you will have to pass ten trials. For each one you pass, I will give you some aspect of my property, riches, and power. You have to prove you can handle it. And I can tell you, each trial can be hard..and life-threatening.”“But…

Charles gulped as he hid behind Serena. Just then, oddly, she asked for a gun from one of her bodyguards, who handed her a pistol. She instantly faced Charles and shoved it into his hands. Charles raised his shaking hand.“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.“Uhm, someone who just saved you. I… I saved you!” he stammered.“You popped out of nowhere and beat ten guys with guns. What’s your real agenda here? Who are you, really?” she pressed.“I’m nobody! I… I was just passing by and saw a woman who needed help, so I helped.” He shouted.Serena scoffed. “I don’t need help — who told you that? I can handle them without you. Oh… you saved me for attention?”Charles swallowed; it was sort of true, but he tried to sound brave. “I don’t even know who the hell you are. Fuck you!” he snapped.The captain moved as if to intervene, but Serena stopped him and asked, “Give me your full name.”“Charles Thompson,” he said, his real name, without the new surname.“Run information on him,” she ordere

The first bodyguard lunged, a fist flashing toward Charles’s face. Charles didn’t flinch, his body shifted almost instinctively. The blow whistled past his cheek, and his elbow shot forward, ramming into his ribs. A hollow crack echoed, and the guard staggered back, wheezing.The second guard came at him immediately, arms raised, trying to grapple him down. Charles bent low, his eyes narrowing, and the world seemed to slow. Satan’s eye activated. He saw every twitch of muscle, every strained vein in the guard’s neck. Time stretched; in that suspended moment, Charles felt utterly calm. His fist clenched, his knuckles whitening, then drove upward like a piston into the man’s chin. Crack!!!.The bodyguard’s head snapped back, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground with a groan.Both men writhed at his feet. The crowd gasped, whispers cutting through the air like sharp knives.Derek’s face contorted with disbelief. “Why are you so useless?” he snapped at the fallen guards.