The commander’s eyes widened in horror as Slayde’s grip tightened like an industrial vise.Slayde pulled the man forward, delivering a brutal headbutt straight to the bridge of his nose. Bone shattered instantly, spraying blood across the blue-lit monitors. Staggered but refusing to go down, the commander blindly reached for the knife at his belt.Slayde gave him no room to breathe. Grabbing the commander by his vest, he hoisted his entire body into the air and drove him violently down onto the main console.CRASH!Sparking wires exploded from the shattered screens as the commander's spine crushed the keyboard. Slayde didn't let go. He hauled the man up by his collar and delivered a final, devastating right hook across his jaw.The commander went completely limp, his body sliding off the ruined console and crumpling to the floor in a motionless heap.Slayde stood over him, his breathing only slightly heavier. He wiped a smear of blood from his jaw with the back of his hand, his r

The question looped in Caleb's brain like a broken record, fueling a fresh wave of panic. ‘Is he taking me to a secondary location to execute me? Is he holding me for a massive ransom? Or... or is he going to force me to watch what he does to the old man?’Caleb swallowed hard, his throat completely dry. The uncertainty was eating him alive. He wanted to scream, to fling himself out of the moving car, but one glance at Slayde’s massive, stone-cold profile reminded him exactly what happened to people who didn't follow the giant's script. He stayed glued to his seat, terrified of the answer, yet dying to know his fate.Alongside the young heir's silent spiraling, Slayde kept one hand on the steering wheel, his cold eyes scanning the street ahead. He pulled a burner phone from his breast pocket, tapped the speed dial, and pressed it to his ear."I have the target," Slayde rumbled into the receiver. Then, his brow furrowed slightly. "Where the hell did you disappear to? You left th

The red-headed enforcer grinned wider, gesturing with both hands as if inviting Slayde into a grand partnership."So, what's your price, big guy? Name it. A fixer of your caliber doesn't work for free, and the Red Cross syndicate always pays its contractors well when they deliver. You want credits? Weapons? A permanent spot on our payroll? Just tell us what you want."Behind the redhead, the other gang members began murmuring excitedly, unable to hide their twisted glee."The old toy is finally back," one whispered with a cruel laugh. "Man, the bosses are going to be ecstatic. We can finally finish what we started with his workshop.""Yeah," another muttered, checking the action on his rifle. "We've got the leverage again. The girl will sign whatever we put in front of her now."Slayde stood perfectly still, taking in every word. His eyes, already cold, turned dangerously dark as the true nature of their operation laid itself bare. They didn't just want a debt settled; they wanted a

Slayde didn't even turn his head. He subtly shifted his weight, letting the blade slice through the empty air where his torso had been a millisecond prior. Before the attacker could recover his balance, Slayde’s elbow smashed backward like a battering ram, catching the man directly in the temple.The thug’s eyes rolled back instantly, his body going completely limp as he crashed face-first onto the gravel.Caleb let out a high-pitched whimper, burying his face in his knees. ‘He’s not even sweating! He’s dismantling them like he’s taking apart furniture!’The remaining three gang members panicked, abandoning any pretense of tactical discipline. Two tried to circle to get a clear line of sight past Slayde to grab the disguised double, while the third sprayed a frantic burst of automatic fire toward Slayde’s chest.RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!Sparks flew off the concrete. A few stray rounds grazed the thick, armored lining of Slayde’s heavy coat, tearing the fabric but failing to pierce the hi

"Ah...!"Maya gasped, her hands flying to her face as she winced hard. She forced her eyes shut, taking deep, ragged breaths through her nose and fighting with every ounce of her willpower to suppress the tears. Crying would make the swelling even worse, and the pain was already blinding. She stood there, trembling, suffocating her own sobs in a desperate bid to keep her healing face from tearing apart.Ari groaned, pushing himself up from the rough asphalt. He wiped a streak of dirt from his chin and stared up at Maya, his expression a mix of profound heartbreak and utter confusion."Maya... what did you just say?" Ari's voice trembled as he staggered to his feet. "Send me to the thugs? Leave the loan to you? I didn't run away! I didn't gamble our lives away, sweetheart, I swear to you! They kidnapped me! They forced me to—""Stop lying!" Maya choked out, the words burning her throat.Before he could step any closer, she placed both hands against his chest and shoved him away wit