Minutes later, the van was already at Hartford Street. Pablo slowed down and parked in front of Hawthorne's modest bungalow, while the dim street lights cast pale circles across the quiet road. Hawthorne opened the rear door and stepped down, followed by Pablo, Kodak, and Truman. After the noise and violence of the day, the silence of Hartford Street felt strangely heavy. The War God had returned home, but he still could not enter his own house. Hawthorne looked toward his locked bungalow and then toward the small garden beside it. “Let's wait at the garden. She'll definitely come back.” Pablo nodded immediately. “Yes, General.” The four men passed beneath the street lights and entered the garden. The grass was slightly wet from the evening air, and the quiet neighborhood had almost completely gone to sleep. Hawthorne sat on one of the garden seats, while Pablo, Kodak, and Truman followed suit. For several moments, nobody spoke. Hawthorne leaned back and slowly rubbe

The words “Because it was so obvious” struck Hawthorne harder than any bullet he had ever taken on a battlefield. For several seconds, nobody spoke. The garden remained quiet beneath the pale night sky, while Hawthorne sat motionless with his eyes fixed on Raymond. His heart felt as though someone had reached inside his chest and torn it apart, yet his face remained calm. The woman he had loved and the orphan he had raised were now connected in a way he had never imagined, and the betrayal came from the two people he had once trusted most. “Thanks for this information,” Hawthorne finally said, his voice surprisingly steady. “But you should have let me know before I and my men went to her boutique.” Raymond lowered his head slightly. “But I'm glad you didn't,” Hawthorne continued. “If you had told me earlier, I might not have witnessed those strange reactions and behaviors from her myself. I saw things I needed to see. So I'm not annoyed with you. You rather gave me an opportu

The second call finally broke through the heavy sleep inside the room. “Yes, General!” came a groggy voice from within, followed by the hurried sound of movement. A few seconds later, the door flew open, and Pablo appeared in the doorway. The massive man immediately straightened himself, bowed deeply, and greeted Hawthorne with respect. “Good morning, General. Forgive me. I didn't realize it was already this late.”Before Hawthorne could respond, another door opened down the hallway. Kodak stumbled out, still rubbing his eyes, while Truman followed behind him, looking slightly more composed. The moment they saw Hawthorne, both men quickly straightened and bowed. “Good morning, General,” they said together.Hawthorne looked at the three imposing men standing before him. Pablo and Kodak were enormous, their broad shoulders almost filling the hallway, while Truman was of average height but heavily built. Their faces carried obvious exhaustion, and Hawthorne could tell that they had been

The farther the van moved from Hartford Street, the heavier Hawthorne's silence became. Minutes later, the van was already moving along Meadow Road, where the bright morning had brought the area to life. High school and college students passed through the zebra crossings in groups, some carrying books while others chatted with their friends, and school buses moved steadily along the road among normal vehicles. The area felt academic and almost calm, but none of that reached Hawthorne's mind. Sitting behind Pablo, he kept a calm smile on his face while his thoughts remained trapped between Irene and Rowan. Pablo glanced at him through the mirror. “General, are you all right?” Hawthorne's faint smile remained. “I'm fine.” “You've barely spoken since we left.” Kodak leaned forward slightly from the back. “Irene and Rowan?” Hawthorne's smile disappeared for a moment before returning. “Yes.” Truman folded his arms. “We'll confront Rowan.” “We will,” Hawthorne replied firml

Hawthorne did not slow down.The entrance of the Grand Savauria Precinct was only a few steps away now, yet the soldiers standing before it looked as if they were facing an enemy army. Their rifles remained lowered, but their hands were close to the weapons, and their eyes never left Hawthorne.Behind him, Pablo, Kodak, and Truman watched the growing tension with serious expressions.Then a commanding voice suddenly roared beside him.“STOP RIGHT THERE!”Hawthorne turned his head slightly.A tall military officer was approaching him with several soldiers behind him. Hawthorne recognized him immediately.It was Colonel Andrew Tariq, one of the top colonels in the Armogur military. He was also the same colonel who had arrived with the Armogur forces during the confrontation at Irene’s boutique, where Hawthorne, Pablo, Kodak, and Truman had defeated and humiliated him and the soldiers under his command.Hawthorne was not surprised to see him. He simply looked at Andrew Tariq for a moment