The heavy thud of a body hitting the ground sent a visceral jolt through every person still seated in the private dining room.Just moments ago, Gareth Stanton had been forced to the window and driven to leap from the third floor. Elias Vance didn't even bother glancing down. He simply dusted off his hands with a casual pat, drawing every pair of terrified eyes back to him.One of the businessmen cleared his throat and forced a nervous laugh. "Mr. Vance, we had nothing to do with what Stanton was up to. We weren't involved in any of that ugliness, so we can go now, right?"Elias acted as though the man hadn't spoken at all. His tone was unhurried, almost conversational. "Everheart Orphanage has been running short on funds recently. They need a donation. No strings attached.""Twenty million!" One man shot to his feet so fast his chair scraped against the floor, his palm slapping the table for emphasis. "A place like Everheart Orphanage does nothing but good for t

Marcus Bishop was no match for Garrett Graves. Some of his soldiers wanted to step in, but none dared move forward. There was nothing they could do. The man Bishop was facing held the rank of major general, one full grade above his own."Division Commander Bishop," Ignatius Montgomery said, hands tucked casually in his pockets, cigarette smoke curling lazily from his lips as he watched the beating with cold amusement, "a stray dog has you this rattled? What, is this man bulletproof and ten feet tall?" He let out a low, contemptuous laugh. "So what's it going to be? Work for me, or let Graves beat you into a permanent disability?"Bishop spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground and let out a rough chuckle. "Montgomery, don't think you've got me cornered. Sure, you outrank me by a hair, but you don't have nearly enough pull to bury me."Montgomery's expression went cold. "Enough talk. Finish him."Graves took a quick shuffle-step forward and launched a kick

From the moment Arthur Vance realized something was wrong, he had arranged for his parents and daughter to flee Cresthaven.But Vivian Sterling proved to be several steps ahead. She dispatched people to cut off every route out of the city, and the Vance family became sitting ducks, trapped with nowhere to run.In the end, Tobias Vance and Sarah Vance found themselves cast into the Barrens, while their granddaughter Aria Vance vanished without a trace during a pursuit that nearly claimed her life. As the saying goes, misfortune never comes alone.Tobias, desperate to keep them alive, dragged himself to a construction site for work. Then one day, a site foreman shattered his leg. The crew refused to pay a single cent in medical compensation and didn't even settle his wages before throwing him out like garbage.After that, Tobias could only lie in bed while Sarah scavenged through trash to keep them fed. Two people who had once lived comfortably, who had once comman

"So, the Pierce Brothers." Elias Vance studied the four men and the tactical longblades they'd drawn, genuine surprise flickering across his otherwise impassive face before it hardened back into cold disdain. "You left military service for this? To play attack dogs for a piece of trash like him?"The four brothers froze at his words. Something shifted behind their eyes, a visible crack in their composure, as though the accusation had struck a nerve buried deep beneath years of bitter compromise.It was the eldest, Kaelen Pierce, who recovered first. He leveled his blade and spoke in a steady voice. "You know who we are, and yet you won't surrender?" His grip tightened on the hilt, knuckles whitening. "If you die under our blades today, you'll have no one to blame but yourself for the ugly end."The Pierce Brothers were blood brothers, all four of them, and their reputation within the military had once been fearsome. Working in concert, there was no mission they couldn

Elias Vance had just finished coordinating the search for Aria and was about to catch his breath, maybe grab a quick bite, when his phone rang. The number on the screen was unfamiliar. He frowned and answered.Elena Croft's voice came through the line, raw with anguish. "Elias, you need to get here now. Your father is fading, and Leo has been beaten half to death."The words hit him like ice water poured down his spine. His gaze sharpened instantly, every trace of fatigue burned away by cold fury. "Don't panic," he said, his voice low and controlled. "I'm on my way."He hung up and turned to Gideon. "Back to the hospital. Now."Gideon heard the edge in his voice and didn't waste a second. The engine roared as the car tore through traffic, weaving between lanes at a speed that would have terrified anyone else in the vehicle.When they pulled up to Aegis Medical Center, Elias spotted Marcus Bishop in the entrance plaza, standing over two soldiers and tearing i