An Extremely Overpowered God Of War

Chapter 3

Harvey's face changed the moment he finished speaking something settled in it, something resolved and he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket with steady hands and pulled out a long, slim case. Deep black, wrapped in leather so fine it barely made a sound when he set it down and opened it carefully in front of Raymond.

Inside, resting against white silk, were three identical boxes stacked with quiet precision.

 Each one carried a seal on its lid that needed no introduction to anyone who has money to, crazy money to know it was Vellara Noir. The most exclusive jewelry house in existence. 

One that didn't advertise, didn't take public orders, and hadn't released a new collection in over six years simply because they chose not to. The pieces they created were not purchased. They were granted and only to those the house deemed worthy of carrying them.

“Three limited edition sets from the Vellara Noir Midnight Collection,” Harvey said, keeping his voice level even through everything pressing down on him. 

“Only twelve sets were ever released worldwide. Each one holds a necklace, bracelet, and matching ring all set with black diamonds pulled from a single mine that was permanently sealed the day after the last stone was extracted. No two cuts are the same. No other stones like them exist anywhere on this earth.”

 He paused for just a breath. 

“The combined value sits at three billion. But the number isn't the point, Master. Vellara Noir has stated publicly that this collection will never be recreated. When these are gone, they are gone forever.” His jaw tightened slightly. 

“A woman who waited five years deserves to wear something the rest of the world simply cannot have.”

Raymond looked at the three boxes for a quiet moment, then reached forward and closed the case himself.

“Good,” he said, and picked it up.

Harvey exhaled barely, just enough to release what he'd been holding since David produced that gold card and rose back to his feet.

David and Gabriella had both gone still while Harvey presented his gift, and now every eye in the room moved without anyone directing it to Gabriella West..

She hadn't moved or spoken since Harvey went to his knees. She had been standing completely still, watching both gifts change hands, and the look on her face was the kind that was difficult to read somewhere between composed and something quieter, more private, like a person turning something over carefully behind their eyes that no one else could see yet.

She already knew before she walked into this room that what she was carrying was different from theirs. Not louder. 

Not necessarily more expensive in the way money measures things. But the kind of gift that couldn't be weighed the same way a bank card or a jewelry collection could be weighed, because what she had wasn't something that could be found in any market, any vault, or any collection anywhere in the world.

Immediately Gabriella West stepped forward, went down onto one knee, and lifted both hands to present what she was holding a black briefcase, round in shape, covered from one end to the other in ancient symbols carved so deep into the surface that they caught the light of the room and held it. The moment it appeared, the entire atmosphere shifted. Every person standing in that throne room felt it a stillness, a pressure, the kind that settles in a space when something old and powerful is brought into it.

Harvey and David's eyes burst wide open.

They recognized those symbols immediately. Anyone who knew their history would. Their mouths fell open without a sound coming out, and for a moment neither of them could do anything but stare.

Gabriella West bowed a full ninety degrees before she spoke.

“My Lord,” she said, and her voice had dropped to something quieter than it had been before not soft, but careful, the way a person speaks when what they're saying deserves more than ordinary volume.

“I present to you the Scorpion Queen's complete jewelry collection.”

She kept her head down as she explained.

“Every single piece she ever owned is inside this case. If you open it while believing you will find everything, everything will be there. If you open it believing you will find one specific piece, only that piece will appear. But the box will only reveal its contents to a woman it will not open for anyone else, and nothing inside it can be taken by force.” She paused. 

“The Scorpion Queen placed that condition on it herself, centuries ago. It has never been broken.”

The room was completely silent after she said that. Even the air seemed to be holding still.

Gabriella's voice dropped lower before she finished.

“This gift is priceless to any woman who receives it, Master. The jewelry carries a power that cannot be replicated or explained by modern science. It will keep whoever wears it young and beautiful for years, many years. Time will not touch her.”

Raymond looked at the case for a long moment without speaking. Then he reached out and accepted it from Gabriella's hands.

He already knew the truth that no one else in that room was aware of. The briefcase had been his to begin with. He had made sure Julian's saw it years ago during one of their most dangerous missions together, never imagining she would hold onto it this carefully never imagining she would one day stand in front of him and place it back into his hands without hesitation.

Just like David. Just like Harvey.

Raymond was quiet for a moment as Gabriella rose back to her feet. He looked at all three of them standing there David still warm and bright, Harvey steady and composed, Gabriella with her hands at her sides and her head slightly bowed and something moved through his expression that he didn't try to hide this time.

He had given each of them something precious years ago. Not as a test. 

Not with any expectation attached to it. But they had carried those things carefully, every single one of them, and when the moment came, they had all chosen to give it back instead of keeping it for themselves.

He smiled. It was small and unhurried, but it was real.

Then he started walking towards them, and all three war gods immediately dropped down until their foreheads pressed against the cold marble floor.