Awakening The Hidden Dragon

CH 0006 BETRAYAL II

The words hit the air like shrapnel. Knox has heard painful words, but this broke something in him that he couldn't explain.

God knows how happy he had been the last few months when he heard he was going to be a father.

She rolled her eyes, “Stop acting pathetic, Knox! I'll sleep with whoever I want since you're too poor to take care of me.. You can't provide half of the things Ethan has given me, so you don't get to demand loyalty from me!”

He sighed painfully, "How close?"

"What?"

"How close were the timelines? When you slept with him and when you slept with me."

Bianca's face twisted with contempt. "Why does it matter? The baby's yours! I know it is!"

"How. Close."

Something in his tone made her falter. Just for a second. Then the venom came back, defensive and sharp.

"Since you're so desperate to hear it, then it was the same day, okay?! The same fucking day! I slept with him in the morning and then I came to see you for our conjugal visit that afternoon! Are you happy now?! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"

The corridor went silent. Even the people pretending not to listen had stopped moving.

Knox stared at her, scanning her face in disbelief. Was she about to give him another man's child? This woman he'd loved with his life. This woman he'd built dreams around. She had been part of the reason he wanted to survive in that hell hole.. But the same woman standing in front of him was looking at him like he was a piece of shit. Like he was garbage. Like he was a loser who'd been stupid enough to get caught and locked up while she moved on with her life.

"I don't care what you say," Bianca snapped, her voice dripping with disdain, "but I'm sure this child is yours, Knox!"

"Mine?" Knox's laugh was quiet and absolutely devoid of humor. "You had sex with him the same day you had sex with me and you expect me to believe the child is mine? You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?"

"It IS yours!"

"Am I some child you can toy with? I should have left sooner, but better late than never.” Knox took a step back. Yes, the child might be his, but there's only a 50/50 chance.

"So what?!" Bianca's face was red now, twisted with rage and something that looked almost like fear. "You're just going to walk away? Abandon your child because you're too insecure to trust me?!"

Knox paused and inched closer. Not threatening. But Bianca instinctively backed up anyway. Because something had shifted in him. And what was underneath his skin was far too cold, so dangerous, that even she could feel it.

"I'm going to tell you what's going to happen," Knox said, his voice carrying absolute authority. "You're going to go home. You're going to take care of yourself and this baby. And in 4 weeks, when that child is born, we're doing a paternity test. If the child is mine, I'll handle my responsibilities. If it's not, you and your other man can play house together. Either way, you and I are done."

"Without me, who's going to fund your life and that of your mother? What? Did you grow a spine in jail? You can't just.."

"I can do whatever I want, Bianca," Knox said, his eyes cold, unflinching. "You want to play me for a fool? Fine. You chose this. But don’t blame me for it."

Bianca pressed a hand to her belly, her voice sharp. "Good riddance. Imani Group is signing a deal with Gates Corp. My company is the real power here. You’re just… disposable. And when this child is born, I’ll make sure you feel every second of it. I'll make you a single father first, before you make me one.”

"Good luck with Gates Corp," Knox said, his voice low. Bianca didn't need Ethan or any investor because Knox Himself had been her biggest partner in the last years. He owned Gates Corporations, the largest company in the entire country, which also happened to be Bianca's most important collaborator, but Bianca didn't know his true identity, neither did she care. She had never cared to find out the truth that the man she mocked, Knox Rivera was the backbone of her company and throughout their partnership, his company had been given hers relevance.

"Yes, Ethan actually knows how to run a business, compared to your sorry ass,”

Bianca spat.

Knox didn’t reply. He turned, walking away. He was done.

Behind him, Bianca screamed. Knox didn’t care.

Seventy days until he finds out if he is about to become a father.

Seventy days knowing the woman carrying that child had betrayed him in the worst possible way.

He stepped into the sunlight, making a call as he stepped to the one of his cars that had been waiting for him like they always do.

"Daniel, I need a full background on Bianca," he said. "Every man she’s contacted in the past year—phone records, bank statements. And the top paternity lawyer in the state. Now."

"On it, boss. Is everything okay?"

Knox glanced back at the hospital. Bianca stood in the corridor, hand on her belly, flanked by security. "Everything is exactly where it needs to be," he said. "Make it happen."

Knox Rivera had spent all his life intimidated and cast out. Years of being treated like nothing. Like he was powerless and those days were over.

Those days of him tolerating bullshits like this were gone.

Bianca and everyone else who betrayed him is about to learn the cost of mistaking patience for weakness.

As the car moved, Knox brought out the black card he got from Chen, the only man he ever saw as a father figure..

“The black card isn't just a piece of metal. It was a key.” He recalled Fred, his butler's words. He had explained it to Knox the day before his release, his voice filled with reverence that Knox had never heard before.

"Young master, that black card connects to the entire Rivera network. Every bank account. Every shell company. Every investment portfolio of the Rivera conglomerate has accumulated over four generations."

Knox had listened, barely breathing.

“The Rivera family isn't just wealthy. We're one of the top 1 of the Five Pillars of South City.”

"And the total liquid assets you can access immediately? Approximately 89 billion dollars. The total net worth including properties, stocks, and holdings? Over 200 billion."

The numbers had been incomprehensible.

But Fred wasn't finished.

"More important than money, young master, are the connections. That card is recognized by a network of people across the globe. Bankers. Politicians. CEOs. Underworld figures. Military leaders. When they see that card—or even when certain systems scan the chip embedded in it—doors open that are closed to everyone else."

"How does it work?" Knox had asked.

"The card has a unique electromagnetic signature. Certain scanners—installed in banks, private clubs, government buildings, corporate headquarters—can detect immediately. When you enter those spaces, people are notified. And they adjust accordingly."

The card was both wealth and weapons.

Connections that make the world spin beneath one's feet and Knox is the sole owner and ruler.

The iron gates of the Golden Estate loomed before Knox as the taxi pulled to a stop. Two well-built security guards in crisp black suits stood at attention, their eyes immediately narrowing as they spotted the battered yellow cab.

Knox paid the driver and stepped out, his white T-shirt and black jeans drawing immediate judgment from the guards.

"Stop right there," the taller guard barked, stepping forward with his hand raised. His name tag read ‘Lamar’

"This is the Golden Estate. No taxis allowed beyond this point. Turn around."

"I'm here for the Voss-Martin wedding," Knox said evenly.

Lamar gave Knox a quick once-over then he burst out laughing, "You?" He looked Knox up and down with open contempt. "The Voss-Martin wedding is the most prestigious event of the season. Billionaires. CEOs. People who matter. And you think you're getting in - dressed like... that?"

The second guard joined in, smirking. "Did you get lost on your way to a homeless shelter, buddy?"

Knox's jaw tightened, but his expression remained neutral. "I'm here to see Byron Voss. It's an urgent business."

"Urgent business?" Lamar stepped closer, invading Knox's space. "The only urgent business you have is getting your broke ass out of here before I throw you out myself. Now move!"

Knox didn't move. Instead, he pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" Lamar sneered. "Calling your imaginary lawyer?"

Knox ignored him, dialing Fred's number. It rang once.

"At your service, young master."

"Fred, I need you to contact the head of security at Golden Estate immediately. Tell him to stand down all his men at the entrance, or he'll lose his job here and never find employment in the whole of South City again." Knox's voice was ice. "Also, fire the guard named Lamar immediately. I don't want to see him employed anywhere in this city."