Blood Thirst: God of War

I found you

"I finally found you,  Julius.”

His sharp gaze landed on the woman who had spoken, still holding her umbrella over his head. Her smooth tan skin was glowing and her long, dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. 

A brown trench coat was draped over a silk dress, far too elegant for this part of town. Clearly, she didn’t belong here.  

“Excuse me, but how—”  

This was the moment he met her black eyes, and his question shifted instantly.  

“Have we met before?”  

The woman’s lips lifted into a radiant smile. 

“I knew you would recognize me! I don't know if you still remember it, but you saved me on the battlefield once. I never got to hear your name, but I heard them call you the  Julius.”  

Julius stared at her, as his mind tried to sift through the memories. 

“I’ve been searching for you for seven years. I know it’s a long shot, but I wanted to find you, and repay the kindness you showed me. Will you come with me?”  

Julius let out a chuckle, mocking himself while gesturing at his disheveled state. 

“I don’t think I’m in the right getup to go anywhere.”  

The woman waved her hand. 

“The clothes? That’s hardly a problem, we can get it sorted in no time if you agree.”  

“Oh! By the way, I'm Miley. And you have no idea how much I’ve thought about this moment. I always remembered you  which saved my life– and today, on my birthday, my biggest wish is coming true. I want to take you home, please?”  

Julius hesitated, but something about her sincerity made it impossible to refuse.  

“Alright.”  

—— ——

All of this happened simultaneously. Everyone in the Garcia family was looking tense, as they gathered for the annual family meeting after the funeral.

Quella dug her newly manicured nails into her palms as she sat on the chair, as the head of the family, as she inherited the entire power after her grandfather’s death.

Shuffling through the papers, she announced;

“We need to finalize what we’re presenting at the Annual Corporate Summit this year, so you can all tell me if you have any ideas–”  

“The Annual Corporate Summit?! But are we supposed to think anything about that when we haven’t even received an invitation till now?”  

Quella's cousin, Donald interrupted her, who was jealous of her inheriting grandpa's position instead of him.   

“That’s impossible, we have received the invitation every year!”

Slapping her hands on the table, she started turning the pages carefully, only to find out Donald was right.

“But how is it possible…? The summit is just in a few days! How is it possible that we haven't received the invitation yet–”

“And yet, here we are, making plans to give a presentation without an invitation, like stray dogs waiting outside a banquet hall. Are you sure, your ex-husband hasn't rubbed some of his habits on you as well?”

Donald sighed dramatically, earning a glare from Quella. 

“Are they deliberately snubbing us because Grandpa is gone?”

Someone else questioned. 

“Is this how they respect our father? He hasn't even been gone for a few days and they are already cutting us out!”

"Maybe they think that we can't carry his his legacy—”

Donald jumped at the chance to show that Quella was unfit for the job. 

“No!" 

Quella shook her head, making them fall silent. 

“I don't think they doubt grandpa's legacy! Because he has handed over the company to Kenneth, and every time before this, Kenneth was the one who received the invitation and handed it over to me. So if the organizers had any problem with him, they would have brought it up earlier.”

Kenneth had been quiet till now, because he was the only one who knew that the invitation was sent to the Garcia family anonymously every year, and he used to take advantage of that fact and take the credit for it. 

But this year, he was still waiting for the invitation and wasn't sure when he was going to get it. And before Quella asked him about it, he needed to come up with an excuse;

And he did come up with a plan to save himself, tucked neatly up his sleeve. 

“We aren't being sidelined. In fact we did receive the invitation this year too!”

“Oh really! Then why don't we have an invitation?" 

Donald inquired.

“Because Julius took it!" 

There was a stunned pause in the hall after Kenneth's answer. Quella narrowed her eyes. 

“What did you say?”  

Kenneth sighed, as if he was extremely hurt by the explanation he was about to give. 

“I saw it myself. The letter arrived as usual, and I put it away, thinking that I will bring it up after we all have paid our respects to grandfather. But when I checked my desk after the funeral, it was gone.”

Wiping his already dry eyes to gather some sympathy for himself, Kenneth continued. 

“And even though I didn't see him taking it in front of my eyes, I know he is the one behind it. Nobody outside of the family knew about the invitation, or where my personal room is. And everyone from the family is still present here, the only one who left is Julius.”

“That rat! Did he really plan to sell us out!" 

“I never believed it for a single second that he had come here to mourn grandpa's death! I knew he must be here for some selfish reason.”

"But I didn't see him leave the hall or go anywhere else, so when could he have stolen it?”

Everyone started to present their doubts and support for Kenneth’s words. But he shook his head, letting out a dry chuckle. 

“That's his speciality! He can be very sneaky, slithering in and out when no one’s looking. I have no doubt that he took it with him when he left.”  

Another cousin, Roger, slammed his hand on the desk, eyes flashing with hatred. 

“I believe it! That bloody rat can’t see others succeed, so he has snatched whatever he could… like a starving dog stealing scraps off the table.”  

Kenny pressed further, “I know he is my half-brother… but this is typical behaviour for him.”

Quella exhaled a breath, thinking carefully. Julius had always been pathetic and annoying to her, but he had never tried to steal anything from their family before.  

Could he have done this to take revenge for being kicked out of the family?

She turned towards Kenneth. 

“You’re saying he deliberately sabotaged us?” 

“What else? You know Julius better than any of us. He doesn’t have a conscience! He just saw an opportunity to drag us down with him, and he took it. He doesn’t care about this family.”  

“How could he not! He was part of this family–”  

Kenneth laughed. 

“He was! But not anymore. If you pamper a scorpion, can you expect that he will never sting you? No, because that's his nature. Julius just wanted to lash out against us, and the invitation was the easiest way to do that.

He just couldn’t stand the thought of us succeeding without him. Baby, I think we should even expect that jealous trash to try and crash our wedding too. That's why I have decided to go no contact with him, but if you want, I can go and request him to return the invitation.”

Quella reached for her phone. 

“I won't let it slide! You don't have to do anything sweetheart, as you have already done enough for all of us. I will handle him this time. I’ll call him right now, and tell him that he needs to return the invitation along with the signed divorce agreement that I am sending to him.”

—— ———

The car rolled to a gentle stop in front of an estate that was a far cry from the towering mansions Julius was accustomed to.

Instead, it was a cozy, family-sized manor, with warm, golden lights spilling from its windows and a charming ivy-covered facade. The air was filled with the scent of blooming flowers from the garden.

As the lady introduced Julius as her savior, the room erupted in a wave of warmth and gratitude. A middle-aged man with a kind face stepped forward, his eyes wide with astonishment.

“You’re the one who saved our daughter?” he asked, his voice trembling with emotion.

“Such a hero!” another woman chimed in, her hands pressed to her chest in admiration.

They clapped him on the back, their touches filled with genuine appreciation. Someone handed him a glass of amber liquid—whiskey, Julius guessed, with a gentle burn that warmed him from within. 

They pulled up a chair for him, inviting him into their circle, genuinely seeming to take an interest in everything he said. The unfamiliarity of it was jarring, but not unpleasant. For the first time in years, he felt something close to warmth.

Julius felt truly welcome. He felt like he belonged... like he was home.

Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket, breaking the spell. 

He frowned, puzzled, as he hadn't been expecting any calls. He took out his phone and glanced at the screen.

His wife.

As he was about to answer, the door suddenly swung open with a loud bang. A group of burly men stormed in, their faces grim and determined, shattering the peaceful atmosphere in an instant.