Chapter 1

A looming castle rose among a group of islands in the middle of the ocean. Aside from the castle, the islands were bare. Outside it stood a hundred-thousand-strong army, still as statues, their murderous intent was obvious. They were focused on the bronze gates, eyes burning with tears.

The bronze gates slowly opened with a creak to reveal a tall, toned young man in a black windbreaker. His expression was cold and stately. Behind him was an obese man, around 6’5”, and seven grim-looking men and women dressed in black armor.

The soldiers simultaneously saluted the man, letting out a deafening boom as their boots stomped on the ground. Isaac Garten held up his right hand to put them at ease.

“When I came here seven years ago, I was nothing but a prisoner on death row. Now, the enemy has been defeated, and the world is at peace. It’s time for me to go home to my wife and child!” His voice was loud enough for every soldier to hear him, showing his resolution.

He turned around to look at the people behind him, and the generals of the seven armies knelt on one knee each, saying simultaneously, “Farewell, Drakon!”

Ten minutes later, a helicopter let out a thunderous noise as it rose into the sky and flew toward the east.

The sun was setting by the time Isaac and the obese man—who was sucking on a lollipop—walked out of Cloud City Airport, Southland. The latter pulled out a folder and handed it to Isaac, saying, “Here, this is the information on your wife and child.”

Isaac glanced at the folder, but he didn’t accept it. “Beefy Bob, a few sheets of paper won’t tell me what they’ve been through over the years. You’re free to wander around once you give me their address.”

Beefy Bob chuckled, then turned and left without another look back. Isaac looked around at his familiar yet strange surroundings and mumbled, “When I was arrested seven years ago, you were already pregnant. I hope you’re doing well, Ally!”

Half an hour later, Isaac got out of the taxi and looked at the raucous, dirty building before him—Westside Farmers’ Market. He frowned and wondered why Ally’s address indicated that she was staying here. He walked into the market, his ears immediately bombarded by the yelling of the people inside, the stench of seafood that’d gone bad invading his nostrils.

When he got to a shop selling local seafood, he looked up and saw a little girl, around six or seven, sitting on a stool outside the shop. She had a faded blue T-shirt on, and her hair was trimmed neatly, but her skin was so pale that it was obvious she was malnourished. At this moment, she was bent over a bloodstained chopping board and gutting a fish.

She looked like she was having difficulty controlling the knife, and her clothes were stained. Sensing someone watching her, she looked up and met Isaac’s gaze.

Isaac’s ears buzzed, and his mind went blank—the little girl’s face was almost precisely like Ally’s. With trembling hands, he pulled out a photo from his pocket. It only took him a single glance to know with certainty that this little girl was his daughter, the one he was seeing for the first time in seven years.

“My…” Isaac choked up. Did she know who he was? Would he scare her by suddenly telling her he was her father?

At this moment, a fat woman entered the shop with a cigarette dangling from her mouth. She looked at the little girl and waved a hand impatiently. “Have you finished gutting the fish? Fuck off once you’re done. I can’t believe I lost five hundred bucks in just an hour!”

The little girl looked up at her and rubbed the sweat on her forehead away before smiling sweetly. “Madam Fran, you said you’d give me ten dollars and some bread once I was done.” She looked at Madam Fran expectantly and gulped, starving but trying her best not to show it.

Madam Fran blew out a smoke ring and yelled, “Little bastard. You want me to pay you when you’ve only gutted so few fish? You’re as money-crazy as your mother!” Then, she grabbed a leftover bread roll from the counter and let out a derisive laugh. “Do you want this?”

The little girl nodded vigorously, her eyes trained on the bread roll as she gulped. She reached out for it. Madam Fran suddenly let it go, making it fall to the filthy ground. She stomped on it and spat, “Eating is the only thing you know how to do, isn’t it, you little bastard? Eat this, then!”

The bread roll had gone out of shape and was covered in filth, but the little girl’s eyes lit up as she pounced and munched on it immediately. With her mouth full, she mumbled, “I’m not a little bastard. I have two names—Isabella Booth or just Bella.”

When Isaac heard her mention the name “Bella”, he almost fainted. Seven years ago, when Ally had just gotten pregnant, they’d agreed to name the baby Bella if it turned out to be a girl. He couldn’t hold himself back anymore. With tears in his eyes, he ran toward Isabella.

She reached out for the bread roll again, and he grabbed her hand. She was nothing but skin and bones, and she was trembling.

“This is already dirty. You can’t eat it anymore.” Isaac suppressed his tears while taking the bread roll away from her and throwing it away. He looked at Madam Fran coldly and said, “How can you treat a little girl like that? Are you a monster?”

“What the fuck? Where’d you come from? I’ve been here for ten years now. How dare a newcomer like you come here and stick your nose into my business! What’s it to you how I treat her?” Madam Fran let out an obnoxious laugh.

Isaac shot toward her and gave her a tight slap. Before she even processed what had happened, she was sent flying. She let out a pained scream as she landed on a glass cabinet.

Isabella was terrified but didn’t flee because she knew Isaac was helping her. He turned to her and squatted down, looking at her tenderly. He asked with a smile, “Bella, can you take me to see your mother?”

“Why do you want to see her?” She shrunk back, feeling afraid. Isaac’s heart twisted when he saw the wariness in her eyes. He suppressed the heartache and said, “I want to protect you and your mother.”

Before the night fell, he took Isabella to have some food and ordered her a bucket of fried chicken. As he watched her gobble down the food, his heart ached again. What had happened over the past seven years?

Halfway through her meal, Isabella suddenly stopped and sucked on her fingers. She asked, “Mister, can I keep the rest for my mom?” It was apparent that she hadn’t had her fill yet, but she still wanted to leave some for her mother.

Isaac patted her head tenderly and said with a smile, “You can have as much as you want. I’ll bring your mother here later if she wants some.”

Isabella let her guard down. Perhaps it was because she now had a full stomach, or perhaps she felt the paternal bond with him. She told Isaac that she used to stay in a gigantic house, but her uncle had kicked her and her mother out, saying that he wanted to keep the house for himself.

Isaac’s eyes flashed coldly when he heard this. Andrew Booth had kicked his sister and niece out of a house that didn’t even belong to him. To add insult to injury, if not for Andrew, Isaac would’ve never ended up as a death row prisoner!

He suppressed his rage and hailed a taxi, taking Isabella with him to a building in the city center. When they arrived, she pointed at the building and said, “My mom works here, on the 15th floor. She’s never allowed me to come to look for her, though.”

“I’ll take you to her. Everything will be fine.” Isaac held her hand as they walked into the building. They took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor and were greeted by the sight of an empty, silent office.

As they wandered inside, they suddenly heard a man’s mocking laugh. “So, how does it feel to have scrubbed toilets for the whole day, Allegra? If you’ve had enough, take your clothes off and get on your knees. Look at how sweaty you are…”

A woman’s panicked voice rang out. “Mr. Gill, what are you doing? Let go of me, or I’ll… I’ll scream for help!”

Isaac frowned and turned to Isabella, saying, “Bella, wait here for a sec.” Then, he strode toward the washroom and slammed the door open. He was greeted by the sight of a fat man trying to have his wicked way with a woman wearing a cleaner’s uniform.

“Get your hands off her, you asshole!” Issac roared, running toward them. A frightened Mr. Gill whipped his head around to see a hand flying at his face, and collapsed on the floor from the blow.

The woman in the cleaner’s uniform, Allegra Booth, looked up at him in panic. When she saw his face, she froze.