From Prison To Dominance!

Chapter 8

The car ride back was quiet enough to hear Anna’s breathing.

She sat wrapped in a blanket across from Rhys, and every few minutes her eyes found his face. Then she’d coyly look away.

Rhys caught every glance. He said nothing.

The Longwater estate came into view quickly. The cars drove inside, and parked before the manor.

The doors opened. Everyone stepped down and approached the stairs.

The head maid, a woman in black, stood waiting at the top of the steps, spine straight as a blade,

Her eyes swept the group and landed on Rhys and stopped there for a moment, curling with a specific disgust.

“Welcome home, Mrs. Longwater. Mr Longwater has been asking for you all night.”

“I imagine he has.” Sera didn’t slow down. “I have news of my own for him.”

The maid’s gaze crawled back to Rhys, gazing at him top to bottom, taking in the prison clothes and the dirt still on his knees.

“And… this?” She asked.

“This, is Rhys. And he gets a room and a hot meal. Tonight.” Sera replied, following her gaze.

The maid’s mouth pressed into a thin line, forcing a smile.

“…As you wish, ma’am.”

Footsteps climbed down the staircase before she’d even finished the sentence. A tall man with silver hair and robe half-tied, moved too fast for a man his age.

Adam Longwater.

“Sera! Where the hell is Anna, nobody in this house tells me anything.”

Then he saw her.

Anna stood at the base of the stairs. No cane. No tremor in her knees. Just the beautiful daughter he remembered before the affliction stole her glow.

Adam Longwater froze.

“…Anna?”

“Hi, Dad.” She sniffled as she smiled.

He crossed the last steps at a dead run and crushed her into his arms hard enough to make her gasp, one hand cradling the back of her head like he still didn’t trust the universe not to take her back.

“How?” His voice cracked clean in half.

“How is this possible? the specialists said there was nothing left to try, they said…”

“It wasn’t a specialists, darling. It was him.” Sera said, pointing to Rhys.

Adam turned. That was when he noticed Rhys.

He took in his appearance, but curiosity drove him further.

“You did this.” It was not a question.

“I did.” Rhys replied casually.

“You will speak to Mr Longwater with respect!” Luther snapped at Rhys.

But Adam ignored him. Luther bucked with embarrassment.

Adam crossed the space and gripped Rhys’s hand

“Thank you. Whoever you are.”

Then, sharper:

“ but how did you know what to do? We’ve done a hundred tests. Nothing.”

“Because none of them were looking for the right thing.” Rhys’s voice stayed low.

“Your daughter’s been poisoned. A rare kind. It’s been fed to her over months, in small enough doses that nothing ever flagged. Tonight her body finally couldn’t carry it anymore.”

The room stilled.

Silence deeper than the pacific fell on them.

“Poisoned? By who?” Sera asked. The word barely made it out of her.

“It’s someone under this roof. That’s all I can tell you tonight.” Rhys replied. He was already getting bored.

The room went dead silent again.

“That’s nonsense.” Luther’s voice sliced through.

“I vet every single member of staff personally. Every last one. I don’t let strangers near this family. You must be mistaken.” He added.

“Maybe you’re not as meticulous as you think.” Rhys simply replied to him.

Luther gritted his teeth. But he couldn’t afford to misbehave. Not here.

Adam turned to Rhys.

“Find them. Whatever it costs. Find who did this to my little girl and I will bury them myself.”

He held his hand now.

“Please.” He said it plainly, no shame left to spend. “Protect my family. Name your price. I don’t care what it is.”

“I’m afraid, You’d have to deal with this yourself.” Rhys’s tone didn’t change.

He just wanted a life where no one else’s problems were his. A life he could build now for himself.

But then, his phone buzzed against his hip. He glanced down without meaning to. There was a notification.

[…Ten million dollars deposit…]

“I just paid you the ten million from tonight. We are not trying to box you in. Just to show how grateful we are.” Sera said to him, tears at her eyes.

Something warmed in Rhys’s heart when he saw her. His eyes then roamed to Anna, who was still looking at him like the eight wonder of the world.

“I’ll pay you twenty million dollars the day you hand me the person who did this. I don’t care what else you charge on top. Just keep my daughter breathing.”

Adam offered.

Rhys thought about it for a moment.

“…Fine. I’ll find your culprit.” He finally said with a sigh.

Relief spread across Adam’s face.

On the side, Luther’s hands had curled into fists.

He glared at the ex-con who was starting to take his spotlight, a place he had carefully curated over the years.

“You’ll be gone from this house before the week’s out. I’ll see to that myself.” He thought to himself, and forced a smile when Adam looked at him.

“Luther. Perhaps you can learn a thing or two from Rhys. If you want to remain Deputy Manager at my company, your instincts should be sharper.”

Luther gritted his teeth and forced a smile.

“Of course sir. I am always welcome to learn new things.”

Adam nodded. “Good.”

As the group dispatched for dinner, Luther stepped in close to Anna, sliding a hand to her waist, leaning in for a kiss.

But Anna slid out from under his arm. She didn’t even look at him.

She headed straight to Rhys, and wrapped both arms around him, pressing her face into his chest.

“Thank you, Rhys. Thank you very much.”

Rhys went still for a half-second. Then one hand settled lightly against her back.

Luther stood frozen on the steps behind them, watching the woman he called his girlfriend hold on to another man like he wasn’t even there.

And from the corners of her eyes, Anna shot Luther a glare.