From Prison To Power

Chapter 007 – One Punch, One Down

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James Koch was beyond enraged at this moment.

Furious didn’t even begin to cover what he felt—no, he was seething, livid, driven to the brink of madness.

Last night was supposed to be his moment. The night everything finally went according to plan. The night he would finally claim what he had obsessively longed for.

He had meticulously plotted every detail, spending millions just to acquire an aphrodisiac so potent that the government had outright outlawed it—due to its alarming ability to induce uncontrollable desire or even cause death.

He had slipped the drug into Irene’s wine, fully expecting her to fall into his arms, powerless to resist.

He had even taken the drug himself, just to make sure he could keep up with her once its effect kicked in.

But due to one inexplicable, agonizing twist of fate, he had entered the wrong hotel room.

Instead of awakening next to the youthful goddess he had fantasized about since the day he set his eyes upon her… he had woken up next to someone’s grandmother.

A wrinkled, saggy-skinned elder woman—her snores still echoing in the room as he shot up from bed in utter horror.

It was only then that he realized the full scale of his mistake. And now…

As he stood inside the crumbling, old-fashioned hotel room, barely able to keep his breathing steady, completely disorganized from the result of what he found difficult to accept, his face was a portrait of fury and humiliation.

He had turned down the finest hotels in the country, left his comfort, and rented a room here so he could do everything he wanted without being questioned, yet… someone else had eaten the work of his labor while he ended up being defiled in the most grotesque way imaginable.

To say he had lost his mind was an understatement. James Koch had gone berserk.

—

Meanwhile, Irene…

She hadn’t moved an inch since James had barged in like a madman.

Instead, her lips parted slightly, her expression frozen in stunned realization.

Because now—there was no doubt left in her heart.

The truth… it had finally, undeniably taken shape.

Just moments ago, she had still clung to the hope that everything was a mistake. That somehow, someway, someone else had drugged her.

James was her brother-in-law after all.

She had tried to convince herself that it wasn’t him, that it was a mix-up. A coincidence.

But now, standing here, seeing the sheer rage in his eyes, the way he stared not at her but at Glenn—his jealousy, his frustration, his madness—it all fit together like pieces of a horrific puzzle.

There was no mistaking it anymore.

It was James Koch who spiked her drink, wanting to rape her.

Her breath caught in her throat, tears welled in her eyes, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

She wanted to scream.

She felt like striking him.

She felt like murdering him.

She wanted to hurl every insult she knew and demand justice.

But…

An innocent man was about to suffer because of her.

Who else could it be, if not Glenn?

She subconsciously glanced at him, and immediately, her heart sank deeper.

He looked confused at this moment. Clueless. Like a man who had just walked into a nightmare without the faintest idea why everyone was losing their minds.

In the following second guilt… crippling and overwhelming washed over her.

‘And to think… I doubted him all this while,’ she thought bitterly. ‘I didn’t believe his story.’

‘I thought he made up the thing about the aphrodisiac.’

‘I believed he had taken advantage of me… even when all he did was help me.’

The more she remembered, the heavier the weight on her chest became—until finally, her hands clenched into fists.

‘I must protect him.’

She wrapped the bedsheet tighter around her body, concealing everything but her furious, determined face, and stepped forward, her face ablaze with rage as she stepped in front of Glenn like a lioness shielding her cub.

Pointing directly at James, her voice rang through the room like a war horn.

“You and your animals better step back right now—or I’ll tell my sister everything!” she roared. “I’ll expose your disgusting crime and let the world see you for the filth you are!”

Her chest heaved. She was trembling with fury, but she didn’t care. Not anymore.

She was certain her words would crush him.

After all, James had done everything to win over her older sister, Selene.

He had invested years of manipulation, charm, wooing, and cunning to finally get engaged to her. And tomorrow—their engagement ceremony was scheduled.

Surely he wouldn’t dare risk losing it all, right?

That was what Irene believed.

But, unfortunately for her… her mind was far too innocent for the darkness in James Koch’s heart.

Instead of stepping back in fear, his expression twisted into something terrifying.

The fury in his eyes reached a fever pitch, his face contorting with pure, rabid hatred.

He trembled uncontrollably, like a machine about to explode from internal pressure.

“You… you…” He snarled, pointing at her, his voice dripping with venom and envy.

And then, he laughed.

Not a normal laugh.

No!

A jagged, maniacal, hideous laughter that chilled the air.

“This bitch finally gets laid for the first time in her miserable life and now thinks she’s in heat?!” he spat, his words crueler than daggers. “Defending the scumbag who raped her?!”

He shouted it loud enough to rattle the windows.

Irene flinched—but held her ground.

And Glenn?

He looked different now.

The laid-back, disinterested, and calm man from before was gone.

A quiet intensity enveloped him.

He scanned the room—the furious James, the four bodyguards approaching with menace, and the trembling Irene standing in front of him like a human shield.

He wasn’t dumb. The picture was crystal clear now.

It was James who had spiked her drink with the evil poison that he, Glenn, had unintentionally ended up saving her.

And now, he was the target.

He wasn’t someone who liked getting involved in other people’s drama. That wasn’t his way.

But he had just promised to take responsibility for Irene, and she had also just stood up for him, shielding him.

Glenn couldn’t help but stare at the back of the woman shielding him, her slender, hourglass frame shaking, yet firm.

Something stirred in his chest.

Something ancient. Forgotten.

In the following second, his heart, which had frozen and turned indifferent, fluttered back to life and became filled with admiration.

A sweet sensation bloomed within him, like warmth breaking through a bitter winter.

He almost gasped aloud.

But no.

As much as he enjoyed the feeling of being defended, he was still a man at the end of the day, and no matter how dire the situation was, he would never hide behind a woman.

That was not in his nature.

Without hesitation, Glenn stepped forward.

“So, you are the beast, worse than an animal who drugged this innocent beauty?” He asked suddenly, his voice calm and cold, sharp enough to slice through steel.

Everyone froze, and James blinked, visibly shaken.

But then his face contorted in rage and unbearable humiliation.

“Attack this eyesore already!” he barked, veins bulging from his neck. “Break that bastard’s bones!”

His bodyguards didn’t hesitate.

They rushed forward with thunderous steps, moving like trained predators, their eyes burning with malice and murderous intent.

Witnessing this, Irene screamed in panic

She tried to pull Glenn back to her, but it was already too late.

The men closed in like a wolf pack on him, ready to crush his bones and tear his flesh.

But—

Bang!

A fist rocketed forward.

Then, to everyone’s shock, one of the bodyguards went flying, his body slamming into the wall like a wrecking ball.

Baaang!

Another followed—this one flipped mid-air before colliding with the ceiling.

Baaaang!!!

The third tried to dodge, but Glenn’s knee met his ribs with a bone-crunching crack, sending him spinning like a ragdoll.

And…

Baaaaang!!!!

The last flew straight through the wall, creating a gaping hole as dust exploded through the air.

In the next second, pin-drop silence settled over the room.