King of War's Dominance

Chapter 5

Rachel started to feel that something was wrong. She looked at the elite soldiers one by one, noticing that their eyes were not on her or her family at all.

"Mother... Father... I think this is not for us," she whispered, her voice unsteady. "Look. They are all looking at Thom."

Madam Yosie snorted loudly. "What are you talking about? Of course this is for us. Frank must have arranged it. Who else could it be?" she said while showing a proud smile.

Rachel shook her head quickly. "No. They are not even glancing at us. All their eyes are fixed on Thom."

Edmund cut in with a dismissive tone. "That is just a coincidence. How could a low-ranked soldier like Thom get the attention of elite troops? Do not make things up, Rachel."

Thom stayed silent while holding Shenina. His expression did not change, but something in his eyes grew tense.

While they argued, inside the mansion, the Lanster family began to notice the commotion outside.

The sound of footsteps, quiet gasps from the guests, and the soldiers standing in a perfect formation made one of the servants rush inside.

"Sir Frank... there are elite soldiers gathered in front of the house," the servant reported with a worried face.

Frank, the Lanster family's son, stood up at once. "What? For who? We do not have any VVIP guests today."

Madam Lena, the head of the Lanster family and Frank's biological mother, frowned deeply. "Elite soldiers? With a red carpet? Who are they welcoming?"

"I do not know, Madam," the servant replied. "But... it seems they stopped right at the front door."

The Lanster family immediately walked outside, followed by several important guests who were curious.

When they reached the front porch, the sight in front of them left them frozen.

There was no high-profile guest.

No government official.

No major investor.

Only Rachel's family standing at the end of the red carpet.

Rachel, who did not understand what was happening, quickly bowed politely with a nervous smile.

"Thank you, Frank," she said with a trembling voice. "You did not need to prepare such a grand welcome for my family."

Frank froze. "What? I did not prepare anything."

Before Rachel could ask anything else, a sharp voice cut through the air.

Madam Lena stared at Thom, who stood behind Rachel. Her eyes widened in shock and anger at the same time.

She covered her mouth, then pointed at Thom with her eyes growing even wider.

"You!!"

All eyes from the Lanster family followed the direction of her finger.

"Is that... Thom?" one of Frank's relatives whispered, choking on his own voice.

In one second, Madam Lena's expression turned into pure rage.

"Get out of here, bastard," she shouted loudly. "How dare you come to this house! Who invited you?"

Rachel and Madam Yosie looked at each other with pale faces. The idea of bringing Thom to this banquet had started from something simple. Shenina cried and refused to let go of her father. They thought it would be fine to bring Thom as long as he sat quietly and did not cause trouble.

Now, they regretted it.

They knew very well who Madam Lena was. The woman was known for being cruel, harsh, and never hesitated to humiliate anyone she disliked.

And Thom was a thorn in her eyes. Rachel and Yosie had no idea what to say. Their tongues felt frozen.

Even Edmund went silent. His mind was a mess. He never imagined he would face such harsh humiliation in front of so many guests.

But while everyone expected Thom to bow his head or step back like a frightened child, something completely different happened.

Thom lifted his head.

He looked at Madam Lena without fear, without hesitation, and without a trace of doubt.

A small smile formed on his face.

A smile that made the elite soldiers on both sides of the red carpet stand even straighter, as if they had just received a signal.

Thom opened his mouth and spoke calmly, as if greeting a distant relative.

"Hello, Mother. It has been a long time."

The voice froze the entire front yard of the Lanster mansion.

Frank stared at Thom with a clenched jaw. Two other members of the Lanster family stared in disbelief.

Madam Lena looked shaken.

Thom continued in a calm but piercing tone. "No one invited me here. But I came on my own. Is this not my house too?"

He looked right into Madam Lena's eyes.

Then Thom smiled.

A smile that, to the Lanster family, felt like a threat!