2025-12-08 20:57:57Thom's words felt like a hard slap to Madam Lena. Her face turned red with anger, and her voice rose without caring about the guests watching.
"How dare you talk like that!"
"No, you are not part of this family!"
"You are a bastard child! This is not your house. Leave right now!"
Rachel swallowed hard, her body tense.
Madam Yosie covered her mouth, afraid that even a small sound would make things worse.
Edmund lowered his head, trying to distance himself so he would not get dragged into Madam Lena's anger.
But before Madam Lena could continue her outburst, Frank quickly grabbed her arm.
"Mother, stop!" he whispered urgently. "We have to act polite. Do not make a scene."
Madam Lena glared at him. "You are defending him? He even dared to come here without an invitation!"
"We cannot fight right now," Frank whispered even more quietly while glancing at the gate. "General Darlene is here."
Madam Lena froze.
General Darlene?
The third richest person in the entire state?
He had never once agreed to attend any of their family banquets. The Lanster name was not even big enough to attract someone of his level.
But now, in the distance, a strong man in a special military uniform walked toward them. Dozens of elite soldiers surrounded him in a perfectly disciplined formation.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Guests straightened their posture. Phone cameras slowly lifted. Soft murmurs of amazement spread through the crowd.
Madam Lena took a deep breath and quickly put on her best smile. Frank and his relatives stood taller, trying to look elegant and dignified.
When General Darlene reached them, Madam Lena greeted him with a very polite and formal gesture.
"Welcome to our family banquet, General Darlene. Your presence is very unexpected. We are honored."
General Darlene replied with a small but polite nod. "Hm."
For a moment, his eyes moved. He saw Thom standing a few steps behind the Lanster family.
It was only a brief glance, but all the elite soldiers around them held their breath at once.
General Darlene actually wanted to salute him. How could he not? Thom was their King of War. One of the most dangerous and most respected men in the country.
But General Darlene knew very well that Thom did not like to be honored in public.
The King of War was a humble man. He did not like his identity to be exposed. He ordered all his subordinates to act as if he was an ordinary person, as long as they were not in a military operation.
So General Darlene held himself back. He lowered his gaze and looked at Madam Lena again.
"I just came to look around," he said calmly.
Madam Lena smiled proudly, as if General Darlene's arrival was the highest form of respect for her family.
She had no idea that the elite soldiers were still watching Thom...and watching how Thom showed no reaction at all to the presence of a high-ranking general.
As if to Thom, General Darlene was just an ordinary man.
The Lanster family noticed it too, shocked by how disrespectful Thom was for not saluting or showing manners to General Darlene.
They held their breath, certain that Thom would be punished for standing so close to General Darlene without giving even the slightest greeting.
Benny and Frank exchanged a panicked look, then slowly moved closer to Thom.
Frank whispered sharply from the side. "Are you crazy? Give a salute now! That is General Darlene. If he gets offended, your small career will be destroyed. You could even be kicked out of the military!"
Benny added with a mocking tone. "Do not forget your status. You are a low-ranked soldier. One small mistake and you will end up homeless. Stop acting arrogant and salute!"
Behind them, Rachel also tried to help, though her voice was full of frustration.
"Please, Thom," she whispered, her face burning with embarrassment. "At least show some respect. Do not be stubborn like this. You are making us look bad."
Madam Yosie bowed her head in shame. Edmund covered his face with his hand, afraid of attracting the attention of the important guests.
Everyone knew the rumors about General Darlene.
A ruthless general.
A man who hated even the smallest act of disrespect.
A figure who, if offended, would not hesitate to ruin someone's career with a single sentence.
Some guests even held their breath while waiting for his reaction.
But Thom stayed silent. He did not even show the slightest intention to salute. He stood tall, holding Shenina in his arms, looking straight ahead without fear.
General Darlene looked at Thom again.
The air grew even quieter.
Every second felt painfully long.
Rachel bit her lip.
Frank held his breath.
Madam Lena was ready to see Thom humiliated in public.
Many guests whispered, guessing what punishment General Darlene would give.
But what happened shocked everyone.
General Darlene spoke. "It is fine."
Only two words, yet the entire mansion courtyard fell into stunned silence.
He did not punish Thom for not saluting him?
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Latest Chapter
Chapter 250
Ukaz never truly had time off. As Jasmine’s personal bodyguard, he was always on standby twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Even when he was not by Jasmine’s side, his phone was always in his grasp, ready to receive any news.Today, that news came from a fellow Delta Force member. "Shenina has been kidnapped. King is at the hospital. You must return to the house and guard Miss Jasmine."Ukaz did not ask further. He immediately rushed toward Thom’s house in his car, driving slightly over the speed limit.When he arrived at the front gate, he noticed something strange. The front door was not fully closed. There was still a gap. Ukaz stepped out of the car without turning off the engine. His steps were quick toward the door, his right hand already reaching for the pistol grip at his waist.The door swung open wide.Inside, Ukaz saw a scene that made his blood boil.Rachel stood in the middle of the living room, both her hands wrapped around Jasmine’s neck. Jasmine’s face was red
Chapter 249
Truly, within ten minutes, Thom returned. The elevator doors on the ER floor opened. Thom stepped out with steady strides, behind him were two female nurses in white-blue military uniforms, each carrying a blue cooler box with a red cross sticker and a Delta Force emblem in the corner. The boxes contained fresh AB blood bags, obtained directly from Fort Memorial Military Hospital.Doctor Rizki, who was still standing near Shenina’s treatment room, widened his eyes. His mouth hung open in disbelief. Beside him, two other nurses also fell silent. A young doctor who had just walked past almost dropped the clipboard in his hand.“How... how is this possible?” Doctor Rizki whispered.He looked at the clock on the wall. Ten minutes. From the public hospital to Fort Memorial Military Hospital alone would take twenty minutes by car at the fastest. Not to mention the administrative process, data verification, retrieving the stock, and the return trip. Ten minutes was an impossible amount of t
Chapter 248
Thom tried to push away his dark thoughts for now. The most important thing was that he had to save Shenina! Shenina was losing blood, and Thom didn’t care how the doctor and this hospital would manage to obtain a blood supply for her immediately.“Quickly, give my daughter a blood transfusion from the hospital’s blood stock!” Thom ordered firmly to Doctor Rizki.Doctor Rizki adjusted his glasses that were about to fall off his face. His face was still pale, cold sweat soaking his white coat. The hand holding the test results trembled slightly, but he tried to remain calm. A doctor had to stay professional in any situation.“Sir,” he said, his voice trying to sound professional, “I understand your concern. But what you are asking... is impossible. The system does not allow it.”Thom stepped closer. One step. Two steps. The distance between them was now only half a meter. Doctor Rizki stepped back, but his back had already hit the medicine cabinet behind him.“Explain clearly,” Thom s
Chapter 247
Thom sped away from the ambush site. Behind him, two other black cars followed, driven by Delta Force members assigned to escort him to the hospital. Red Dragon remained at the scene to secure the kidnappers and begin the interrogation.Thom pressed the gas pedal harder.His car arrived at the regional public hospital after running several red lights without hesitation. No police dared to stop him. They saw the special license plate and chose to stay silent.Thom stepped out of the car before the engine had fully shut off. His shoes struck the parking lot asphalt as he moved quickly toward the ER entrance.Two Delta Force members followed behind him.Thom entered the ER waiting area. A young nurse in a white uniform approached him. "Sir, are you the family of patient Shenina?"Thom nodded. "Yes. I’m her father. Thom Haye."The nurse let out a relieved breath. "Please follow me, sir. The doctor is waiting."They walked down a long corridor that smelled of antiseptic. The fluorescent
Chapter 246
The thirty-minute drive felt longer than usual. The road heading east was severely congested. Cars were packed into every lane. Thom sat behind the wheel with a calm face, but his fingers tapped the steering wheel in an impatient rhythm.He did not panic. Panic would not save Shenina.He activated the traffic-clearing siren installed in his car—not a regular police siren, but a special military siren owned only by a handful of people. The cars ahead of him began to move aside, giving way.Throughout the journey, his phone never stopped ringing. Red Dragon kept sending reports.When he finally arrived at the designated location, a truck parking area on the side of the toll road, he did not need to search for long. Red Dragon was already there.Red Dragon, the muscular man, stood beside a black car parked at an angle, his arms crossed over his chest. His face showed no sign of fatigue, even though he had been on the move since an hour before Thom made the call. Behind him, four Delta F
Chapter 245
Rachel stood in the park. Her body trembled. Her eyes were still wet with fake tears, but in her heart she was smiling. She had done her part. Now it was Thom’s turn to become the victim of his own foolishness. She thought that by telling Thom to chase west, he would run as fast as he could in that direction. Leaving her. Leaving Jasmine. Leaving everyone. And in that chaos, Rachel could calmly walk out of the park, take a taxi, and disappear. The three million dollars was already in her account. Frank would be free. A new life was waiting.But Thom did not move.Rachel blinked. Her mind stalled for a moment. Why wasn’t Thom running? Why was he just standing there? Why was his face calm, too calm for a father whose daughter had just been kidnapped?Thom reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He lifted it to his ear, dialing a number he knew by heart. "Red Dragon." Thom’s voice was flat, unhurried. "Block all roads. Check every toll gate, every city exit. Secure the entire a
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