
"The police have officially concluded their investigation, Sir."
Gerard Hood's voice broke the silence inside the black luxury sedan.
Raiden Bolt sat quietly in the back seat, staring out the window. Only yesterday, he had watched his family mansion disappear beneath a sea of flames. His parents, William Bolt and Caren Bolt, had never made it out alive.
He had survived, but the burns covering his body still throbbed with every movement, adding to the burden of legs that had already been paralyzed for years.
After leaving the hospital that morning, the first thing he had done was hire a private investigator. He knew that the police's conclusion would come far too quickly for his liking.
"What did the police say?"
Gerard handed him a report.
"They ruled it an accidental explosion."
Raiden lowered his eyes to the document.
"The investigation concluded that the explosion originated from Mrs. Bolt's underground laboratory. They believe one of her experiments malfunctioned and ignited highly combustible materials stored inside."
His mother had indeed spent years conducting magical research in the underground laboratory beneath the Bolt Mansion. To anyone else, the explanation sounded reasonable, but Raiden wasn't convinced.
"What about the private investigator?"
"He couldn't find enough evidence to challenge the police's conclusion. But he did find two things that troubled him," Gerard answered.
Gerard placed the first photograph in front of him. It showed a traffic camera located on the main road leading toward Bolt Mansion.
"The footage covering the twenty-three minutes before the explosion was deliberately erased. It wasn't damaged by the explosion, nor was it a system malfunction. Someone intentionally deleted only those twenty-three minutes."
Gerard then laid down another photograph. It showed the remains of the underground laboratory.
"Our investigator believes the laboratory wasn't simply destroyed by the explosion. He believes someone searched the laboratory before the fire spread."
Raiden carefully examined the photograph. Several reinforced storage cabinets had been forced open. Metal drawers had been pulled from their frames. The destruction didn't look random.
Gerard's expression grew grim.
"And this morning, someone broke into the investigator's office."
"Were anything stolen?" asked Raiden.
"Only the files related to the Bolt Mansion explosion. He called me an hour ago. He apologized and said he could no longer continue the investigation."
Raiden tightened his grip on the photographs. The more he thought about it, the less he believed his parents had died in an accident.
His mind drifted to his wife, Angeline.
She had disappeared before the explosion and never returned home. Throughout the entire night, every one of his calls had gone unanswered.
"Did the investigator find Angeline?"
Gerard gave a slight nod.
"Yes, Sir."
"Where is she?"
"She is at the Randal estate. The investigator was sure she was there the whole night."
Raiden slowly raised his head and met Gerard's eyes.
"Take me to the Randal estate."
Less than twenty minutes later, the black luxury sedan came to a stop before the towering Randal estate.
Gerard hurried to unfold the wheelchair before helping Raiden out of the vehicle.
The mansion gates opened immediately. No one tried to stop them. It was almost as if someone had been waiting for his arrival.
Gerard pushed the wheelchair through the lavish entrance hall.
The moment they entered the living room, Raiden froze.
Angeline was sitting comfortably on another man's lap. Her arms rested naturally around his neck. The man casually stroked her waist before planting a kiss on her bare shoulder.
Neither of them looked surprised to see Raiden. It was as though they had expected him all along.
"Welcome, Raiden," Johny Randal said with a cunning smile.
"Yes, Raiden. We know you were heading here," he said, as if answering Raiden’s unspoken question.
Raiden's hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Angeline."
His voice trembled with fury.
"What are you doing?"
Angeline glanced at him indifferently before stepping away from Johny. There wasn't even the slightest trace of guilt in her eyes.
"I called you all night. My parents died yesterday. Our home exploded, and you disappeared without a word." His voice grew colder. "Tell me what you know."
Angeline folded her arms.
"About what?"
"Stop pretending." Raiden's eyes remained fixed on her. "You vanished before the explosion and ignored every one of my calls afterward. If you know anything about what happened last night, tell me now."
A faint smile appeared on Angeline's lips.
"I know plenty."
Raiden leaned forward slightly.
"Then explain it."
Angeline glanced at Johny before letting out a soft laugh.
"Why should I?"
"Because my parents are dead! If you know anything about what happened last night, you will tell me."
Angeline looked at him as though he had said something ridiculous.
"Your parents are dead, Raiden." She shrugged. "That's your problem, not mine."
Raiden froze.
"What...?"
"Once you're dead, I'll be free. I'll be Angeline Wood again... or perhaps Angeline Randal."
Johny chuckled as he walked closer.
"Raiden, did you honestly believe a woman like Angeline would stay with a cripple forever?"
The surrounding bodyguards laughed.
"I've loved Johny from the very beginning. You were nothing more than a stepping stone," Angeline said.
Johny laughed loudly.
"You two... I'll make you pay for this!" Raiden cried.
"Really? What exactly can you do? You don't even realize what happened yesterday," Johny asked mockingly.
Raiden frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Johny casually picked up a thick stack of documents from the coffee table. He tossed them into Raiden's lap.
"They're yours."
Raiden opened the first page. His expression instantly changed. It was an Ownership Transfer Agreement of Bolt Group, and it was signed. His hands began to shake. He hurriedly flipped through the remaining documents.
It was the documents of everything he had. It was all transferred to Johny Randal.
"No..." Raiden muttered. "This is impossible."
Johny smirked.
"Is it?"
Raiden looked toward Angeline.
"You had access to all of my accounts... You..."
Angeline didn't deny it. Instead, she smiled proudly.
"Five years. It only took me five years to obtain everything."
Raiden felt as though the world around him had collapsed.
“You slut!”
Angeline shrugged. She didn’t even care what Raiden just called her.
Rage exploded inside Raiden. He slammed both hands against the wheelchair and tried to stand.
"I'll kill you both!"
The moment he forced himself upright... His crippled legs gave out beneath him. His body crashed heavily onto the marble floor. Pain shot through every wound on his body. The wounds when he miraculously survived from the fire last night. Fresh blood slowly stained the polished white floor.
Laughter erupted throughout the mansion.
"Hahaha! The cripple fell again! What a joke!"
Gerard immediately rushed forward.
"Sir!"
Before he could help Raiden, a bodyguard kicked him violently in the stomach. Gerard was sent crashing several meters away. He groaned in pain, unable to stand.
"Gerard!"
Raiden struggled desperately to crawl toward him. Johny looked down at him as though he were looking at an insect.
"What a pathetic sight. You should've died with your parents," she said.
"Finish him," Johny ordered.
The bodyguards immediately surrounded Raiden. One kick landed against his ribs, another struck his back.
The beating continued without mercy. Kicks and punches rained down on him from every direction, reopening the wounds he had suffered in the explosion. Blood stained the polished marble floor beneath him, yet no one showed the slightest intention of stopping. The mansion echoed with laughter as if his agony were nothing more than entertainment.
Raiden curled instinctively, trying to shield his head, but every movement only invited another blow. His consciousness began to fade, and even the pain slowly turned numb.
His trembling fingers instinctively reached the old silver ring his mother had made him swear never to remove. Warm blood slowly flowed across the ring's surface.
For an instant, the dull gemstone embedded within it emitted a faint golden glow.
A mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[Compatible Host detected.]
[Bloodline Verification Complete.]
[Initializing Legacy Inheritance System...]
Latest Chapter
No One Will Save You
The memorial had turned into a media storm before Angeline could even understand what had happened.The moment the recording of Johny attacking his hacker appeared on the screen, the atmosphere inside the hall changed completely. Guests who had spent the morning mourning a respected businessman were now whispering among themselves, while several reporters pushed through the crowd with their cameras already raised.Angeline barely had time to step away from the screen before the questions started coming at her from every direction.“Miss Angeline, did you know about the incident shown in the video?”“Was that really Johny Randal?”“Did you know his employee died inside his office?”“Were you involved in Randal Group's activities?”“Is it true that you were going to marry Mr. Randal?”Angeline tried to answer, but there were too many questions coming at once. She raised her hands and asked everyone to calm down, insisting that she had nothing to do with Randal Group's operations and tha
The Truth Behind the Memorial
The memorial descended into chaos the moment the recording ended.People who had been sitting quietly only minutes earlier were now standing and talking over one another, while several guests demanded to know who had placed the footage in the presentation. The large screen had returned to black, but the image of Johny striking his own hacker remained fresh in everyone's mind, making it impossible for the room to return to the solemn atmosphere it had held before.The arrival of several reporters made matters worse. They had been waiting outside for an opportunity to cover Johny's funeral, but the commotion inside quickly drew their attention. Cameras were raised as soon as they entered, and within seconds, Angeline found herself surrounded.“Ms. Wood, is that footage authentic?”“Did you know your fiancé attacked his employee?”“Who provided the recording?”“Was Mr. Randal involved in other illegal activities?”Angeline could barely process the questions. She looked toward the screen
The Funeral
Angeline had spent the entire morning surrounded by people, yet she had never felt more alone. The funeral had drawn almost everyone who had known Johny Randal during his years at the head of Randal Group, from relatives and old friends to business associates who had worked with him for years. Their presence should have given her some comfort, but every expression of sympathy only reminded her that Johny was never coming back.She stood beside his coffin in a black dress, accepting condolences while trying to keep herself composed. One relative held her hand and told her that Johny had always been a generous man who never hesitated to help people around him, while another spoke about how proud everyone had been when he turned Randal Group into one of the most successful companies in the city.Angeline listened without correcting anyone.To these people, Johny was a devoted husband, a respected businessman, and a man who had worked hard to build his family's future. They knew nothing a
The Price of Failure
Johny knew something had changed the moment the door opened again.The same man who had questioned him earlier entered the room, but this time he carried no folder and did not bother taking the empty chair across from him. Johny had spent the last several hours trying to understand what had happened after the warehouse operation, yet nobody had given him any information. He had no idea where he was, whether his people were still searching for him, or whether anyone from Randal Group even knew that he had disappeared.He stood as the man approached.“I can explain what happened,” Johny said. “Raiden prepared everything. He knew about the warehouse, and he manipulated the evidence to make it look as though I tried to access your system. I can find him if you give me another chance.”The man stopped a few steps away and looked at him without expression.“You had your chance.”Johny's face tightened. “I can still be useful.”“You have already become a liability.”Johny's breathing became
The Hunter Becomes the Hunted
Johny stared at the screen long after the hacker finished explaining what had happened, unable to ignore the implications of the information displayed in front of him. The footage from the warehouse had already been detected, the false access attempt had been connected to his credentials, and the system on the other side had apparently recorded everything before his people even realized there was a problem.“Delete it,” Johny ordered, his voice tense as he pointed toward the screen. “Everything connected to that transmission. Every trace, every copy, every access record.”The hacker immediately began working, opening several security consoles while trying to isolate the systems involved. He had barely started when his expression changed.“It is already too late.”Johny turned toward him. “What did you say?”“The information has already been registered by their system. I can remove whatever remains on our side, but I cannot erase something that has already reached them.”“Then cut the
The Trap
By the time Raiden returned to Aurora, the night had already passed into early morning, but he had no intention of sleeping yet. The events at the warehouse had changed something between him and Johny. Before that night, Raiden had known that someone was using Johny to pursue him, but Johny had always remained behind layers of other people and hired men. Now that he had appeared personally, there was no longer any doubt that he was directly involved.Raiden sat in his room with his tablet in hand and reviewed the information he had gathered over the past few weeks. He was not looking for another way to track the organization behind Johny. The security around the facility he had escaped from had already been strengthened, and attempting to force his way into their network again would only expose him unnecessarily. What interested him now was Johny's position.A search through public corporate records revealed something Raiden had not known before. Several assets and financial facilitie
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