2025-02-24 19:11:06Kelvin's Pov
I agree to my father’s request.
It’s not like I have much of a choice. The weight of his expectations hangs over me like a storm cloud, but there’s a part of me that’s curious no, hungry to see what this new life has in store. The takeover of “Eclipse Group” is set for tomorrow, coinciding with their anniversary celebration. Major companies in the city will be there, including Justin’s family. The thought of facing him again sends a flicker of anticipation through me.
Lydia takes me to the villa my father prepared. It’s massive, luxurious, and eerily quiet. The kind of place that feels more like a museum than a home. I wander through the halls, my mind racing. The cultivation methods I’ve inherited from the ring are still fresh in my mind, a jumble of techniques and rituals I barely understand. But one thing’s clear: I need to start practicing.
The first step is a specific herb “Soulroot”. It’s rare and expensive, but according to the knowledge flooding my mind, it’s essential for unlocking my potential. When I ask Lydia about it, she tells me the city’s largest herbal store, “Golden Petal”, should have it.
We head there together.
The store is a sprawling, ornate building filled with the scent of dried herbs and incense. Shelves line the walls, packed with jars and boxes labeled in elegant script. Lydia wait outside I asked, her presence a silent reminder of the power I now wield.
I find the Soulroot quickly. It’s the last one in stock, a gnarled, dark root wrapped in delicate paper. As I approach the counter, the door chimes behind me.
“Excuse me, do you have any Soulroot in stock?” a familiar voice asks.
I turn, and my stomach drops.
It’s Mary’s mother “Sarah, trailed by her younger sister. They don’t notice me at first, too busy arguing with the clerk.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the clerk says, glancing at me. “The last one has already been taken by this gentleman.”
Mary’s mother follows the clerk’s gaze, and her eyes widen in recognition. “You,” she sneers, her voice dripping with disdain.
I force a calm expression, though my fists clench at my sides. “Mrs. Sarah.”
She steps closer, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “What are you doing here, Kelvin? Shouldn’t you be licking your wounds somewhere? Or did you come here to beg for Mary to take you back?”
Her sister giggles, a high-pitched, grating sound. “Look at him. He probably can’t even afford a cup of tea, let alone Soulroot.”
The clerk looks uncomfortable, shifting from foot to foot. “Ma’am, if you’d like to check out our other”
“No,” Mrs. Sarah interrupts, her voice sharp. “I want that Soulroot. And I don’t believe for a second that he can afford it.” She points at me, her finger trembling with barely contained rage. “He’s just a poor orphan. A nobody. Don’t let him fool you.”
I take a deep breath, reminding myself not to lose control. This isn’t worth it. But the way she looks at me like I’m dirt beneath her shoes, stirs something dark inside me.
“I’ll take it,” I say, placing the Soulroot on the counter.
Mrs. Sarah scoffs. “With what money? Your imaginary savings?”
I pull out the black card my father gave me and slide it across the counter. The clerk’s eyes widen, and she picks it up with trembling hands.
“This… this is a Black Eclipse Card,” she stammers. “I’ve never seen one in person before.”
Mrs. Sarah's face pales, but she quickly recovers. “It’s fake. It has to be. There’s no way someone like him could have one.”
The clerk hesitates, glancing between me and Mrs. Sarah. “Ma’am, this card is… it’s real. It’s one of the most exclusive cards in the world. Only a handful of people have access to it.”
Mrs. Sarah's jaw drops. Her sister stares at me, her earlier smugness replaced by shock.
“Impossible,” Mrs. Sarah mutters, her voice shaking. “You’re lying. He’s lying!”
I lean in slightly, my voice low but firm. “Believe what you want. But this herb is mine.”
Mrs. Sarah's eyes narrow, and she steps closer to the counter. “What are you talking about? That’s impossible. He’s just a poor orphan. There’s no way he has a Black Eclipse Card.”
“You can’t seriously believe he’s one of those people. Look at him! He’s nothing but a beggar.”
Her sister chimes in, her tone dripping with mockery. “Yeah, he probably found that card on the street. Or maybe he stole it. Either way, he’s not fooling anyone.”
The clerk’s doubt grows, and she sets the card down on the counter, her expression apologetic but firm. “Sir, I’m sorry, but I can’t process this payment. If you have another form of payment, I’d be happy to…”
“You’re making a mistake,” I say, my voice calm but edged with warning.
Mrs. Sarah laughs, a harsh, grating sound. “Oh, please. Stop pretending, Kelvin. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Her sister steps forward, peering at the screen. “There’s no way he has that kind of money.”
I ignore her, keeping my focus on the clerk. “Run the card.”
She hesitates again, clearly torn. “Sir, if this card is declined, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“Just run it,” I repeat, my tone leaving no room for argument.
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Chapter 108 : The Trap Flips
I stare at the wall in silence, my breath steady but my blood far from calm. It’s been hours since Eddy and the team took Justin. The warehouse location was chosen carefully off the grid, forgotten by time. We were supposed to extract the truth from him, corner him with evidence, make him confess. But now... everything’s unraveling.Olivia storms into the room, her face tight with urgency.“They found him.”I look up, confused. “What do you mean?”“Justin’s men realized he was missing. They reported it to the police.” She paces. “And the warehouse wasn’t as off-the-grid as we thought. CCTV from surrounding buildings picked up the van. Police tracked it down. They’re already headed there.”I bolt up from the chair. “What about the disguises? The wiped footage?”She shakes her head. “I hacked the police system to slow them down and blur the faces. It worked for a while. But they used drone surveillance near the warehouse. They’ll breach it within minutes.”I grip the edge of the table.
Chapter 107: Revenge Burns Cold
The moment Justin’s voice barks through the room, ordering his thugs to find the source of the noise, my heart hammers against my ribs. I press myself deeper into the shadows, my breath shallow, my fingers gripping the edge of the wall. If they find me now, everything is over. Then, like a ghost materializing from the dark, Eddy appears beside me. His hand clamps over my wrist, pulling me back just as heavy footsteps round the corner. We slip into the nearest room Mary’s. The door clicks shut behind us, sealing us in the suffocating silence of her past. The scent of lavender still lingers, faint but unmistakable. Her perfume. It floats in the air like a ghost, soft yet overwhelming. The familiarity of it punches through my chest, stopping me cold. For a moment, I’m paralyzed, held captive by a memory I wasn’t ready to face. My eyes sweep over the room the neatly made bed, the faint indent on the pillow, the vanity with her hairbrush still lying there, strands of her hair tangled i
Chapter 106: The Silent Witness
My pulse drums in my ears as I lean against the passenger door of John Chen’s sleek black SUV. I’m parked but invisible hidden in shadow. Across me, Chen is pacing, talking into his phone with that practiced calm. I know exactly who he’s calling.I step forward. The gravel crunch under my shoes breaks his rhythm but not his composure. He lowers the phone and looks at me surprised but not alarmed. That’s arrogance, pure and sharp.He ends the call and masks his face with a cool smile. “Kelvin Flynn. What a surprise.”He doesn’t realize I already know everything: his real name Peter McGregor his criminal history. I step closer, heart racing.“Peter,” I say, soft and serious. “Or John. Whichever face you prefer tonight. Funny thing I know everything about you. About your past crimes. Your prison time. Your jail escape. Your fake identity.”He blinks, feigns confidence, but the edge is gone. “So what? You think that scares me?”“Not scares,” I counter, stepping into the faint garage light
Chapter 105: The Mask Falls
The city lights blur past the car window as I sit in the backseat, deep in thought. The last few days have been a whirlwind of guilt, desperation, and a single terrifying realization Brianna almost ended her life. And I almost let her.But she’s safe now. And we’ve talked. Finally, really talked.She’s asleep in the penthouse guest room. Exhausted, but healing. I promised her I wouldn't leave her side, and I meant it.My phone buzzes. It's Olivia.“I found him,” she says without even greeting me. “John Chen isn’t who he says he is.”I sit up straight. “What do you mean?”“He’s not Chinese-American. His real name is Peter McGregor. Full American. No business background. But a long list of criminal records.”I go silent.“Kelvin,” she continues, “He’s been to jail twice. First for cybercrimes hacking, identity theft, credit card scams. Second time, it was sexual assault. He served a few years and disappeared after that. Changed his identity. Resurfaced as John Chen, a ‘global investor’
Chapter 104: The Edge of Despair
Brianna’s POV rain pelts the penthouse windows, a relentless drumming that matches the storm in my chest.I stand at the edge of the balcony, my fingers gripping the railing, the city lights blurring through my tears.One step.That’s all it would take.One step, and the pain would end. The humiliation. The crushing weight of failure.My great-grandfather’s company gone. My legacy stolen.And the man I once loved refused to even look at me.I lift my footThe door crashes open behind me.“Brianna!”Kelvin’s voice is raw, desperate.I don’t turn. “Go away.”His hands grab my shoulders, yanking me back from the edge. I stumble against his chest, his heartbeat pounding against my back.“What the hell are you doing?” His voice shakes.I laugh, hollow. “What does it look like?”He spins me around, his grip bruising. “Look at me.”I do.His eyes are dark, furious alive.“You don’t get to quit,” he growls.The dam breaks.I shove him, my fists pounding against his chest. “You left me! You r
Chapter 103: The Puppet Master’s Gambit
Brianna’s POVThe boardroom is too cold.I sit stiffly in my chair, my manicured nails digging into the armrests as John Chen strolls to the head of the table like a king claiming his throne.The vote was unanimous.My board. My company.And now?Now it’s his.Chen adjusts his cufflinks, his smile razor-thin. “Effective immediately, all major decisions will require my approval. Ms. Brianna will remain in an advisory role.”Advisory role. A polite way of saying powerless.I stand, my heels clicking against the marble floor. “This isn’t over.”Chen chuckles. “Oh, but it is.”The dismissal in his voice is worse than the betrayal.I walk out, my pride the only thing keeping me from crumbling.Kelvin's POV I'm still in my office, the early evening light bleeding through the blinds, casting lines across my desk like prison bars. My laptop pings a notification from a business journal I follow. I almost ignore it. I wish I had.Then I see the headline:“John Chen Appointed CEO of BGC Holding
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