RETURN OF THE VENGEFUL GOD OF WAR

Chapter 09

   A wave of shock rippled through the Lart family hall.

What Adrian had just declared wasn’t simply bold, it was impossible, total madness.

“Impossible!” Barbara shrieked, clutching her stomach as if she might collapse from laughter. “Elara, not only did you drag in a peasant, but also a lunatic?!”

Lady Ann sneered, her lips curling like she had bitten into something sour.

“He probably doesn’t even know who Express Medical Corporation is! The fool must think it’s a roadside drug kiosk where you can walk in and buy bread!”

The family erupted, laughter until tears poured from their eyes.

But when they saw a clown, Adrian stood calm, his hand still wrapped firmly around Elara’s.

Elara leaned closer, whispering with a trembling voice. 30 days was already an impossible miracle... And three days was just absurd.

“Adrian, this isn’t a joke. Express Corporation… they’re on a level far beyond anything we can touch. Please, think about this again." Her eyes were filled with pleas as she spoke to him with a soft tone that came off almost as a whisper.

Adrian tilted his head, his gaze cutting into hers.

“Do you trust me?” He inquired.

Elara froze. Those words… those eyes.

She remembered when every doctor had sworn her face was beyond saving. When they had laughed at her hope. And then Adrian had walked in, done the impossible, and restored her beauty.

Now, here he was again, asking the same question.

Her lips trembled before she nodded firmly.

“Yes.”

A small smile tugged Adrian’s lips. With her confirmation, he turned back to Sir Gate

“It’s settled then. Once I bring you the contract, I’ll marry Elara immediately.”

Sir Gate nearly leapt with excitement, his eyes shining with mock triumph and at Adrain's stupidity.

“Excellent!"

He was thrilled. Not only would this arrogant fool embarrass himself, but it also meant he didn’t need to spend a single coin on him after saving his daughter from her hideous face. In Gates's mind, the arrangement was flawless.

Outside the villa, Elara’s hands fidgeted, her voice cracking with fear.

“Adrian, how can you do this? How can you possibly get Express’s contract? Even for the Bert family, it was a big fight!"

Adrain's hands clenched tightly hearing that name once again, a bitter sensation flooding into his mouth.

But quickly, he schooled his looks back into neutrality and turned over to Elara.

"I'm more powerful than the Bert family business group, you don't have to worry!"

An amusing smile tugs Elara's face. "You are no longer with my family, you don't have to keep face with me!" The smile spreads wider through her face.

“I’ll figure something out,” she rambled, pacing. “I know a classmate who works with a pharmaceutical rep. Maybe he could."

“There would be no need for the stress Elara” Adrian’s voice cut through her panic like a blade, calm and unshakeable.

“I already told you. Don’t worry. The contract will be in my hands tomorrow.”

Something about his tone silenced her. His words weren’t hopeful. They were certain.

When he was finally alone, Adrian slipped his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

The line clicked instantly like the person at the other side was already expecting the call.

“My liege!” A voice came through instantly, thick with respect and fear.

"How long will it take to secure a supply contract with Express Medical?” Adrain's voice came sharply.

The voice hesitated only briefly.

“If urgent, within an hour, sir.”

“Good. Tell their president I’ll be arriving personally to pick up the agreement.”

“Yes, my liege! They’ll be honored to have you!”

Adrian ended the call, sliding the phone back into his pocket. His eyes gleamed. Tomorrow, the Lart family would regret their sneers.

He got into a taxi and soon pulled up at the express headquarters.

The building rose like a monument to wealth and power, glass walls glittering under the evening sky. Only the world’s elite were ever seen here, billionaires, tycoons, heads of state.

Adrian walked across the marble floor in simple clothes, out of place among the crowd dripping in designer suits and jewelry.

Sneers followed him instantly. The elites displeased that someone of his nature dared to walk amongst them. "Seems someone lost their way?”

“Security must be sleeping.”

“Look at him, like a beggar straying into a palace.”

Adrian ignored them, his steps calm and measured as if the place belonged to him.

At the gate, a guard stepped forward, eyes dripping with disdain, quickly stepping on to Adrain's way with a sneer.

"You cannot get in with a ticket!" He said.

Adrain came prepared. He had already informed his assistant to get him everything that he would need for a smooth entry into the headquarters and the ticket was one of them.

"I have one!" Adrain replied sternly, handing over his cell phone to the guard with his virtual tickets on display.

The guard frowned, scrolling through the pass, running checks, re-checking digits. His face froze.

It was real.

This… ordinary-looking man had an access pass that even the richest families would sell their souls for. The guard’s mind spiraled. Could Adrian be a hidden billionaire? A secret shareholder?

“Can I have my phone back?” Adrian’s voice cut smoothly, but with a weight that made the guard stumble back as if struck.

He returned the phone quickly, swallowing hard, and opened the gates.

Adrian walked past without a second glance.

Inside the lobby, the receptionist barely looked up before her nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Who let you in?” she barked. “The guard’s job is to keep people like you out!”

Adrian’s brow lifted slightly. “I’m here to see your supervisor. He knows I’m coming.”

The receptionist burst into laughter, her voice sharp and mocking.

“The supervisor? You? Even if we needed a cleaner, you wouldn’t qualify. Get out before you embarrass yourself further.”

Snickers and jeers rippled across the room. Expensively dressed elites turned to watch, delighted at the humiliation.

Adrian didn’t flinch. His tone stayed calm, almost lazy

.

“I came for business. If you doubt me, pick up that phone and confirm from your boss unless you’re too scared of being wrong.”

Her face twisted with fury and her eyes knotted with sharp disdain.

“Business? With Express? Don’t make me laugh. What kind of contract could a nobody like you possibly want?”

“A supply contract. It’s written on my pass.”

The hall froze and even the air seemed to become still.

Then laughter exploded like thunder.

“He’s insane!”

“A supply contract?! From Express?!”

“This man must have escaped from a mental ward!”

"If he's here for a supply contract, then I rule the world!" Another commented, jerking with laughter.

The receptionist slammed her hand on the desk.

“Security! Throw this lunatic out before I call the supervisor myself!”

The doors burst open. A dozen guards stormed in, armed and armored, moving like soldiers ready to subdue a terrorist.

“Hands in the air! Step away from the counter!” one barked.

Adrian didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. His gaze lifted slowly, calm yet terrifying.

“Are you serious?” His voice was soft, but the chill in it made the air itself feel heavier.