REVENGE OF THE MOURNER

Let Me Handle This

Leon stared at Rose in disbelief. She had just helped him, and now she was hurting Evelyn and throwing him out? Had his sister lost her mind?

Rose moved out to the terrace, where Mary lay unconscious. Leon wanted to stop her, but first, he had to tend to Evelyn's injury.

“Let me see your hand,” he said, gently taking Evelyn’s wrist.

“It really hurts…” Evelyn winced, her voice trembling.

Leon examined the slash wound closely, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle filled with a clear liquid.

“Eve, bite my arm. This might hurt—a lot.”

She looked at him, hesitant, but followed his instructions.

Leon uncapped the bottle and poured a few drops of the clear liquid onto her wound.

Evelyn shut her eyes and bit down hard on Leon’s arm. He didn’t flinch. His focus stayed on the wound.

Within seconds, the gash dried up. And more astonishingly, it closed on its own.

“How’s it feel now? Still hurt?” Leon asked, glancing at her.

Evelyn opened her eyes, dazed. She let go of Leon’s arm and checked the wound on her hand.

It was gone! The only trace left was the blood that had stained her skin.

“You okay now?” Leon asked.

“Yeah… I’m okay. What did you do?”

Leon didn’t answer. He simply sighed in relief and smiled. No way he was telling her that what he’d just used was a special healing serum he got from The Nocturn.

“You stay right here, okay?” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder and locking eyes with her.

Still looking confused, Evelyn nodded. Leon stood and headed for the terrace.

Out there, Rose was frantically trying to wake Mary. Nothing she tried was working.

Leon stepped up. Rose looked back and scowled. “What do you want? Get out of here!”

He ignored her. He knelt on Mary’s right side, directly across from Rose.

“Back up a little. Let me handle this,” Leon said.

“What?!” Rose snapped, her eyes blazing.

Leon checked for Mary’s pulse, then carefully lifted her right hand. He pressed his thumb against a point between her thumb and index finger.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?” Rose asked, panicked.

Leon didn’t answer. He just pressed harder.

A few tense seconds passed. Then, Mary’s eyelids fluttered open. Her lips moved.

“Mom, are you okay?” Rose leaned down, cradling her mother’s head and stroking her hair.

“What… happened?” Mary asked, her voice groggy, her eyes finally opening all the way.

“Oh, thank God you’re awake, Mom.” Tears streamed down Rose’s cheeks.

Leon breathed out in relief. He gently laid Mary’s hand back on her stomach.

“You’re safe now, Mom. Luckily, those thugs didn’t use a strong enough dose of sedative.”

That voice... Mary froze. Then she sat up, eyes scanning, and turned her face toward Leon.

“Who’s there? Is that you, Leon?”

Seeing the blank look in her eyes, Leon felt something tighten in his chest. He took her hand again and guided it to his face.

“Yes, Mom. It’s me.”

Mary gently touched his face, feeling it the way a blind person might. Then she broke down, sobbing just like Rose earlier.

“Leon… it’s really you, isn’t it?”

“Of course, Mom. It’s me. Leon. Your son.”

Mary’s sobs deepened, her wrinkled face twisting with emotion.

Unable to bear it anymore, Leon pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I’m so sorry, Mom. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you these past five years,” he whispered.

“It’s okay… it’s okay…” Mary sobbed. “What matters is you’re back. You have no idea how happy I am.”

They clung to each other. Rose wiped the tears from her own face. Back where she sat, Evelyn covered her mouth, her eyes glassy.

“How are you, sweetheart? Are you healthy?” Mary asked once they let go.

“I’m good, Mom. You don’t need to worry," Leon answered. "Let’s go back inside now.”

With Rose’s help, Leon helped Mary to her feet. Brother and sister shared a long look. Leon could still see the fire of anger in her eyes.

Ring! Ring!

The sound of a phone broke the silence. Rose quickly pulled her phone out of her coat and glanced at the screen.

“Hello?” she answered, looking tense.

“…Okay, okay. I’ll be right there.”

She hung up and turned to Mary, then gave Leon a sharp glare.

“Can I trust you to take care of Mom? I have to get to work. Right now.”

Leon nodded. “Go. I’ve got everything here under control.”

But he saw the doubt in her eyes. She didn’t trust him—not yet.

“Make sure you keep her safe. We’ll talk later,” she said, walking off the terrace.

Leon watched her go. Rose glanced at Evelyn as she passed, and Evelyn quickly looked away.

'Something definitely went down between them. I’ll need to get to the bottom of it later,' Leon thought.

...

Meanwhile, at Greystone Gregory Hospital…

A gray-haired man in an expensive suit stormed down the fifth-floor hallway. Four towering, sharp-eyed bodyguards followed behind him.

He arrived at VVIP Room 517 and flung open the door. His eyes widened at the sight inside.

His only son, Jonathan, was lying in a hospital bed. His right arm was wrapped in bandages and strapped in a brace.

“Mr. Victor,” Roger greeted him with a deep bow.

Gregory was in the room too, his arm in a sling, bowing respectfully.

“What the hell happened?” Victor snapped, striding forward. “Why is my son like this?”

Roger and Gregory exchanged a nervous glance. One wrong word, and Victor Kerstel could ruin the entire bussiness of the Harringtons.

“Right before the engagement event started, someone barged in and caused a scene, sir,” Roger said carefully.

Victor turned to him, eyes narrowing. “Who?”

Roger swallowed. “Leonidas Vale. My son-in-law—the one who was thrown in prison five years ago, sir.”

Victor furrowed his brow. “He’s out?”

“He shouldn’t be, sir. But somehow, he showed up at The Vellington today. He… he’s the one who broke Jonathan’s arm.”

Victor’s eyes flared. His face turned red with fury.

“That criminal broke my son’s arm?”

“Yes, sir.”

Roger answered every question with his head bowed. So did Gregory. They knew full well they were dealing with a man far more powerful and wealthy than the Harringtons.

“Tell me exactly what happened. In full detail,” Victor ordered coldly.

Roger launched into his version of the events, of course framing everything to make Leon look like the aggressor and disruptor. He left out how the Harringtons had humiliated Leon, also how Jonathan had choked Evelyn and used her as a hostage.

“I see…” Victor said after hearing it all. “So, where is that bastard now?”

“Right now he should be at his mother’s house, sir,” Roger replied. “Gregory already called in some gangsters. They’re probably beating the hell out of him there.”

Victor turned to Gregory. “And your shoulder? Broken too?”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory winced. “His… associate slammed me down after I made the call. I didn’t see it coming. That’s how I ended up like this.”

Victor didn’t seem interested in Gregory’s injury. His eyes returned to Roger.

“So what are you going to do now? My son was hurt—at your event. I expect you to make this right.”

“Of course, sir. We’ll cover all of Jonathan’s medical expenses. That’s the least we can do.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Victor growled. “What are you going to do about Leon?”

“Ah, about that…” Roger looked to Gregory, who gave a firm nod.

“We plan to deliver him to you, sir. Once the gangsters rough him up, they’ll bring him straight to your estate. After that, he’s all yours, sir. You can even kill him, if you wish.”

Victor narrowed his eyes, then looked back at Jonathan.

“Make sure it gets done. And if you need any help, just say the word. Until that bastard pays for what he did to my son, I won’t sleep easy.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll keep you updated,” Roger replied.

With a flick of his hand, Victor dismissed them. Roger and Gregory quickly left the room.

A few seconds later, Victor pulled out his phone and made a call.

“It’s me. The hitman you hired a while back, can you send him to meet me?”

...