REVENGE OF THE MOURNER

This Is Your Last Chance

Evelyn stumbled forward a few steps, coughing while clutching her neck. When she turned around and lifted her face, she was stunned, frozen solid. Most people in the ballroom had a similar reaction.

"With this hand, you kept my wife from breathing. Now you won't be able to use it for the rest of your life!" Leon stated firmly, then kicked Jonathan, sending him sprawling.

Jonathan screamed in pain. His face was red, and tears streamed down.

"My hand... oh, God... my hand..." he wailed.

Leon looked at him dismissively. He felt no pity whatsoever for the man who tried to steal his wife.

"Leon, you've completely lost it!" Margot snapped, glaring at Leon as she rushed to Jonathan. "Do you have any idea what the hell you just did, huh?!"

Margot tried to calm Jonathan, whose wailing was growing louder. She looked confused, not knowing what to do.

"You're fucking insane!" Gregory yelled, slowly standing up, his face grimacing in pain.

"Roger, this man is an absolute criminal! Years in prison only made him worse! Do something!" Verona looked at her husband, panicked.

Roger took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then snorted. His stare at Leon was full of anger and malice.

"You damn dog! You'll pay for what you did! Mark my words!" Roger raged.

Leon's response? He was perfectly calm. He approached his wife and looked at her gently. "Are you alright?"

Evelyn didn't say anything. She looked bewildered.

"We're leaving this place," Leon then said, holding his wife's hand and leading her down the stage.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you are going? Let her go!" Margot screamed.

"Get your filthy hand off my daughter, you damn dog! Don't you dare think you can do whatever you want in front of me!" Roger blocked Leon, pointing at him aggressively.

Leon looked at his father-in-law coldly. It would be easy for him to brush aside this round-faced man with a slightly bulging belly, but he had to consider Evelyn's feelings.

"Look, I'm restraining myself right now because, no matter what, you're my wife's family. But I'm warning you, if you keep pissing me off, I might not be able to hold back anymore," Leon said.

"You!"

Leon lifted his chin slightly, then continued walking forward. Evelyn, whom he led, looked increasingly confused.

Bang!

"Stop... or I'll shoot you!"

The sound of the gunshot made the people in the ballroom scream hysterically. Leon's steps stopped. Slowly, he turned back, finding Gregory pointing a pistol at him.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Leon stared sharply at Gregory.

"Shut up! Let go of my sister or I'll blow a hole in your skull!" Gregory barked.

The ballroom grew noisy. The guests buzzed like bees.

Near the stage, Jonathan wailed in pain again, causing Margot to finally take out her phone and call an ambulance.

"Leon... I think you should let go of my hand," Evelyn said softly.

Leon shook his head. "I'll never let go of your hand again, Eve. From this moment on, we'll be back together, forever."

Leon tightened his grip on Evelyn's hand. His eyes were still fixed on Gregory.

"Don't challenge me, you scumbag!" Gregory yelled; his face clearly showed he was still bearing the pain from the punch to his stomach.

The atmosphere grew tenser. In seconds, Gregory might fire a second shot. And this time, it could claim a life.

"Leon..."

Evelyn was about to say something but was interrupted by the sound of dozens of people rushing toward the ballroom. Moments later, those people appeared in the doorway—the police officers Gregory had called earlier.

"Everyone stay where you are! Nobody move!" shouted the policeman in front—a nametag reading "Kevin" was on his chest.

The bee-like buzzing instantly disappeared. The guests instinctively moved to the sides of the ballroom, clearing a path for the officers. The police advanced, each scanning the room with a pistol in hand.

"Now you're finished! You'll end up back in jail, you damn trash!" Gregory cursed, smirking.

Leon looked at Gregory coldly, then turned his eyes to the officers, especially Kevin. He knew Kevin was in cahoots with Gregory, just like what happened five years ago.

"Hey, you! Put your hands up and get on your knees!" Kevin ordered.

"What did I do wrong?" Leon narrowed his eyes, then pointed at Gregory. "Shouldn't he be the one you're arresting? He just fired a gun and scared people."

"Nonsense! You're the one scaring everyone in this ballroom!" Gregory countered.

"Don't listen to this trash, Officer!" Margot chimed in. "He suddenly came in and ruined our important event. And look at this, this garbage broke Jonathan Kerstel's arm right in front of all of us!"

Kevin glanced toward the stage, then looked back at Leon. "Is it true you did it?"

Leon didn't answer right away. Evelyn, who was behind him, pressed her lips together. She slowly raised her other hand, intending to pat Leon's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm the one who broke that asshole's arm," Leon said, making Evelyn's hand stop mid-air.

All eyes were now on Leon. What would happen next? Imagining it made them even more tense.

"You've got some nerve. Are you also the one who took down the security guards and the dozens of guys in black outside?" Kevin asked again.

"Yes, I did that too," Leon replied.

People were stunned by Leon's confession. So, before entering this ballroom, he had first beaten up the hotel security and Jonathan's men who had left after dropping off those super-expensive gifts?

"Then you're coming with us," Kevin said sternly. "Quickly raise your hands and get on your knees! Now!"

Leon didn't move. More officers pointed their guns at him. If Kevin gave the order to shoot, could he dodge the bullets flying his way?

"Quickly let go of my daughter and do what the officer says, you stupid poor man!" Verona snapped.

"It's all over now, you rotten dog. Surrender and accept your fate. Hopefully, you'll rot in jail forever this time!" Roger chimed in.

Leon clearly heard his in-laws' words, but he didn't pay them any mind. His eyes were fixed on Kevin, without a hint of fear or intimidation.

"I said raise your hands and get on your knees! Don't make me say it again!" Kevin roared.

Leon's response? He took out his phone from his pocket and made a call—holding the phone up to his ear.

"I've got some stupid cops trying to mess with me here. Call the Greystone Hollow Chief of Police, tell him to call his subordinate named Kevin right away. I don't want to beat up these officers, but if push comes to shove, I might just do it."

The person Leon called was Dimitri. He immediately ended the call after Dimitri said he would contact the Greystone Hollow Chief of Police right then.

Seeing Leon's behavior, the corner of Kevin's mouth lifted. "What was that supposed to mean? Are you trying to intimidate us?" he mocked.

Staring coldly at Kevin, Leon said, "Five years ago, I just resigned myself to you dragging me to jail, hoping the court would find me innocent because I didn't do what I was accused of. But I was wrong. I won't let that happen this time!"

Kevin snorted. "Motherfucker! You dare challenge law enforcement! Don't blame us if we use force on you!"

With a hand gesture from Kevin, the officers to his left and right advanced, each locking their eyes on Leon and ready to shoot if deemed necessary.

"Leon, what are we going to do?" Evelyn finally touched Leon's shoulder, sounding panicked.

Leon glanced at his wife briefly, offering a small smile. "Just relax. Everything is under control," he said.

Evelyn, of course, didn't believe him. Under control? Right now, Leon was cornered. And she didn't know how brutal these officers would be when they eventually jumped and beat up Leon.

"This is your last chance," Kevin said after the officers in the ballroom had now circled Leon and Evelyn. "Hands up and on your knees, or we'll take severe action!"

Leon stood his ground, eyes still fixed on Kevin. Seeing Leon's stubbornness irritated Kevin. He then raised his right hand again, about to signal his men to surge forward and attack Leon, but he was interrupted by his phone suddenly ringing loudly...

Instantly, the officers' focus shifted to Kevin.

"Pick it up. Maybe it's from your boss," Leon said, lifting his chin and smirking.

Staring suspiciously at Leon, Kevin took his phone and checked the screen. It was true; it was a call from his superior—the Greystone Hollow Chief of Police.

He immediately answered it.

"Sir?"

No one could hear what the Greystone Hollow Chief of Police said to Kevin, but judging from Kevin's face suddenly turning grim, it was easy to guess it wasn't anything pleasant for him.

...