Revenge Of The Dragon Lord

008: Little Poor And Adopted Fool!

Chris remembered what the Soul Racer had told him earlier. That voice still echoed in his head like a distant war drum. He rose to his feet, ignoring the chaos around him.

Just as he tried to walk away, Zack snatched him by the collar and dragged him back roughly.

“Don’t you ever walk out on me, Chris! Show some respect!” Zack barked, his voice sharp with threat, his eyes mocking. He was trying to reduce Chris to nothing, and he wasn’t even subtle about it.

Still, Chris said nothing. He stepped back quietly, making to turn again, but two large men blocked his path. Before he could take another step, Zack yanked him again like he was pulling tissue from a public toilet.

“I’ve always known you were short-tempered, but now you’re just plain stubborn. Five years in jail taught you nothing!” Zack hissed, still gripping Chris’s collar.

“Let me go, Zack,” Chris muttered. His voice was quiet, calm, almost too calm.

Zack leaned closer. “You dare to call me by name? Where’s your respect, huh?”

Chris slowly raised his hand to Zack’s shoulder. “You want to know where my respect has gone?”

Before Zack could respond, Chris suddenly twisted Zack’s hand and flung it aside. Zack stumbled, groaning in pain, holding his wrist.

“Keeping quiet doesn’t make me a fool,” Chris said coldly. “I’m done tolerating you... and that prostitute you call a wife.”

His gaze cut to Alice, who froze where she stood. Karen shot up from her seat and slapped Chris hard across the cheek.

“Why do you always bring trouble with you?” she yelled. Her voice vibrated with fury. “Do you even know who you’re talking to? That’s Zack Leonard! Nobody messes with him and walks away alive. Do you want to die?”

Ava stepped in, standing between her mother and Chris. “Chris, he’s not worth it. Just leave it. You’re no match for Zack.”

Chris stared at Ava briefly, then Alice sauntered up to him, a cruel smirk curling her lips.

“Oh, I see. You’ve found yourself a wife again. So tell me, are you also Living in her father’s house now?” she said, laughing under her breath. “Seriously, Chris, were you cursed to keep ending up as a live-in son-in-law?”

Chris didn’t say any thing. Instead, he grabbed Ava gently by the waist and pulled her closer, making the entire room gasp.

“What if Ava is my wife?” he said. “At least she still knows how to act like a human. Unlike you, Alice, who’s so cheap you offered yourself to every one of the Jones brothers. I thank God we broke up. I could never be married to a royal prostitute.”

“How dare you!” Alice screamed, her hand flying toward his face.

But Ava caught it mid-air, gripping her wrist.

Gasps spread through the eatery. Customers stopped eating and turned to watch the unfolding drama.

“Who are you to stop me?” Alice hissed, glaring at Ava.

“It’s uncultured to slap someone in public,” Ava shot back. “Especially someone you betrayed, someone you sent to prison just so you could chase Edward. And don’t pretend you forgot. You’re the reason he has a criminal record.”

Ava let go of her hand. Alice stepped back, her jaw clenched. She tried to scoff like none of this mattered, but her eyes were burning.

“You’re right. All of you,” Alice said suddenly. “I told you to take the blame not just because of Edward. We wanted you in prison, Chris. We wanted that criminal record on your name so you’d never be allowed to run Falcon.”

Chris blinked hard. We?

Zack stepped forward with a smirk.

“When she said we, she meant all of us. Including me,” he said. “I was the one who planned it all. Alice only did what I told her. That jail time was part of the plan. Once you had a criminal record, you’d be unfit to lead Falcon.”

Chris’s fists clenched. His whole body trembled. “You bastard!” he yelled, swinging a fist toward Zack.

Zack held up a hand. “Take a look around, Chris. I have fifty men surrounding this place. If I snap my fingers, they’ll beat you until you can’t breathe.”

Chris froze, his fist hovering in the air, teeth gritted. His eyes locked on Zack like he could kill him with just a stare. He didn’t swing, and Zack mistook his restraint for weakness.

He had no idea that Chris was holding himself back only because of the Soul Racer’s voice in his head.

Zack stepped even closer. “This is your last warning. Stay away from Falcon.”

Chris breathed through his nose. His voice came out low and deadly. “You should be preparing to hand Falcon over. I’m not backing down.”

Zack laughed bitterly. “I’ll go viral as a fool the day I give Falcon to you. Falcon is mine. And there’s nothing you or your dead father can do about it.”

He leaned in, eyes blazing. “I took your father’s land. I took your company. I even took your wife. I’ll keep taking until you have nothing left. Mark my words, Chris. I won’t rest until I bury you.”

Then Zack turned and walked away, each step loud and slow.

Chris stood there, fists still clenched, fury boiling in his chest.

Behind him, the customers started whispering and pointing.

“Did you hear that? He actually thinks he’ll become Falcon’s CEO?”

“He’s a disgrace. Just like his father, trusting everything to his cousin, the late Mr. Jones.”

The whispers chased him out of the eatery like shadows.

When they got home, Chris was still burning inside. As soon as they stepped through the door, Karen snatched a jug of water from the dining table and poured it straight onto his face.

“I am always disappointed in you, Chris Loner!” she screamed. “Why did we even take you in? You’ve done nothing but embarrass us.”

“Mom!” Ava snapped, stepping between them.

Karen turned sharply. “First thing tomorrow, Ava, you’ll get Chris a job at your company. Do you understand me?”