2026-03-27 19:06:31The servant’s room was stuffy and damp, but Alaric Thorne didn’t care. He stood before a cracked mirror, staring at his own reflection. On the bed, a black suitcase delivered by Maia lay open. Inside were no longer the rough, cheap driver uniforms, but a custom-tailored tuxedo set worth as much as a luxury car.
Alaric removed his undershirt, revealing lean muscles marked with scars. His eyes lingered on a burn mark on his left shoulder—a reminder of the most humiliating night of his life.
[Flashback – 1 year ago]
New York snow fell heavily, biting like knives against the skin. In front of the gates of Thorne Estate, Arthur Thorne—Alaric’s biological father—stood expressionless. Beside him, Julian, Alaric’s half-brother, smiled widely while holding a document of asset seizure.
“Father, this is a setup! Julian forged my signature on that contract!” Alaric shouted, his voice hoarse with suppressed rage.
Arthur didn’t even bother to meet his son’s eyes. “The world doesn’t need excuses, Alaric. If you can be deceived by a rat like your own brother, then you are nothing but trash unworthy of leading the Thorne Group.”
Arthur tossed a brown envelope into the dirty snow. Inside were only a fake identity and one hundred dollars.
“Leave. Do not use the Thorne name. Do not contact my associates. Your life as a vagrant begins now. If, in one year, you’re still alive without crawling back to kneel before me… then you may return.”
Julian stepped forward and spat right in front of Alaric’s shoes. “Enjoy the gutter, brother. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your CEO seat… just like I’ll take care of your fiancée in my bed.”
Alaric said nothing. He picked up the envelope, took one last look at his family’s skyscraper, and walked into the darkness of the night.
[Flashback End]
Alaric fastened a Patek Philippe watch around his wrist. Its ticking sounded like a death knell for his enemies. “One year has passed, Julian. Now it’s my turn to laugh.”
The door opened. Maia stepped inside. She was no longer wearing a maid’s uniform. Instead, she wore a blood-red evening gown with a high slit along her thigh. Beneath the silk fabric, a small pistol was concealed, ready for use at any moment.
“The vehicle is ready, Master. Dominic and Seraphina are already at the venue,” Maia reported. Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned with deep devotion. She stepped closer, adjusting the collar of Alaric’s suit. “All systems at the Hotel Pierre are under our control. One command from you, and Dominic Vance is finished.”
“Good,” Alaric said, his gaze cold. “Let him enjoy his arrogance a little longer. I want him to feel what it’s like to fall from the sky straight onto the pavement.”
—
Hotel Pierre, Manhattan.
The ballroom was filled with wealthy hypocrites. Dominic Vance stood on stage, holding a microphone with arrogant flair. Beside him, Seraphina looked stunning in a golden gown, though her eyes kept searching through the crowd.
“Tonight is not only about our wedding anniversary,” Dominic’s voice echoed through the room. “I will announce the biggest acquisition in Vance Global history. We are taking over—”
The doors swung open. All the guests turned at once.
Alaric walked in.
Each step he took was heavy with authority, freezing the previously lively atmosphere. He was no longer in a driver’s uniform. He looked like a king returning from war.
Dominic narrowed his eyes. “Who are you? This is a private event! Guards, remove this stranger!”
Alaric continued walking until he stood right before the stage. He looked at Dominic as if staring at something repulsive.
Seraphina nearly dropped her wine glass. Her breath caught instantly. She recognized those eyes—the same eyes that used to watch her through the rearview mirror, now filled with pure disdain.
“A… Alaric?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
Alaric smiled faintly—a smile that sent chills down the spine. “Good evening, Mr. Vance. I hear you’re celebrating success… using money you stole from your own foundation?”
The hall fell silent. Dominic’s face turned pale. “What nonsense are you spouting, you damn driver! Watch your mouth or I will—”
“Driver?” Alaric let out a short laugh. “My internship as your slave ends tonight, Dominic.”
Alaric gave Maia a signal. Instantly, the large screen behind Dominic—once showing romantic photos—changed. It now displayed rows of corruption evidence, secret account details, and photos of Dominic cheating in cheap hotels.
“Dominic Vance,” Alaric’s voice thundered without the need for a microphone. “As of this moment, all your assets are frozen. Your company now belongs to me. And you… are nothing but trash with nothing left.”
Dominic collapsed on stage. Seraphina could only stare, stunned, at Alaric in disbelief. The man she had treated like a doormat was, in truth, a monster who had just destroyed her life in an instant.
Alaric turned away. “Let’s go, Maia. This place is starting to smell like garbage.”
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11
Arthur Thorne’s funeral did not feel like a final tribute to a man; it felt more like a summit of apex predators at the top of the food chain. A light drizzle wrapped around St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, deepening the oppressive gloom. Hundreds of men in black suits and dark glasses lined the sidewalks, each with hands never far from inside their jackets.Alaric Thorne stood in the front row, directly before his father’s sealed bronze coffin. The eagle signet ring on his finger glinted beneath the cathedral’s dim chandeliers. Beside him, Maia stood in a sleek but functional black dress, her eyes constantly scanning every mourner who entered.“Master,” Maia whispered, her voice barely audible beneath the priest’s prayers. “Your half-brothers from the European and Asian branches have just landed. They didn’t come to mourn. Each brought their own mercenary units and are on their way here.”Alaric didn’t turn. His gaze remained fixed on the coffin. “Let them come in. I want to see
10
The smell of gunpowder and the metallic scent of blood mixed with the damp aroma of soaked wool carpeting inside The Vault’s VVIP room. A shattered massive aquarium had turned the casino floor into a deadly glass swamp. Water pooled ankle-deep, dragging along crystal shards and the bodies of unfortunate guards.Alaric Thorne stood upright in the middle of the chaos. His breathing was steady, as if the distant sirens and screams were nothing more than background noise. In front of him, Julian Thorne crawled backward, trying to escape his brother—who now looked like something out of hell.“Wait, Alaric! We can talk!” Julian shouted, his voice hoarse with fear. “The Italian mafia—they came to me! I was only trying to protect Father’s company!”Alaric didn’t respond. He stepped forward, each footstep splashing through the water like a death knell. With one swift motion, he grabbed Julian by the throat and lifted him. Julian’s weight meant nothing against the strength Alaric had kept hidde
9
Dawn broke over the Manhattan skyline, casting light across the cold glass of towering skyscrapers. Inside his private office, Alaric Thorne stood by the window, sipping his strong espresso. On a leather sofa in the corner, Seraphina Vance lay curled up weakly, wrapped in a silk blanket with an empty gaze. The remnants of last night’s “punishment” were still visible on her reddened wrists and shoulders.She was no longer the proud socialite who once ruled lavish parties. She was nothing more than the wreckage now entirely owned by Alaric.“Get up, Seraphina,” Alaric’s voice cut through the silence, cold and emotionless. “Your time for self-pity is over.”Seraphina flinched, clutching the blanket tighter. “What more do you want, Alaric? You’ve already taken everything… you’ve destroyed me.”“I didn’t destroy you. I simply showed you your rightful place,” Alaric replied, turning to face her with a look of disdain. “Now, you’re going to repay your debt for staying alive. There’s a secret
8
The mercenary attack on Thorne Estate was suppressed in less than thirty minutes. Maia and the Thorne shadow unit moved like ghosts, neutralizing enemies one by one in the darkness of the corridors. Seraphina Vance, who had been screaming hysterically with a detonator in her hand, now lay collapsed on the floor of Alaric’s soundproof private study.The detonator turned out to be fake. Seraphina had lost everything and gone mad—this was her final attempt to gain the attention of the man she once looked down on.Alaric sat in his chair, staring at the woman before him with an icy gaze. Seraphina looked disheveled; her gold dress was torn in several places, her blonde hair tangled, her breathing uneven from both fear and… misplaced desire.“You wanted to blow me up, Seraphina?” Alaric asked, his voice low and threatening. “Or did you just want to get back into my room?”Seraphina crawled closer, tears streaking down her flushed cheeks. “Alaric… you don’t understand. Dominic was a monster
7
News of Julian Thorne’s downfall spread through Manhattan’s elite like a bomb explosion. Overnight, Arthur Thorne’s favored son lost everything—his wealth, his dignity, even his inheritance—seized by a mysterious figure who turned out to be the very person they had cast out a year ago.Alaric Thorne stood on the balcony of his new office, gazing at the towering Thorne Group skyscraper in the distance. In his hand, an old phone vibrated. Only one number appeared on its dark screen—a number he never expected would contact him this soon.“Speak,” Alaric said coldly as he answered.“You learn quickly, Alaric,” came the heavy, hoarse voice on the other end. Arthur Thorne. There was no pride in his tone, only the dry acknowledgment of a tyrant. “Julian was a weak pawn, but you destroyed him in a way that was… inefficient. You let him live.”“I let him live so he can watch me take your seat, Father,” Alaric replied without hesitation.A brief silence followed. “Come to Thorne Estate tonight.
6
The headquarters of Vance Global had now transformed into Alaric Thorne’s command center. Behind the massive mahogany desk that once belonged to Dominic, Alaric sat calmly, gazing at the Manhattan skyline through bulletproof glass. On the monitor before him, the stock charts of Julian Thorne’s company were in free fall.Alaric sipped his bitter black coffee. “How is he reacting, Maia?”Maia stood in the corner of the room, her fingers dancing over the keyboard of her encrypted laptop. “Julian is panicking, Master. He just lost his logistics contract at the East Port. He’s contacting all his connections, but not a single one dares to pick up. They know who’s behind this attack.”“Good. Let him feel suffocated,” Alaric said coldly. “And what about Evelyn?”“She’s waiting outside. Completely broken, though she still hopes you’ll show her mercy.” Maia glanced toward the door with a disdainful look. “She just received a message from Julian. He asked her to find out who the new owner of Van
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