THE EXILED LORD

CHAPTER 8

Jason Stewart who was always looking for ways to stand out and to win everyone in the Thornton household's heart, felt this was the right time to save face after being embarrassed by the thugs earlier, he stood up and arranged his outfit.

Picked up his phone and dialed a number, in no time, the call was answered.

“Dad! There is a problem that I need your influence to solve.”

“I am listening!” The other voice uttered.

On hearing this, June was excited that her choice for her daughter was not some coward and he has influence. She focused on him waiting intently on waiting for

Luca on the other hand, was eavesdropping on Jason's phone, unbeknownst to any of them, he has a keen exceptionally sharp hearing, thus he was able to listen to their conversations.

“What did you say? You fool, how could you get yourself involved in this?” The voice yelled from the other end of the call.

Thankfully his phone wasn't on speaker else his ego would have been crushed and reduced to nothing in the sight of the Thornton's, which was something he dreads.

“Dad what happened?” He asked, still keeping his composure.

“You idiot!” his father bellowed. “Do you even know what you’ve done? You and your petty grievances are nothing compared to the real storm brewing beneath the surface! Iron Hand has betrayed Wilson! He’s already sided with Mad Tiger!”

Jason’s face paled, his bravado crumbling as sweat beaded on his forehead. “M-Mad Tiger?” he stammered.

“Yes! If he has set his eyes on Amelia, not even the warrior goddess Marina could save her! You and I both know what that means, come home right now and stay away from this, this is above us.”

Jason’s legs turned to jelly. His heart pounded like a war drum, his fingers trembling as he struggled to maintain composure. He felt his blood run cold, the name, Mad Tiger alone was enough to send a chill down his spine.

He had heard the horrifying rumors of how Mad Tiger was a monster in human form, a man who thrived on destruction.

Even the legendary warrior goddess, Marina, was said to have fallen before his might.

Even after all this he couldn't just show his weakness, his pride wouldn’t allow him to show vulnerability, not here, not in front of June, Amelia, and the others.

“Aunt June, I have to go now, something very important came up, I have an urgent matter to take care of…”

“What happened Jason? Talk to me!”

Jason forced a smile and said; “I will keep you informed, I need to deal with this issue concerning Amelia, I need to eradicate any form of danger that might come up, this is for her safety.”

Upon hearing this, June began laughing and said; “Okay I believe you.” she then sarcastically uttered; “And what is Luca going to do now? Nothing!”

She looked towards where Luca was standing but he wasn't there. Jason, on the other hand, walked away. He needed to go home to his father and stay away from all this drama under the pretense of helping.

Noticing Luca wasn't around, made June even more furious.

“Where the hell is he now? Coward! He left simply because he is scared, disgraceful.”

Amelia uttered; “He was just here…”

Leon who has been quiet all this while said;

“Luca isn't like that, he is brave and would do anything to keep us safe! Didn't you see how he fought them off!”

“Oh really, then where is he now, why isn't he here then? Fighting off those thugs doesn't mean a thing, he only does that to catch your attention nothing more.”

“June, that's enough!” he uttered with furrowed brows “Luca isn't one to run away, I am sure of it.”

June scoffed. “Oh, come on. The moment things got serious, he vanished! Face it, Luca is nothing but a joke!”

Amelia’s heart sank. Her fingers curled into trembling fists as disappointment washed over her.

She had hoped somewhere deep down that Luca would prove her wrong, that he wasn’t just a coward.

But with this, his sudden disappearance made her disappointed in him.

Meanwhile, Luca Ashford left after eavesdropping on Jason's phone call, he heard everything he needed to know, and decided he would get to it immediately.

He left without saying goodbye as he was already furious about the whole situation, he needed to know what was going on.

So, from what he could decipher from Jason's phone call, Iron Hand had betrayed Wilson. And Mad Tiger… was making his move.

He needed to know more, Luca walked with measured steps, his expression unreadable.

Without wasting another second, he pulled out his phone and called Wilson.

The line connected instantly.

“Wilson,” Luca said, his voice calm and cutting. “Is it true? Did Iron hand betray you?”

Wilson’s growl rumbled through the receiver. “Damn that traitorous dog, Iron Hand! Yes, he turned against me. The most annoying thing is that that bastard teamed up with Mad Tiger!”

“How did you let this happen? He was your right hand man!”

“He chose his own fate and to me, his fate is sealed. I will tear that bastard limb to limb.”

Luca’s expression remained unreadable. “And this Mad Tiger?”

Wilson hesitated, then exhaled sharply. “He is a beast. He is beyond reason. If he has set his sights on Amelia, things will really get ugly.”

Luca’s lips curled into a cold smirk. “I’ll handle Mad Tiger. You just deal with your traitor, Iron Hand.”

Wilson was momentarily stunned and then recalled that he wasn't just talking to anyone. This was Luca Ashford the owner and ruler of Grimstone Quarry.

So he (Luca) saying he would deal with someone like Mad tiger who is beyond everyone's reach was normal. He didn't say a word in hesitancy, instead he uttered;

“Of course Luca, I trust you to deal with that bastard, I am sure in no time, he will be a …”

“Dead man walking,” Luca interrupted, his voice deadly. “Give me his location and he won’t see the sunrise, just half an hour and the threat will be neutralised, I assure you.”

Wilson swallowed hard, and a shiver ran down his spine at the absolute certainty in Luca’s tone, he was sure Luca wasn't bluffing.

“Alright,” he murmured. “Sending the address to you now. I am certain you can do this, I can't wait to see the look on Iron Hand's face when he hears that his supposed safe haven has been crushed… besides, when you deal with this, you won’t just be a legend. You’ll be a nightmare to anyone who crosses you, that I am certain.”

Luca ended the call and a moment later, his phone pinged with the address and all he needed to know about him.

"Mad Tiger, huh! Let's see if you're really as fearsome as they say."

He turned toward the night, his eyes filled with determination, in other words, lethal intent.

Half an hour was all he needed, and then, this so-called mysterious Mad Tiger would be nothing more than a bad memory.