2026-07-16 18:20:36"Sign it." The voice cut through the banquet hall like a knife. I looked down at the divorce agreement that had just been thrown onto the table in front of me.
The room fell silent. More than a hundred guests sat beneath crystal chandeliers, their eyes fixed on me. Some were curious. Some were amused. Most were enjoying the show. At the head of the table sat Old Madam Shen, surrounded by her children and grandchildren as they celebrated her seventieth birthday. This should have been a joyful occasion. Instead, it had become my public execution. "Well?" Victor Shen leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass. "What are you waiting for? You should've signed it years ago." A few people laughed. Not quietly. Openly. Mockingly. I remained seated. My eyes moved across the faces around me. None of them looked surprised. That told me everything. This had been planned. Every word. Every insult. Every humiliation. Victor rested one arm across the back of his chair and smiled. "If I were you, Cousin-in-law, I'd be grateful." "Cousin-in-law" sounded less like a title and more like an insult coming from him. "The Shen family fed you for three years. Three whole years." More laughter. "Do you know how many people call you the luckiest man in Jiangzhou?" Someone from the younger generation snorted. "Lucky?" Another voice followed. "He's more like a parasite." The laughter grew louder. I said nothing. Across the table, Lillian Shen sat perfectly still. Her black evening dress shimmered beneath the lights. Elegant. Beautiful. Untouchable. The woman I had been married to for three years. The woman I had secretly loved for almost as long. She didn't join the laughter. But she didn't stop it either. That hurt more than the insults. Victor noticed where I was looking. His smile widened. "Look at her, Zane." He gestured toward Lillian. "She's the CEO of Shen Group." "Young." "Beautiful." "Successful." His eyes narrowed. "And then there's you." The room erupted again. My fingers tightened slightly around the glass in my hand. Not enough for anyone to notice. Not enough to betray what I was feeling. Three years. Three years of hearing the same thing. Worthless. Useless. Freeloader. I had heard every variation imaginable. Eventually, people assumed their words no longer mattered. They were wrong. Words always mattered. Especially when they came from people who believed they knew who you were. Victor picked up the divorce papers and slid them across the table. "Sign them." "No." The single word surprised everyone. Including Victor. His expression darkened. "What did you say?" I met his gaze. "I said no." For a moment, nobody spoke. The atmosphere shifted. The mockery remained. But now there was something else. Annoyance. People hated being challenged. Especially by someone they considered beneath them. Victor laughed. Except there was no humor in it. "You really think you deserve to stay married to Lillian?" "I never said that." "Then sign." "I said no." His face hardened. Before he could respond, another voice interrupted. "Victor's right." I turned. Leon Graves stood from his seat. Expensive suit. Designer watch. Perfect smile. Everything about him screamed wealth. He was also the man who had spent the last three years trying to steal my wife. Not that anyone in the Shen family seemed bothered by that. In fact, most of them encouraged it. Leon adjusted his cuffs and smiled at Lillian. A smile that lingered a little too long. "Lillian deserves better." The words were directed at the room. His eyes remained on her. "I don't mean any disrespect." That was a lie. "But a woman like her shouldn't have to carry someone else's weight forever." The older relatives nodded immediately. Of course they did. Leon was rich. Influential. Connected. Everything they wanted in a son-in-law. Everything I wasn't. Or appeared not to be. Leon picked up a wine glass. "Let me be honest." His gaze finally shifted toward me. "What can you offer her?" Nobody answered. Nobody needed to. The implication hung in the air. Nothing. That's what they believed. I could almost hear the thoughts moving through the room. What does Zane contribute? What has he ever done? Why is he still here? I looked at Lillian. For a second, our eyes met. Something flickered across her face. Exhaustion. Frustration. Maybe guilt. Then it disappeared. Buried beneath the calm mask she wore so well. Leon noticed. His confidence grew. "If Lillian were my wife, I'd never allow her to suffer through these constant business pressures alone." The statement earned immediate approval. Several relatives began nodding. Victor grinned. "Exactly." Leon raised his glass. "Shen Group's current problems could be solved very quickly." That got everyone's attention. Including mine. The room became noticeably quieter. Victor leaned forward. "What do you mean?" Leon smiled. "My family has connections." There it was. The real purpose behind his appearance tonight. Business. Opportunity. Leverage. The Shen family was facing difficulties. Everyone knew it. Leon intended to use those difficulties to get what he wanted. Lillian. The realization seemed to hit several people at once. Yet nobody objected. Old Madam Shen finally spoke. "If someone is willing to help the family, we should appreciate it." Her gaze drifted toward me. Cold. Dismissive. As though she were looking at a stain on expensive clothing. "Some people contribute." A pause. "Others simply take." The meaning couldn't have been clearer. The room fell silent again. I lowered my eyes to the divorce papers. Not because I was considering them. Because I suddenly felt tired. Not physically. Emotionally. Three years. Three years of pretending. Three years of remaining silent. Three years of enduring things that would shock the people sitting around this table if they knew the truth. A vibration interrupted my thoughts. My phone. I frowned slightly. Almost nobody had this number. The screen lit up. Unknown Number. Strange. Very strange. I stared at it. The phone vibrated again. And again. Whoever it was wasn't giving up. Victor noticed. "What now?" I ignored him. The call continued. Something about it felt different. Important. A feeling I hadn't experienced in years settled into my chest. Slowly, I stood. The room watched me. "So that's it?" Victor scoffed. "Running away?" I didn't answer. The phone was still vibrating. I stepped away from the table and pressed accept. For a moment, there was only silence. Then an elderly voice spoke from the other end. A voice I hadn't heard in years. "Young Master."
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Chapter 12
"Kill him." Leon didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. The instant those two words left his mouth, every gun in the warehouse pointed at me. Red laser dots crawled across my chest. Across Elder Han. Across Master Liang.I slowly stood. The Dragon Key rested inside my palm beneath the black cloth. My master's blood still stained the fabric. Leon noticed. His smile widened. "So that's what seven years of hiding was for." I said nothing. Silence was often more dangerous than threats.Leon took a few calm steps forward, stopping just beyond striking distance. "I admired you once, Zane Long." That surprised me. "You disappeared before I had the chance to meet the legendary Dragon Palace heir." His eyes studied me like a collector examining a priceless artifact. "And instead..." He glanced at my ordinary clothes. "You became someone else's useless husband." Several of his men laughed.Normally I wouldn't care. Tonight, those
Chapter 11
"Put it down." Leon Graves' calm voice echoed through the warehouse. I didn't move. Around us, dozens of rifles shifted in perfect unison, every muzzle trained on my chest, Elder Han, and the dying man beside me. Professional. Disciplined. Not hired thugs. An organization. The Black Dragon Alliance had far deeper roots than I had imagined.Leon adjusted the cuff of his tailored suit as though we were discussing a business contract instead of standing in the middle of an execution ground. "I've spent seven years searching for that key, Zane." His eyes settled on the black cloth in my hand. "And now destiny delivers it to me." I slowly rose to my feet, placing myself between him and Master Liang."You've been pretending to be an investor." Leon smiled. "I wasn't pretending." He spread his hands. "I really did invest in Jiangzhou." His smile widened. "I simply had... additional interests." Master Liang coughed violently behind me. Bl
Chapter 10
"I found the Dragon Key." A gunshot exploded through the phone. Then silence. Dead silence. My hand tightened around the device. The pressure became so intense that the phone casing cracked beneath my fingers.Across the room, Elder Han immediately stood. His expression changed. For the first time since arriving, the old man looked genuinely alarmed. Not concerned. Not cautious. Alarmed. That alone told me how serious this was.Because Elder Han had watched kingdoms rise and fall. Very little frightened him. "What happened?" His voice was low. Controlled. I lowered the phone slowly. "My master." The old man's eyes widened. A rare sight. "Impossible."I agreed. Entirely. Seven years ago, everyone believed Master Liang was dead. Not missing. Not hiding. Dead. I had seen the aftermath myself. The blood. The destruction. The bodies. Nothing survived that night. Nothing except me.At least that's what I had believed. Until now.
Chapter 9
"Greetings, Young Madam." The words hung in the air. For one long second, nobody moved. Nobody breathed. Nobody spoke. Then I closed my eyes. Very slowly.Because after all the years I had known Elder Han, after all his intelligence, experience, and wisdom... The old man had just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.When I opened my eyes again, Lillian was staring at him. Not confused. Not surprised. Focused. Dangerously focused. The same look she wore during billion-dollar negotiations. The same look she used when she knew someone was lying. And right now, she was connecting dots. Far too many dots.Elder Han seemed to realize it too. A fraction too late. The old man's smile faltered. Only slightly. Most people wouldn't have noticed. I did. Because I knew him. And because I had just watched a master strategist walk directly into his own trap.Lillian broke the silence first. "Young Madam?" Her voice was calm. That terrifie
Chapter 8
"Lillian..." The name nearly slipped out of my mouth. I caught myself at the last second. The photograph trembled slightly between my fingers. Not because I was afraid. Because I was trying very hard not to show that I was.Around me, the conference room remained silent. The Dragon Palace operatives stood frozen. Waiting. Watching. None of them could see the photograph clearly. Good. Because if they could, the questions would start immediately. And I wasn't ready for those questions. Not yet.I stared at the image. Lillian stood outside Shen Group headquarters. The picture looked recent. Very recent. Maybe a few days old. Maybe less. There was nothing unusual about the photograph itself. The problem was what had been written on the back.One sentence. Only four words. Find the Dragon Key.My stomach tightened. The Dragon Key. A name I hadn't heard in years. A name that should have disappeared along with my old life. Y
Chapter 7
"I was wondering when you'd arrive." Ghost Blade smiled. The expression didn't reach his eyes. Killers like him rarely smiled because they were happy. They smiled because they already knew how a story would end.Behind him, Lillian stood frozen near the conference table. Her gaze moved between us. Confused. Suspicious. Searching for answers. The problem was that I couldn't give her any. Not here. Not now.Ghost Blade twirled the silver blade between his fingers. Casual. Effortless. Dangerous. For a few seconds, neither of us moved. The room became unnaturally still. The kind of stillness that existed before violence.Then Lillian spoke. "Zane." I didn't take my eyes off Ghost Blade. "Stay back." The words came out sharper than intended. Lillian blinked. Surprised. I couldn't blame her. In three years, she had never heard me use that tone. Not once.Ghost Blade chuckled. "Protective." I ignored him. The assassin's p
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