THE RETURN OF LIAM REYES

Chapter 2: I Will Make You All Disappear

The entire room fell silent the moment that cold voice echoed through the banquet hall.

The guests turned toward the entrance in shock, unsure of who dared to interrupt the grand celebration of the Reyes family. But when their eyes landed on the tall, confident figure standing at the door, their shock quickly transformed into disbelief.

And for the members of the Reyes family, disbelief swiftly turned to anger.

Liam Reyes had returned.

“You scum! You dare show your face here?” Meade Reyes was the first to react, his voice filled with fury as he stormed toward Liam.

Liam did not respond. His eyes swept across the hall, pausing briefly on each familiar face. They were supposed to be his family, yet these were the same people who had betrayed him and driven him into exile.

“Liam, are you deaf?” Meade shouted again, furious that Liam remained unfazed by his presence.

But then Meade’s expression shifted as a mocking smile crept onto his face. He tilted his head and let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Now I get it. You heard about our success. You thought the Reyes family is rich now, so you came crawling back for money. Perfect timing.”

The other members of the Reyes family began to chuckle, following Meade’s lead.

Meade reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled one-dollar bill. He dropped it to the floor with exaggerated care and then placed his foot firmly on top of it.

“You want money, right? There it is. But you’ll have to earn it. Crawl under my legs like the dog you are, and the bill is yours. You can buy yourself some scraps to eat on the street. Come on. I know that’s what you’ve been doing these past years.”

The room filled with laughter as the Reyes family members sneered at Liam, looking down on him as if he were nothing more than a beggar who had lost his dignity.

But Liam’s face remained calm. His eyes, however, carried the coldness of winter.

The indifference in Liam’s gaze only infuriated Meade further. He had been waiting for this moment, eager to humiliate the cousin they had exiled. But instead of the broken, desperate man he expected, Liam stood tall and composed.

“Liam, did you not hear me?” Meade’s voice deepened as his anger boiled over. His patience was gone.

Without warning, Meade lifted his foot, aiming to kick Liam in the knees and force him down.

But the kick never landed.

Liam shifted to the side with precise speed, avoiding the attack with ease. Before Meade could regain his balance, Liam struck him in the abdomen with a sharp knee, sending him flying backward.

Meade crashed to the floor, clutching his stomach in pain.

“Ahhh! I’ll kill you!” Meade screamed, his face contorted with rage and humiliation. His eyes burned with hatred as he scrambled for his phone.

But before he could call for backup, a firm voice interrupted.

“Stop right there.”

The voice belonged to Damien Reyes, head of the Reyes family and orchestrator of Liam’s downfall five years ago. Damien descended from the stage with slow, deliberate steps, his sharp eyes fixed on both his son and Liam.

Meade froze, confused by his father’s command.

“Dad, why…” he started, but Damien’s glare cut him off immediately.

“Be quiet. Look around, fool. Do you not see the guests watching? Do you want to embarrass this family further?” Damien’s tone was cold, laced with warning.

Meade’s face flushed with frustration, but he dared not argue. He stepped aside reluctantly, his eyes still burning with resentment.

Damien turned his attention back to Liam, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

“We were generous to let you escape back then,” Damien said. His words were smooth. “You should be grateful for that. You had your life, your freedom, and a chance to disappear. But now you come back and cause trouble at my celebration? Is this how you repay kindness?”

Liam’s cold smile deepened as he met Damien’s gaze. “Kindness?” he repeated with scorn. His voice was low but sharp, each word laced with venom. “Let’s drop the act, Damien. You know exactly what you did. And you know the truth about how my parents died. Their deaths were not an accident.”

Damien’s confident facade cracked for a brief second. His eyes darkened as whispers rippled through the crowd of guests.

Many in the room were aware of the scandal that had plagued the Reyes family years ago. But few suspected there was more to the story. Now, with Liam’s return, hidden truths began to surface.

Liam’s steps were steady as he made his way to the stage. He picked up the microphone, his expression unreadable as he faced the stunned crowd.

“I did not come here today to argue with lowlifes,” Liam began, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “I came to deliver a message.”

The room grew tense. The members of the Reyes family exchanged nervous glances, sensing the weight behind Liam’s words.

Liam’s piercing eyes swept across his so-called relatives, the same people who betrayed him, stole from him, and left him to rot.

“You have one month,” Liam declared, his voice firm and commanding. “One month to tell the truth. I want every lie exposed and every false accusation erased. Damien, you will reveal what really happened to my parents. You will tell the world the truth.”

His words sent shockwaves through the room. The crowd whispered, eyes wide with disbelief and curiosity.

Liam paused, his expression hardening, his voice dropping to a deadly calm. “If you refuse,” he continued, “I will make every single one of you disappear from Eastborough. You will vanish without a trace.”

The room erupted in chaos as his final words echoed in the air. Guests gasped in shock. The Reyes family paled as their smugness was replaced with fear and uncertainty.

Liam stood on the stage, his eyes blazing with determination, his presence commanding. This was no longer the broken man they once discarded.

This was a man ready to reclaim everything they stole. And the clock had already started ticking.