THE UNFORSEEN DOMINANCE OF ZACH MARLOW

~ 3 ~

Zach stared at Laura, stunned. The words she had spoken were like pieces of a puzzle that didn’t fit together. Leader of a powerful organization? Dominion Shadows? It all sounded absurd. His heart weighed heavily, burdened by the loss of his adoptive mother and the constant worry for his sister’s safety. He didn’t have the time or energy for elaborate stories.

“Look,” he said, his voice low and firm, “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I need to go somewhere urgently. If you think I’ll fall for this nonsense, you’re wasting your time.”

Laura’s calm demeanor didn’t waver. Instead, she reached into her tailored blazer and pulled out a sleek black card. The card gleamed under the overhead light, its surface embossed with intricate golden patterns and the unmistakable emblem of First Star Bank—the most prestigious financial institution in the city.

“This,” she said, holding it out to him, “is your supreme black card. It originally belonged to you.”

Zach hesitated before taking the card. Its weight was heavier than it looked, and the craftsmanship was unparalleled. His fingers traced the golden insignia, and he read the faint inscription at the bottom.

Laura held Zach’s gaze, her tone steady as she added, “The pin is your true birthday: September 27, 1998. The card holds a sustainable fortune you can manage for the meantime.”

Zach blinked, the date ringing oddly familiar yet foreign. 

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Sustainable

fortune? What’s next? A secret kingdom in my name?”

“If you doubt me,” Laura replied evenly, “you can verify it at First Star Bank. Let them tell you if I’m lying.”

Her confidence gave him pause. Zach slipped the card into his pocket, his expression unreadable. “Fine,” he said after a moment. “I’ll check it out, but I don’t have time for this right now. I’m leaving.”

Laura stepped forward. “Then I’ll accompany you. It’s not safe for you to go alone—”

“No,” Zach interrupted sharply. “Go back wherever you came from. I don’t need you following me around.”

“But, Master—”

“Don’t call me that,” Zach snapped. “Just go.”

Laura hesitated, her posture stiff, but she finally relented and handed him her card.

“Please, call me if you need me. I'll be waiting.” Bowing her head slightly, she stepped back, her entourage flanking her as they exited the room.

Moments after Zach left, a nurse entered with a doctor in tow. “I swear, he was here!” she exclaimed, pointing to the steel table where Zach had been lying. “The man declared dead—he was breathing again. I saw it with my own eyes!”

The doctor frowned, examining the now-empty space. “This is extraordinary. 

I examined that man. He sustained severe head injuries but he didn't just wake up from the dead, he got up and walked out of here. This has never happened before.”

“Doctor, I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like it,” the nurse said, her voice trembling. “It’s as if he defied death itself.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, the doctor sighed. “Well, he’s gone now. Notify security, and let’s keep this incident contained.”

As they left the room, the nurse passed a group of her colleagues whispering excitedly in the hallway.

“Did you see those luxury cars outside?” one of them asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes! They belong to that stunning woman who came in earlier,” another replied, her voice tinged with envy.

A male doctor overheard and smirked. “Whoever that man was, he must have been someone extraordinary to command such loyalty from a woman like her.”

The nurses exchanged glances, their imaginations running wild. 

Meanwhile, Zach walked away from the hospital, his mind racing with unanswered questions and a growing sense that his life was about to change in ways he couldn’t yet comprehend.

Panting from the rush, Zach came to a full halt before his house but the sight of it left his mouth agape. The house burning.

His heart dropped as he approached the charred remains of his home. Blackened beams jutted out of the crumbling structure like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. Smoke billowed, thick and acrid, stinging his eyes. Flames crackled menacingly, licking at the ruins. His chest tightened as he forced his way through the chaos, dodging falling embers and choking on the heat.

“Mother? Mary?” he shouted, his voice raw with desperation. The silence of the house haunted him, amplifying his dread. Frantically, he searched through the wreckage but found no trace of his adoptive mother’s body or his sister.

Suddenly, a muffled scream broke through the noise. “Let me go, please! Someone, help me!”

The sound shot through him like a bolt of electricity. Sprinting to the back of the house, he froze. Several men were trying to shove Mary into a black SUV. Her tear-streaked face twisted in terror as she fought them off.

“Mary!” Zach roared, his voice primal.

One of the men turned, sneering. “This idiot again!”

But something inside Zach snapped. A surge of power coursed through him, his muscles tensing like coiled steel. With a burst of speed, he slammed his hands onto the car’s hood. The vehicle screeched to a halt, the bonnet crumpling under his grip as if made of tin.

The men froze, their bravado dissolving into shock. Zach moved like a blur, yanking Mary free from their grip and shielding her behind him.

“Zach?” Mary whispered, trembling.

He didn’t answer, his glare locked on the men, daring them to make another move.

Their eyes darted to the massive indentations on the car’s bonnet. Zach’s own gaze flicked to his hands, disbelief mingling with the fury in his heart.