THE VENGEANCE OF THE WAR GOD

Chapter 11

Everyone turned to Dustin as Rachel and Henry looked him up and down like he was some piece of shit.

He did not belong in that polished, glassy store.

Rachel’s lips curled.

“And who is this rag of a man?” she said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Henry joined her laughter. He adjusted the strap of his expensive watch and smirked as if the gesture alone proved his worth. “Who let you in here? What business do you have interrupting our conversation?”.

“How did you even enter with that village attire” Rachel added, eyes crawling over Dustin with open disgust. “Or are you the newly appointed cleaner? Even a cleaner shouldn't dress like this”

Dustin did not react. He stood still, calm, almost detached. Then he started. “I am…”.

“He’s my bodyguard,” Serena cut in quickly before Dustin could speak. Her voice came too fast.

Dustin noticed it but said nothing. He simply just scoffed.

“You don’t have to always interfere,” Serena warned him with a hard look, her jaw tight.

“But I am your husband,” Dustin said quietly. “I need to protect you at all costs and shield you.”

The words dropped into the store like a stone into still water. Ripples of silence spread everywhere.

Dustin did not move.

He looked at Rachel. Then Henry. Then back at Serena.

“I am here because you are bothering my wife,” he said calmly. “I am Serena’s husband.”

“HUSBAND!?”

Rachel shouted, her jaw falling open before laughter burst out of her like a cough she could not hold back.

Serena was brewing in anger.

Henry’s smile froze, then twisted into something uglier.

“Serena! Is that truth, you the city goddess is in marriage with this thing”.

The entire store went quiet.

Even the soft music in the background felt louder because nobody else was speaking.

Serena’s face was drained of color. Then it flushed red with fury.

They had a deal. A strict deal. Their marriage was never supposed to be mentioned in public.

She wanted to explode at him but she could not. All she did was shoot him a sharp, cutting glare.

Rachel laughed again, louder this time.

“Husband? This guy? Serena, I knew you were struggling to find a husband despite your beauty but this is pathetic”

“He’s a village boy,” Henry added. “He probably doesn’t even know how to write.”

A few people around tried to hide their smiles. Others watched openly. Serena could only take the word.

Lizzy rushed in, embarrassed by how far it was going. “He’s not her husband.

He’s just her bodyguard trying to protect his boss. Serena would never marry someone like him.”

Rachel said, “Are you denying your husband now”.

Serena snarled, “I don't care what you believe or not, if he is my husband or not, it is none of your business!”.

“We won’t leave,” Serena added boldly. “We came here to patronize you.

“We will buy and leave ourselves.” She added

Henry’s expression darkened. “This is my store. If I say you leave, you leave.”

Lizzy nodded quickly. “This is already the poorest customer service we’ve ever seen.

We will make sure you don’t get a five-star review anywhere.”

Henry scoffed, “like I care. There is nothing your review would do!”.

Rachel folded her arms. “If you know you can't greet, just leave this instant with your smelly husband… or bodyguard, I don’t care!”.

Serena now in anger mode stated, “No, I'm not leaving! And I will buy whatever I am here to buy”.

Lizzy sighed and told Serena, “let us just leave”.

“No, I'm not, I didn't commit a crime and this is clear discrimination, I am not leaving!”.

Dustin smiled at Serena's stubbornness, he loved it.

But Henry has lost his patience.

He reached out and grabbed Serena’s wrist roughly to pull her away.

“Get out while I'm still nice or I will call the guard on you!”.

Dustin’s hand shot forward. He caught Henry’s wrist mid-air and flung it away with controlled force.

Henry stumbled backward and crashed hard onto the floor, his back hitting the tiles with a loud slap that echoed.

A collective gasp filled the store.

“Oh no! You have escalated this! What have you done” Serena screamed at Dustin, her anger exploding.

“What is wrong with you?”

Henry held his arm and rolled on the floor. “Ow! My arm! He broke it! You all saw it!”

He winced loudly and stayed down, exaggerating the pain.

Rachel rushed to Henry’s side, dropping to her knees beside him on the polished tiles.

“Baby! Baby, are you okay?” she cried, her voice shrill with panic.

She touched his shoulder gently, eyes wide. “My back and my hand—I feel it is broken!”

Lizzy turned on Dustin, her face pale with horror.

“What have you done?! Do you know who he is? That’s Mr. Wilson’s son! One of the most prominent generals in the country!”

Dustin simply scoffed inwardly.

Even his father bows to me, he thought, but his face remained calm, almost bored.

Serena sighed deeply, rubbing her temple as the situation spiraled. “Dustin, how will you take care of this now?”

Rachel shot up, pointing a manicured finger at Serena. “See? You know what your stupid man here has done! Just one call and your husband—or bodyguard, whatever he is—will cease to exist!”

Serena sighed again, her shoulders slumping in visible defeat.

“Maybe this is for the best. I don’t even want him in my life again.”

Dustin scoffed out loud this time.

Henry, still on the floor but now fueled by rage and humiliation, struggled to sit up.

“Now, you kneel and crawl and apologize loudly,” he snarled at Dustin, “or else! I will call my father’s men—they will crush your legs!”

Dustin looked down at him with steady eyes. “Even if your father is here, he will be the one to kneel.”

The entire store erupted in laughter.

Rachel clutched her stomach, Henry smirked through his pain, and even a few customers shook their heads in disbelief.

“Delusional,” someone muttered.

“Completely delusional.”

“Did he just say general Wilson will kneel!”.

Even Serena scoffed, turning to Dustin with pure embarrassment burning on her face.

“What are you talking about? Can you for one second shut up and stop embarrassing me?”

Just then, a sharp voice cut through the commotion from the entrance.

“Commander Wilson has arrived.”

Outside the store, a sleek Maserati rolled to a stop, flanked by five imposing G-Wagons.

Men in black suits rushed out from the G-Wagons and quickly opened the Maserati’s rear door with disciplined precision.

Henry’s face lit up with vicious triumph. “It’s over for you. My father has arrived.”