2026-11-04 01:14:17"Mira, come here for a second." Joseph reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the amulets. "Your brother brought gifts. Take one. Keep it with you."
He held it out to her. Mira looked at the amulet the way someone looks at a dead bug on the kitchen counter.
She picked it up with two fingers, holding it away from her body like it might be contaminated.
"What is this supposed to be?" She turned it over once, then dropped it back on the table with a clatter. "Dad, this is the tackiest thing I have ever seen in my life. Who gives stuff like this as a gift? It looks like something you fish out of a gumball machine at a gas station. It is ugly and it is worthless. Throw it away."
Joseph's face went dark red. "Mira! Watch your mouth! Your brother brought that all the way from the mountain for you and this is how you treat it?"
"He is NOT my brother!" Mira stamped her foot, her perfectly curled hair bouncing with the force. "And I would not wear that thing if you paid me. My friends would laugh me out of the room. They would think I got it from a dollar store clearance bin."
"Mira, that is enough!" Joseph slammed his palm on the table and the plates rattled. His voice was loud enough to echo off the marble walls.
Mira flinched but did not back down. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, turning for the door.
Right then, Lisa walked out from the hallway in a silk blouse and tailored pants, a designer bag hanging from her elbow.
She spotted the amulets on the table and picked one up, holding it between her thumb and forefinger like it was a piece of trash someone had accidentally left behind.
"What is this?" She wrinkled her nose, turning it under the light.
"Darius brought them as gifts." Joseph's jaw was tight.
Lisa looked at the amulet, then looked at Darius, then looked back at the amulet. She set it down carefully, the way you put down something you do not want to touch twice.
"Darius, I am going to give you some advice since you are young and clearly do not know better." Her voice was sweet and sharp at the same time, like honey poured over a razor.
"Do not bring things like this into our home. If any of our friends or business partners saw this, they would think our family has fallen on hard times. It is embarrassing. We have a reputation to maintain."
A reputation? You were eating rice with salt when I left this house ten years ago. Now you have a reputation? Darius thought, but his face showed nothing. He simply nodded once and said nothing.
Joseph clenched his fists under the table but kept quiet. He knew if he pushed back too hard, the dinner would turn into a war.
Lisa turned to Mira. "Are you ready? We need to go. The beauty treatment is at five, and then we need to pick out gowns for tonight."
"Gowns?" Joseph looked confused.
"For the welcome banquet at the Asgard Hotel tonight! Everyone in the city is talking about it. Harvey Whitfield is hosting a grand reception for some mysterious VIP who just arrived in Whitemoor City. Every important family has been invited."
Lisa's eyes lit up as she spoke, her voice climbing with excitement. "This could be the event of the year. We absolutely cannot miss it."
Darius, who had been quietly eating a piece of steamed fish, paused. He set down his chopsticks and looked up.
"The Asgard Hotel banquet? You do not need to prepare for that. The banquet has already been canceled."
The room froze.
Mira spun around from the doorway and stared at him. Then she let out a laugh so sharp it could cut paper.
"Canceled? How would you know that? Did Harvey Whitfield call you personally to let you know?" She pressed her hand to her chest in mock shock, her eyes wide with fake amazement.
"Oh wait, I forgot. You are best friends with the richest man in the city! You ride in his limo and eat caviar together! My mistake!"
She turned back to the door, shaking her head. "Dad, your adopted son is not just broke. He is a liar. A shameless, blatant liar."
She walked out without looking back.
Lisa stared at Darius, her expression shifting from amusement to genuine annoyance. She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice, though it still carried every ounce of her displeasure.
"Darius, when you left this house, you were a sweet, quiet child. What happened to you up on that mountain? Did that crazy old beggar teach you how to lie with a straight face? The Asgard Hotel banquet is the biggest event in Whitemoor City this year and you are sitting here telling us it is canceled like you have some kind of inside information."
She shook her head slowly. "You used to be such a good child. How did you turn into someone who tells such blatant lies?"
Darius opened his mouth to respond.
But before he could say a single word, Joseph's phone rang. The sound cut through the tension like a knife through silk. Joseph glanced at the screen, frowned, and answered.
"Hello? Yes, this is Joseph Reed." He listened for three seconds. Then his face changed. The color drained from his cheeks. His hand gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white.
"What? The Asgard Hotel banquet is canceled?"
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Chapter 7: The General’s Plea
Darius opened his mouth to speak, but Mira was already grabbing her purse off the counter.“Save it. I do not have time to listen to another round of your fairy tales.” She did not even look at him when she said it. Her eyes were on her phone, fingers flying across the screen, texting her friends about the banquet.Lisa was right behind her, pulling on a silk jacket and checking her reflection in the hallway mirror.“We need gowns. We need hair appointments. We need makeup. We have four hours to look like we belong in a room full of billionaires and generals, and we have already wasted twenty minutes on this circus.” She shot Darius one final look over her shoulder. The kind of look you give to a stain on the carpet that you will deal with later.“Joseph, when we get back, I want him gone.” Her voice was ice. No room for negotiation. No room for mercy. Then she walked out, and the door slammed behind her hard enough to rattle the picture frames on the wall.Mira followed without a sin
Chapter 6: Part 2
She shoved the phone screen toward Joseph's face. Joseph squinted at the headline, and the color drained from his cheeks all over again. He read it once. Then twice. Then he closed his eyes and let out a long, defeated sigh.Of course. Of course it is not Darius. A Five Star General. That makes sense. Darius being the guest of honor at Harvey Whitfield's banquet? That never made sense.Lisa's reaction was not as quiet.The awkward smile vanished from her face like it had been slapped off. Her eyes went narrow. Her jaw locked. Her nostrils flared wide enough to park a bicycle in. The brief moment of doubt and respect she had been feeling toward Darius was now burning away, replaced by rage so intense it could have melted steel.I almost apologized. I ALMOST apologized to this worthless, lying, scheming cockroach. I almost got down from my position and showed weakness to a boy who has NOTHING. I almost let this garbage make me look like a fool in my own house.She stood up so fast th
Chapter 6: The Five Star General
Joseph's hand was still shaking when he lowered the phone from his ear. He stared at the screen like it might suddenly change its mind and tell him something different. But the call had ended. The words had been said. The banquet was back on.He turned to Darius with eyes so wide they looked like they might fall out of his skull."Darius... did a single phone call from you really make the richest man in Whitemoor City resume the banquet?" His voice came out in a whisper, cracked and unsteady, like a man who had just watched a magic trick he could not explain.Mira was frozen by the doorway. Her mouth was open but nothing was coming out. Her brain was trying to process what had just happened and failing badly. That is not possible. That is absolutely not possible. He made one phone call. One sentence. And Harvey Whitfield just... obeyed?Lisa's face had gone through every shade of red and white in the last thirty seconds. She was gripping the back of the dining chair so hard her knuc
Chapter 5:Part 2
Darius did not flinch. He did not blink. He looked Lisa directly in the eyes and then, without a word, pulled out his phone.He scrolled to a contact labeled Servant No. 1 and pressed the call button.Mira, who had been watching from the doorway with her arms crossed, caught a glimpse of the screen. Her eyes went wide and then narrow with contempt. She let out a laugh so sharp it could have cut glass."Servant No. 1? SERVANT No. 1?" She walked closer, pointing at his phone like it was the funniest thing she had ever seen in her life. "You actually have Harvey Whitfield saved as Servant No. 1 in your phone? Are you insane? Who in this entire world is qualified to call Harvey Whitfield a servant? Not the mayor. Not the governor. Not even the President of the United States himself could call that man a servant!"She turned to Lisa, shaking her head with exaggerated disbelief. "Mom, he is not just delusional. He is dangerous. He is going to get us all killed."Lisa nodded rapidly, her fac
Chapter 5: The Servant's Number
The dining room was so quiet you could hear the clock on the wall ticking.Joseph stood frozen with his phone still pressed to his ear. Lisa had stopped halfway to the door, her designer bag dangling from her elbow. Mira was leaning against the doorframe with her mouth slightly open.All three of them were staring at Darius.Darius did not look up. He picked up another piece of steamed fish with his chopsticks, placed it in his bowl, and continued eating like nothing in the world had changed."Darius." Joseph set his phone down slowly. His voice was careful now, like a man stepping on ice he was not sure could hold his weight. "How did you know the banquet was canceled? The announcement only went out fifteen minutes ago. Even I just found out."Darius chewed, swallowed, and wiped his mouth with a napkin. Then he looked at Joseph with the same calm expression he wore for everything."Because the banquet was for me. Harvey was throwing it to welcome me into Whitemoor City. I told him I
Chapter 4: Part 2
"Mira, come here for a second." Joseph reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the amulets. "Your brother brought gifts. Take one. Keep it with you."He held it out to her. Mira looked at the amulet the way someone looks at a dead bug on the kitchen counter.She picked it up with two fingers, holding it away from her body like it might be contaminated."What is this supposed to be?" She turned it over once, then dropped it back on the table with a clatter. "Dad, this is the tackiest thing I have ever seen in my life. Who gives stuff like this as a gift? It looks like something you fish out of a gumball machine at a gas station. It is ugly and it is worthless. Throw it away."Joseph's face went dark red. "Mira! Watch your mouth! Your brother brought that all the way from the mountain for you and this is how you treat it?""He is NOT my brother!" Mira stamped her foot, her perfectly curled hair bouncing with the force. "And I would not wear that thing if you paid me. My friends wo
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