The Dragon General's Vengeful Return

5

Back at the Beerson family mansion, Stephanie is still on the ground. She has tried to lift herself to a sitting position, so that she can crawl around and do things, but she knows it's impossible.

No one is going to help her, and Athena is going to be gone for hours.

What is she going to do?

She hears a slow movement a few feet away from her and when she raises her head, she sees Mrs Beerson, her biological mother, strolling into the garden with a glass of champagne in her hand.

“Mum!” Stephanie calls out as loud as she can. “Mum!”

Mrs Beerson snarls when she sees that it's her useless daughter calling out to her.

“What do you want, Stephanie? There is no extra food in my kitchen for you, don't even try to beg me!” She hiss.

“Oh, mum, it's not about that!” Stephanie laughs in pain. “I was wondering if you can help me sit up straight, so that I can crawl around. I wouldn't have bothered you, but Athena, my little helper, is going to be away for hours.”

In the entire Beerson family, Mrs Beerson is the one who hates Stephanie the most.

She used to brag to her friends how smart Stephanie was in school, and how after graduation, she would marry a very rich man, but Stephanie disappointed her big time.

She refused to help hitched with all the powerful men that her father tried to match her up with, and she was still stubborn when her younger sister got married to a wealthy businessman.

Then what did she do a year after? Ran off to get married to a nobody soldier and even got pregnant that night! What a shameless girl!

“If you had made a better life decision, my darling girl, maybe you wouldn't be in this position right now.” She mocks. “What kind of mother would I be if I kept helping you and didn't allow you to learn from your mistakes?”

A tear slips from Stephanie's eye. “Mum, please. I don't need anything else from you –”

“And even if you did, I have nothing to give an ungrateful child like you and her bastard daughter.” Mrs Beerson looks away. “Help yourself up, or you rot there like the lowlife that you are.”

Just as soon as Stephanie blinks, her mother is gone. She finds herself bursting into tears. She hates being useless like this…

Suddenly, there is a commotion at the gate that forces her to crane her neck to see what is going on.

She lets out a frightening gasp from her mouth before she can clasp her hand over it.

Mr Hanks flies like he has been pushed by a supernatural force, and he lands on the hard ground.

It's nothing supernatural, he has just received a slap from someone with a heavy hand.

“How dare you disrespect the Dragon General! You deserve to lose your head!”

The Dragon General?! Stephanie has heard that name over and over again, over the radio. She knows that he is the great leader of the army and the saviour of the country. Is that man in her parent's house?!

The match of hundreds of feet shakes the ground, and Stephanie doesn't know what to think.

“Where is my wife and daughter?!” A heavy voice roars.

“Sir, we don't have your wife and daughter here. You seem like a powerful man, we would have noticed if we had your family in our house.” Her mother said with a tremble in her voice that Stephanie has never heard before.

Stephanie is still on the ground when the Dragon General appears, and because of his regalia and thick cap, she doesn't recognize him right away, but he immediately recognizes her.

“Stephanie?” His voice breaks.

“I– I don't think that I know who you are sir.” Her teeth chatter in her mouth.

He slowly takes off his cap and her heart stops when she finally recognizes those eyes.

Those were the same eyes that stared into hers at the altar and promised to be with her through everything. Those eyes that she saw for the last time seven years ago.

She screams as if she has seen a ghost, and she won't stop screaming even when he picks her off the ground and uses his handkerchief to wipe the dirt and tears from her face.

“It's okay, my love. I'm here, I am here for you.” He whispers into her ears.

He has been so busy with work for seven years and he thought that all the money he sent to her was enough to take care of her. He had no idea that she didn't even claim the money.

How would she when she was crippled by her parents?

Mrs Beerson comes to the front, and her jaw drops to the ground when she sees this man hugging her dirty daughter.

“Sir, Mister Commander, you must be mistaken. This woman is not your wife, no she is just my stubborn daughter that was foolish to marry a nobody soldier seven years ago. I will help you find your wife, but you have to stay away from Stephanie, because she smells!”

Even though her mother is insulting the hell out of her, Stephanie laughs and wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Oh, mum, you haven't met my husband before. This is Roman, my darling husband. I did mention that he was in the army, but he never mentioned his rank to me.”

Even Stephanie can't believe her eyes. Seven years is a long time, but her husband is the Dragon General?!

Mrs Beerson lips quivers as she tries to understand what's happening.

“This is your husband?! Come on, Stephanie, don't think that you can be so fortunate! This man is just confused. I will personally help him find his wife, which is definitely not you!”

At this point, Stephanie is boiling with so much rage that she finally sees the opportunity to stand up to her mother after seven years.

“Mother, why are you so stubborn to believe that heaven has finally remembered me? Yes, this husband that you called me foolish for marrying! Are you surprised that he still loves me after you locked my daughter and I in the doghouse for seven years?! Is it too hard to believe that he would still love the daughter that you made crippled?!”

Roman immediately feels his anger boil to a simmering. He looks down at Stephanie's legs, and notices how dirty and odd they look. That's why she couldn't get up, because she is a cripple.

“Who… who did this to you?” he demands to know. “Where is our daughter?”

Stephanie holds her hands over her face. “Athena is safe, Roman, don't worry. She went to her cousin's house because she is her maid–”

Roman's eyes turned dark with anger. “My daughter is a… maid?”