The Hidden Master

Chapter 4

"Grandpa!" Sarah's voice broke through the shattered air of the hall as she rushed towards the old man.

Fred stepped back, the deadly intention dropping from his face instantly. No one dared to disrespect the sick patron of the Young family, not even him.

Kennedy coughed heavily, his frail hands gripping the rails of the stairs. His eyes, though tired, burned with an unquestionable authority as they landed on Fred, and then on Sarah.

"I said what I said." The old man's voice rebounded off the walls again. "Twenty is my son-in-law. You two have been match-marked right from childhood. I was a blood oath between my greatest friend and I."

The hall fell into a dead silence.

"Grandpa, what are you saying?" Sarah faltered, shock peeling through her face like layers of skin. "I am engaged to Fred! This... this pauper is a stalker I met in the forest!"

"You will not marry anyone that isn't Twenty!" Kennedy snapped, his voice rising by a bit. "As long as I breathe, this marriage stands. The mark was placed on both of you when you were children. It cannot be broken."

"But he's a nobody!" Fred growled, the bitter taste of disdain flooding his throat. "Look at him! He's dressed in rags. How can he feed the gem of the city?"

Sarah's hands squeezed into firm knuckles. "I will not accept this! I would rather die than be tied to a beggar!"

Her voice climbed higher, panic and rage weaving into her heart. "Grandpa, you can't be serious! I have a life, a company, a future with Fred—"

Kennedy's face darkened, something heavy and old flickering in his eyes.

"Sarah Young," he said, each word like a stone, "if you refuse this marriage, I will cut you off. From the company, from the inheritance, from the Young name itself. Do you understand me?"

Sarah's breath caught in her throat. The knot in her stomach twisted tighter.

"Grandpa," she whispered.

"Try me."

Suddenly, Kennedy's eyes rolled backward. His hands slipped from the rails, and his body jerked before collapsing onto the floor with a heavy thud.

"Grandpa!" Sarah screamed, terror ripping through her voice as she rushed to his side. The whole hall broke into a fit of panic.

Twenty's brows narrowed with lazy nonchalance. From his medical training, a single glance at the old man's breathing pattern and the steady pulse on his neck told Twenty everything he needed to know.

It was a deliberate faint. The old fox was playing a card.

But as Twenty stepped closer to examine the 'unconscious' man, Kennedy's collar slipped down, revealing a mark etched deep into the skin of his right shoulder.

A silver crest eagle.

Twenty's footsteps halted. His eyes fixed on the display before him without even blinking.

The Demon Blood Sect.

The exact people Mr. Jade had mentioned. The ones holding the QiTie Artifact. And the patriarch of the Young family carried their crest.

Twenty's hands slipped into his pockets, his fingers brushing against the rare priceless mountain stone he had brought to nullify the marriage.

A light chuckle forced out from his lips.

Seems I won't be canceling this marriage after all. If he wanted the artifact, staying close to the Young family just became his fastest route.

"We need a doctor!" Fred yelled, pretending to care while calculating how this changed his own plans.

"Save your breath, he just needs rest," Twenty mumbled, watching as the family guards carefully lifted the old man.

An hour later, inside the quiet study of the mansion, the marriage documents were brought out.

Sarah's face burned bright red, her teeth gnashing tightly against each other. Because of her grandfather's fragile health, she had no choice. She couldn't risk him having another heart attack.

With trembling hands, she signed the documented papers, each stroke of the pen feeling like a chain wrapping around her throat.

Twenty signed his without a trace of expression on his face.

Once the lawyer left the room, Sarah turned to Twenty, anger filtering through every single bit of her hearing.

"Don't think you have won," she growled, her steps threatening as she walked up to him. "I am only doing this because of my grandfather's health. We are only married in name and nothing more. The moment he recovers and I change his mind, you are out on the streets where you belong."

"I don't know if that was intended to cause any effects but okay, cool for you," Twenty said flatly, shoving his copy of the document into his ragged pockets.

Sarah scoffed, the grim metallic taste of disdain flooding her throat. She didn't even want to breathe the same air as him.

Without telling Twenty where she was heading to, she stormed out of the mansion, meeting Fred who was waiting outside in his sleek sports car. She needed a distraction from this nightmare.

Twenty watched them drive off, his face spiraling with lazy nonchalance.

Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Mr. Jade.

"Mr. Twenty," Victor Jade's voice came through with deep reverence. "My men just intercepted some information. The leader of the Demon Blood Sect might be appearing tonight at the Grand Horizon Party. This could be your chance to approach him about the artifact."

Twenty's eyes sharpened slightly. "Send me the location."

Thirty minutes later, Twenty arrived at the Grand Horizon club. The arena was filled with the city's elites, glittering lights, and the heavy stench of expensive perfumes.

Twenty walked through the doors in his same battered mountain clothes, standing out like a sore thumb among the sea of designer suits and gowns.

And right at the center of the hall, holding a glass of wine, was Sarah, standing right beside Fred.

Sarah's eyes caught him almost instantly. Her stomach twisted into a knot of embarrassment and rage.

"You!" She marched towards him, Fred closely behind her. "Are you seriously stalking me now?"

"The world isn't about you," Twenty sighed, exhausted by her constant assumptions.

"You followed us here!" Fred snapped, his eyes burning bright red. "You really have a death wish, pauper. This is an exclusive high-class party. Trash like you aren't allowed to even breathe the air outside this building!"

"I am here for my own business," Twenty noted calmly.

"Your business? Stealing leftover food?" Sarah laughed, cold and mocking. "You are a psycho. I told you we are only married in name, and you follow me here to embarrass me?"

The bitter taste of humiliation rose through her throat. Everyone was staring now, whispering, pointing at the mountain beggar who had somehow infiltrated their exclusive gathering.

Fred didn't waste another second. He waved his hands, calling out to the event organizer who was rushing over with a team of security guards.

"Madam Clara!" Fred called out. "Throw this beggar out of here immediately! He's harassing my fiancée!"

Madam Clara, a fierce-looking woman in an elegant dress, pushed through the crowd. Her face was squeezed into a frown as she looked at the disturbance.

Sarah smiled, waiting for the satisfaction that would come rushing through her veins when Twenty was thrown out like a dog.

But as Madam Clara's eyes landed on Twenty, her frown vanished. Shock peeled through her face like layers of skin.

She had just received a strict, terrifying call from the Jade Group Patron himself ten minutes ago, describing a young man in simple mountain clothes.

"Throw him out!" Fred demanded again, his voice climbing higher.

"Shut your mouth!" Madam Clara snapped at Fred, causing the whole hall to fall into a dead silence.

She quickly adjusted her dress, walking past a dumbfounded Sarah and Fred, and bowed deeply before Twenty.

"Welcome, sir," Madam Clara said, her voice trembling with sheer respect. "Mr. Jade informed us you were coming. Please, forgive this disturbance. You are our utmost VIP guest tonight."

Sarah's champagne glass nearly slipped from her fingers.

Fred's face drained of all color.

Twenty just looked at them both, his face spiraling with that same lazy nonchalance.

"The world isn't about you," he said once again, and without sparing them another glance, he followed Madam Clara deeper into the party like he owned the place.

Sarah stood frozen, watching him disappear into the VIP section while she remained on the outside, the knot in her stomach twisting into something she didn't have a name for yet.