The King Of War Returns

Chapter 392 - Free Chapter 2

The heir to the Duvan family leaned back in his seat, his voice dripping with arrogance as he snorted,

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play. Who are Rift and Sable compared to the might of the Duvan family? They’re nothing but insects waiting to be crushed.”

The words came out casually, yet every syllable carried the weight of absolute confidence. Kenton didn’t just believe in his superiority—he embodied it.

Elias and Aiden exchanged glances. For a brief moment, they hesitated, but when they truly thought about it, Kenton wasn’t wrong. The Duvans were not just another wealthy family. They were one of the most powerful bloodlines in Shadowmoor. Business, politics, underworld—every corner of society had the Duvan influence lurking behind it. If they wanted to erase someone, even formidable names like Jaden Rift and Morix Sable, it wasn’t unthinkable.

A slow smirk stretched across Elias’s face. He picked up his glass, the expensive liquor swirling like liquid fire inside. “Then the Verricks should thank you, Mr. Kenton,” he said smoothly, though there was a hidden edge to his tone.

The three men clinked glasses, crystal striking crystal with a sharp chime. Elias and Aiden threw their drinks back in one gulp, their throats burning as the liquor went down. Kenton, however, only took the faintest sip before setting his glass back onto the table with deliberate care. His disdain for indulgence was clear.

His sharp eyes flicked toward the man standing silently behind him. “Brandon. Get everything prepared. You’re coming with me tomorrow to Ironvale City. We’re going to put an end to those two clowns.”

The man in black didn’t flinch. His tall frame loomed like a shadow, his black overcoat making him look more like an executioner than a bodyguard. His face was expressionless, carved out of stone. “Yes, sir,” he said in a deep voice, the kind that carried finality.

The Verrick brothers suppressed a shiver. They had heard of Brandon before—Kenton’s personal enforcer, rumored to have cleaned up more than one bloody mess for the Duvans. If Brandon was going, then Rift and Sable’s days might truly be numbered.

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Ironvale City – Riverside Garden.

At the break of dawn, the first golden rays pierced through the curtains of a villa’s bedroom. Jaden’s eyes opened instantly, alert as always. Years of surviving in the military camps had conditioned him to wake at the slightest shift in light or sound.

On his left, Mia was fast asleep, clutching her little toy bear as though it were her shield against the world. She had rolled onto her side in the night, her soft breathing steady and innocent. The sight of her always softened the steel in Jaden’s heart.

On his right, however, lay the woman who made his chest tighten in ways he refused to admit out loud. Selena.

She had gone to sleep determined to keep her distance, her daughter as the “line” between them. But sometime during the night, she had drifted across that imaginary border. Now she was curled up against him, her body pressed close, her arms looped loosely around his neck. Her head rested on his shoulder as though it belonged there, her breathing warm against his skin.

Jaden’s lips curved faintly. He had lost count of how many times this had happened. No matter how many rules she set before bed, by the time morning came, she always ended up in his arms. She never admitted it, but her unconscious self betrayed her every night.

For her sake, he played dumb. He always pretended to wake up later, letting her pull away first so she could save face.

But this morning was different. As he studied her sleeping face, his gaze lingered on her delicate features—her long lashes resting against her cheeks, her soft pink lips slightly parted. His heartbeat quickened, the silence in the room amplifying the sound of it in his chest.

A reckless urge surged through him. He wanted to kiss her. Just once. To close the distance and taste the sweetness that tempted him every night.

His face inched closer, his breath mingling with hers.

Then he froze.

Selena’s eyelashes fluttered. A faint quiver, but enough to tell him she was waking.

She’s waking up.