The Mecenery King's Homecoming

"Home, sweet home!" A young man muttered under his breath as he alighted from the plane, carrying a small, beat-up, old bag.

A small smile was plastered on his face as he walked out of the airport, his movement slow but steady.

Soon enough, the young man, Jeremy, stepped out of the airport. Taking in a deep breath, he looked around, and once again, the familiar view of the city settled into his mind.

At the same time, memories of the past also slowly awakened.

As the illegitimate son of the Raven family, he was treated worse than a dog.

His mother had died from an illness when he was aged three, and he was taken back to the Raven family house.

Since then, he faced countless torments from his stepmother, negligent father, and his half-brother and sister.

Finally, five years ago, his brother and sister embezzled quite a sum from the company and framed him for it.

Angrily, his father banished him and sent him to the wastelands.

The wastelands were a place of death. Anyone who went there either died, or became something else, barely grappling at the claw of survival.

But he, for five years, fought his way and he crawled through hell, piling up enemies until he reached the very top.

Now, he was the Mercenary King of the wasteland. A title that made even powerful nations think twice before acting.

Thinking about all these, Jeremy let out a long breath and shook his head; this time, he was back for one thing.

To find his deceased brother's sister and protect her, just as his brother had entrusted her to him.

Thinking about this triggered the painful memory of the battle, and Jeremy couldn't help but sigh and lock away the memories.

Getting all in place, he raised his hands and was about to stop a taxi when two luxury cars pulled up before him.

Alighting from the cars were four figures: his father, stepmother, and half-brother and sister.

The four had a scowl on their faces as they stared at Jeremy; the disdain in their eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Don't you know how to greet, or has the five years you spent in that wasteland taught you nothing?" Jeremy's father, Charles, broke the silence, anger written all over his face.

"Father, please don't be angry; you know brother just came back and might be tired," Kelvin, Jeremy's half-brother, quickly spoke up, stopping Charles, who was about to say something.

"You're still speaking up for that bastard?" Charles fumed, pointing at Jeremy, who stood without saying a word.

"If I'm a bastard, then what would that make you, Father?" Jeremy chuckled lightly; a faint smile rose at the corner of his lips.

"How dare you!" Charles finally exploded, pointing at Jeremy.

"Jeremy, how dare you speak to Father like that? Apologize this instant," Leen, Jeremy's half-sister, chipped in, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"And since when was it your place to talk to me that way?" Jeremy raised his brows, turning to Leen while he stepped forward.

Leen swallowed; panic slowly surfaced on her face as she slowly stepped backward while swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Remember, I'm your elder brother, so the next time you dare talk like that, I'll have to teach you some manners."

"How dare you threaten my daughter!" Alice, Jeremy's stepmother, flew into a rage, pointing at Jeremy.

"I told you, we shouldn't have brought him back; we should have left him to die in the wasteland," she continued, turning to Charles, whose eyes had a pang of regret in them.

"Mum, Dad, please stop; we are outside," Kelvin spoke, hurriedly stopping Charles and Alice.

"Besides, if we continue this way, we are going to be late for the wedding, and that wouldn't look good on our family," he continued, still trying to pacify the situation.

Hearing this, Jeremy's brows narrowed slightly, wondering what the heck was happening.

Charles, on the other hand, finally softened at the mention of the wedding and looked back at Jeremy.

"Get in, you're getting married," he said, his voice without a hint of remorse.

"Getting married?" Jeremy's expression darkened, his voice dropped.

"Yes, or don't you want to?" Charles snorted, his voice cold; the disdain there could still be felt.

"If you are not willing, we could as well send you back to the wastelands," he added; the layer of threat therein couldn't be hidden.

"Who am I getting married to?" Jeremy couldn't help but ask, still wondering why the family was using him for the marriage alliance.

He was sure something was wrong. After all, Kelvin was their golden son, so he should be the one to honor it.

"You're getting married to the young mistress of the Edwin family, Sarah Edwin." Leen answered this time; the mockery in her voice could be felt.

Hearing the name, Jeremy's expression changed slightly. Wasn't that the same name as the name of the person he wanted to protect?

"Don't flatter yourself too much, brother," Leen's sneer came.

"Sarah lost half of her face to a fire years back saving someone and is now a disfigured bitch," she said, bursting out into laughter.

"I bet you'd be disgusted your whole life."

Hearing this explanation, Jeremy's expression darkened. Now he realized why the family wanted him back.

Turned out this was their aim.

"Hurry up and get into the car; we are running late," Charles's cold voice came, pulling Jeremy back to his senses.

"Also, you can't come with us in that shabby wear; I've had Kelvin prepare one of his old suits for you," he carried on, sounding rather dismissive about the whole situation.

"Get into the car and change; we have no more time to waste."

"I'm not going," Jeremy refused; a smile rose at the corner of his mouth.

Right since he was a child, everything he owned was stuff that Kelvin used and discarded.

And even now when they were trying to force a wedding on him, they wanted him to wear one of Kelvin's old suits. That was impossible.

"What did you just say?" Charles turned slowly, blinking, as he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"I said I'm not going," Jeremy shrugged, spreading out his arms.

"And if you really want me to go, then buy me a new set of suits, and they mu

st not be cheap either," he concluded, his voice calm.