The Reaper's Redemption

Chapter 003

"Fifty thousand dollars..."

Jenna reached up with a trembling, dirt-smudged hand to touch her burning cheek, bursting into terrified tears. Her family had absolutely nothing. Her mother worked herself to the bone every single day just to afford Grandpa's medical bills and their rent. Just days ago, Jenna had seen her mother swallowing her pride, begging people for loans. If her mother found out they now owed fifty thousand dollars, she would be devastated.

"Uncle, my family has no money," Jenna pleaded, sitting on the cold pavement and clutching her bag of plastic bottles with white knuckles. Her eyes were red and swollen. "My mommy needs it for Grandpa's medicine and the rent. Can I... can I owe you? Once I sell these bottles, I'll pay you right back. I just don't want my mommy to work so hard. Please."

"Not a chance in hell," the heavy-set man roared fiercely. "You had no money and still dared to hit my car? If you don't pay up, nobody can save you."

A crowd had rapidly gathered around them.

"Damn, how did this kid bump into the local kingpin's car?"

"That’s Big Dave. He's notorious for extorting people. The poor girl," someone whispered.

"There isn't even a scratch. He's just shaking down a child. What an animal," another muttered.

Big Dave's head snapped toward the whispers. "Get the hell out of here!" he barked. The crowd instantly fell silent, terrified of drawing his wrath. They sympathized with Jenna, but offending a ruthless local kingpin meant forfeiting their peaceful lives.

"You little rat, call your parents," Big Dave snarled. He brutally kicked the bag of bottles away and clamped his massive hand around Jenna's fragile throat.

Suspended in the air, Jenna's face turned crimson as she choked for breath. Surrounded by apathetic adults and this aggressive monster, the little girl felt profound despair. In that helpless moment, her mind flashed to the word "Daddy." Whenever kids at school were bullied, a man called a "Daddy" always appeared to protect them. But where was hers? She had never seen him; it was as if he didn't exist in her world.

"Daddy..." Jenna sobbed hysterically. In her darkest moment, she called out a title she had never used in her entire life.

"That is enough, Big Dave! There’s no scratch on the car. Do you have to torture a child?!" a young housewife with a grocery basket yelled out.

Big Dave shot her a venomous glare and casually tossed Jenna onto the hard pavement. "Save the moral high ground. Why don't you pay it for her?" The young woman choked on her words, flushing with shame; she barely had enough to survive, let alone fifty grand.

"Fine. I'll pay it."

A sleek, phantom-black Rolls-Royce glided silently to a halt in front of the crowd. Robert Depp stepped out, clad in a heavy black trench coat and tactical combat boots, his face a mask of cold, regal indifference. The moment his boots hit the asphalt, the very atmosphere in the street violently shifted. It felt as if the world itself was bowing to this towering man. Big Dave’s arrogant swagger evaporated instantly, leaving him terrified to even breathe. The crowd stared at Robert and the Rolls-Royce in stunned silence, instantly recognizing the aura of a man from an entirely different echelon of power.

Robert walked straight to Jenna and gathered the battered child into his arms. "Don't be afraid, Jenna. I'll handle this," he whispered.

"Uncle... thank you," Jenna whimpered. Recognizing the giant man from the market, she buried her face in his chest and wailed inconsolably.

Robert gently stroked her head. Staring down at this fragile girl who carried so much of his own likeness, his heart was a chaotic storm. She weighed barely forty pounds, but in his arms, she felt as heavy as a mountain. Seeing his daughter crying in pain, the War God’s eyes flared red with physical agony. This is my daughter.

His expression darkened into a murderous storm. "Viper. Pay the man."

Viper nodded, grabbed stacks of cash from the car, and tossed them casually at Big Dave's feet. His face was a mirror of his commander's lethal intent. "There is the fifty thousand for the car. Now, how do we settle the bill for the slap you gave my niece?"

Faced with Viper's overwhelming aura, Big Dave panicked. "I... I just..."

Smack! Viper clamped his hand around Big Dave's left wrist. "Is this the hand you used to hit Jenna?"

"N-no!"

Snap! Crack! Viper didn't waste a breath, effortlessly shattering both of Big Dave's wrists. "If you won't tell me, we'll just scrap them both."

The sickening sound of snapping bone made the crowd shudder. Seeing the notorious kingpin thrashing and screaming on the ground like a dog filled them with both terror and immense satisfaction.

"Break his legs, too. He kicked the bottles my daughter worked so hard to collect," Robert commanded, holding Jenna tight as he walked back to the Rolls-Royce.

The heavy door slammed shut. Without a flicker of emotion, Viper raised his combat boot and brutally stomped down on Big Dave's knees.

"AGHHH!" Big Dave shrieked at the sky, veins bulging on his forehead before he passed out cold from the sheer agony.

As the Rolls-Royce pulled away, Brit Lohan, who had been frantically searching for Jenna, stood paralyzed on the corner. She had witnessed the entire bloodbath. The animal who had ruined her daughter and spent eight years in prison was now commanding a Rolls-Royce. Seeing him shield Jenna tangled her emotions entirely. She pulled out her phone. "Lily... I found Jenna. Robert Depp took her."

Inside the Depp Clinic, Robert sat quietly on the sofa, watching Jenna neatly organize her collected bottles in the corner. He didn't entirely know what his feelings for Lily were. The incident happened during a fugue state; there was no love, only crushing guilt. He had sworn to give his life to make amends, but seeing Lily reduced from a high-society prodigy to a struggling outcast left him paralyzed. To him, Lily was more terrifying than an army of mercenaries.

Viper squatted silently next to Jenna, helping her sort the bottles. The raised handprint on her cheek made his chest ache. Yet, this little girl hadn't complained of the pain once since getting in the car. She only apologized, claiming she was clumsy for bumping into the vehicle.

Wrong? Viper thought. How could the daughter of the War God Depp ever be in the wrong? Even if she burned the car to the ground, the owner should have swallowed it in silence. If Jenna wanted to turn Liverton upside down, who would dare breathe a word against her?

What gave her the right? Because her father was the Reaper. Because the peace and prosperity of Armeria were secured by his iron will and the blood he shed in the North. That was her qualification.

Jenna, from now on, we will never bow our heads to anyone, Robert vowed silently. Your father has conquered this world for you. If you want it, it belongs to you and your mother.

"Boss," Viper stood up, seamlessly transitioning back to military precision.

"Hmm?" Robert pulled his gaze from Jenna, his face returning to its chilling indifference. "Report."

"This afternoon, Lily went to her boss, John Campbell, for a loan to cover her father's medical bills," Viper reported. "Campbell offered her a bank card with twenty thousand dollars, but demanded she accompany him to Sanya for a week. You know exactly what that implies. Lily refused, and she was immediately fired without her monthly pay. Because of her lack of a formal contract, she has no legal recourse."

Hearing this, the indifferent mask on Robert's face shattered, replaced by a monstrous wave of pure malice.

John Campbell?

Does this dead man want to speed up his trip to hell?