The Return of Ares The God of War

Small Sacrifices

Olivia froze for a second, she found herself nervously fiddling with the thick fabric of her towel. Only after she felt a hand wrap around her waist did she suddenly break from her worries and smile.

Kelvin wrapped his arms around her waist as he stood next to her at the entrance. He was about to ask why Olivia's mere maid was causing a disturbance when he sighted Jayden and his lips spread into a smile.

"Well well, well, look who it is." he said boldly.

Olivia snorted and crossed her arms below her breast. "I guess wishes do come true. Only seconds ago, I was wishing you would come back soon and--"

"Quiet!" He shunned her sharply.

They all flinched at the sound of his voice, his sister included, but Ella tried to keep a frown on her face as she glared at Olivia.

"Did I ask for your pathetic sob story?" His head tilted to the side as he asked her. His tone had quietened down but the anger sizzling in his voice was still very evident.

Olivia felt fear grip at her throat and she swallowed hard. But soon, she remembered she had Kelvin Olsen by her side to protect her so she had nothing to worry about.

"How dare you talk to your wife like that?! Don't you remember? We signed those marriage papers! But we just couldn't have our white wedding because you cheated on me with that good for nothing bitch!" She glared at him.

He almost gripped her throat and snapped it but he held himself back. He wasn't going to let her words get to him. "Why?" He asked softly.

Olivia's brow twitched upward questioningly.

"Why did you do everything you did?" Jayden elaborated.

Her eyes trailed to the woman standing by Jayden's side, and she realized her worthless sister must have told him the truth. He must know now that she had conspired against him with the four giants of Rose City and her lips curved into a contemptuous smile.

"Ah... I guess your sister told you everything already? Such a blabbermouth for something worthless!"

Kelvin broke into a mocking laughter. "Look at you Jayden, you think you're something threatening? With your stance like a tiger about to pounce on its prey, well, you are the prey here! You're just a good for nothing son-in-law of the Bassett family!"

Olivia smiled. "Fine, I'll tell you what you desperately want to know. It was a flawless plan. I was informed at a party thrown by my grandfather that whichever grandchild was to get married first would inherit all the Bassett fortune.

"The old man always had a thing for family and marriage and all that stuff. But anyway, I was the third eldest in the Bassett family, which meant I had two obstacles in my way. I even heard they were already in relationships! So, I needed a plan and you, my dear, were a very comfortable pawn to play.

"The plan was to get married to you, after inheriting all of your fortune, then do away with you. It was a very easy and comfortable plan! So I tricked my dearest distant cousin into sleeping with you that night, so when morning came, you would be scorned and sent away for cheating."

Jayden's fist clenched in rage. All this time, he had believed she truly loved him, and he thought of her in his troubled times. Her beautiful face and graceful smile helped him through those tough times in the military.

Now he felt shameful forever doing such a thing. "Elsie Holden is your cousin?"

"Of course she is! The one who should have inherited everything I did rightfully but, of course, to choose the best, sometimes, the game needs to be rigged. I set her up by making the two of you sleep with each other, and she ended up getting banished by my grandfather."

She laughed hysterically. "It was such a flawless plan thanks to the fact that the great four families always had my back. I became invincible thanks to this, but there was one flaw. After they dumped you in the military, I couldn't get you to sign the divorce papers. I meant to divorce you before you even left!"

Jayden gritted his teeth in anger. His parents had died, five years of his life had been manipulated, his sister would have become a thing for pleasing sexual desires of different men!

All of that was for what? For nothing! It was all just because they wanted to play chess with his life!

He became a pawn in the hands of those monsters, a puppet with strings in the hands of his wife and innocent lives were ruined!

How could she be so heartless?

"You're a monster, Olivia Bassett! I curse the day we crossed paths!" Ella spat out angrily.

Olivia broke out into laughter mimicked by Kelvin Olsen.

"Did you really think you were someone important?" Olsen arched his brow as he asked. "You have always been a pawn, Jayden Knox, a useless pawn! Useless son-in-law! But you know, as they always say, sometimes small sacrifices have to be made for the greater good-- for our greater good!"

He let out a mocking laugh and Olivia joined in.

Ella clenched her fist into a ball of rage as she bit down angrily on her lips until she tasted blood.

Jayden was drowned by his thoughts, his emotions, his severed feelings. 'Small sacrifices?' The words echoed in his head.

His parents had been driven to their deaths! Yet he said small sacrifices? An innocent young lady had been driven out of her family due to their conspiracy, yet he said small sacrifices?

Olivia smirked devilishly. "The look on your face would have almost scared me if I wasn't standing here with my future husband. Your parents are already dead, so I wonder, do you feel like getting back at me? You want justice for that fool of a girl, Elsie?"

Her cackle echoed in his ears. "Be grateful you're alive. Just hide somewhere or maybe beg for your life to be spared. As for that wretched looking doll, she has been willed over to a man of great virtue. She might as well put her beauty to use."

She had been talking about Ella.

Jayden's emotions clashed as her words caught his ears. He could kill her with just one swift move, but he wouldn't do that.

He reached for the void and felt himself calm down. Looking her dead in the eyes, he took a step closer to her, but she didn't back away, believing her new fiancé would protect her.

"I just want to know one thing first. Where is Elsie?" His voice was ice-cold.

It made Olivia shudder, but she couldn't show her fear. She scoffed a laugh. "Why the hell do you think I would want to--"

She choked on her words as a grip tightened around her neck, and it wasn't fear this time.

Jayden's grip was firm and his eyes were dead of all emotions. He was calm and focused, one annoying word to trigger him, and he could and would snap his neck. "I don't care about what nonsense you have to say.

Tell me... Where is Elsie Holden?"

His eyes held death and Olivia shuddered.