Chapter 003 - Kendrick Walton

After his bath, Rohan enters a sun-filled greenhouse of vines and flowers. Inhaling the sweet scent, he relaxes in the comforting oasis.

Rohan knows he’s dreaming when he sees Kyndra smiling down at him. Her dark hair falls around her shoulders, and her eyes sparkle in the light. She moves closer and presses against him, whispering, “Come to me.”

He bolts awake, groaning. It had been a while since he last dreamed of his beloved wife.

“Fuck me harder! Ah! Come for me!” It is a shrill cry of a woman amidst ecstasy.

Rohan crawls towards the sound and sees Kendrick Walton and Chelsea, the famous actress, in a passionate embrace. She is writhing beneath him as pleasure wracks their bodies.

Kendrick yells, “You whore! Stop faking your orgasm!”

“I am not,” she purrs. “You are so good.”

Kendrick whirls around and bellows, “Who’s there?!”

Rohan panics as Kendrick’s eyes flash with murder. There’s no way to escape.

Kendrick takes his pants and a gun. He fires. Rohan feels a sharp pain, and blood spurts out. He falls to the ground, cursing.

“Oh, it’s the worthless son-in-law,” Kendrick sneers as he looms above Rohan. “That was just the first shot. Get up, or there will be another.”

Rohan groans in pain and attempts to stand. Blood drips down his arm. “Why did you shoot at me?” he asks. 

“Because you were eavesdropping,” Kendrick answers while twirling his gun. 

“I was here first,” Rohan protests. “You don’t have to fire at me.”

Kendrick laughs menacingly before shoving Rohan to the ground. He places the gun barrel against his lips and roars, “Are you defying me?! Testing my patience?!”

Rohan sees the warning in Chelsea’s eyes while she shakes her head at him. Is Kendrick high again? His behavior is crueler than usual. “Shut up, or I’ll blow your brains out!”

Rohan lies still. His heart racing with panic as Kendrick holds a gun to his mouth. He sneers, takes the gun away, and taps Rohan’s cheeks mockingly. “Next time, knock before entering a private room,” he says.

Despite knowing that they are not in a private room, he doesn’t argue. Kendrick is known to be the stupid Walton. Arguing with him will not end well.

Chelsea smiles at Kendrick as he caresses her face. Knowing it’s his cue to leave, Rohan walks away, holding his wounded shoulder. The blood stains his shirt, and he needs medical attention.

When he enters his room, Leone Walton stands near his bed. She is Kyndra’s long-haired cousin. She is said to be her rival, but Kyndra looks angelic compared to Leone’s demoness-like aura.

“What are you doing here?” Rohan groans, walking towards the bathroom.

“I was with grandpa when I heard a gunshot.”

“And your first thought is to come to my room?”

“Well, yes. You are the only one hated enough to be shot at.”

Rohan winces from the sting of disinfectant as he dabs it around his wound. Thankfully, it isn’t deep. He wraps gauze around his shoulder before Leone remarks, “You are used to being wounded.” Her eyes are on his shoulders.

He cautiously replies, “Yeah.” Kyndra had warned him to be careful around Leone.

‘She is both unpredictable and brilliant,’ Kyndra would describe Leone, who is also one of the Twelve Elites. But when Kyndra died, the Elites were reduced to eleven.

She chuckles softly. “Rohan, do you want to become my dog?”

He blinks at her. “What?”

“Dog. Do you want to become my loyal dog?” she repeats.

Rohan cocks an eyebrow at her. “No, thank you.”

Leone smirks and laughs aloud. “Well, that’s okay. Besides, I didn’t expect you to agree easily.”

He shrugs and his gaze returns to the wound on his shoulder. The bleeding is gone, but the pain remains.

“Too bad. I planned to tell you something nice,” Leone adds.

“What information?”

“I don’t give information for free,” she says. “Too bad I can’t have another slave right now. I like men who obey me.”

She steps closer. “Do you need my help? I can get you away from the Waltons.”

He frowns at her.

“Oh, poor little Rohan. You don’t know you need help. Shift your loyalty, and the abuses will stop,” she whispers. Her icy fingers are tracing his warm skin. “Besides, Kyndra is dead.”

He stands up straight. “Why are you talking to me like this?”

“You have a nice body. I can use you.” She lifts her face towards him. “It’s either them or me. I’m offering you a better deal unless you have a fetish for pain?”

“You are sick!”

She sneers, pulls him in by his neck, and licks his lips. Despite wanting to gag at the taste of her lipstick, her tongue feels warm around his mouth.

Leone releases him and backs away. “You should be my dog, Rohan,” she says, wiping her mouth.

He coughs, fury heating his cheeks, yet his body trembles with anticipation.

“Oh, you like it. Just as I thought, we are the same.”

“We are not the same,” he growls.

“You will be,” she says. “You just need to be trained.”

“Get out,” he says in controlled anger.

Leone’s lips curl up. She moves gracefully toward the door and stops before opening it. 

“Ah! Since I enjoyed that kiss, I’ll tell you something good,” she says with a pleased smile. “You are not a penniless orphan, Rohan. The Stanton family left you a fortune,” she informs. “It’s smaller than the Walton assets, but it is still huge.”

“You are lying,” he says, surprised at the information.

She shrugs her shoulders and turns to leave. “Good luck then,” she says before exiting.