
"Don't worry, Lizzie. I'll get the money for your surgery," Calvin said as he sat beside the hospital bed where his younger sister lay weakly. The sunset cast warm hues through the window, creating an emotionally charged atmosphere in the room.
"You've already sacrificed too much for me, Calvin," Lizzie replied weakly, her eyes looking tired yet filled with appreciation.
"Don't say that, Liz—"
"Fifty thousand dollars, Cal! Where are we going to get that much money? You already married that dreadful woman to get three hundred thousand dollars. She's not going to give us fifty thousand dollars more, Cal. I don't want you to be humiliated again just because of me!" Lizzie exclaimed, interrupting her brother's words with clear disapproval evident on her face.
Calvin, with a tense expression, sighed deeply.
He knew Lizzie's words held truth.
A year and a half ago, Calvin was forced to marry Alana Perry, the daughter of the Perry family, one of the wealthiest families in Ellstown, even counted among the esteemed families in Hudden.
He did everything to get the three hundred thousand dollars he needed for Lizzie's treatment.
At that time, Lizzie was on the brink of death due to a rare disease ravaging her kidneys.
Alana married Calvin not because she loved him; she even felt repulsed by Calvin. She did it all for the inheritance from her grandfather, Jonathan Perry.
In Jonathan's will, it was clearly stated that Alana was the primary heir, with the condition that she had to marry.
Calvin didn't understand why Jonathan required Alana to marry before receiving the inheritance, but he didn't care about that. What mattered most to him was that Alana was willing to pay for all of Lizzie's medical expenses.
At that time, Calvin worked as Alana's secretary. When Calvin expressed his intention to borrow money from the company, she immediately offered a marriage contract.
"I know how that woman treats you, Cal. Don't lie to me," Lizzie said with a sharp look, as if trying to pierce through her brother's emotions.
"Liz, don't worry about it. Alana isn't as bad as you think. She'll surely lend me the money we need for your surgery," Calvin said, trying to reassure his younger sister as he gently rubbed her back.
"Cal—"
"Now you have to rest, Liz. If you keep talking, I won't buy you ice cream when you're better," Calvin said with a soft smile, trying to divert Lizzie's attention from her worries.
Lizzie let out a long sigh, a sign of deep resignation and exhaustion. She felt extremely tired, but her heart was filled with hope that her brother would find a way out for both of them.
After Lizzie fell asleep from exhaustion, Calvin left the ward and tried to dial the number he had called several times in the past two days.
The hospital corridor fell silent, only the faint sound of nurses' footsteps could be heard from afar. In the silence, Calvin tried to calm himself before pressing the call button on his phone.
Alana's cell phone number, his wife, who was away on business, appeared on the screen.
Alana never answered Calvin's calls, perhaps because she was disgusted and regretted having a husband like Calvin.
Or maybe she already knew Calvin's intentions for calling her were about money. Whatever the reason, Calvin continued to try hard to call Alana, even though it was highly unlikely she would answer.
But this time, there was a voice on the other end. "What is it, Cal? Don't you know I'm busy?" Alana's voice sounded loud and short.
When Alana answered her phone, Calvin was surprised. He remained silent for a few moments and couldn't respond.
"Cal? Are you still there?" Alana asked somewhat impatiently.
Calvin took a deep breath before speaking. "Alana, can you lend me money for Lizzie's final surgery? She has found a donor, but for the surgery, we need fifty thousand dollars," Calvin said straight to the point.
His heart raced as he mentioned the amount needed.
"Fifty thousand dollars? Are you out of your mind? You always come to me asking for money, Cal! When will you realize that I'm not an ATM!" Alana exclaimed loudly, her impatience evident in her tone.
"Alana… Lizzie could die if she's not getting her surgery. And don’t you remember the contract we signed? We get married so that you get the inheritance, and in return, you pay for Lizzie’s medical bill. We are just one step from the final bill. I beg—" Calvin's words were cut off by the tone of the disconnected phone.
Alana didn't want to listen anymore, so she deliberately hung up.
"Alana! Alana! Hello?" Calvin tried tapping his phone screen, hoping for a reconnection, but to no avail.
He kept wondering, even though he knew the phone call had been disconnected. Calvin clenched his fists in frustration.
Where else could he ask for help? All the doors seemed to have closed for him.

Latest Chapter
The Siege Beneath
President Lee refused to surrender. Even after his forces had suffered a humiliating defeat, even after Calvin had turned the tide of battle, he remained relentless—driven by obsession, by fury, by the burning need to crush Barion and everything it stood for.“Mobilize everyone,” he snarled into the comms. “All divisions. Not just the army. I want the Shadow Assassins deployed as well. Every last one.”“Yes, sir,” came the reply, cold and mechanical.Though Hugo had been marked for death and presumed dead, President Lee still clung to the blueprint the mysterious man had created. The strategy to destroy Barion’s energy core—Fountain’s Heart—was still in motion. But now, Lee added his own brutal twist: a scorched-earth order.“If the people of Barion want to hide like rats,” he hissed, “then we’ll dig them out like rats. I want every Shadow Assassin scouring every tun
The Photograph
Calvin stared at the photograph in his hand—a weathered, yellowing picture that had clearly been folded and handled too many times. The edges were frayed, and faint creases ran through the center, but the image was still clear enough. The boy in the photo had sharp, focused eyes and a faint scowl on his face. Something in his expression struck Calvin deeply—like looking into a mirror from the past. The attached message from his trusted aide replayed in his mind: “Confirmed. The illegitimate child is alive. New identity untraceable for now.”He stood silently in the garden, wind brushing through the leaves above him as he processed the revelation. His heart pounded—not in fear, but in the overwhelming weight of possibility. That child… could be the one. Could be the same person who nearly killed him. Could be his half-brother.Calvin walked back into the clinic with his brows furrowed, the photo clutched tightly in one hand.
Truth in the Garden
The mysterious man stared at the tray of food before him, untouched, growing cold.But his gaze wasn’t on the meal—it was on Calvin.“Why?” he finally growled, voice low and edged with disdain. “What do you want from me? You save me, clean me up, feed me like a stray dog. What’s next? You going to ask me to swear loyalty to you? Or maybe you want a pet assassin to do your dirty work?”His voice rose, sharp with venom. “Or are you just fattening me up before you throw a leash around my neck?”Calvin, leaning casually against the doorframe, let out a soft laugh. “You really don’t know how to take a moment of peace, do you?”The man’s eyes narrowed dangerously.“I don’t want anything from you,” Calvin said, stepping into the room. “Eat the food. Rest. Then leave, if you want.”The man blinked, taken aback for just a split second. &
The Enemy Who Became a Patient
The system’s alarm blared in Calvin’s ear like a siren, shrill and relentless, as if the world itself was screaming at him.[WARNING: Incoming Aerial Strike – Coordinates Locked – Estimated Impact in 7 seconds.]A sharp whirr followed—mechanical, hungry, deadly. Calvin’s head snapped upward. The sky above the battlefield twisted with black smoke and glimmers of metal. Then, cutting through the haze, a sleek black helicopter emerged, its blades slicing the air with cold precision. It hovered like a vulture over a carcass, silent and lethal.Calvin’s breath caught. The insignia on its side—a coiled serpent wrapped around a crimson eye—was unmistakable.“Lee’s elite unit,” he muttered, voice grim.Then he saw it: a glint of metal dropping from the undercarriage. A steel cylinder. Too small to be a missile. Too large to be anything benign.A bomb.Time seemed to freez
The Fall of the Hound
Blood streamed from the forehead of the mysterious man, soaking the latex mask until crimson tears ran down its smooth surface. His chest heaved. His breath came in shallow, ragged pulls. Opposite him, Calvin wasn’t faring much better. Sweat clung to his brow, and blood marked his robe where bruises and cuts had bloomed.Both stood amid the cracked battlefield, surrounded by the aftermath of earth-shattering blows, smoke-streaked skies, and upturned soil. The once-golden field of the Fountain had become a war-scarred arena.“You're impressive,” Calvin said, voice hoarse but steady. “You’ve matched me this far without any magical enhancements… just your body, your fists, your anger. That’s not something I take lightly.”The mysterious man said nothing, his eyes narrowing.“You should walk away,” Calvin continued. “This fight—it’s meaningless now. President Lee abandoned you the
Beneath the Earth, Above the Truth
The outer wall groaned.Cracks spidered across its surface like lightning frozen in stone. Dust rained down. A moment later—boom—the first section of the ancient barrier collapsed inward with a thunderous roar, revealing the luminous core of the Fountain beyond.The enemy troops surged forward, eager to claim their prize.And then… they stopped.Dead in their tracks.There, standing calmly amid the golden light that poured from the breach, was a figure cloaked in black, arms crossed, eyes cold.Calvin Hudson.Alive.Waiting.“What—?!”“Is that—?”“He’s here—!”Panic rippled through the ranks. They’d thought him dead. Or crippled. But there he stood—untouched, unwavering.And then he moved.Calvin raised one hand.The earth answered.In an instant, the ground beneath the sold
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