The Supreme Sovereign Returns

Chapter 002

Cassian Reed's eyes met Neve Ashford's. For him, that single glance spanned a thousand years.

In his past life, their marriage had ended. He had achieved ascension to the Celestial Realm, severing all ties between them. Yet even after becoming a Sovereign, regret lingered in his heart. If only he had explained himself back then, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

After their divorce in that previous life, Neve had still asked others to look after him. She had always been sharp tongue, soft heart, scolding him with words while caring for him through actions. Between the two of them, there remained unfinished karma.

In the Ascendant Realm, he had carved a bloody path forward, battled across the Firmament, descended into the Netherworld, and wielded divine arts that could overturn heaven and Earth. But when tribulation lightning struck him down in that final moment, aside from his master, the other person occupying his thoughts had been Neve.

Now, reborn and returned, Cassian stood before her familiar yet strangely distant face. For a moment, he found himself frozen in place. The hatred that had clouded his mind seemed to clear, just a little.

He exhaled softly and lowered his fist. Instead of striking Damon Grady again, he turned and walked toward Neve.

Damon let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Cassian's gaze moments before had been terrifying, like a fiend from the nine heavens standing atop a mountain of corpses, roaring in fury. It had gripped him with a visceral, primal fear, suffocating and paralyzing and utterly beyond his control.

That look in Cassian's eyes had carried the scent of death itself, something Damon had never encountered before. This mute, this waste of space, had somehow become something entirely different.

Neve's expression shifted subtly as she studied Cassian. Something about him felt changed. There was a weariness in his bearing now, a depth in his eyes she had never noticed before. Those eyes, which had always seemed so ordinary, now held something profound and unfathomable.

"Cassian," she said quietly, her voice carefully controlled. "Whatever happened here, you can't just hit people. That's not like you. It never has been."

She had intended to scold him, to demand an explanation, but something stopped her. The way he looked at her, with such gentle sorrow, disarmed her completely. The harsh words dissolved on her tongue, replaced by patient reasoning. The shift in her own emotions caught her off guard. She didn't understand why she felt compelled to soften her tone, but the impulse was undeniable.

Cassian's chest tightened. If not for the single Breath he had to hold back, he would have spoken right then and there. He would have asked this woman, separated from him by a lifetime, if she had been well. Whether in his past life before ascension, or now after his rebirth, he had never spoken a single word to Neve. Not one.

Perhaps his betrayal and death had been a tribulation he was meant to endure. But seeing her now, he felt as though the heavens had granted him mercy, a chance to mend what had been left broken.

He nodded in response, and though he remained silent, a faint smile touched his lips.

Seeing his cooperative attitude, Neve relaxed slightly. She said nothing more, letting the matter rest for the moment.

But Bernice Grady, who had been watching from the side, saw only that her daughter had tamed this violent madman with a glance and a few words. Her earlier terror evaporated, replaced by indignant fury. She strode forward, hands planted on her hips, radiating aggression.

"Daughter, thank god you're here! If you'd come any later, you might never have seen me again!"

"This ungrateful bastard Cassian, he went behind your back and hired a prostitute! You always said that even though he was mute, he was kind-hearted. I believed you! But look at him now, this bastard! He's cheating on you behind your back!"

"He eats your food, drinks what you provide, wears clothes you bought for him! Everything he has comes from you, and still he's not satisfied! He might be mute, but that doesn't stop him from doing filthy, disgusting things like this! You've never looked down on him, never complained, and this is how he repays you? When your cousin and I caught him in the act, he even dared to attack us!"

"Oh, my poor daughter..." Bernice shoved Cassian aside and covered her face with her hands, sobbing dramatically. She deserved an Oscar.

Neve, who had just begun to calm down, froze as her mother's words sank in. Her delicate face went rigid with shock. Cassian, doing something like this? It seemed impossible. And yet, this accusation came from her own mother. How could she not believe it?

Damon, sensing an opportunity, jumped in eagerly. His eyes gleamed as he twisted the knife deeper.

"That's right, cousin. Don't let this bastard fool you. He hired a prostitute, and this is only the time we caught him! Who knows how many other times there have been? No wonder he's always asking you for money! Turns out he's nothing but a perverted lecher. People like that always bring it on themselves. He's mute, sure, but that's karma catching up with him. He can't speak because his heart is rotten."

"What kind of man does something like that? Just now, if I hadn't stepped in, he would've hit his own mother-in-law! Can you believe that?"

Damon piled on, fanning the flames and driving the accusation home. Even if Cassian could speak, he would be unable to prove his innocence now.

Neve fell silent. She turned slowly, her gaze settling on Cassian. She didn't say anything at first, but her eyes were full of unspoken questions. Then she noticed the hotel room around them, the bed, the atmosphere. Doubt crept across her face, followed by suspicion, and finally a cold frost settled over her features.

Cassian hadn't expected his mother-in-law and Damon to double down on their lies, even now. He should have hit them harder. No. He should have struck Bernice as well. If she weren't Neve's mother, he would have returned that first slap the moment he'd woken.

In the Ascendant Realm, he had been the supreme Sovereign of the Four Dominions, an emperor before whom countless cultivators bowed in reverence. No one would have dared speak to him this way. Once, an entire family had slandered him behind his back. With a single manifestation art, he had annihilated them from a thousand miles away, erasing every last member.

But now, he could not. Especially after his rebirth, he cherished this second chance too much to squander it on rage.

He wanted to explain. He saw the question in Neve's eyes, the plea for truth. But how could he speak? The words were locked inside him, trapped behind the seal of silence he had to maintain. He raised his hand, then let it fall helplessly to his side.

Neve's face filled with disappointment. She drew a long, steadying breath.

"Is it true?" Her voice was quiet but firm. "I need you to be honest with me. You know how much I hate being lied to. By anyone."

"If you didn't do it, shake your head. If you did, nod. If you made a mistake, you have to face the consequences. I don't want to see a coward standing in front of me."

The moment she finished speaking, Cassian shook his head. Though he couldn't explain aloud, he hoped this gesture would be enough. That she would trust him.

"Then why are you here?" Neve pressed, her tone still measured but edged with steel.

Cassian smiled gently at her. He touched his chest and traced the shape of a heart with his finger, hoping she would understand.

"Stop pretending to be pitiful and trying to trick my daughter!" Bernice snapped. "Cassian, you bastard, my daughter just said she'd give you one chance. She told you to admit the truth and stop lying. Do I really need to spell out the consequences?"

Before Cassian could react, Damon grabbed the girl who had been cowering in the corner and yanked her forward. Her towel slipped off, and she screamed. Neve turned her head away sharply, her brow furrowed in discomfort. The girl scrambled to pick up the towel, clutching it to herself as Damon shoved her between Cassian and Neve.

"Here's your evidence!" Damon barked triumphantly. "Cassian, you still want to deny it?"

"You paid for this girl, didn't you? Or are you going to tell me you got a hotel room with her so she could read you a bedtime story?"