The Tyrant Heir's Return: Reclaiming the Thorne Empire

2:00 p.m., Washington D.C., rooftop of the Swan Hotel.

A young woman stood by the railing at the edge of the rooftop.

She wore a thick black veil, gazing down at the miniature view of the city below.

Her hands clung tightly to the cold railing; the wind howled, fluttering her dress like a butterfly on the verge of falling.

Life and death hung on a single thought.

"Miss, wait a minute."

Suddenly, a steady, calm man’s voice cut through the wind, coming from behind her.

It belonged to Jack Brown, who had just stepped off a blue S-92 helicopter on the rooftop helipad.

His true identity was Charlie Thorne—the sole heir to an arms empire who "died" in a shocking helicopter crash twenty years ago.

Now, Jack, or rather Charlie, was no longer that helpless young boy.

He had become the Tyrant.

His return to Washington had three goals: first, to find Isabella—the young girl who had rescued him from the crash but suffered severe burns in the process; second, to uncover the truth behind the helicopter crash, identify the killers of his parents, and reclaim everything that belonged to him; third, to locate his missing younger sister.

"Good afternoon, sir," several uniformed attendants, who had been waiting nearby, bowed respectfully, their attitudes extremely humble.

Jack nodded slightly.

He took a plain gray jacket from one attendant, changed out of his current clothes, and deliberately toned down his aura to look like an ordinary passerby.

Just as he was about to head for the elevator, the corner of his eye caught a terrifying sight on the other side of the helipad—a young woman standing by the railing, ready to jump.

He walked over without hesitation, and the attendants hurried to follow.

Hearing Jack’s voice, the woman trembled and slowly turned around.

Through the blurred view beneath her veil, she saw a tall, stern-looking young man.

"Leave me alone... my business has nothing to do with you."

"Whether it does or not depends on if you really want to end everything," Jack stopped three steps away from her, not moving closer—he knew desperate people hated being pressured the most.

"I may not understand the pain you’ve been through," Jack said as he inched closer, "but I can say for sure that jumping will truly end everything. But if you stay alive, there’s always a chance for things to turn around!"

"You’re still hesitating because you know God wouldn’t let you do this. Isn’t that right?" He noticed the cross necklace around her neck.

"God?" The woman’s voice was tearful and hoarse. "I don’t deserve God’s mercy... Twenty years—every day has been torture... No one cares about me..."

"Listen to me—right now, I care about you. " Jack’s gaze fell on a prominent old scar on her left wrist, "Some scars might be medals, proving you once fought bravely. Or maybe they’re marks from God, so your guardian angel can find you."

The woman froze, instinctively pulling her wrist back.

"I know you’ve tried. You’ve attempted to change—you just haven’t waited for your chance yet," Jack stared intently at her eyes beneath the veil, inching closer.

His words were like a stone thrown into the calm of her heart.

At the moment her gaze softened, Jack moved as fast as a cheetah!

He lunged forward, his left hand wrapping around her waist and his right hand grabbing her wrist, yanking her back from the railing in one swift motion.

The woman let out a gasp and crashed into his firm chest.

The attendants quickly gathered around.

At the same time, a girl in a pink dress, holding her high heels and running barefoot, panted over and threw her arms around the woman.

"Isabella! You scared me half to death! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! What would I do if something happened to you?!"

Isabella?

Jack’s heart skipped a beat!

That name had lingered in his mind for twenty years—he had come to Washington for her today!

Could it really be her?

Was it just a coincidence?

He couldn’t help but glance back.

The woman named "Isabella" finally burst into tears. "Jessica, I..."

"Isabella, are you upset about the marriage recruitment?" Jessica held her tightly.

Isabella nodded, tears streaming down her face as years of suppressed grievances poured out.

Jack’s heart jolted: the marriage recruitment? Today was exactly the day the Hart family was holding a marriage recruitment for Isabella at this hotel! Everything lined up—this was indeed Isabella Hart!

Memories of twenty years ago flashed through his mind: billowing smoke, searing flames, the wreckage of a helicopter burning on the beach, and the screams of the little girl who had risked everything to pull him out of the cabin...

Who had bullied Isabella so badly that she’d wanted to jump?

Jack stared deeply at her, his fists unconsciously tightening.

He would make anyone who had hurt Isabella pay a heavy price!