2026-04-17 16:00:22Edrin stepped forward the moment the atmosphere shifted his chest puffed with pride, he didn't know his way around the city way too well.
He straightened his shoulders, adjusted his cuffs, and let his gaze harden into the expression people had learned to associate with authority.
“Enough,” he said calmly, voice carrying just far enough to reclaim attention. “Whatever game you think you’re playing, this isn’t the place for it.”
The crowd leaned subtly toward him, relief rippling in quiet waves.
He gestured loosely around them, as if the setting itself were proof. “Do you have any idea whose territory you’re standing in? I'm Edrin, a man to be feared. The people here aren’t interested in theatrics. You should leave before this turns unpleasant.”
"Is that so?" The man's brows thugged.
He stood there with his hands relaxed at his sides, eyes steady, expression unreadable in a way that felt deliberate.
Edrin felt the first flicker of irritation.
“You’re being warned,” he continued, tone sharpening. “I don’t care who sent you. I don’t care what name you think carries weight where you’re from. This is not a place where you test boundaries.”
A few people nodded, emboldened by his certainty.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Someone needs to remind him where he is.”
The man finally spoke.
"I'm Nox, one of the seven rulers of the underworld."
The effect wasn’t immediate chaos. It was worse.
The sound drained from the room in stages, conversations collapsing as recognition spread unevenly across faces and knees buckled.
Edrin laughed.
"Should that mean anything?"
"Yes, my family could crush you in a moment. We are under the leadership of the almighty Jade Lord?"
Edrin's face instantly drained of colour. The name that caused his family so much trouble for just crossing them paths, bringing them their name to the bottom line of the food chain.
His heart buckled and a beat of sweat dripped from his face.
"Oh... I'm sorry for the misunderstanding!" His stance instantly shifted and fear crept into the deepest part of his being.
It came out wrong. Too sharp, too quick, the sound of someone forcing disbelief into confidence.
Two figures moved.
They hadn’t been noticeable before, standing far enough back to blend into the architecture of the room. Now they stepped forward with measured precision, their movements smooth, practiced, final. No one blocked them. No one spoke.
Edrin took a step back, fear pierced into his face.
“We could settle this amicably!" He stuttered.
"That didn't happen when you slapped my subordinate!" The man sneered and the temperature in the room instantly drooped.
Hands closed on his shoulders.
The grip wasn’t violent. It didn’t need to be. The force behind it was absolute, efficient, and stripped of emotion.
Edrin struggled once on instinct, disbelief flaring into panic as his balance vanished and the floor rushed up to meet him.
His knees hit the ground.
The sound was dull and heavy, echoing through the halls.
Frightened people were running away from being caught in the crossfire.
Lyra froze where she stood.
Her mind stuttered, refusing to process what her eyes were telling her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t how these situations ended. Edrin didn’t kneel. Other people did.
Her chest tightened as panic clawed up her throat.
She moved automatically, fingers shaking as she unlocked her phone and dialed the first number that came to mind. It rang once. Twice.
Then stopped.
No answer.
She tried another. Then another all immediately noted that they could not help immediately they heard the name of the person that was involved.every refusal landing heavier than the last. Some calls went unanswered. Others were cut short with careful apologies, voices suddenly distant and strained.
“I can’t get involved.”
“This isn’t something I can touch.
”
“You should distance yourself.”
The words blurred together into one clear message.
She was on her own.
Lyra lowered the phone slowly, her grip tightening as the room seemed to tilt. Her gaze lifted, scanning the space in a daze, until it landed on someone she hadn’t meant to look for.
Caelen.
Memory surged up unbidden, sharp and unwelcome. Every time something had gone wrong. Every time pressure had turned real, when threats had stopped being empty words and started carrying weight.
It had always been handled.
Quietly, efficiently and without anyone else needing to know how.
Lyra swallowed hard.
She hesitated only a moment before moving, pride cracking under the weight of necessity. Each step toward him felt heavier than the last, the distance between them stretching unnaturally, as if the room itself resisted her approach.
She stopped in front of him.
"Edrin is in trouble and your attention is needed. Come right away."
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009
Edrin stepped forward the moment the atmosphere shifted his chest puffed with pride, he didn't know his way around the city way too well.He straightened his shoulders, adjusted his cuffs, and let his gaze harden into the expression people had learned to associate with authority.“Enough,” he said calmly, voice carrying just far enough to reclaim attention. “Whatever game you think you’re playing, this isn’t the place for it.”The crowd leaned subtly toward him, relief rippling in quiet waves. He gestured loosely around them, as if the setting itself were proof. “Do you have any idea whose territory you’re standing in? I'm Edrin, a man to be feared. The people here aren’t interested in theatrics. You should leave before this turns unpleasant.”"Is that so?" The man's brows thugged.He stood there with his hands relaxed at his sides, eyes steady, expression unreadable in a way that felt deliberate.Edrin felt the first flicker of irritation.“You’re being warned,” he continued, tone s
008
The change in her expression was subtle, but not enough to miss. Her jaw tightened. Her grip on her clutch stiffened.Edrin's being shifted seeing such a stunning lady beside Caelen and almost melted.She crossed the distance quickly.“You’re enjoying yourself,” Lyra said, her voice controlled but edged. “We’re not even divorced yet.”Caelen looked at her calmly. “You made your position clear.”“That doesn’t give you the right to parade around like this,” she replied, eyes flicking again to the woman beside him. “Not with her.”Seraphine was her mortal enemy. She didn't care who Caelen was with but anyone but her. It caused her stomach to chun painfully.Caelen’s reply came without heat. “You don’t get to decide that anymore.”They landed harder than she expected.Lyra’s lips pressed together. Anger flooding her vines. “So this is what you’re doing now,” Lyra said coolly. “Using him to provoke me?”"Don't flatter yourself, if I wanted to provoke you you would know.""I'm just natura
007
Shockwaves ran through the halls.Phones continued vibrating.At first it was isolated—one device lighting up, then another. A murmur rippled through the table as people checked their screens, brows furrowing, expressions shifting from curiosity to confusion.“What’s this?” someone asked.Another frowned. “A board notice?”A man near the end of the table scrolled rapidly, his face tightening. “Aurex Strategic Holdings just issued a restructuring memo.”The name cut through the room.Chairs scraped softly as people leaned forward. Even those who had pretended disinterest moments ago now focused sharply, attention pulled toward the sudden development.“What kind of restructuring?” Lady Halwen demanded.“Interim authority reassignment,” the man replied slowly. “Management oversight transferred pending review.”Murmurs broke out immediately.“That doesn’t happen without cause.”“Who’s taking control?”“This is sudden.”No name appeared. But Caelen knew about it because so did his cell ph
006
For a moment, no one spoke.The silence that followed Lucien Morveau’s words was not dramatic, not explosive. It was tighter than that—compressed and uneasy, like a room holding its breath after realizing it had laughed too early. A few people shifted in their seats. Someone cleared their throat, then seemed to regret the sound.“That can’t be right,” a man said finally, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Replicas are everywhere now. Even experts get fooled.”Lucien turned his head slowly, regarding him with calm curiosity. There was no offense in his gaze, no irritation, only a mild patience that suggested he was accustomed to being doubted by people who would eventually stop talking.“I don’t,” he said simply.The words landed without emphasis.Another relative leaned forward, frowning. “Surely there’s been some confusion. These markets are volatile. Provenance changes hands all the time.”Lucien nodded once. “It does. Which is why those of us who live in them learn
005
Laughter then erupted through the hall "Guess our most priced Son-in-law is out of his mind!""What a joke!""He thinks we're eating leftover dog food. And even if we are, it's still definitely more expensive than that solemn piece of trash!" Edrin rose from his seat with an easy smile.The movement was unhurried, deliberate, timed to draw attention without appearing to seek it.“I wasn’t planning to make this a spectacle,” he said lightly. “But since everyone’s here…”He removed the covering.A sculpture stood beneath it—sleek lines, balanced proportions, a modern piece that carried weight even before it was properly seen. The material caught the light subtly, neither garish nor dull, and the craftsmanship was immediately apparent.A murmur rippled through the room. This piece was sculpted by a monk after months of meditation from pure divine wood and from the mountain. There's only one of it available in the world and it's well sought after.“I had to wait nearly eight months,”
004
"Stop being an insensitive child Caelen. I wanted us to end on a good note but you're making matters difficult!" Over the years, working at the boss lady had turned her commanding and domineering, especially for people that she felt were way below the food chain. "It's not for, it's for grandpa. He's fragile and sick and the doctor warned about any emotional shocks. He cannot know about the divorce yet. You know how he rooted for our marriage so well and he called for a banquet yesterday. You have to act like couples tomorrow."Caelen listened without interrupting.The thoughts ran through his mind, Grandpa was the only one that had treated him with respect while he stayed in the Halwen's.He could not afford for something to happen to the old man because of him."Fine. Only because of Grandpa!" With that, he ended the call.---The Halwen estate looked the same as it always had.Warm lights glowed behind tall windows. The driveway was lined with expensive cars parked with deliberat
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