The Urban God Of Riverdale

Chapter 7: The Revelation

"You thought I wouldn't find out the truth, didn't you? You stole this from the Hart family just to impress me.

I never thought in my life that any person was capable of sinking so low. Clearly, I was dead wrong!" she shrieked.

"If you didn't have money to get something, you could have always asked me for help, Rowen. You know I don't bite. Besides, with your ex warming my bed, I'd do anything for you now," Fred added, a crooked smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Rowen couldn't suppress his look of contempt, directed at both of them for their breathtaking hypocrisy.

He didn't bother explaining himself. His face remained cold and unreadable as he stared at Emma, his gaze seeming to drop the temperature in the room.

"Give it back to me so I can leave. We don't have any business with each other anymore, and I don't owe you any explanation," he responded.

Emma's features twisted into something venomous.

"How dare you?"

"Do you think walking away will help you in this matter? Do you even realize how powerful the family you stole this from is? With just one command, they can wipe you off the surface of the earth," she spat.

Emma fired off her explanations one after another—not because she cared about him, but because she needed to distance herself from the mess she believed Rowen had created for them.

"And as pathetic as it sounds, everyone still believes we are together and that I'm the powerful figure over you. The Harts won't have any reason to come after you—they'll come after me and destroy the legacy I've built over the years."

A dry, bitter sound escaped Rowen.

She actually dared to boast about building her company from scratch, when all this time it had been supported from the shadows. The sudden rise in her stock value, the unexpected respect she had gained from her counterparts—Emma had convinced herself it was all due to her charisma, when even a blind person could have seen it all began the moment he entered her life.

But she had been too busy deciding he was poor and worthless, too busy entertaining another man who wasn't her husband, to notice.

"I don't care about the Harts or anything you think they can do to me, and I'm definitely not afraid of them. So give it back."

Emma let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Of course you're not afraid. This affects me more than it affects you, and my reputation is what's at stake here.

Fortunately for you, Fred knows the Hart family heir personally and can help us smooth this over with him."

"Is that so?"

Rowen's brows lifted slightly, a faint glint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

As soon as he spoke, Fred stepped forward, chest puffed with unearned pride, basking in the way Emma looked up to him with reverence—an attitude that meant everything to him, especially when he'd done nothing to deserve it.

"So you know the Hart family heir? How close are you two?" Rowen asked.

"Close enough that we had drinks together a few days ago and discussed a business proposal," Fred replied without hesitation.

The lie was cheap and transparent. Rowen let out a low, bitter chuckle—anyone with sense could see straight through it.

Emma folded her arms across her chest, her expression hardening.

"You think any of this is funny?" she demanded.

He wanted to tell her—to explain exactly how much Fred was lying, that he was the heir and couldn't remember a single moment sharing drinks or proposals with Fred.

But he said nothing. She wasn't worth the effort, and he didn't care if she got deceived by Fred. If anything, she deserved every bit of the betrayal coming her way.

"Well, I never expected you to understand. You don't know how powerful the Hart family is or what they're capable of.

There's only one thing you need to know right now: you're coming with me to the Hart family estate tomorrow. You'll kneel before the heir and the patriarch and apologize for stealing from them." She delivered the words in a single breath.

It didn't sound like a request—or even a simple order. It was a verdict.

This time, Rowen folded his arms across his chest.

"And what makes you think I'll do that?" he asked, his face almost expressionless.

"And what makes you think your opinion counts in this matter?"

The air in the room instantly grew heavy. Just by meeting his gaze, Emma felt a chill spread across her skin.

The presence radiating from him was more unsettling than anything she'd ever experienced from him before. It was unlike anything she had seen—in that moment, it felt as though a completely different man was standing before her, the obedient, loyal dog gone without a trace.

Rowen stepped closer until she could feel his breath against her skin, sending goosebumps racing across her body.

"Again, my answer remains no," he said quietly.

She held her breath the entire time he spoke.

That was Rowen's final word on the matter. He left her standing there, stunned, as he retrieved the full heirloom from her hands.

One half he had given her the day she saved his life. The second half he had given her when they married. It had been his greatest gift to her—symbolizing that he'd given her his whole heart. And she had trampled it.

Then he felt fingers clamp around his wrist, burning into his skin. When he turned, Rowen's gaze met Fred's twisted expression.

"You really think I'd let you walk out of here after disrespecting my woman like that?

You're going to apologize to her right now and do as she said. I don't care how you managed to slip away from my men, but that doesn't give you the right to stroll in here and play god.

You'll still be dirt—way below our feet."

A sharp crack split the room like a gunshot, tearing Fred's lip and snapping his head to the side.

Fred clutched his cheek, which blazed red, his ears ringing sharply.

Rowen had slapped him.

Emma's eyes flew wide, her mouth dropping open at multiple intervals, struggling to process what she'd just witnessed.

Rage surged through Fred's veins, and Emma's face twisted with fury.

He tried to lunge at Rowen in retaliation, but Rowen caught his hand mid-swing with ease.

Another slap cracked through the air, even louder than the first, sending Fred crashing into the nearby furniture.

His face burned, and this time his head throbbed like it was being hammered from the inside.

The man who had always been submissive, who had always played their obedient dog, had dared to strike him.

Across multiple lifetimes, it would have seemed impossible.

"Did you just dare to hit him?" Emma shouted, her shock dissolving into pure outrage. She raised her hand to strike Rowen herself.

He caught her wrist inches from his face, his grip firm, his stare cutting straight through her.

"Just because you're a woman doesn't mean you should push your luck this far."

He released her with a controlled shove—not enough to hurt, but enough to make his point.

That look alone froze her blood and sent her heart hammering against her ribs like it was about to burst free.

This didn't seem like the Rowen she knew.

She quickly recovered from the shock, her fear melting into raw fury.

"You have no idea how much trouble you've brought on yourself. You'd better hide, because you're going to pay for this!" she screamed, her voice rising high enough to reach the neighbors through the walls.

Fred remained silent, his mind calculating, his expression contorting with dark purpose.

The only thing that could satisfy the insult of a common peasant daring to strike him was Rowen's death.

And not just any death.

He wanted to put Rowen through so much pain that he would beg for it to end—and that was exactly what he intended to do.

Rowen said nothing. His face had gone blank, stripped of all expression.

After everything they'd done, there was no reason to give them the satisfaction of a reaction.

"And as for the heirloom, since you don't want to accept help, you can face the Hart family's wrath yourself.

Besides, I can easily put the blame on Vanessa. She was the one who gave me the first half of the jade in the first place. You were a player after all—you tried to act like some saint and got played instead."

Rowen barely heard anything after she mentioned her friend giving her the jade.

For the first time, something shifted in his expression. He turned slowly toward Emma, his brows drawing together.

"What did you just say?" His voice was quiet, almost inaudible—but it carried a weight that could send chills down anyone's spine.