The War God Returns to Conquer

Chapter 3

"Didn't you promise you'd do whatever it took to get your face back?" Leon asked. "I did my part, so now marry me."

Amara stood entirely still, her mind racing. She glanced at his striking face, then quickly lowered her eyes to the floorboards, completely unsure of how to react.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Leon asked, taking a step toward her. "Do you think I'm not good enough for you?"

Is he for real? she thought. He was so attractive she had spent the last few nights secretly dreaming about him while her skin healed. Any woman would jump at the chance to be with him.

He had stayed by her side every single day, nursing her back to health, and she was already catching real feelings for him. He had all the qualities of a wonderful husband.

She closed the distance between them and rested her palm against his jawline. For the first time in five years, she could look a man in the eye without feeling ashamed of her own appearance, because the marks were gone.

"Marry me, Amara," he insisted softly.

"Okay." Why not? He was the only person who had ever managed to heal her, and for that alone, she was willing to take the leap.

Amara had no idea a wedding could be wrapped up so quickly.

She had served as the maid of honor for both of her sisters, so she knew how many months of stress and money went into a giant celebration. She had never pictured a ceremony for herself—she hadn't even believed she would ever find a husband. The whole thing felt surreal.

After a quick stop at the city courthouse to sign the legal papers, they drove back toward his place.

Neither of them said a word during the trip. Amara sat stiffly in her seat, her stomach turning in knots because she knew what usually came after getting married.

Intimacy. She had zero experience with men and had no idea what to expect. Her sisters used to talk non-stop about their magical wedding nights, and her oldest sister was currently walking around with a giant pregnant belly to show for it.

When they entered Leon's modest apartment, she stood like a wooden post beside the bed, watching him pull off his jacket and start unbuttoning his collar.

Right before he reached for his belt, he stepped into the bathroom and clicked the door shut. Amara finally let out a heavy breath she didn't realize she was holding.

When he emerged a few minutes later, he had changed into a fresh gray shirt, a dark jacket, and jeans.

"Leon?" she spoke up quietly. "Now that we're married, I was thinking we should probably drop by my family's house. They don't live far, and I want them to meet you."

"Your family? Are you seriously trying to tell me they care about you?" He let out a dry laugh, sounding completely unconvinced.

"Yes," she insisted. "They would do anything for me. You have no clue how much effort my parents and grandpa put into finding someone to fix my face."

Leon didn't even look over as he adjusted his collar.

"If they care so much, why haven't they tried to track you down?" he asked, turning his gaze toward her. "You've been gone for ten whole days, and not a single person has even tried to call your phone."

Amara fell silent. The words hit like a physical punch because he was telling the absolute truth. Not one person in her family had bothered to check if she was still breathing.

"Look, if you're set on visiting them, I won't stop you," he said with a brief shrug. "Put on one of the outfits I bought for you, and we'll head out."

"Tonight is our weekly family dinner," she told him as she stood up. "Everyone will be at my grandfather's estate, including my sisters and their husbands."

Her grandfather's place was basically a giant mansion set on acres of manicured grass.

Expensive sports cars were parked along the circular driveway, and a large stone fountain sprayed water near the front steps.

As they walked up to the entrance, Amara reached over and squeezed Leon's hand to reassure him.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," she said with a small smile. "Just let me know if it gets overwhelming, and we can leave."

Leon simply gave her a quiet nod to keep her mind at ease. His naive new bride had no clue what kind of man she had actually brought along.

Amara walked up to the heavy double doors and rang the chime.

An older woman opened the door a moment later. She looked elegant, wearing an expensive silk dress with layers of heavy gold chains around her neck.

Amara kept quiet at first, just smiling as she waited for her mother to recognize her.

"Are you two lost?" her mother asked, scanning their faces with a squint. "I think you've come to the wrong house."

"Mum, it's me!" Amara said out loud.

Her mother pulled back with a heavy frown, not believing her for a second. Leon stood right behind Amara, looking completely unimpressed by the reaction.

Amara tugged down the neck of her top to show the dark birthmark on her shoulder. Then she pressed her thumb onto the digital scanner on the door handle.

The lock chimed green and unlocked.

Her mother let out a loud gasp of surprise, grabbing Amara into a tight embrace and spinning her around in the hallway. "Oh my Lord! Marcus Clarke! Emma!"

Her mother held onto her tightly, but Amara reached back and pulled Leon into the foyer so he wouldn't feel left out in the cold.

Two sets of hurried footsteps echoed down the grand staircase as her sister Emma and her father came running in.

It took only a second for them to realize who was standing there, and suddenly the entryway was filled with hugs, gasps, and loud chatter. The joy in the room was unmistakable.

Her mother immediately pulled out her phone and began taking pictures of Amara's face from every angle.

"Where is Grandpa? I want to say hello," Amara laughed, trying to dodge the camera flash.

"Papa got pulled into an urgent meeting, but he'll be back shorty," Emma explained.

Her mother kept clicking pictures, and Amara finally had to speak up.

"Mum, what are you taking so many photos for?" she asked, laughing a little.

"I'm sending these right over to Richard Hayes's son!" her mother announced, tapping away on her screen. "Didn't he say he'd take you off our hands as long as your face wasn't completely ruined?"

"Mother!" Emma snapped sharply. "You can't say something like that right in front of her!"

Amara's smile faded, and she lowered her gaze to the floor. She had grown used to hearing remarks like that over the years.

"Mum, you can't send those," Amara said firmly. "I'm already married. This is my husband." She pointed toward Leon, who had been standing quietly in the background the entire time.

It was as if he had been totally invisible to them while they celebrated, because only now did her family turn their attention to him.

Their warm expressions vanished instantly, turning cold and dismissive. Leon didn't care about their dirty looks at all; he just kept a totally calm expression.

"This guy?!" her mother pointed with a sneer. "Who on earth is he supposed to be?"

"Mum!" Amara warned.

"Who are you, young man?" her father asked, stepping forward to size Leon up. "Who are your parents?"

"I don't have any," Leon replied plainly. "They passed away."

Her parents turned pale, looking at him as if having no living family was a severe flaw.

"I can't deal with this right now," Mr. Marcus Clarke grumbled, rubbing his temples. "Your grandfather will be back soon, and he can handle this mess."

A short while later, they were sitting inside her grandfather's formal study.

Her grandfather was an intimidating figure, even among the city's wealthiest elites. He sat behind a massive desk, trying to crush Leon under a sharp, stern gaze, but Leon sat across from him without flinching.

Her grandfather took a slow sip from his porcelain tea cup and set it down with a quiet sigh.

"Let me make sure I understand," he said, pointing a finger across the desk. "You went to a courthouse and married my granddaughter."

"I did," Leon nodded smoothly. "We both agreed to it."

Her grandfather let out a dry laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly. "Do you even know who I am, boy?"

"Amara gave me the quick version," Leon replied.

"I am Henry Clarke," the old man said, his voice dropping into a hard tone. "I don't waste time on penniless orphans. If you need me to spell it out: you aren't marrying into this family."

"Grandpa!" Amara said, her face burning with humiliation.

"Well, that's going to be tricky," Leon said calmly, "because the marriage is already official."

Mr. Henry's smile vanished completely.

"My oldest granddaughter, Vanessa Clarke—her husband is a high-powered attorney," he boasted, leaning forward. "Emma's husband holds a senior role at one of the biggest corporations in the country. So what about you? What are you actually worth?"

"I own a home and a vehicle," Leon said, meeting the old man's eyes directly. "And my self-respect is worth quite a bit, if that's what you're trying to figure out."

"Fine, let's make a deal," her grandfather sneered. "Name a price for fixing her face, and I'll write the check today. Then you two annul this foolish marriage and go your separate ways."

"I have no intention of divorcing Amara," Leon told him flatly.

For the first time, her grandfather's calm mask slipped into a real glare. He straightened up in his leather chair, staring Leon down.

"Fine," the old man growled. "There's a company right now looking for a major investor to drop 100 million dollars. I would have handled the financing myself, but the bank's new manager keeps turning down my loan requests."

Leon just listened, staying completely still.

"I'll give you ten days to come up with that 100 million," her grandfather challenged with a cruel grin. "Go beg every bank in the city. Prove you belong in this world, or walk away from my granddaughter."

Amara's stomach dropped. 100 million dollars?!

Leon raised a single eyebrow. "Ten days?"

"Is ten days too short for you?" the old man mocked. "Then get out of my house right now."

Leon let out a quiet smile, looking completely composed.

"No," Leon said softly. "I'm just wondering why I would need ten whole days for a tiny deal like that."

Her grandfather froze, his smug grin disappearing.

"I will get it done before the next 24hours" Leon declared.

After that, Leon stood up and walked out of the study with Amara.

"He's either incredibly bold or completely stupid," Vanessa's husband muttered, shaking his head. "Does he even understand what he's getting himself into? A hundred million dollars isn't pocket change. Even some of the wealthiest businessmen in this city would struggle to raise that amount in ten days, let alone twenty-four hours."

Emma's husband nodded in agreement.

"Grandpa, you can't seriously intend to let Amara marry someone like him," Vanessa's husband added. "There are plenty of eligible bachelors from the Great Four Families who would be more than happy to marry her now that her face has been restored."

Henry waved his hand dismissively.

"There's no need to rush things. Let him try. He'll soon discover that making empty promises is much easier than keeping them."

A cold smile appeared on his face.

"Besides, I've already heard that the Xavier family is interested in Amara. If we can arrange a marriage between her and Joel Xavier, it would be a tremendous advantage to the Clarke family. The Xaviers are the leading family among the Great Four. An alliance with them would take our family to an entirely different level."