They Crossed Me, I Became the God of war

Chapter 6

The ballroom doors opened again, and a tall, middle-aged man in a dark blue naval uniform walked into the room, flanked by four federal security officers. The gold stars on his collar gleamed brightly under the chandeliers.

"It is Commissioner Anthony Drake!" someone in the crowd whispered in awe. "The Head of the State Maritime Authority! He is the one who decides who gets the contract tonight!"

Dominic’s face lit up with greedy excitement as he straightened his white tie. He immediately turned his back on Serena and walked forward with an outstretched hand, wearing his most charming smile.

"Commissioner Drake!" Dominic said loudly, bowing his head slightly in greeting. "I am Dominic Caldwell. My family has prepared everything for your arrival. We are ready to sign the channel development agreement right now."

Commissioner Drake did not even glance at Dominic's extended hand. He walked straight past him as if the young heir did not exist, his eyes scanning the crowd until they suddenly stopped on Gideon Knox.

Drake froze in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat. His face drained of all color, and a look of deep, terrifying reverence filled his eyes as he recognized the tall man standing quietly by the stage.

Drake took three quick steps forward, stopped two feet from Gideon, and snapped his heels together before bowing his head deeply. "Sir! I had no idea you would grace tonight's summit yourself! Please forgive my late arrival!"

The entire ballroom fell into a dead, suffocating silence. The guests stared with their mouths open, unable to believe that the most powerful maritime commissioner in the state was bowing to an unknown man in a plain dark coat.

Dominic froze in place, his hand still hanging awkwardly in the empty air. "Commissioner Drake? What are you doing? Why are you bowing to this broke criminal?"

Drake turned his head slowly, his eyes flashing with sharp anger as he looked at Dominic. He then looked back at Gideon, his voice trembling with genuine respect. "Sir... do you have a connection to Miss Ashford's family?"

Gideon placed a gentle, steady hand on Serena’s shoulder, looking directly into Drake’s eyes. "Serena Ashford is my fiancée. Her father was an honest man who was murdered by thieves who wanted his life's work."

Gideon’s voice dropped an octave, sending a cold shiver through the room. "Tell me, Commissioner Drake. Were you planning to hand my fiancée's family legacy to the Caldwell family?"

Drake broke into a cold sweat, shaking his head frantically. "Never, sir! The State Maritime Authority strictly follows the law! If Miss Ashford holds the original patents, the contract belongs entirely to her!"

"Commissioner Drake, are you out of your mind?!" Dominic roared, his face turning bright red as he stepped right into the older man's space. "My grandfather is Silas Caldwell! You cannot hand this contract to a dead man's daughter just because of this dirty fraud!"

Before Dominic could finish his sentence, Commissioner Drake's hand swung through the air with terrifying force. The heavy blow struck Dominic across the jaw, snapping his head sideways and knocking him backward into a decorated table of champagne glasses.

Glass shattered across the floor as Dominic crashed into the mess, wine soaking through his white shirt. He sprawled in the puddle, clutching his bleeding mouth in total disbelief as the entire ballroom fell deathly quiet.

"Watch your filthy tongue!" Drake shouted, his chest heaving with rage as Dominic wiped blood from his lip. "How dare you disrespect my benefactor! The Caldwell Consortium has attempted to steal state assets through forged documents! Your tender is rejected!"

Drake turned back to the registration table, grabbed the official red seal from his briefcase, and stamped the master contract with a loud, final thud. He picked up the heavy gold-bordered document and handed it directly to Serena with both hands.

"Miss Ashford," Drake said respectfully, bowing his head. "By the authority of the state government, the outer deep-water channels are hereby granted to Ashford Maritime for the next thirty years."

Serena stood frozen for a second, tears of sheer joy welling up in her eyes as she held the heavy folder against her chest. The nightmare was over; her father’s life work had finally been saved from the hands of the thieves.

Overcome with emotion, Serena turned around and threw her arms tightly around Gideon’s neck, burying her face into his coat as she sobbed with happiness. "Thank you, Gideon... thank you so much..."

Gideon gently patted her back, his cold face softening with a rare, gentle warmth. Across the room, Cassandra watched the two of them, and a sharp, bitter pain stabbed deep into her heart.

Cassandra’s hands shook as she stared at Gideon. She had thrown him away, believing he was an empty-handed beggar who would spend the rest of his life crawling in the mud. She had thought no woman of status would ever look at him.

Yet in less than one day, Gideon had stood beside another woman, helping her secure a government contract worth ten billion dollars. Seeing Serena look at Gideon with pure love and deep respect made Cassandra feel sick with an agonizing, burning regret.

“This stupid bitch!” Dominic muttered under his breath as he pushed himself up from the floor, his eyes wild with humiliated rage when he saw Cassandra staring at Gideon. He grabbed Cassandra’s wrist with brutal force, digging his fingers into her skin.

"Stop looking at him, Cassandra." Dominic hissed through his teeth, dragging her toward the exit as veins bulged on his neck. "This broke dog just got lucky finding some old paperwork! It means nothing!"

Dominic pulled her out into the lobby, his face twisted in madness as his phone began to buzz with dozens of bank alert messages freezing his credit lines. He squeezed her arm so hard she cried out in pain.

"Do not worry about this damn contract, Cassandra!" Dominic snarled, his breath coming in hot, ragged gasps. "Tonight, the Blackwater Citadel finishes the bone marrow harvest! Once my grandfather rises from his bed tomorrow morning, that commissioner will crawl on his knees to beg for our mercy!"

He glared back toward the ballroom doors, his teeth grinding together in pure hatred. "When Silas Caldwell arrives from the island, the Knox and Ashford bloodlines will be wiped off the face of this earth forever!"