UPRISING GENERAL

Chapter Three: Shattered Bonds

The hotel’s golden lights spilled across the pavement, reflecting off luxury cars lined up like jewels on display. Thomas Bradley stepped out of the vehicle, his expression calm, his presence commanding despite the plain clothes he wore.

Beside him, Clara Zhao leaned out of the car window, her fiery hair catching the glow of the streetlamps. She grinned at him, mischievous as ever. “Don’t be long. I’ll be waiting upstairs.”

He gave her a patient look. “Keep a low profile, Clara. I don’t need unnecessary eyes on us.”

She puffed her cheeks like a scolded child but relented, tossing him a wink before disappearing into the lobby with her entourage.

Thomas adjusted his jacket, about to follow, when a familiar, grating voice pierced the night. “Well, well… look who’s crawled out of prison.”

He turned. Katherine Liu’s mother, dressed in pearls and arrogance, stood blocking the entrance. Her son, Katherine’s younger brother, lounged at her side, smirking with the entitled swagger of a man who’d never earned anything in his life.

“Mother-in-law,” Thomas said evenly, dipping his head slightly. “I’ve been released early on good behavior.”

Daniella’s painted smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Good behavior? A man like you only knows disgrace. Tell me, how did the divorce go? Did you beg my daughter for forgiveness before she finally rid herself of you?”

Thomas’s jaw tightened, but he kept his voice calm. “I signed. I told her not to blame herself. We both made mistakes.”

Daniella let out a cold laugh. “Mistakes? Don’t flatter yourself. Even if my daughter hadn’t demanded the divorce, I would have thrown you out myself. A convict like you? Worthless.”

Her son stepped forward, jabbing a finger at Thomas. “Where’s the money my sister gave you? Hand it over. Now.”

“I took nothing,” Thomas replied flatly. “Our marriage ended because trust was broken, not because of money.”

Ken sneered. “Liar! My sister’s too soft, she probably let you bleed her dry. I’ll search for you myself!”

Before Thomas could move, the boy lunged, grasping at his clothes. Thomas caught his wrist, twisting it just enough to stop him without harm, and pushed him aside. But Ken let out a dramatic cry, collapsing to the ground as though struck by lightning. “Help! He’s attacking me!”

His mother rushed to his side, shrieking with feigned outrage. “You thief! You dare hit my son after stealing from us? Guards! Someone call security!”

Thomas shook his head, disgusted. He turned to leave, but then his eyes froze on the glimmer at her throat. A silver pendant. His pendant. His mother’s heirloom.

The sight stopped his breath. Memories surged, the warmth of his mother’s embrace, the day he’d entrusted the necklace to Katherine as a promise of their bond. Now it dangled mockingly from her mother’s neck.

“Where did you get that?” His voice dropped to ice.

Daniella smirked, touching the jewel. “This? My daughter’s, of course. She has no need for it anymore. Which means it belongs to me.”

“That pendant is my family’s legacy,” Thomas snapped, his control slipping. “Return it.”

“Or what?” Her laughter rang sharp and cruel. “What good is your temper, boy? You have no power, no wealth. Without money, you’re nothing. Be smart, hand over whatever scraps you still cling to, or I’ll send you back to prison where you belong!”

Security guards rushed in, forming a wall. “Show your VIP card, sir. Otherwise, we’ll have to remove you.”

Thomas’s fists clenched. Rage threatened to consume him. But before he could act, a cold voice sliced through the air. “Who said he has to give you anything?”

Every head turned. Clara Zhao strode forward, her high heels striking the floor like thunder. Behind her, a cadre of bodyguards fanned out, their presence radiating authority.

The security guards stiffened, saluting nervously. “Boss Zhao!”

Daniella’s face was drained of color. She stumbled back, suddenly realizing the weight of the opponent before her. Clara’s family empire dwarfed hers, and her son’s bravado faltered instantly.

Still, Daniella forced a weak smile. “Misunderstanding, Miss Zhao… we were only having a family dispute”

But she was cut short by a sharp gasp. Her son, Ken, had snatched the pendant from her neck. His face twisted with defiance, he hurled it to the ground with a vicious laugh. “If we can’t have it, neither can he!”

The sound of shattering metal rang out like a gunshot. Thomas froze. His world tilted. He dropped to his knees, hands trembling as he gathered the broken fragments of the heirloom.

The last link to his late mother, destroyed before his eyes. A silence heavier than stone fell across the entrance.

Then Clara’s eyes narrowed to slits. With a flick of her hand, her bodyguards seized Ken and slammed him to the ground.

“You dare?” Clara’s voice was cold fury. “Do you know who you’ve just offended? Your so-called ‘backers’ wouldn’t dare breathe in my presence!”

Terrified, Daniella threw herself over her son, weeping. “Please! He’s young, foolish, let him go, I beg you. No matter what, we were once family”

But Ken spat even as he writhed. “Shut up, Mother! I’m not afraid of her! My brother-in-law is the heir of the A family. Once he marries my sister, no one will touch us!”

The words sliced through Thomas like a blade. Brother-in-law? Katherine’s new companion?

Clara’s lip curled. She delivered a swift kick to Ken’s ribs, sending him gasping. “Even if I cripple you here, the A family wouldn’t dare protest.”

Enough. Thomas rose slowly, shards of the pendant clutched in his hand. His gaze, when it fell on Ken, was no longer patient, it was steel.

He struck once, a sharp slap that echoed like thunder. “That’s for Katherine, for failing to raise a brother worthy of her name.”

His voice was ice, his eyes merciless. “I’ll let you live for the sake of the past. But if I ever see you again, I won’t hold back.”

With that, he turned on his heel, Clara close behind him. Behind them, Ken’s voice shrieked into the night, shrill with humiliation.

“You useless ex-con! You think you’re a man? Don’t run, fight me if you dare!”

Thomas didn’t look back. But the broken pendant dug into his palm, each shard a reminder of all he had lost, and all he would reclaim.