War God Returns: Lein Ashford

Chapter 004

Victoria fell silent for a moment. Her face couldn't hide her shock.

It couldn't be.

That voice. That face.

Was he... Lein?!

Richard also fell silent, his eyes narrowing. Then, his face turned dark, but not from fear. Rather from annoyance.

He thought the ghost from the past was already buried. Turns out he was still alive.

"Lein Ashford?" Richard said in a cold tone, then smiled cynically. "I thought you were already dead on the battlefield."

He looked Lein up and down with a contemptuous gaze. "Turns out you're still alive... and came here like a beggar? Five years have passed, and all you brought back is that worn bag?"

Richard laughed coldly. "Truly pathetic."

The guests around him began whispering softly. Their voices were clearly heard in the silent ballroom.

"Lein Ashford?!" an elderly businessman murmured in disbelief. "The son of the late Thomas Ashford?!"

"My God... that's really him," whispered a middle-aged woman. "The Ashford family used to be one of the most honorable families in Corholt City. But after Thomas Ashford died of a heart attack..."

"Their family immediately collapsed," another businessman added with a condescending tone. "His son—Lein Ashford—turned out to be completely incompetent at running the company. Just a foolish young man who knew nothing about business."

"I heard he was sent to the battlefield after that," a man added in a whisper. "And Ashford Corp was taken over by the Anthony family. That was the beginning of Anthony Corp's rise to become as big as it is now."

"So... he's still alive?" a woman murmured in a disbelieving tone. "I thought he was already dead there."

"Looking at his appearance now, maybe it would've been better if he actually died," another businessman said while chuckling softly. "Look at him. Like a starving street bum."

Those whispers were clearly heard—full of contempt, full of mockery.

Charles Whitmore, standing beside Victoria, looked at Lein with the same gaze. He had often heard stories about Lein from Victoria.

A weak man.

A man who never even touched Victoria during their six months of marriage.

Victoria had told him the story while laughing mockingly. How Lein was always nervous in front of her, how he didn't dare speak firmly, how he didn't even have the guts to sleep in the same bed with her as husband and wife.

"My virtue remained intact even after six months of marriage, Charles," Victoria had once said while smiling cynically. "He's truly an unreliable man. Weak. Coward. Even for the most basic thing as a husband, he was incapable."

Charles had laughed hearing that story. And now, seeing Lein standing before him in shabby clothes and an old bag, all of Victoria's stories made even more sense.

This man really was trash.

Charles possessively put his arm around Victoria's shoulder, then looked at Lein with a gaze full of contempt.

"So this is your ex-husband?" he said in a mocking tone. "Victoria, you were right. He really does look like an unreliable person."

Victoria finally smiled thinly. "I already told you, didn't I? He's just a weak man pretending to be strong."

She stepped forward, looking at Lein with the same cold gaze, the gaze that had shattered Lein's heart five years ago.

"Lein," she said in a condescending tone. "You're still alive? I thought you'd become a corpse somewhere."

She smiled mockingly. "But turns out you came back... looking like this? Look at yourself. Shabby, dirty, worthless."

Victoria stepped closer, her voice becoming more cruel. "I once said—I wanted to vomit from looking at your face too long. And now? Just being in the same room with you already makes me nauseous."

Charles added in a mocking tone while looking Lein up and down. "Honey, don't waste your time on trash like him. He's not even worthy of talking to you."

Lein didn't move. His face remained cold. His eyes remained sharp—staring at Victoria without expression, as if he was just looking at an insignificant insect.

Then, his gaze shifted to Richard.

"I came here," Lein said in a calm voice that sounded like a newly sharpened sword, "to take back what rightfully belongs to the Ashford family."

A moment of silence.

Then—

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Richard laughed loudly. His laughter was so loud it thundered throughout the ballroom.

The guests joined in laughing. Some chuckled softly, some smiled mockingly.

"Take back?!" Richard wiped away tears from laughing too hard. "Lein, Lein, Lein... five years on the battlefield made you crazy, huh?"

He stepped forward, looking at Lein with a gaze full of contempt. "What do you want to take back? Ashford Corp? This mansion? Your family's wealth?"

Richard raised his hand, pointing around the room. "Look at this! All of this is already mine! Anthony Corp is now ten times bigger than Ashford Corp used to be!"

His voice grew louder, full of arrogance. "I have connections with city officials. I have the best lawyers. I even have judges and the police chief in my pocket!"

Richard snorted loudly. "And you? You came with a worn bag and a tough-guy attitude after five years on the battlefield? Who do you think you are? A superhero?"

Victoria joined in laughing, her voice sharp and piercing. "Lein, you may have beaten Marcus. I'll admit that. So what? You think physical strength can beat the power of money and authority?"

She looked at Lein with a triumphant gaze. "This isn't an action movie, Lein. This is the real world. And in the real world, people like you—people who have nothing—will only be destroyed."

Charles added in a mocking tone. "You're just an ant lucky enough to survive the battlefield. And now you come here, trying to bark at a lion? How ridiculous."

The guests also began commenting with condescending tones.

"He thinks that by coming back alive from the battlefield, having some fighting skills, he can take back the company?"

"The Ashford family was destroyed five years ago. There's nothing left."

"Even his own father died of a heart attack seeing how incompetent his son was."

"Pitiful. He's lost everything, but still hasn't come to his senses."

Edmund Anthony, sitting in the luxurious armchair, finally spoke. His voice was calm, but full of authority and contempt.

"Young man," he said while looking at Lein with a cold gaze. "I appreciate your courage coming here. But courage without power will only make you die faster."

He smiled thinly—a smile that looked kind but was actually terrifying. "Leave. Before I change my mind and have my men bury you alive."

Everyone waited for Lein's reaction.

But Lein... remained calm.

Only a cold stare—a stare that made anyone who looked at it feel like staring into a bottomless abyss.

Lein stepped forward slowly. Each of his steps sounded loud on the silent marble floor.

He stopped right in front of Richard, only one meter away.

Then, he spoke in a calm voice, but each word sounded like a judgment, "I'm giving you a choice, Richard."

His eyes looked directly into Richard's eyes—sharp, cold, deadly.

"Return everything that belongs to the Ashford family within three days. The company. The mansion. The assets. Everything."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a colder tone.

"If not..."

Lein smiled thinly—a smile that didn't reach his eyes. A smile that looked like a demon.

"You will bear the consequences."

Silence.

No one made a sound.

Then, without waiting for an answer, Lein turned and walked out of the ballroom.

His steps were firm. His back was straight. His aura... terrifying.

The ballroom door closed slowly.

CLICK.

After Lein disappeared, silence still enveloped the room for a few seconds.

Then—

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Richard laughed again—louder than before.

"You will bear the consequences?!" he shouted while laughing. "Who does he think he is?! A war god?!"

Victoria joined in laughing, "He's gone crazy. Five years on the battlefield made him lose his mind."

Charles shook his head while smiling mockingly. "Pitiful. He thinks by beating one bodyguard, he can threaten the Anthony family?"

The guests also began laughing and whispering.

"Crazy man."

"He must be desperate."

"Take back the company? With what? His fists?"

Edmund Anthony didn't laugh. He just stared at the door Lein had just closed with a cold gaze.

There was something... something about that man's eyes that made him slightly uncomfortable.

But he ignored it.

"Richard," Edmund said in a calm tone. "Watch him. If he makes trouble again, eliminate him. This time, make sure he's really dead."

Richard shook his head slowly, still smiling full of triumph. "No need to worry, Father. He's just a barking dog. Won't be able to do anything."

The music started playing again.

The party continued.

Everyone went back to laughing, drinking, and celebrating.

No one knew...

The real storm had just begun.