Ch. 41..50
Chapter 41 Nevertheless, James was a Black Dragon. To him, cowering to evil for survival was worse than being dead. Back when he was covered in wounds, almost defeated by the enemy, he did not kneel.
When he married Thea and became the son-in-law of the Callahan family, he swore to never let Thea feel sad again.
“He was the one who insulted Thea, so he should be apologizing,” James said while pointing at Tommy. “Thea had nothing to do with Alex. Alex only chose to work with Celestial Group because he owes me a favor for saving his life on the battlefield.”
James wanted to shield Thea from the insults, but he could not let them know his real identity.
Everybody was shocked to learn the truth. James continued, “If you want an invitation to the Blithe King’s coronation ceremony, 1 can get one. However, I hope you will stop insulting Thea. Let’s go, Thea.”
After that, he left with Thea’s hand in his, not even looking back.
He knew as long as Thea was here, she would continue being the punching bag of her family. If it was other people, he could easily kill them, but they were the Callahans. Thea would never forgive him if he killed them.
“Damn it.” Lex grew even madder watching them leave. “The family meeting isn’t over and they’re already leaving. Who do they think I am? I’m taking back 5 % of Benjamin’s shares.” That was what he wanted to do all along. It was just that he did not have the chance. Now, he only revoked part of Benjamin’s shares because he still had to rely on Thea. If they really drove Thea out of the family once and for all, they would lose their business opportunity with Celestial Group forever. Gladys was boiling with anger. ‘5%. That’s tens of millions of dollars.
How she wished she could skin James alive.
Even now, Benjamin was dead silent.
Howard, Tommy, and Megan were gleeful as they hoped Lex would eventually revoke all of Benjamin’s shares, now that he had already announced this.
“That’s enough of that. Let the meeting commence. Now, let’s discuss how to get an invitation to watch the succession ceremony,” Lex spoke.
The Callahans began discussing.
Nobody took what James said about him getting them an invitation seriously.
They did not believe that a military veteran had such influence on someone like Alex to get them a seat at the ceremony, especially when Alex had already repaid his kindness.
One of them spoke, “Well, isn’t Megan’s boyfriend an Oswald? The Oswalds are just as powerful as The Great Fou. We should let Colson get us an invitation from his family head.”
Hearing that, Megan glowed with pride as she tugged on a handsome man sitting beside her.
Lex9 x looked over to the man as well, putting on a wide smile. “Colson, do you mind asking your father to pull some strings and get an invitation for the
Callahans?”
Colson Oswald straightened his back and replied, “I don’t have a problem with that, but I can’t guarantee that my dad will say yes. There are many people asking him for an invitation at the moment. He can’t possibly agree to everybody’s requests.” “Colson, you have to help us.” “Your father will be able to help us out.” The Callahans chirped along. Megan answered merrily, “Grandpa, don’t worry about it. Colson will get it done,” she said as she gave him a look, “right?” Colson was speechless. His family was also working on getting an invitation for themselves, too, but to no avail. As much as he was reluctant to do so, he did not want to embarrass anybody, so he nodded. “That’s my duty. I’m sure my father can do it.” The entire Callahan family was riding on Colson’s back after this meeting.
Chapter 42 Outside the Callahan mansion.
“Enough.”
Thea pulled away from James’s grip and stared him in the eyes. “James, are you done throwing your fit? This is my family. If my grandpa wants you to kneel, just do it. Why are you being so stubborn?” “Thea, …”
“Go.”
Thea turned and walked back into the mansion without another word.
James was dumbfounded. He was a Black Dragon. This was not something that should happen to him. However, for Thea’s sake, he chose to swallow all of it. He knew Thea valued her family above everything else. That was why he did not run after her when she left. Instead, he waited outside.
He sat on the stairs outside the entrance, lighting a cigarette and taking out his phone. He made a call to Henry. “I want to meet the Blithe king,”
The most he could do now was to get Thea an invitation
Only by doing so could he help to raise the Callahans’ social status and make
Thea happy. Soon, Henry called back. “James, the appointment is made. The Blithe King wants to meet you in person, so you say when.”
“Night time, Central Garden.” “Sure, I’ll call him right away.” After the call, James waited outside of the mansion as the family meeting continued for another hour.
When the Callahans came out of the mansion after the meeting, Thea’s family followed too.
They were all obviously upset. Gladys kept on criticizing James, saying that Thea should divorce him.
Among them, David was the angriest because he was the confirmed heir of his father’s shares. James’s fiasco cost them half of their shares, which was tens of
millions lost for David. “Great f*cking job, man.” David gave him a death stare. “That’s it. Stop blaming James. He only did this to protect me.” Thea had calmed down. She felt sorry for lashing out at James a while ago since he was the only one who had her back after all. James smiled back at her. “It’s fine, Thea. I’ll get you an invitation and your respect from your family.” Nobody bought his words. “If this happens again, you’ll be dead!” Gladys yelled at him one last time before she left.
$
After they got home, James was largely ignored. Hence, he went to the balcony for another cigarette Benjamin walked in, trying to console him. “James, please don’t take it to heart. You’ll get used to it eventually.” James did not answer his father-in-law. He could not bring himself to respect someone as cowardly as him.
Getting the signal, Benjamin shut up. James spent the entire morning cleaning and cooking around the house. He paid no mind to how the Callahans viewed him because all he cared about was Thea.
At night, James found an excuse to go out. Central Garden, downtown. Two men sat under a gazebo.
“You’re the one who killed Trent?” | “Yes.”
‘James did not shy away from the Blithe King’s questions, and continued on, “He
deserved it, and so did his family.”
The Blithe King frowned and changed the topic. “What are you meeting me for?
“Nothing major. The Callahans want an invitation to your succession ceremony. Go get somebody to send them one.” As he finished, James stood up and walked away.
Chapter 43 Although he was at the same level as the Blithe King James never took him seriously.
The same went for the four other commanders-in-chief
“Hold on.” The Blithe King stopped him from leaving.
“Huh?” James looked back. “Anything else?”
“Trent was my subordinate.” The Blithe king was quite angry. The murderer of his former subordinate did not even give him an excuse as to why he was killed.
“So what?” James only had apathy. “Mind explaining why?” “I told you, he deserved it. Also, I’m not begging you for an invitation. You can choose not to give me one.”
James left.
A man walked out of the dark after James was out of sight. “He really doesn’t give a damn about you.” The Blithe king laughed it off, and said, “That’s how he is. He wouldn’t act any different even if Jesus came to Earth. Let this go. Trent deserved his death. You, go deliver an invitation to the Callahans.”
The man felt reluctant and asked, “Sir, you’re letting him go just like this?” The Blithe King replied, “What else can I do? Kill him? He handed in his resignation letter but it is yet to be approved. Plus, he’s a Black Dragon, the general of the Black Dragon Army. Although his time in his post was the shortest, his army is by far the strongest among the other four armies. The higher-ups think greatly of him as well.” “I’ll go deliver the invitation.” The man did not say anything more. The Blithe King sighed. “This restructuring has pushed the five regions to the center of the warzone once again.” Originally, the Blithe king was not the one designated by the higher-ups to handle this restructuring. It only happened because the Black Dragon sensed the upcoming storm and smartly applied for his resignation before everything began to unfold. Outside the Callahan mansion.
A jeep stopped at the entrance, dropping off a few military uniform-clad men. They walked to the front door of the mansion and gave a few knocks. Seeing the soldiers by his door from the surveillance, Lex decided to greet them himself, “Generals, may I help you?” He was still traumatized by what happened with Trent, so he approached the men with immense caution. One of them handed a delicately prepared envelope to him, announcing, “The invitation to the Blithe King’s succession ceremony.” Lex was shaken to his core.
“An invitation?’
“Lex, your grandson-in-law is a good one.” The man left after leaving him this compliment
Still stunned, Lex held the invitation in awe.
“What’s wrong, grandpa?” Megan came out of the door. Lex finally snapped back to reality. “The Western Border Patrol… they sent us an invitation.”
“What? That’s quick. I told you so, all we need to do is rely on Colson. Look, we have an invitation now and it’s been less than a day! This is all thanks to the Oswalds pulling some strings with the Western Border Patrol.”
Colson came out too, asking, “Megan, what’s the good news?” “Darling, thank you so much.” Megan gave him a peck on his cheek. “Your family got us an invitation.”
Colson was astonished beyond words.
‘My family?’ He did tell his father about this, but his father was a cat on hot bricks about getting his owi family an invitation. He sent so many valuable gifts to all those big shots before he could get one for himself. … but he got the Callahans an invitation?’
Bewildered, Colson still put on a forced smile. “This isn’t a hard task for the Oswalds.”
“‘Thank you, Colson. Thank you so much. You’re the best grandson-in-law lever had.” Lex was grinning ear to ear.
He had a few grandsons-in-law, but he knew this had to be Colson’s work since the Oswalds were the most influential out of all of the other families. “You are a godsend. Come in, I’ll prepare a huge gift for you and your father, as a token of appreciation for doing us an enormous favor.”
Chapter 44
James returned home. Before he could exit the elevator, his phone rang. It was Henry.
“James, news from the Blithe King. He sent his men to deliver the Callahans their invitation.”
“Okay.got it.”
James hung up.
He knocked on the door only to be greeted by Alyssa Myers, David’s wife.” Pathetic loser, are you not embarrassed enough to still come home”
James walked past her, entering the house. As soon as he saw Thea on the couch, a smile bloomed across his face. “Thea, I already got people to send us an invitation.”
Thea was in disbelief, as she asked, “Those are men from the Western Border Patrol. How did you get those guys?”
James laughed. “Did you forget that I was a soldier? I have some connections in the military higher-ups.” “But your resume said you served in the Southern Plains. What does the South have to do with the army at the West?”
James explained, “We aren’t related directly, but my ex-superior has ties with a big shot at the western border. Anyways, I managed to get the invitation for the Callahans.”
Gladys, Benjamin, and David were also in the house Gladys could not believe him. She questioned him snarkily, “Relying on connections, you? Although you served for a decade, you were a mere soldier. What connections could you possibly have? James, I’m warning you, don’t trick Thea just because she is naive. You can’t trick me. Thea, you have to be smarter. Why are you trusting this fool? All he has is some medicinal knowledge. He isn’t rich or powerful.”
James was already used to Gladys’s degrading remarks. He marched straight toward Thea. “Thea, let’s go to the Callahan mansion now. I will win your reputation back this time.”
“James, are you serious?” Benjamin could not help but ask. He, too, was unsure about James’s capability to get men from the Western border patrol to do them a favor.
The seats for the succession ceremony were very coveted. The rich and wealthy in the five regions were dying to get themselves an invitation “Dad, are you buying this guy’s words?” David scoffed.
He hated James to the bone. James was the biggest obstacle on his path to riches, mansions, and sports cars. His dreams of living a high life were shattered because of James.
James ignored all of those people and brought Thed away
Gladys decided to tag along because of how confident James was
If what he said was true, Lex would be over the moon, and he would definitely reward Thea. By then, getting their shares back would be a piece of cake.
In the Callahan mansion.
Lex was on cloud nine.
This was the invitation he dreamt about day and night. An invitation to the succession ceremony of the Blithe king which only had 100 seats available, according to the rumors.
So many billionaires in the five regions were spending money on gifts and tricks just to get their hands on an invitation, Now, with the Oswalds’ help, he secured one. Overjoyed, Lex handed Colson a card. “My Colson, there’s five million in this card. Just a small gift for your family’s kindness.” “Oh, grandpa, this is too much.” Colson acted humble but he immediately took the card. “We’re one family now, we should help each other.” This made Colson bubble with excitement.
He knew how many relations and how much money his family had to use in order to get an invitation to the ceremony. This invitation was not here because of the Oswalds, meaning that Lex had given him five million for no reason, which he gladly received. How could he possibly turn down free money?
Chapter 45 “The Oswalds are the best.”
“That goes without saying. Their business, Grandeur Pharmaceuticals, is one of the biggest in Cansington. Colson’s father Stefon Oswald is a social butterfly. He has a lot of connections.”
“Thank god Colson is with us, or else we would never get an invitation.”
“Megan got herself the right boyfriend. Look at how he’s helping her family.” The Callahans were flattering Colson, almost making him trippy. “It’s just a small contribution.”
Just when everybody was bathing in the celebratory mood over getting an invitation, James and Thea entered the house, followed by Gladys, Benjamin, David, and Alyssa. Their presence made the atmosphere drop to a low. Megan stood up, rather bothered. “What are you doing here?” Thea called, “Megan, sis…” Megan screeched, berating her, “Don’t regard me as your family.”
Lex’s wonderful mood was spoiled by seeing Thea’s family in his mansion, especially when he saw James, this arrogant son-in-law that dared to disrespect him. He was not even from his bloodline. “Go away.” He pointed to the exit. “Grandpa, James had his friends from the military request the Western border patrol to send us an invitation. I came to make sure if we have received it already.”
Everybody’s eyes were on Lex, waiting to watch how he responded.
“Huh…” Before Lex could even speak, Tommy talked over him, “You’re saying James made the Western border patrol send us this invitation? Are you even serious? This is clearly the Oswalds helping us, and Colson was the one who made all of this happen.”
“He’s right.” Megan sneered at James. “How can a small soldier like you be connected with the executives in the Western border patrol? You only came to take credit once the invitation is here. How shameless of you.”
James said nothing to the insults. He just stared at Colson who was sitting on the
couch, cross-legged. Colson glared back at him, yelling, “What are you looking at, dumb*ss?” “Shame on you!” “Why can’t he just acknowledge the Oswalds and stop stealing their credit for getting us an invitation? He’s such a loser.” “Yeah. If Colson wasn’t here to defend the Oswalds, he would’ve gotten what he wanted.”
The Callahans quipped nasty comments about James, without forgetting to prop Colson up at the same time.
Gladys could not stand the criticisms anymore. She smacked James on his head and demanded, “You fool, you’re einbarrassing us again. What are you waiting for? Leave now!”
Thea was filled with sadness once more.
She thought James would actually help her impress her grandfather. However, he only came to claim the Oswalds’ work after seeing the Western border patrol sending them their invitation. “James, I’m so disappointed in you!” She ran out of the mansion crying. “Thea!” Gladys followed her out. David and the others could not bear to stay, either. They left in a hurry. James looked at the Callahans and broke into a disheartened smile. “Huh, you guys really need to look at yourselves in the mirror. Fine… it was the Oswalds, right? Let’s see how you’re going to attend the ceremony tomorrow.”
He turned and left after saying that Outside the Callahan mansion, he took out his phone and called Henry. “Tell the Blithe king to void the invitation he sent to the Callahans.”
Henry could not figure out what James was up to, but he did as he was told and informed the Blithe King about this.
Chapter 46 All James wanted was to make Thea happy. He asked the Blithe King for an invitation, but he had not expected someone else to take the credit for it and cause Thea to misunderstand the situation. He ran after her when his call with Henry ended. “Thea.”
He caught up to her and grabbed her arm. “I wasn’t lying to you,” he tried to explain. “I had someone send that invitation, but I wasn’t expecting them to take the credit for it.”
“You’re still trying to steal credit? You’re useless!” Gladys snapped. “Haven’t we been humiliated enough?!” “Sis, he’s just a retired soldier,” David said to Thea. “‘There’s no way he’s as capable as he says. Just divorce him!” “Enough, James,” Thea said, tears pooling at the corner of her eyes. “I’m grateful for how well you treated me, and I’m forever grateful you healed me. But I don’t want to see you right now! Please leave!” With that, she turned around, sobbing as she ran.
James panicked.
He had never felt so helpless, even when he faced thousands of enemy troops.
“Useless lout. Can’t even do anything right,” Gladys cursed at him again. James stood still and watched the Callahans leave, then took in a deep breath. He chased after them to their home but was forbidden from entering. With no other choice, he chose to leave. He decided he would explain what had, happened to Thea once she had calmed down. He made his way to Henry’s clinic. “James? What brings you here?” Henry asked as he entered the building, but stopped when he noticed the expression on James’s face. Henry wordlessly tossed him a cigarette. James was frantic. He wanted to make Thea happy, but he had not expected someone to shamelessly steal credit like this. “Should I not have come back here, Henry?” He asked, taking a drag of his
cigarette. Smoke wafted upwards from between his fingers. “What happened, James?”
James told Henry everything. Henry smiled helplessly. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I can’t help you there. But, if you want, I can get rid of the Oswalds for you.”
“No, forget it,” James sighed, waving the suggestion away.”li’s not that serious. Besides, this is Cansington. It’s a peaceful city, not the southern border. The tactics we use against enemies can’t be used against our compatriots.” Henry stayed silent at that. “Oh, right. Henry, you’ve been handling my assets this whole time. How much do I currently have?”
James had been through a lot since returning to the city. He had always thought of money as worthless, but recently he started seeing it as essential. “How would I know? Let me think. Once, you took some gold mines from an enemy country, then sold them to someone for around thirty billion. There was another time you saved some rich man from the enemy troops because he had committed a crime, so the rich man gave you ten billion in gratitude. Oh! There were also some rich merchants on the southern border that paid you yearly so you would protect them. Add all those up and you should have at least two or three hundred billion!”
“I’m that rich?” James said in surprise.
He never used to care about these things, but he was shocked to find out how much he actually had now that he started to care about money. “You’re the Black Dragon Commander of the Southern Border, James. The south is the most chaotic, but it’s also the easiest border to get rich at. You have countless assets, you just didn’t bother trying to get them. Otherwise, you’d be the richest man in the world by now.” “Looks like I was pretty stupid back then,” James muttered.
“Why do you suddenly care about money, boss? You have that Black Dragon card the higher-ups rewarded you with. There’s ten billion in there. By all accounts, you shouldn’t be short on cash.”
“Thea said I was hiding money from her and took it. Said she’d hold onto it as funds for our kids.” James smiled subconsciously at the mention of Thea. “Henry.”
Chapter 47
“Buy that newly built trade center in Cansington.” “What?”
Henry stared at James in shock.
The Trade City Center was a newly built commercial city. In it, there were over 50 buildings that were 50 floors tall, as well as a night market, a pedestrian zone, and an antique street.
The city center was complete. It was a joint effort from several real estate tycoons to turn it into the grandest commercial city in the country.
“What? Do we not have enough money? Then use our connections to do so.”
Henry stared at James. “Just what are you planning, boss?” he could not help but ask. “We have around two hundred billion if we added our funds together, but do you know how big that commercial city is? Just the land it’s built on is worth a fortune! I heard the real estate tycoons invested around five hundred billion into the place. It took them five years to finish construction.” James did not care for the details. “Just tell me how much it’s going to cost.”
Henry thought about it. “Well, they invested five hundred billion into it. Even at the lowest price with them not turning a profit, we’d need at least six hundred billion.”
“Buy it. If there’s not enough, get the rest of the six hundred billion from the wealthy at the southern border as soon as possible. Just get me the Trade City Center.”
“That’s not a small amount of money. I might have to make a trip to the southern border myself.”
“Go.” James waved.
Meanwhile, in the Callahans’ home.
“Why are you still hesitating, Thea? Just divorce James already!”
“That’s right, sis. Even being Alex Yates’s mistress is better than being with that retired soldier!” The family surrounded Thea, urging her to divorce James. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed,” Thea said, then left to go to her room.
She sat on the bed, lost in thought. Thea had grown used to James being by her side. Now that he was gone, she felt somewhat lost, as if something important had disappeared. She knew James only wanted to make her happy, but it backfired and humiliated her in front of her family.
She pulled her phone out, intending on calling James so she could tell him to come home. Instead, she paused before hitting the call button and huffed. “Why should I do that? He’s the one that made a mistake. He should be the one that calls me to beg for forgiveness. Why should I call him?”
With that, she tossed her phone onto her bed in annoyance. However, she glanced at her phone sporadically, hoping he would call. A minute passed, then ten minutes. Thirty minutes. An hour. Three hours. Thea waited until one in the morning, but James never called. He never even sent a text. She paced furiously around the room, cursing him for being a heartless man.
After James told Henry to buy the Trade City Center, Henry went overnight to the Southern Plains to collect some money. The Southern Plains was on a border, with lots of small powers in it. These small powers were rich in precious ores and minerals, so the wealthy were not rare there. Getting several hundreds of billions from them would not be a difficult task.
The purpose of James returning was for both gratitude and vengeance. He had been by Thea’s side all this time and had neglected to deal with The Great Four. Apart from killing Warren and Trent Xavier, he had not done anything else. He decided to look for Rowena Xavier while Thea cooled off and get the whereabouts of Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge out of her. In the Xaviers’ remaining villa. It was dawn, so the villa’s lights were off. Outside the building, a silhouette appeared.
The person wore a black overcoat and a black ghost mask, melting into the shadows like an apparition.
Chapter 48
The bank liquidated the Xaviers’ other villas, and now most of them were either homeless or renting houses to live in.
This remaining villa was Rowena Xavier’s personal property.
Trent’s plan to heavily inflate the prices of worthless artifacts and sell them off to people worked. Most of the attendees had spent money in that auction and bought something from the Xaviers, intimidated by Trent’s power,
Trent may have died, but the money fell into Rowena’s hands. Rowena was a woman, but she became a pillar of hope after Warren and Trent’s deaths. The Xaviers all turned to her, in hopes of her pulling them back up into wealth.
Villa, room on the second floor.
An old man, around 50 years of age, lay on the bed.
Beside him was a woman clad in a white dress.
That woman was Rowena Xavier. She was in her 30s but looked no older than 19 thanks to her high-maintenance lifestyle. She was slim and had delicate facial features. She was an attractive woman in every sense of the word, with her long hair flowing down her shoulders and her slightly see-through dress only accentuating her seductive charm.
“Mr. Bertrand, when are you going to make good on your promise?” Rowena said as she looked at the old man on the bed that was wearing only his underwear.
This man was a big shot, with connections in high places.
The Xaviers were bankrupt. Most of their assets had been liquidated, so Rowena too was using every connection she had in order to get back some of their properties.
Charles looked at the gorgeous Rowena and smiled. “Don’t worry. I always keep my word. As you know, Alex Yates used the proper channels to bankrupt you. I need to be able to deal with every aspect of that.”
Rowena walked over to him and snuggled into Charles’s arms. “I’ve given you at least fifty million, Mr. Bertrand,” she said coquettishly. “It’s been so long. Give me an accurate time frame.” “Soon. It’s soon. Within a few days.”
Charles was smiling at her, but he was secretly disdainful. ‘Stupid woman,’ he thought. ‘Your family has fallen. Trent is dead. There’s no way the Xaviers will be able to return to being one of The Great Four. I’ve long since used up the money you had given me. Did you actually think I’d humor you if it weren’t for money?” “Don’t worry, Mr. Bertrand. You’ll get your share once I get my family’s finances stabilized. I’ll be all yours, too.”
Bang! Just then, the bedroom door was kicked open. “Who goes there?!” Charles jumped, startled, and crawled to his knees.
He trembled when he saw the person that kicked the door open was wearing a ghost mask.
He rolled out of bed and fell on the floor, then started frantically putting his clothes back on as he said, “1- I have nothing to do with them! I don’t know anything! I’m leaving now!” Everyone in Cansington knew who the man in the ghost mask was.
He was the one that killed Warren and Trent
Rowena trembled as well when the man entered the room).
James walked slowly towards them. Charles sprinted past him, now fully dressed, but he was yanked backward and tossed back onto the bed.
He curled into a ball in fright and kept as quiet as he could, afraid he’d say something to anger the god of death in front of him. “Who the hell are you? Why do you hold a grudge against us?” Rowena asked when she had calmed down, staring down at James,
James took his mask off. “You?” Rowena said, bewildered. “James Caden? The one who married into the Callahans?” “Yes.” James confirmed.
“Wait… J- James Caden?” Rowena said in shock, suddenly recalling something.” You… You’re Nicholas Caden’s son?!”
James nodded, then pulled a chair over and sat by the bed. He calmly lit a cigarette.
The big bedroom was completely silent, save for the quiet hiss of the lit cigarette. Charles remained balled up in bed, still keeping his silence.
Chapter 49 Rowena’s expression darkened. She finally knew who destroyed her family.
“What the hell do you want, James?”
“Haha…”
James started laughing, but there was no humor in it. His laughter was terrifying.
“You’re asking me what I want, Rowena?
“You’re the reason my grandfather was falsely accused and turned into the laughingstock of the entire town.
“You’re the one that caused my father to have a heart attack, then pushed him off the third floor and lied to everyone that he committed suicide.
“You, and the rest of The Great Four, tied my entire family up and set fire to our home. You killed more than thirty people, and you’re asking me what I want?!”
James was like a tiger that had escaped its cage. Bloodlust emanated from him. He roared, making Rowena’s ears ring and stunning her, She was afraid now. She had never been so scared. Rowena was a smart woman. James killed her father and brother, but the news about it had been suppressed. She knew the man standing before her was no longer the helpless boy he was ten years ago. “I-I’m still your stepmother, James. You…” Smack! James stood and backhanded her. He did not bother holding back. Rowena recoiled from the force and fell spread eagle onto the bed. Her fair cheek swelled red instantly and blood leaked from her mouth.
James grabbed a fistful of her hair and pressed her head into the bed. He put out his cigarette on her face. He showed no mercy, not caring that Rowena was a woman. He recalled how aggrieved his grandfather was before he passed. He recalled what his father looked like when he fell from the third floor.
He could never forget the memory of watching his loved ones burn alive.
“Ahh!”
Rowena screamed in pain.
Charles had fallen off the bed in fright. He cowered by the wall, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
“Rowena Xavier. Did you ever think your reckoning would come when you destroyed my family? “You need to die, Rowena Xavier, so all thirty-eight members of my family can finally be put to rest!” “I’m sorry, James! I really am! You’ve ruined my family! Please let me go!” Right now, Rowena was no longer the noble and elegant woman she was. She begged for mercy shamelessly, throwing all dignity aside. James pulled out a switchblade.
Shik!
James brutally sliced across Rowena’s face. In an instant, a shockingly red line appeared across her cheek. Blood streamed down her neck and dyed her white shirt red.
Rowena’s expression contorted in agony, unable to scream from the pain.
–
“Ten years ago, Thea Callahan risked her life to save me from that inferno. She’s my savior, yet you Xaviers tormented her.
“I’ll return everything your family did to Thea a hundredfold.
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I’ll show you what true despair looks like. Your life will be a fate worse than death, but you won’t be able to die.” James lifted his arm again and sliced Rowena’s face.
“I’m sorry, James! Please let me go!” Rowena begged, now a sobbing mess.
James tossed the switchblade aside and sat back down on the chair beside the bed. He looked at Rowena, a horrifying sight now that she was covered in blood. “Where is Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge?”
Chapter 50 James’s roar was like cracking thunder, making Rowena’s ears ring and leaving her in a daze.
All she could do was sob, not knowing how else to respond. After a while, she finally calmed down enough to say something, her face a look of despair. “I don’t know… I really don’t… 1- I think Trent took the painting to the Capital as a gift for someone.”
Slice!
James picked up the switchblade from the bed and swung it at Rowena’s hand, splattering blood everywhere,
Rowena opened her mouth in agony, but no sound came out. Her expression twisted hideously in pain and she trembled.
James casually pulled out some silver needles and inserted them into Rowena’s body.
Rowena could not die yet. Not without the painting back in his hands.
Her palm stopped bleeding after the needles were inserted, but the pain was still there.
It was an unbearable kind of pain.
Right now, all she wanted was to die.
James was right. Living was worse than death, yet she was unable to die.
James sat back down and stared at Rowena, looking like a bereaved dog. “This pain you’ve suffered is nowhere near enough to atone for your sins,” he said coldly. “I’ll ask you again. Where is Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge?” “L… I don’t… I don’t know,” Rowena said through chattering teeth, barely able to get her words out.
James frowned.
The average person would have cracked and told him the truth under such torture, out of a primal need for self-preservation. If Rowena was saying that she had no idea where the painting was, did it mean she was telling the truth?
That painting was his family’s most treasured heirloom. It had been passed down through his lineage for countless generations. His grandfather even said that their family could be annihilated, but the painting could not be lost.
Rowena was still trembling, her teeth chattering.
She fell incredibly lightheaded but was stuck in consciousness, unable to truly faint.
Pain emanated from the wounds on her face and arms, tormenting her by keeping her awake
James was a demon. The fear she felt of him ran deep into her core. She kept pleading for mercy.
“I’ll spare you tonight,” James said. “T’ll give you some time. Find out where the painting went. If by the time I come back for you, you can’t tell me where it is, I’ll show you true despair.”
James stood and walked over to Charles, dragging the cowering man up. Charles trembled, and a pool of liquid grew under him. He had soiled his pants in fright “I- I have nothing to do with this! I d-don’t know anything!” Charles stuttered before begging for mercy.
“You didn’t see anything. You didn’t hear anything. If even a word of what happened tonight gets out, well…you know the consequences,” James said coldly, but he knew who deserved his wrath. Charles had done nothing to him. He was not going to kill him. James glanced back al Rowena lying placidly on the bed.
“I’m sure you’re curious as to who I am. I don’t mind telling you. I’m the Black Dragon of the Southern Plains, commander of the Black Dragon Army. Forget Trent Xavier, I can even kill the Blithe king if I wanted to.”
With that, be left.
He told Rowena to add pressure, so she would spare no effort tracking down Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge
The only noise heard after James left was Rowena’s sobs.
Slur was still trembling
“The Black Dragon… The Commander of the Southern Plains… That Black Dragon? One of the Five Commanders?” She did not dare twlieve her ears.
How did tl Caden kid from ten years ago turn into the universally-feared Black Tragon She may not have been in the military, but Trent was a soldier with a high ranking. She had heard him mention the Five Commanders once. The Black Dragon had only been a commander for a short time. One year, to be exact. But he was by far the scariest.