This time, Gracie was determined not to let Cheyenne destroy their family of three any longer.
“Take them away,” she ordered.
“No!”
Jonathan, injured and tearful, tried to rush forward to save them but was held back by the man who had grabbed his shoulder and pinned him down.
The man’s voice was rough and hoarse, as if he had a cold or deliberately lowered his tone.
“Don’t make any sudden moves. You’ll only end up risking your own life.”
Through teary eyes, Jonathan looked up at the young man behind him who appeared to be in his early twenties with delicate features and fair skin. Although this type of face did not show signs of aging, it also lacked some masculinity that would make him appear immature compared to others his age.
The young man wore a white chef uniform with a tall white hat covering his dazzling golden hair.
“Who are you?”
He didn’t seem to remember knowing this person before.
Jerry coughed mysteriously and quietly slipped a walkie-talkie into Jonathan’s hand through his sleeve. “I’m just an unknown little chef.”
As he turned around to leave, he suddenly looked back and smiled. “Oh yeah, I graduated from EDU cooking school.”
Jonathan’s pupils shrank in shock as he clenched what Jerry had given him earlier…
“Oh, no wonder the food has been so bad lately! You graduated from EDU cooking school,” Jonathan said sarcastically, while Jerry panicked inside wondering if Jonathan understood what he meant.
…
In the cold forest deep within dark caves lies an unexpected warm place where purple flowers bloom on grassy patches bringing life into this deadly winter season.
After navigating through a winding path for about five minutes, Cheyenne and the others were escorted by the black-robed figures led by Gracie to a circular altar.
The altar was backed by a valley and had an area of approximately sixty square feet. Around it stood eight white marble pillars.
The pillars were bound with dark iron chains, and roaring flames blazed upon them. When the wind blew, the flames danced wildly.
Occasional sparks fell to the ground, silently vanishing into thin air.
The tall man stood on the altar with his hands behind his back. His black robe was noticeably different from the others, with a golden trim around the collar and sleeves, luxurious yet understated.
As he heard footsteps approaching, he slowly turned around to reveal himself as Gregory, who hadn’t been seen in a long time.
At the sight of Layne, Gregory’s aged face wrinkled slightly but still maintained an elegant and handsome appearance. He smiled gently as if nothing had changed.
He snapped his fingers and the black-clad men holding them retreated, leaving only Gracie standing there.
Gregory looked down at them from above and finally fixed his gaze on Cheyenne’s protruding belly. The fiery desire in his eyes was like that of a hunter who had found its prey after searching for so long. It was filled with gentle killing intent that made Cheyenne shudder.
This danger lurked beneath his surface; even Cheyenne felt uneasy just looking at him smile.
Instinctively she covered her stomach with her hand and met him eye-to-eye. “What do you want?”
He already knew where the ancient tomb was located; why wouldn’t he let them go?
“If you have any issues, come to me directly without harming my child.”
Layne had fought against this man more than 20 years ago and remembered every detail about him vividly. He killed his own sibling for personal gain; used viruses to win by any means necessary; engaged in organ trafficking for money without any regard for human life – he wasn’t human anymore but rather a demon or hellish Asura disguised as a human being.
His poor daughter Selah also died at this monster’s hands all those years ago. Layne traveled all over the world sacrificing everything including time and money just to develop an antidote to seek revenge for Selah’s death.
When Gregory saw Layne again after all these years, he simply smiled like nothing happened while greeting him casually. “Old Mr. Edwards! It has been so long since we last met! Your temper is still as explosive as ever I see… I admit that Selah’s death is related to the Lucas family but it was because she foolishly drank poison herself – what does it have anything to do with me?”
Upon hearing this remark, Layne couldn’t contain himself anymore, charging forward towards Gregory to seek revenge but was only shot in his leg by Gracie. The blood gushed out instantly.
Layne knelt on both knees, rolling in agony and glaring at the smiling demon in front of him with a deep hatred.
“Ugh! If it wasn’t for you locking Channing up in that ancient tomb, Selah wouldn’t have been poisoned trying to save him.”
“Gregory, I’m going to kill you. You won’t get away with this!”
Cheyenne’s eyes were red as she watched her white-haired grandfather struggle on the ground. She pushed aside the man blocking her way and ran over to help him up.
“Grandpa!”
Tears fell onto Cheyenne’s face as Layne tried to reach out and wipe them away but found himself too weak.
“Don’t cry, Cheyenne.”
“There’s something I never told you. Your father was Channing Lucas, the previous head of the Lucas family. Unfortunately, he was too soft-hearted.”
“He was killed by his own half-brother and your mother died trying to save him from this demon’s trap.”
“She suffered a lot giving birth to you. It was all because of my useless that I couldn’t save Selah or you.”
These things had weighed heavily on Layne for over twenty years; he never allowed himself any material pleasures for fear of forgetting his daughter’s death.
In fact, he couldn’t even bring himself to see Cheyenne during her first few years of life due to guilt; instead relying on the Lawrence family for care.
“My father?”
This was the first time Cheyenne had heard her grandfather mention her biological father.
As a child, she thought George was her father and felt sad when he treated her unfairly; but as she grew older, she no longer needed a father figure.
However, now Grandpa said that not only did she have a father but also an incredibly important one at that!
Sam looked angrily at Gracie beside him while opening his lips slightly without knowing what else there was left for him to say.
No wonder his mother didn’t allow his any relationship with Cheyenne.
Turned out they were actually cousins!
Channing Lucas – those two words Sam had seen before in his dad’s study room; yet he was missing from their family tree…