So, the young man was not joking? He was actually that powerful?
If it was true, then who exactly was he?
No matter who this person was, his identity had to be extraordinary! To have pulled off such a jaw-dropping act in just a few seconds, to command the person on the other end of that call-he was someone far beyond anything Kieran’s world could touch!
After all, the person on the line held immense power in Inassea! He’s a figure who could give a single command and have anyone’s fate sealed. In Kieran’s mind, he was a god. But now, it seemed as though this young man was the true god!
What kind of being was he?
Kieran’s mind spun. He felt his sense of reality crumbled as his entire worldview was shattered in an instant.
A cold, amused smile tugged at Kayden’s lips. Without another word, he reached out and took Sophie’s hand. His gaze fixed on her panicked, uncertain face as he said softly, “Looks like dinner’s off the table. Let’s go.”
Sophie’s body was still stiff and nervous. She gave a slight nod and hurriedly followed Kayden out of the restaurant.
“Mr. Golden! Mr. Golden!” The older foreigner watched angrily as Kayden and Sophie made their exit. His voice was frantic as he called out to Kieran.
But Kieran was lost in a fog of shock. He couldn’t hear a thing because his mind could barely process anything at that moment. All he could feel was the suffocating weight in his chest as if the very air had been drained from his lungs.
The foreigners felt dissatisfied with his stunned silence. They could no longer hold back their anger. “What are you doing? Mr. Golden, why are you doing nothing and just watching him leave? That man has left! Mr. Golden, your actions today have really let us down!”
“We’ll report this to the higher-ups! You’ll face harsh punishment! Stewart is dead, and your country will be condemned for this! You’ll be condemned!”
Kieran’s entire world had crumbled after his position and the power he had spent his whole life building was all lost. And now, as the voices of these two men buzzed relentlessly in his ears, a deep, simmering anger boiled inside him. Damn it! Even now, they dare threaten me?
It was all because of these two damn bastards that he had ended up in this pathetic state. If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t have sunk so low!
Now that he had nothing left to lose, Kieran thought to himself that he might as well get some relief by lashing out at them.
With a fierce, grinding of his teeth, he raised his hand and pointed a shaking finger at the foreigner who was still ranting and raving. “Are you fucking trying to teach me how to do my job? Do I need your damn advice? It’s because you’ve been yammering in my ear nonstop that I’m stuck in this shit! This is all your fault!” he snapped.
The foreigner was frozen in stunned silence. His face, once twisted with anger, now took on a ghastly expression as if he’d just eaten a whole truckload of shit. He opened his mouth to say something but found his tongue was useless. Shock choked his words.
This was the first time he’d ever seen Kieran lose his cool, and it hit him like a punch in the gut. After all, in the past, Kieran had always behaved submissive and followed his orders without question.
“I’m telling you, you sons of bitches, I’ve had enough of you. Now I’m empty-handed, got nothing left to lose. I don’t give a shit anymore. You idiots still think you can threaten me? Well, fuck that! I’m done being scared.”
“I’m going to wipe the floor with you old fuckers today! Let’s see what kind of mess you can make out of this!” With those words, Kieran swung his hand with all his strength, landing a thunderous slap across the foreigner’s face.
Gone with the Frontier Society and everything he cared about, there was nothing he could rely on, so why not take advantage and give these old bastards a beating while he still could?
Kieran felt free to unleash his fury, uncaring and unrestrained. Things couldn’t get any worse, anyway; he was already at rock bottom.
The foreigners stood wide-eyed in disbelief, each one sputtering in shock, “Kieran Golden, you-”
“He’s lost it! Can’t you see? He’s gone fucking crazy!” one of them stammered, almost unable to believe what was happening.
“Crazy, yeah, I’m fucking crazy! Goddamn it!” After cursing up a storm, Kieran gathered what little strength he had left and barked at his subordinates, “Move! Get your hands dirty, and beat the hell out of these old bastards!”
Though unaware of what had just transpired, his men immediately swarmed the group of foreigners, fists flying.
Within moments, the once arrogant and swaggering foreigners were left battered and bruised. Their faces turned swollen and bloodied.
Only five minutes later, the door swung open, and a group of guards filed in. At the head of the group was a man in his fifties, dressed in a sharp uniform. His face was as cold and expressionless as stone. His gaze swept the room briefly before settling on Kieran.
“Captain Cody!” As soon as Kieran saw the man, he hurriedly moved to flatter him, eager to get on his good side.
But Captain Cody waved him off with a sharp, dismissive gesture. “Enough! Get out of my way! Don’t try to butter me up now.”
Kieran came to understand that his attempt to ingratiate Captain Cody was futile. He understood the rules of this world: when you’re in power, everyone flocks to you, but when you’re down, even the stray dogs on the street will turn their noses up at you.
Captain Cody turned to his subordinates and commanded, “Take him away, and those foreigners too.”
The foreigners were swiftly cuffed. One of them still held on to his defiance. He sneered and shouted, “You can’t arrest us! We’re under the protection of the Seclela government! How dare you lay a hand on us? How dare you cuff us like criminals?!”
“Protection?” Captain Cody scoffed. He gave a short, cruel laugh. “Do you even know who issued the orders to arrest you?”
“The one who gave the orders is the very one who protects all of Seclela! And now you’re talking about protection? Go fuck yourself!”
Captain Cody exploded, his voice like a whip cracking through the air.
His eyes suddenly narrowed as they scanned the room. “Oh, and there’s a woman too,” he added. His gaze was sharp like a hawk’s. He quickly spotted Stewart’s girlfriend, who was lying on the floor nearby. He pointed directly at her. “That’s her.”
With a swift motion, he gestured toward the foreign woman lying unconscious at their feet.
“Captain Cody, I know I’ve made a huge mess of things,” Kieran pleaded, holding the last hint of hope. “I don’t expect any leniency for myself, but for the sake of our years of friendship, can you at least tell me who that person is? Just… just give me a clue.”
Captain Cody fixed his gaze on Kieran. He lowered his voice to make it laced with an air of mystery. “Someone you definitely can’t afford to cross! You’re not wronged in this at all. After all, who told you to stand up for a bunch of foreigners running rampant on our land? To be honest, Kieran, everything that’s happened to you today is entirely of your own making.”
Captain Cody wasn’t trying to kick Kieran when he was down. He just couldn’t stand seeing foreigners swaggering around, acting like they owned the place. The sight of it boiled his blood. He’d tried to warn Kieran countless times, but the man never listened.
And now? What happened to Kieran was entirely his own fault!
—
Meanwhile, as Kayden and Sophie stepped outside, something seemed to shift inside her as if the breeze had finally helped her thoughts catch up with the moment. She drew in a long, steadying breath. Her mind was still replaying the scene just moments ago.
It had been nothing short of exhilarating!
Kayden was absolutely mesmerizing! He was the kind of presence that made people’s hearts race and their thoughts scatter.
“Kayden, you’re so impressive! How can you be so freaking attractive?”
“Wait, who exactly are you? I used to think you were a teacher, then I thought maybe you were some rich person’s kept man, but now… I have a whole new theory! The way you handled those people just now is so… incredible!”
Sophie wasn’t the type to hide her feelings or keep her thoughts to herself. Blunt, outgoing, and refreshingly straightforward, she said whatever was on her mind. Whatever she did, she did it boldly. If she hadn’t been this way, she wouldn’t have spent an entire week waiting at the Henderson family’s house just to see Kayden.
Kayden let out a cold sneer when hearing this. “Stop making a fuss. You’re overreacting.”
“No, no, no! I really think you’re incredibly attractive! Seriously, you’re just too charming!”
She paused for a moment, then continued with a curious look in her eyes. “By the way, who are you, exactly?”
“I just can’t figure out what kind of person you must be to be this… Domineering and irresistible.”
A brief, amused sound escaped Kayden, but he didn’t answer her question.
Sophie shrugged. “Stop playing deaf; honestly, I could already guess your identity even without you saying a word,” she continued. “But it doesn’t matter who you are. It’s… I need to tell you something.”
Her expression turned serious as she took a small step closer. “I think… I think I’ve developed a strong, really strong liking for you. Every time we’ve had a close encounter, it feels different! The first time, on the bus, when you protected me. The second time, in class, when you caught my attention in the most unexpected way. And now the third time, you protected me again!”
“Do you even realize you’ve already made me fall for you!”
Without her even realizing it, Sophie had stopped right in front of Kayden as if she were ready to face whatever came next. Her eyes were wide, fixed directly on his, and they were filled with an unmistakable longing!