Kayden stood motionless, his expression unreadable as he stared down at the kneeling Mr. Roberts. His sharp gaze flicked to Dennis, who was shaking uncontrollably, his face pale and slick with sweat.
Dennis could feel the weight of Kayden’s stare, a crushing force that wrapped itself around his chest like iron chains. He tried to meet Kayden’s eyes, but the intensity was overwhelming-cold, unfeeling, and utterly inhuman. It was the kind of gaze that stripped a man of his dignity, leaving only fear in its wake.
“What… what are you going to do?” Dennis stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kayden didn’t answer right away. He took a slow step forward, then another, each one deliberate and measured. The sound of his boots against the ground echoed like the ticking of a clock, counting down the seconds of Dennis’s courage.
When Kayden stopped just a few meters away, he tilted his head, a faint, almost amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His voice, calm but razor-sharp, cut through the silence.
“Didn’t you bring all these people here for me? Where’s your confidence now?”
Dennis’s throat went dry. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. His mind was a storm of panic, his thoughts spiraling into chaos. When he finally managed to speak, his voice cracked with desperation.
“Y-you… you slept with my wife!” Dennis blurted out, his eyes wide and wild. “What do you expect me to do? Just stand here and thank you for it? You think you can do whatever you want because you’re strong? This world has laws! You can’t just-”
Kayden let out a low chuckle, cutting Dennis off mid-sentence. The sound was cold, almost mechanical, and it sent a shiver down Dennis’s spine.
“What the hell are you laughing at?” Dennis snapped, his fear giving way to a flicker of anger.
Kayden didn’t answer. He just kept smiling, his eyes glinting with something dark and unreadable.
Dennis clenched his fists, his voice rising in frustration. “You think this is funny? You think humiliating me makes you a man? She’s my wife-legally married to me! You don’t get to just take her away like she’s some kind of prize!”
Kayden’s smile faded, replaced by an expression of cold indifference. He swept his hand toward the unconscious bodies scattered across the ground-men Dennis had brought to fight for him, now lying in heaps like discarded trash.
“This is your idea of fighting back?” Kayden asked, his tone as sharp as a blade. “A thousand men, and not one of them could even scratch me. You call this resistance? Pathetic.”
Dennis took an involuntary step back, his legs trembling so badly he nearly fell. “My uncle… my uncle is a high-ranking official,” he stammered. “If you hurt me, he’ll-he’ll destroy you! You think you’re untouchable? Sooner or later, power will crush you!”
“Power?” Kayden murmured, his voice softer now, almost contemplative. He took another step forward, closing the distance between them. “Tell me, Dennis. Does your uncle command an army of a million? Can he guard the borders against entire nations? Can he make wolves howl and armies retreat with just his name?”
Dennis felt the blood drain from his face. He couldn’t look away from Kayden, couldn’t block out the words that seemed to reverberate in his skull.
Behind him, Mr. Roberts suddenly spoke, his voice trembling. “Wait… you’re… you’re the Commander of Seclela, aren’t you? The man who held the border for three years with nothing but a broken blade?”
Dennis’s jaw dropped. He turned to Mr. Roberts, his voice shaking. “What are you talking about? That’s just a story. He can’t be-”
“It’s not a story,” Mr. Roberts hissed, his face pale as a ghost. “And if it is, it’s a story soaked in blood. You’ve made a terrible mistake, Dennis. A mistake that could ruin us all.”
Dennis’s legs gave out beneath him. He crumpled to his knees, his mind racing. The Commander of Seclela. The name alone was enough to strike fear into the hearts of kings.
Kayden’s voice cut through the fog of Dennis’s thoughts. “Enough talking.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “You’ve wronged someone you should never have wronged. I’m here to make it right.”
He tossed the paper at Dennis’s feet. It landed with an audible rustle, the words Divorce Agreement bold and unmistakable at the top.
“Sign it,” Kayden commanded, his voice as cold as the steel blade in his hand. “And whichever hand you used to hit her-cut it off yourself. Then we’re done.”
Dennis stared at the paper, his hands trembling so badly he could barely pick it up. “Do I really… do I really have to do this?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
Kayden’s expression didn’t change. “You no longer deserve her. You never did.”
The words hit harder than any physical blow. Dennis turned to Mr. Roberts, his eyes pleading. “What do I do?”
“Sign it,” Mr. Roberts said firmly, his voice low but unyielding.
Tears blurred Dennis’s vision as he scrawled his name across the paper. His hands shook so violently that the pen nearly slipped from his grasp. When he was done, he let the paper fall to the ground, his chest heaving with silent sobs.
Kayden bent down and picked up the agreement, tucking it into his coat. “She’s my aunt,” he said, his tone colder than ever. “I had to step in. And now, your hand.”
Dennis froze, staring at Kayden with wide, horrified eyes. “Please… please don’t make me do this,” he whispered.
Kayden raised his blade, the steel catching the light in a way that made Dennis’s stomach churn. “If you don’t choose, I’ll take both.”
The air was thick with tension, the silence so heavy that it felt suffocating. Just as Kayden stepped forward, his blade poised to strike, Mr. Roberts cried out, breaking the stillness.
“Wait!”