The old man stood in the center of the hall, raising his eyes to Ryan, his expression calm. “My daughter misspoke. Mr. Ryan, I hope you can forgive her. I offer you my apologies.” As he spoke, he gave Ryan a slight bow, though his face remained indifferent.
Under normal circumstances, this man was likely someone akin to Ryan’s grandfather. Yet the way they interacted felt distant-cold, even. This wasn’t politeness but complete detachment. It was clear there was no familial warmth between them, just two powerful figures meeting as equals, like the heads of rival families.
Ryan’s response was as cold as ice. “Don’t give me a reason to kill her.”
The old man gave a small nod and motioned for the three men and the woman to leave. They retreated, fear outweighing their anger.
The sound of explosions continued to rumble in the background.
A slight crease appeared on the old man’s otherwise stoic face. “Mr. Ryan,” he said in a low, stern voice, “just because I treat you with respect doesn’t mean you can do whatever you please.”
A flicker of contempt crossed Ryan’s face. His tone was equally severe as he said, “I’ll ask you one more time-where is Clement?” There was no room for negotiation in his cold, impatient voice, only pure menace.
The old man’s brows furrowed slightly. Seeing that Ryan’s only focus was Clement’s whereabouts, he gestured to the middle-aged man who had retreated earlier. “Where is Clement?” he asked in a deep voice.
At that moment, Hawk gave a subtle signal, and the explosions abruptly ceased.
The middle-aged man twitched his lips, hesitating. In a low voice, he muttered, “Father, how can we tell him where little brother is? What if he intends to-”
He didn’t finish, but the implication was clear. Even though his voice was barely audible, like a mosquito’s buzz, Ryan’s men-trained to pick up every sound-heard it all without missing a word.
“Speak,” the old man snapped, frowning deeply.
Seeing that his father had issued a direct order, the middle-aged man paused briefly before responding. “Little brother is on an archaeology trip in Asia. I don’t know where exactly he is right now.”
Echo rolled her eyes at that.
What a ridiculous excuse! Clement, with his bizarre obsession, had taken to tomb-raiding for fun, chasing after famous ancient graves across the globe. He was always on the move, making it nearly impossible to pinpoint his location.
This so-called archaeology was just a cover, and the Silver family obviously knew it.
They were clearly stalling, and Echo couldn’t help but sneer at the middle-aged man.
How stupid could he be, pulling something like this when he knew exactly who Ryan was and what the Dark family represented?
The old man’s expression eased slightly as he met Ryan’s icy gaze. “Mr. Ryan, now that you know my son’s whereabouts, I won’t see you out.” His voice was distant and formal, cutting off any further discussion.
Ryan gave a cold laugh, locking eyes with the middle-aged man. “You don’t know? Perfect.”
Hawk’s eyes gleamed with cold intent. He reached into his coat and threw a stack of documents toward the old man, and slowly started walking toward the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, seeing the murderous glint in Hawk’s gaze and realizing how fast Hawk was closing in, panicked. He stumbled back, his voice trembling. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He knew full well that Hawk wasn’t bluffing. If the Dark family wanted him dead, he’d be gone without a second thought, and it wouldn’t matter one bit. The fear in his eyes grew as Hawk’s cold presence pressed closer.
The old man’s expression darkened with anger, but before he could say anything, Cobra’s calm voice cut in. “I suggest you read the files carefully before you speak again. Our boss doesn’t have much patience.”
The old man heard Cobra’s thinly veiled warning and swallowed his rising anger, forcing himself to stay calm. He opened the documents and began reading through them. To survive as the head of a powerful family for so long, he had mastered restraint and patience, knowing how to stay composed under pressure.
Snap.
A crisp cracking sound echoed through the room, followed by the middle-aged man’s blood-curdling scream.
Everyone inside the castle shuddered in fear.
The entire place was under Ryan’s control-no one could call for help or leave. A few of the more timid ones even fainted, but the hall remained cold and eerily quiet, as if nothing important had just happened.
“Tell me,” Ryan said, glaring at the man whose arm had just been broken. His cold, merciless gaze sent chills down the spines of the remaining Silver family members. “Where is Clement?”
The old man quickly scanned through the documents. His expression darkened slightly as he turned to his eldest son, who was drenched in sweat from the pain. Hawk had punched him awake every time he passed out.
“Where is Clement?” the old man asked, his voice heavy with meaning.
The old man knew the truth was buried in the documents. After decades in power, he could piece together the underlying message without difficulty. His eldest son had been running all communications within the Silver family, controlling every piece of intel. There was no way he didn’t know where Clement was. The only reason to keep it hidden from everyone-especially Ryan-had to be far more serious than just not wanting to reveal it.
Trembling from the pain, tears welled up in the middle-aged man’s red-rimmed eyes. “I don’t know, Dad. I swear, I really don’t know,” he stammered.
Ryan stood abruptly, his voice like a blade. “If you think I promised not to harm you just so you could play games with me, think again. Fine. If you won’t tell me, that’s exactly what I was hoping for. Hawk, kill them all. Leave no one alive. I don’t need cooperation to get what I want.”
“Yes, Boss,” Hawk responded immediately, his hand slowly raising in preparation to execute the order.
The old man lunged forward, grabbing his son by the throat. “Tell me! Where is Clement? What the hell are you trying to do?” he roared.
The middle-aged man, terrified by Ryan’s words, opened his eyes wide and gasped, “Dad, don’t worry… He promised our sister… He won’t harm the Silver family. He can’t… He… won’t.” But under Ryan’s cold, unwavering stare, his voice faltered, losing all confidence.
Ryan let out a scoffing laugh, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “You just handed me the excuse I needed. You should’ve known that my greatest wish is to raze this place to the ground. Not one of you Silver bastards is left standing. Wipe out your whole bloodline.”
Echo, following a step behind Ryan, listened closely to the exchange and finally understood. Ryan had made a promise-probably to his mother-not to harm the Silver family.
That was the only reason, despite his deep hatred, he had refrained from acting against them for all these years. And the Silver family had known it too, which was why they’d never dared provoke the Dark family.
If Clement hadn’t gone missing, the two families might have kept their distance forever, never crossing each other’s path.
Hearing Ryan’s cold, brutal words, Echo sensed the deep, bloody hatred coursing through him. But suddenly, she realized something else-Ryan wasn’t as ruthless as he seemed. For all his power and fury, he had kept his word, suppressing his rage for years, all because of a single promise. For someone like Ryan, with his influence and authority, it was almost impossible to comprehend how he had restrained himself for so long.
This was Ryan’s integrity-a promise kept, no matter the cost. And in the world of arms dealing, that was the only kind of trust that mattered. His word was iron, and once given, it would never be broken. A strange contradiction, but an unyielding law nonetheless.
“Just say it! Tell them where Clement is! If you want to die, don’t drag us down with you! If you want all of the Silver family’s wealth, you’ve gotta live to enjoy it! Speak up, damn it!” The two men and one woman standing outside the door couldn’t hold back anymore. They stormed into the room, kicking and beating the middle-aged man, who had been paralyzed with fear by Ryan.