Carrying Antonio, Echo didn’t return to the private room.
When she reached the car parked outside, she found Ryan already sitting inside the Cadillac, as if he had known exactly what she would do. Echo couldn’t help but smile at him.
“Boss, we got word from Panther,” Bill’s voice came through as soon as she sat in the car.
Adolph sighed dramatically and muttered, “Just had a day off. This place is so nice, once I’m here, I don’t want to leave. Why is Panther pushing for something now?”
Ryan, with his eyes closed and leaning back in the seat, coldly said, “Head back.”
Hawk, Bill, and the others nodded in unison.
Echo understood that Ryan wasn’t referring to going back to the villa in Hawaii but to the main Dark family headquarters. With the Street family stirring up trouble, the boss should be back at the core to manage things, while his subordinates handle the outer chaos. It wasn’t Ryan’s style to stay leisurely in Hawaii while his men fought.
Echo didn’t say anything more but leaned against Ryan’s side. She placed Antonio beside her, glaring across at Adolph, who was grinning. Adolph immediately scowled, shot a glance at Ryan, and took off his jacket, tossing it at Echo while rolling his eyes.
Echo chuckled. “Mr. Adolph is so considerate,” she said, catching his jacket and wrapping it around Edward, who was barely dressed.
When Adolph heard Echo, he scoffed and turned his head away. If it weren’t for the way Ryan was protecting her, he wouldn’t have even considered giving his jacket to this little brat-no way.
Edward seemed to be terrified, his face still full of fear. He grabbed Echo’s hand and kept pressing his body closer to hers, almost as if he wanted to crawl right back into her arms.
Echo couldn’t help but shake her head at the sight. She patted Edward on the back, but she wasn’t the type to hold someone like that. Even though his body was still much smaller than the average thirteen-year-old, looking more like a ten-year-old, she wasn’t comfortable holding him, especially with Ryan sitting right next to them.
The cold, growing anger radiating off him made her feel like it was better to just comfort the boy for now.
“You little brat, if you don’t want to be thrown out, you better sit there quietly. Otherwise, deal with the consequences,” Adolph said, his voice sharp but with a strange smile curling at the corners of his mouth as he felt Ryan’s wrath weighing down on him.
Edward, sensitive to the tension, sensed that apart from Echo, everyone else had a cold, hostile aura. Especially Ryan, whose murderous presence was so overwhelming that the boy immediately huddled closer to Echo, shaking with fear but still holding onto her hand tightly.
“Just take a nap, and…” Echo started, but before she could finish, Ryan moved lightning-fast. He reached out, striking a sharp blow to the back of Edward’s neck, and the boy instantly slumped forward, unconscious.
Echo blinked in surprise. She checked to make sure Edward was still breathing, then turned to Ryan with a helpless smile. “He’s still just a kid.”
Ryan stayed silent, his expression cold. He grabbed Echo’s waist, pulled her onto his lap, and closed his eyes, resting his head against her neck, trapping her tightly.
Echo rolled her eyes and glanced over at Adolph, who was grinning. She casually wrapped her arms around Ryan’s neck and pretended to rest, ignoring Adolph entirely.
Adolph raised an eyebrow at Echo’s directness, then, noticing Edward passed out, he chuckled and turned to talk to Hawk.
******
In America, at the Dark family headquarters, everything was as strict and orderly as ever.
Panther, sitting at the helm of the family, had things well under control. There wasn’t the usual tension or drama between them and the Street family. Everything was moving smoothly, with no sign of open conflict.
Inside the main house, Ryan, Echo, and the others were watching the live feed on the screen.
Kevin, looking impeccably elegant, clapped his hands softly and said, “I really underestimated you. To think we’d meet again, I’m surprised. Ryan, welcome back.”
Ryan leaned back against the sofa, coolly staring at Kevin. “Oh, really?”
Kevin smiled. “Of course. I thought I could at least bring you down with a little storm, but you came back unscathed. I’m impressed, Ryan. In my life, I’ve never said this to anyone, but you’ve earned my respect. You’re the only one who’s ever truly been my rival.”
Kevin wasn’t one to mince words. Echo raised an eyebrow, thinking maybe this was the definition of a true villain, but perhaps it was just Kevin’s pride. After all, he’d made it to this position-any further pretenses would be pointless.
Even without Ryan saying it, Echo could feel the mutual respect they shared. They were enemies, but in a way, they also admired each other.
Ryan’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint, a cold, steely smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Kevin, seeing this on the screen, raised an eyebrow and gave a sly smile. “This time, you got the better of me,” he said. “But if I hadn’t been so confident, thinking you wouldn’t make it back alive, I wouldn’t have let my guard down like that. You still wouldn’t have won, though. Adolph, what do you think?”
Adolph, holding a glass of red wine, smiled elegantly. “Is saying all this really useful?”
Kevin laughed heartily. “You’re right. I like your style. Winning is winning, and losing is losing. I, Kevin, can handle losing. It’s just a Ford family, nothing I can’t afford to lose.”
Ryan stared back at Kevin’s cocky grin, his voice icy. “We’ll see who’s left standing.”
“Alright,” Kevin replied, immediately quieting his laughter. His gaze locked onto Ryan, and a hint of bloodlust flickered in his eyes. It wasn’t cruelty or arrogance-it was the thrill and excitement that came from facing a worthy opponent.
Echo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this.
“This time, let’s see who the real king is,” Kevin said, his smile widening.
But the bloodthirsty excitement in his voice spread to Ryan and the others, and Echo could practically feel the same arrogance and coldness coming off Ryan, stirred by Kevin’s challenge. The atmosphere grew heavy and charged.
Adolph glanced at Ryan and signaled Bill to end the connection. His face had lost its earlier playfulness, now serious as he spoke. “We need to be cautious this time. Whatever happens, the consequences will be severe.”
Ryan nodded, the intense aura around him suddenly retracting, leaving the room feeling lighter.
Hawk also spoke up, his voice low. “I think…”
As the conversation became more serious, Echo sat nearby, but she felt completely out of the loop.
The words from Adolph, Ryan, and Hawk weren’t exactly secretive, but Echo still didn’t fully understand the depth of the Dark family’s inner workings, let alone the wider world of organized crime. Listening to them, she felt like she was hearing something from another world, a world she wasn’t yet part of.
Echo furrowed her brow slightly but said nothing, focusing on the conversation. She did believe she could fit in; what she needed was time-a process of integration.
“Not following?” After the discussion wound down, Hawk, Cobra, and the others got to work. Adolph glanced at Echo, leaning back on the sofa, and gave a slight smile.
“Yeah,” Echo nodded, straightforward in admitting it.
Adolph gave a small nod at her honesty. “If you don’t understand, you need to learn. If you don’t know, you find a way to learn. In the Dark family, there’s no room for useless people. Fighting and killing aren’t everyday affairs. If you want to stand by Ryan’s side, you’ve got a long way to go.”
Echo raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Adolph was right. If she had only wanted to be Ryan’s subordinate before, it would have been easy-just follow his orders.
But now her mindset had changed. She didn’t just want to be his subordinate; she wanted to stand by his side, looking at the world together. And to do that, she knew she wasn’t qualified yet-she wasn’t capable enough.
Ryan, sitting silently on the sofa, glanced at Echo before extending his hand.
Echo, noticing, stood up and walked over, taking his hand.
Ryan gave a small tug, pulling her into his lap. “You have to learn,” he said, his tone calm but firm.
“I know,” Echo replied, nodding.