Cassius gritted his teeth. “I’m going to destroy Maximus and his empire… And if you get in my way, I’ll destroy you… Until my last breath.”
As the men spoke, Rafael remained silent. Mr. King was also terrifying, his aura menacing. No wonder he’s Silence’s son.
If you look closely, they share a striking resemblance.
Silence sighed. “Chatting with my grandson was way more fun than chatting with you.”
Grandson? Wait! Dylan?!
“When did you speak to my son?” Cassius asked, a deadly warning lacing his voice.
“Let’s just put it this way…” Silence paused and chuckled. “Your butler, Conrad. He works for me.”
Cassius’s eyes widened.
—
[SPAIN]
“Estas seguro? (Are you sure?) You’ve heard what the man has done and seen the traces, and yet you’re going to face him? Val, my world, I… I can’t lose you,” Maria panicked over the phone as she paced around the room, fidgeting with her dress.
“My Donna, I told you not to worry. Since Silence is Cassius’s father, there’s a probability he might not be against us,” Valentino’s voice came from the other side of the phone, and Maria could sense how he tried to hide the panic in his voice. She knew him better than anyone else.
“Tatiana was Maximus’s daughter too. And she was poisoned by him. What makes you think he’s any different from that monster?”
“If we have to face Silence, then I will. A real Don never goes back on his word, remember?”
“I miss you, my world,” Maria muttered, her voice filled with emotion as she gazed down at her stomach. The doctor’s words from three days ago echoed in her head: “You’re pregnant.”
“I miss you more, Donna. I’ll be back soon and give you all the kisses you want. Hmm?” Valentino assured her, and Maria sniffed back her tears.
“You know I hate seeing or hearing you cry,” Valentino whispered, and Maria smiled.
“Alright, my love. I’ll be waiting for you,” Maria whispered, feeling the cold brush her skin. She missed her husband’s warmth.
—
“What?!” Stacy’s eyes widened, as did Parker’s, as they heard Maria explain everything that had happened in Australia.
Ever since Tatiana and the others left, they had been supporting Maria as they were told.
“So there’s another man even more dangerous than Maximus? Holy shit!” Parker cursed.
“And that man is Mr. King’s father?” Stacy’s voice was laced with total shock.
“And to top it all… Tatiana is pregnant,” Parker sighed. “How did so many things happen in Australia? Was the night Tatie had with Mr. King all planned? For a moment, Jolene was thought to be a traitor? Rosa is dead? And Tristan is captured. Just how much did we miss?”
“We need to get back to Australia. Mr. King isn’t with Tatie, and we need to help her… Like right now,” Stacy said.
“Right. Will you be okay, Maria?” Parker asked.
Maria nodded. “I’ve handled the clan without my husband many times. The war is cleared here, I’m fine. They need you in Australia,” Maria said.
“Hm… thanks,” Stacy smiled.
Parker sighed, feeling a wave of dread. “Wait, am I going to meet those big dogs?!”
“For the last time, Parker. They’re dire wolves!” Stacy yelled.
—
Jolene stepped into Tatiana’s room and found her staring outside her window.
“Tatie,” Jolene called softly, and Tatiana glanced over her shoulder.
“You got them ready?” she asked, her voice firm.
“Yes, Tatie.”
“Good.”
As Tatiana stepped into Tristan’s torture room, her gaze remained icy cold.
“Hello, uncle,” she greeted, sitting directly in front of him and crossing her legs.
Tristan was a mess, still bloody and smelly, but kept alive. His hand wasn’t fully healed. He was chained to the chair by both arms and legs.
He chuckled. “First time seeing you. What happened to Mr. King? Is he bored of me?”
“My husband is with Silence,” Tatiana responded, and Tristan’s face fell.
“Silence got him? Forget it, he’s dead,” Tristan chuckled.
“Silence is his father,” Tatiana added, and Tristan felt his soul leave his body.
“The fuck…”
Tatiana smirked and approached him. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
Tristan’s brow furrowed harder, confusion swirling in his gaze as Tatiana circled him. Her aura was cold, her instincts unpredictable.
“I heard something about Silence. He kills his enemies in a unique way. He destroys them without them even knowing,” Tatiana placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Does that ring a bell, uncle?” she whispered, watching as Tristan tried to piece together the puzzle.
“Allow me to show you a secret. It wasn’t easy to get ahold of this,” Tatiana said and signaled for the guard to come closer.
The guard pulled out a tablet and clicked on a video.
Tristan squinted as the video played.
The screen showed Odessa rushing to ask Maximus if he had really sold Tristan out.
Tristan had tried to hold onto the belief that Maximus hadn’t betrayed him and had been planning to help him. But that belief was shattered when Maximus admitted it.
Not only that…
He realized Rafael and Leonard were his sons. He had no idea before. Nothing had hit him this hard… the shock was overwhelming.
Odessa had lied to him, and Maximus found out without challenging him. He just went ahead and sold him to the Kings.
He couldn’t deny that he had fallen in love with Odessa. She shared the same vibe, worked alongside him, and they had plenty of sex for many years.
He thought his brother never cared and considered stopping… But…
His fists clenched, knowing he might as well deserve all this torture.
The worst part played before him. He watched Maximus stab Odessa several times, his gaze cold, feeling no remorse.
Tristan wanted to scream, but no sound came from his lips. It felt like the air in his lungs had disappeared as he watched Odessa die. He watched as Maximus ordered the guards to dispose of her body.
“One more thing,” Tatiana whispered, swiping to the next video.
“My brother betrayed the empire, and he’s dead,” Maximus said on the screen, and the video ended.
“Interesting, isn’t it?” Tatiana asked.
For the first time, tears crept down Tristan’s face, the weight of his brother’s betrayal crushing him… his heart clenching hard… all hope lost.
“You must be thinking I’m telling you this so you can help me bring my father down… No,” Tatiana chuckled, her aura seeming darker than usual. “I wanted you to know everything before you die.”
Tristan looked up at her, fear flashing in his teary eyes.
The door opened. Hudson, Jaxon, and Jolene stepped in. The people he had hurt, either physically or emotionally.
“Any last words?” Tatiana stepped in front of him.
Tristan let out a mocking laugh, his eyes scanning the people before him, then settling on Tatiana’s face.
“Screw you all… And see you in hell,” he muttered.