“I’ll be heading to Slatin soon. Take care of my Uncle Matteo’s safety while I’m gone. I’ll send you the address shortly,” Flynn instructed Ronald, his tone firm.
He then shared with Ronald a comprehensive list of people he cared about in Niarak. Ronald nodded repeatedly. “Boss, don’t worry. I’ll call in reinforcements from headquarters right away.”
Flynn turned and began descending the mountain.
Ronald stayed behind on Jade Dragon Mountain, ordering Kendal to fetch tents. He planned to settle at the mountain’s peak for the next ten days. The summit was brimming with spiritual energy, and with Flynn layering the Dragonsfire Cauldron with even more, the place had become nothing short of a haven.
Kendal and others decided to stay on Jade Dragon Mountain as well, taking turns with Ronald to guard the Dragonsfire Cauldron while nourishing their bodies with the mountain’s energy.
“Mr. Clark, are you sure you’ll only need two weeks in Slatin?” Callie asked, her voice tinged with reluctance.
“There’s nothing in that place worth my attachment. Once I’ve handled my business, I’ll leave,” Flynn replied flatly.
Callie lowered her head slightly, her voice soft and tender. “Then I’ll wait for you in Niarak. When you return from Slatin, I’ll prepare a banquet to welcome you back.”
“Alright!” Flynn nodded. Then, with a note of concern, he added, “Callie, your body is too weak. Spend more time on Jade Dragon Mountain during this period. The spiritual energy here will do you good.”
With everything arranged, Flynn and his group descended the mountain. Tomorrow, he planned to eliminate Dario Bragg and head straight from Pelens to Slatin. But before leaving, he needed to settle things in Niarak.
Flynn called Aunt Jessica, his mother’s closest friend and confidante, someone he cared for deeply-on par with his Uncle Matteo.
“Flynn, you’re going to Slatin?” Jessica’s voice carried both surprise and worry.
“Aunt Jessica, Sharp’s Group is expanding into Slatin. I’ll be going along to oversee things,” Flynn said, concealing the truth to avoid alarming her.
Jessica hesitated for a moment before sighing. “Child, your mother had a close friend in Slatin. If you have time, go visit her for me.”
“Take some local specialties to her as well, will you?”
“A close friend?” Flynn asked, surprised. He hadn’t expected that in Paxton’s territory, there would still be someone connected to his mother. He quickly agreed.
Driving to Jessica’s apartment complex, Flynn found her waiting.
“Child,” Jessica began, her voice heavy with nostalgia, “your mother’s friend is named Mabel Sweetwood. The three of us were very close in university. She helped your mother a great deal back then.”
“Mabel was strong-willed and assertive, much like me. After graduating, she married into the Sweetwood family. Twenty years ago, the Sweetwoods were among the top ten families in Slatin. But after Mabel helped your mother escape from Slatin, the Sweetwood family was targeted by the Clark family and several other forces. Their fortune crumbled.”
“Just a few days ago, I spoke to her on the phone. She’s still proud, even now. I asked how she was doing, but she wouldn’t tell me the truth. I know she must be struggling. Child, please go see her.”
“I’ve already told Mabel about you. She was so happy to hear you’re alive. She cried on the phone…” Jessica’s voice broke as she wiped away tears. The bond between old friends-especially lifelong confidantes-was precious. Jessica missed Adrianna deeply and empathized with her tragic fate.
As Flynn listened to Aunt Jessica, his eyes grew cold and sharp, brimming with icy rage.
The Clark family. Again.
They were vile. Every single one of them deserved to pay.
When his mother married Paxton at twenty, she had just graduated. Her six years in Slatin had been spent helping the Clark family rise to prominence. Thanks to her efforts, the Clark family had taken control of half of Slatin by the time Flynn’s mother was twenty-three.
Flynn had often wondered how his mother, so alone with her young child, had managed to escape Slatin. Now he understood-it was thanks to the Sweetwood family.
“Aunt Jessica, don’t worry. I’ll visit Aunt Mabel. Do you have a photo of her? I’d like to see what she looks like,” Flynn asked, his voice filled with restrained fury.
Jessica quickly went to retrieve an old photo album, thicker than the one she’d shown him before. It contained not only pictures of the Carr family but also several group photos of Mabel Sweetwood, Jessica, and Flynn’s mother.
The photos were old, but even without modern editing, the beauty of the three women shone through.
Flynn’s mother was elegant, her features full of gentle charm. Her sweet smile carried a hint of melancholy, and her bright eyes exuded kindness and warmth.
Aunt Jessica had long, glossy black hair and eyes like clear blue oceans, sparkling with intelligence and vitality.
Aunt Mabel’s deep, bright eyes resembled stars in a dark sky. Her full, rosy lips curved in a confident smile.
The three women were breathtaking, each with unparalleled grace and beauty.
As Flynn looked at the photos, his heart ached. These remarkable women, once so radiant, had their lives upended by the Clark family.
“Wait… Aunt Jessica, why is one of the women in these photos scratched out?” Flynn asked, flipping through the album. At the end, there was a picture of his mother, Jessica, and Mabel standing next to another woman-but her image had been slashed with a blade.
“That’s Viola Brightmoon,” Jessica said, her expression darkening. After a moment, she sighed and continued, “She was a traitor-a vile beast of a woman.”
Flynn’s expression hardened as Jessica began to explain.
“Child, your mother’s marriage to Paxton was a conspiracy from the very beginning. A complete and utter conspiracy.”
“What? A conspiracy?!” Flynn’s eyes widened, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Yes,” Jessica said, her tone bitter. “Paxton never loved your mother. She was nothing more than a tool to him.”
“A tool?!” Flynn’s voice trembled with rage. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white.
Jessica nodded. “Viola Brightmoon was from an ordinary family in Slatin. In university, she was close to us-at least until our third year. That’s when she discovered your mother’s secret. After that, she conspired with Paxton to deceive your mother and steal the medical manuscript she possessed.”
“Viola was instrumental in helping Paxton win your mother over. She’s the reason they got married.”
“We were too naive, too trusting. We didn’t see the betrayal coming. If we had, none of this would’ve happened.”
Jessica’s voice rose with anger. “Paxton is a monster in human skin. He deserves to die a thousand deaths! Child, I know you have the potential to be extraordinary. Adrianna’s son is no ordinary man!”
“If the day ever comes when you have the power to challenge the Clark family, promise me this: make Paxton pay for what he did. And make every single one of those who wronged your mother suffer!”
Jessica’s voice cracked as she spoke, her tears flowing freely. The betrayal of Viola Brightmoon had elevated the Brightmoon family to immense wealth, while Adrianna had spent her life on the run, dying in fear and sorrow, haunted by her longing for Flynn.
Jessica’s grief overwhelmed her. She and Adrianna had once promised to grow old together, to see the world side by side. But now, they were separated by the cruel chasm of death.
Flynn’s face twisted with rage. “Aunt Jessica, who were the forces that targeted Aunt Mabel’s family back then?” he asked coldly.
“Slatin’s richest man, Ryder Caldwell. The underground king, Lawson Grant. They, along with the Clark family, were known as the ‘Three Titans’ of Slatin. They were closely allied,” Jessica replied.
“Remember their names, child. When you’re powerful enough, don’t let a single one of them go.”
Flynn’s eyes narrowed, a deadly light gleaming within them.
The richest man?
The underground king?
The Clark family?
Good. Very good.
Slatin was about to turn upside down.