The Clark family had left the Langford family estate. They were driving back to Indigo Grove Estate.
“You broke the rules on the first day! You did it on purpose!”
Molly opened the villa’s front door, watching Flynn drive in, hands on her hips, and scolded him angrily.
It was already 11 PM-half an hour past curfew.
Flynn, feeling irritable, ignored her. He parked the Porsche in the garage and walked into the villa amidst Molly’s nagging.
Rose, however, wasn’t as upset. She was sitting on the sofa, reviewing some documents. She glanced at Flynn and noticed his sour expression. Setting the papers aside, she said to Molly, “He went to visit one of Aunt Adrianna’s closest friends. It’s understandable he stayed a little longer.”
Molly froze for a moment, then reluctantly muttered, “Fine, I’ll let him off the hook this time.”
She looked toward Flynn, who was pouring himself a glass of water, and asked, “Are you hungry? Ms. Sharp and I cooked a few dishes earlier. I can heat something for you if you want.”
“I’m not hungry.” Flynn finished his water and headed straight for the shower.
“What’s wrong with him? I was just doing my job,” Molly said, feeling a bit aggrieved.
Rose shook her head. “It probably has nothing to do with you. He might have talked about something unpleasant at Aunt Mabel’s house.”
She understood Flynn well. No matter how angry he was, he wouldn’t take it out on those close to him.
Before long, Flynn emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, his upper body bare. His bronze skin gleamed under the light, his broad shoulders and muscular back revealing a perfectly proportioned physique.
He was the kind of man whose figure could make any woman take a second look. Even Rose couldn’t help but glance at him. Her gaze fell on several scars on his back, and she frowned.
Those scars must have been deep enough to reach the bone; otherwise, with Flynn’s medical skills, they wouldn’t still be visible.
Everyone saw Lord Valerian Nox as a near-mythical figure, but few knew the pain and suffering he endured to rise to his current position.
Rose wasn’t wrong. The first few years Flynn trained under that mad old man could only be described as hellish.
The grueling, devilish training forged the man he had become today.
The kind of torment he went through would have broken anyone else, grinding them down like oil sizzling in a fiery pan.
The only thing that kept Flynn going was his unyielding desire for revenge-for his mother.
Now, that long-held belief was on the verge of becoming reality. Ten years of preparation had been for this very moment, just days away.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Rose asked from the sofa, looking at Flynn.
Molly chimed in, “Boss, if we’re your friends, don’t bottle everything up.”
“Troubled?” Flynn chuckled softly. “No, I’m fine. Killing Lawson Langford put me in a much better mood.”
What?!
Rose and Molly froze, their faces stiff with shock.
Flynn was as decisive as ever. He had only just arrived in Slatin and had already eliminated the underground king of the city.
Flynn’s voice was calm, but his words were heavy with cold fury.
“When my mother and I managed to escape Slatin all those years ago, it was entirely thanks to Aunt Mabel’s family. Paxton, that beast, cut off Aunt Mabel’s hand, stripped her and James naked, and left them out in the snow overnight. It left them with lifelong ailments. And at the time, Aunt Mabel was pregnant.”
“Lawson Langford was involved in that too.”
Flynn’s eyes grew icy, his tone laced with frost.
Rose gasped. She knew Paxton was cruel and ruthless, capable of even harming those closest to him, but she hadn’t imagined such depravity.
It shattered her understanding of how low a person could sink.
“How is that any different from a tyrant?” Molly’s beautiful eyes trembled.
“Paxton will do anything for ultimate power,” Flynn said through clenched teeth. “Anyone who stands in his way meets a terrible fate.”
“But it’s fine. Everything will be over soon.”
Rose’s body tensed. A terrifying thought crossed her mind-patricide.
Was Flynn planning to kill his father?
Even though Paxton was a monster, he was still Flynn’s biological father.
Would Flynn really go through with it?
“How’s your business expansion coming along?” Flynn asked, changing the subject. He had been preoccupied with his own affairs these past few days.
“Not great,” Rose admitted.
“Do you need my help?” Flynn offered.
Rose shook her head. “No, focus on your own matters. I’ll handle mine.”
She didn’t want to rely on Flynn for everything.
Flynn didn’t press the issue and turned back to his room.
“Ms. Sharp,” Molly said worriedly, “the boss is pushing things too hard. The Clark family has ties to the military. Even if he’s Lord Valerian Nox, he can’t take on the entire Ostrad army.”
Rose sighed. “Since we’ve followed him here, the least we can do is not cause him any trouble and support everything he does. I trust he’ll handle it.”
Late at night.
The Langford family estate was shrouded in the stench of blood, so thick it couldn’t be masked, no matter how many times it was washed away.
In the great hall, Lawson Langford’s headless corpse lay in state, dressed in burial robes.
The Langford family was in mourning, their cries echoing throughout the estate.
No one could have imagined that the Langford family, which had dominated Slatin for decades, would face such a catastrophe.
Their patriarch, Lawson Langford, one of the most influential figures in Slatin, had met such a tragic end-killed by the most unexpected person.
The air was heavy with despair.
“What can we do? Lord Valerian Nox is an Earthly Sovereign. No family in Slatin dares to challenge him.”
The Langford family was hopeless.
Even if all the forces in Slatin united, they might stand a chance. But against Lord Valerian Nox’s track record, there was no certainty.
Besides, many factions sought to align themselves with him. Who would risk opposing him?
His reputation for decisive killings left no room for negotiation. Lawson Langford’s death was proof enough.
Even after begging for his life, offering to serve like a dog, Lawson Langford was still killed.
Who would dare provoke someone like that?
Then, Chase Langford spoke up.
“Three years ago, didn’t Uncle Carter make contact with some almighty figure overseas? Someone called the King of the Underworld…”
The room fell silent, the sobbing ceasing.
“Yes! Carter went on an overseas trip three years ago. He spent half a year on some island in international waters. That almighty figure gave him guidance, and Carter advanced to Greater Sovereign shortly after!”
“That’s right! I remember Uncle Carter saying that figure is invincible, unmatched in the world!”
“Exactly! Uncle Carter said he has a close relationship with that figure and that the Langford family would be protected if we ever faced trouble. He’s been in seclusion at Hongya Mountain in the western suburbs. Someone’s already sent word to him. We just have to wait!”
The Langford family grew excited.
They knew Carter Langford wasn’t one to exaggerate. If he claimed someone was invincible, that person must be a godlike figure.
If Carter could persuade that almighty figure to intervene, they might have a chance to defeat Lord Valerian Nox.
“Who killed my brother?!”
A thunderous roar erupted in the courtyard.
Moments later, an elderly man in his sixties stormed into the hall.
His towering frame, broad shoulders, and narrow waist gave him an imposing presence, like a massive stone pillar.
His deep-set eyes shone with a cold, piercing light, holding a mix of fury and menace.
Clad in a dark blue practitioner’s robe, his figure seemed rooted to the earth, exuding a suffocating pressure that filled the hall.
Even the eight-meter-high ceiling seemed too low to contain his overwhelming presence.