“Upset, are you?” Viola Brightmoon sneered at Flynn, her tone dripping with mockery as she noticed the icy glare on his face. Rather than feeling threatened, she smiled coldly. “I know you despise me. The way you beat Brody-so viciously-clearly shows your resentment toward me as well.”
“But have you ever considered,” she continued, her voice sharp as a blade, “that if your mother had handed over the medical book to the Clark family without reservations, you and she wouldn’t have suffered so much?”
She paused only to let her words sting deeper. “So don’t blame the world for being unfair. Blame your mother for being cunning. Drip-feeding the Clark family pieces of her medical knowledge-she must have relished their constant flattery and groveling.”
“And what was she dreaming of? Becoming the queen of the Clark family? Controlling everything? Ha! Did she ever stop to consider her own status?” Viola’s voice rose, venom lacing every syllable. “A woman of unknown origin-what a joke! The Clark family already did more than enough by marrying her in. But she had the audacity to want more? She was nothing but a greedy-”
“Boom!”
Flynn stepped forward in a flash, his hand snapping around Viola’s throat. His speed was blinding-no one had time to react.
“You… filthy… bastard… What are you… trying to do?” Viola choked out, her face turning a shade of purple as she gasped for air. “If you dare… to strike me…”
Her words faltered into incoherent wheezes.
The crowd stood frozen, their faces pale with shock.
“Flynn! What are you doing?” Madeline’s panicked voice broke through the stunned silence. She stepped forward urgently, shouting, “I worked so hard to secure a chance for you to live! Let go of Miss Brightmoon right now! You won’t make it out of Slatin if you don’t!”
Tessa Watson’s expression turned cold, her sharp gaze fixed on Flynn. “Taking Viola Brightmoon hostage to escape? Don’t be naive. You won’t leave this place alive.”
Layla shook her head in disdain, muttering under her breath, “Cornered dogs always lash out.”
The crowd followed suit, their voices rising in threats and condemnation.
Yet the bodyguards stood frozen in place, hesitant to act. They feared provoking Flynn into harming Viola.
Flynn, however, remained entirely unfazed. His grip tightened as he stared into Viola’s terrified eyes. Without an ounce of hesitation, he twisted his wrist.
“Crack!”
The sound of breaking vertebrae echoed through the courtyard. Viola’s head lolled to the side, her lifeless eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Flynn tossed her corpse aside like a piece of trash, her body landing just outside the garden.
“Letting garbage like you live for over twenty years is proof that the world is unjust,” Flynn spat, his voice as cold as ice.
The courtyard fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at Viola’s lifeless body. No one had anticipated this. Flynn, who had lost the medical book and was surrounded by powerful enemies, had just killed Viola Brightmoon without a second thought.
The audacity, the defiance, the sheer contempt-Flynn had not only killed Viola but had openly challenged the entire Clark family.
This was a declaration of war.
“You’ve sealed your fate today,” someone muttered, their voice trembling with rage.
Tessa Watson’s eyes burned with fury as she stepped forward. “Do you even realize what you’ve done? Do you understand who Viola Brightmoon was to the Clark family?”
“Just a dog,” Flynn replied coldly, his voice dripping with disdain. “I was planning to let her live until your birthday banquet, but since she came to me willingly, I sent her off early.”
Madeline’s face paled. She shouted desperately, “Flynn, do you have any idea what you’ve just done? It’s over! Even I can’t save you now!”
“Hand over the body-tempering formula!” she pleaded. “If you do, Mrs. Clark might-”
“Shut up!” Flynn roared, his voice echoing like thunder. His piercing glare locked onto Madeline as he spoke with deliberate venom. “Listen carefully. From this moment on, I have no ties to the Kaur family. We’re done. Severed. Finished!”
“So shut your mouth and get out of here!”
Flynn’s rage was palpable, his disgust with the Kaur family boiling over. The betrayal, the manipulation, the lies-it all fueled his bitterness.
Madeline stood frozen, her mouth agape in disbelief. Flynn’s hostility toward her had reached new heights.
“Fine!” she snapped, her anger overtaking her shock. “If not for Father’s sake, I wouldn’t care whether you lived or died! You’re arrogant, impulsive, and reckless-and you’ll pay the price!”
“Kill him!” Tessa Watson commanded, her voice slicing through the tension.
Dozens of bodyguards surged forward, their combined strength creating a storm of energy as they advanced toward Flynn.
A thunderous roar filled the air.
“Stop!”
A commanding voice rang out, halting the advancing guards in their tracks. Arthur Everett stepped forward, his gaze steady and his tone calm.
“Mrs. Clark, may I have a word with you?” he asked, gesturing for Tessa to follow him to a quieter corner of the courtyard.
The two spoke in hushed tones as the crowd looked on curiously.
“Mrs. Clark,” Arthur began, his voice low, “is it true that the medical book is now in the hands of Mr. Clark?”
“Yes,” Tessa replied, her tone guarded. “Do you wish to share in the formulas? Rest assured, once Dr. Rivers deciphers the book, I’ll send you a few recipes.”
Arthur shook his head. “I’ve already asked Mr. Clark about it. The formulas in the book are mostly for treating heart disease, vitiligo, and tuberculosis-useful, but nothing groundbreaking.”
He paused, his expression serious. “However, Flynn has the body-tempering formula. Doesn’t that strike you as unusual?”
Tessa’s brow furrowed. “Are you suggesting that Adrianna left Flynn with a complete set of formulas before her death?”
“Precisely,” Arthur replied. “Either he decoded the entire book or Adrianna entrusted him with its secrets. How else could he possess something as valuable as the body-tempering formula?”
Tessa’s expression grew heavy with thought. Arthur’s reasoning was sound. If Flynn truly held the key to the full set of formulas, gaining his cooperation could accelerate Vicente Clark’s cultivation significantly.
An early edge in using the body-tempering formula might just secure Vicente’s place on the Ostrad Dragon Ranking of elite cultivators.