Chapter 4

That text message was like a crack torn open in the darkness.

I put away the Asura Bone Whistle that I was about to blow and appeared at the agreed location on time .

Robert sat in the chair like an old lion lurking in the shadows.

"You called me here, so you'd better have a way to get Leo back immediately." I said coldly, slamming a heavy black USB drive onto the table in front of him.

“The video of Sofia and Julian in a hotel room, the original text messages that insulted Leo,” I said, looking down into his eyes, enunciating each word clearly, “and the complete bank statements showing that she misappropriated three million dollars of Leo’s education fund to buy a couple’s villa. Even the encrypted Swiss bank statements used by the Vance family to cover up the flow of funds—all of this is here that your slow-moving investigation team couldn’t find.”

Robert suddenly grabbed the tablet and started reading the USB drive.

His pupils contracted violently when he saw the top-secret data that required hacking through military-grade firewalls to obtain.

He was well aware of the strength of his heavily invested "hound" team. Even they needed at least a month to find the clues, but this "low-level draftsman" whom he had looked down on for five years had presented them all to him in less than 24 hours.

The old man slowly raised his head, his gaze shifting from the screen to my hands—those hands bearing the thick calluses of years of handling guns and swords, calluses that could never have been formed from holding a pencil. Then, he met my gaze, and was instantly stunned by the murderous aura of carnage honed in my eyes, a aura of savagery forged in the crucible of countless lives.

At this moment, a hint of undisguised horror and awe finally flashed in the eyes of this cunning old fox who had dominated the New York business world for decades. He suddenly realized: his eldest daughter hadn't provoked a spineless gigolo at all; she was trying to crush a sleeping dragon from the abyss!

Robert's attitude underwent a subtle yet fundamental change. He abandoned his haughty tycoon arrogance, and even his tone carried a hint of probing and befriending.

“Misappropriation of family trust funds is a serious criminal offense.” The old man took a deep breath and closed his tablet. “James, I admit, I completely misjudged you. You are far more…unfathomable than I imagined.”

"Then call the police. I'm going to run her over right now." My murderous aura surged.

Robert shook his head, a ruthless glint in his cloudy eyes. He was offering me his allegiance: "No, calling the police now is too lenient on her. Tomorrow is the custody hearing, and I want you to appear in court personally and expose all of this to her in front of everyone. I want all of New York to know that the Harrington family has chosen to stand with us, and she is nothing but a discarded pawn!"

He was demonstrating to me through his actions that he had chosen to form a complete alliance with me. I scoffed and accepted his offer of sincerity.

Driven by this chilling murderous intent, I arrived at the Manhattan Supreme Court hearing room the following afternoon.

The gallery was packed with media outlets, and flashbulbs were going off like crazy.

Sofia sat in the plaintiff's seat, dressed in a pure white suit .

Although she discovered her child was missing, she assumed it was because the nanny hadn't been watching him properly. In order to gain the upper hand in court, she even had a few crocodile tears in her eyes .

"Your Honor, James Chan has not only been abusing children for a long time, but he has also attempted to extort a huge sum of money from the Harrington family!" Her lead lawyer cried and pressed play.

Leo's innocent crying came from the courtroom's loudspeaker: "Daddy...don't hit me, it hurts so much..."

The crowd erupted in uproar, and the reporters' cameras were practically shoved in my face.

Listening to the maliciously edited recording of my son, I felt an overwhelming rage that threatened to overturn the courtroom. But I didn't react; I simply straightened my suit and calmly walked to the witness stand.

"Defendant, what is your defense?" the judge asked, striking the gavel.

I didn't give any impassioned speech; I simply plugged the USB drive into the projector.

"Click".

The large screen lit up instantly. The first photo was a screenshot from CCTV footage showing Sofia leaving the hospital without looking back on the first day after Leo's birth, wearing high heels.

“Over the past five years, her immigration records show that she spent twenty times more time on vacation abroad than at home.” I said coldly, like the Grim Reaper reading a verdict.

The screen switched to a densely packed screenshot of text messages: "[Taking care of the child is your responsibility] [Don't bother me]".

Immediately afterwards, a bank statement stamped with the bank's red seal filled the entire screen.

I looked down at Sofia's face, which had turned deathly pale, and spoke with a sharp edge: "Three days ago, you embezzled three million from Leo's education fund and bought a villa on Long Island in full. The property deed is in your name and that of your lover, Julian Vance. Is this the 'deeply loving mother' you speak of?"

The courtroom fell into a deathly silence. The opposing lawyer, who had been so arrogant just moments before, now looked like a duck with its neck being choked, its mouth agape but unable to utter a sound.

"Plaintiff! Please explain where these three million went!" the judge demanded angrily.

"I...that's me...no, it's a forgery!" Sophia trembled, incoherently reaching for the documents.

"Forgery?" My lawyer sneered, then promptly handed me a document bearing an official seal. "Your Honor, this is the forensic report from the NYPD. The plaintiff's so-called 'abuse injuries' photos are completely fabricated!"

The evidence is irrefutable, leaving no room for doubt.

The judge stripped Sofia of her custody rights in court and sternly declared: "Given that the plaintiff is suspected of fabricating evidence and committing serious economic crimes, this court will transfer all evidence to the prosecution! You will not only receive no money, but you will also face criminal charges of fraud and embezzlement!"

A thunderous gasp erupted from the audience, and Sofia slumped into her chair, her face ashen.

I didn't look at her again, turned around and strode out of the suffocating courtroom.

Just as I reached the steps in front of the courthouse, I heard the hurried, stumbling footsteps of high heels behind me.

"James! James, wait!" Sophia rushed up, grabbing my sleeve tightly, her makeup ruined by tears. "I was wrong! I was really wrong! Let's start over, okay? Leo can't live without his mother!"

I slowly turned my head to look at this utterly foolish woman. The terrifying pressure of the Asura, no longer suppressed, poured out like a mountain crashing down.

"Bang!" Sophia's legs went weak from the sheer killing intent, and she collapsed onto the steps, trembling all over, even finding it difficult to breathe.

"You are not worthy to be my son's mother." I coldly threw down these words, not even glancing at her again.

Just then, a low-key black Maybach slowly pulled up to the side of the road.

The car window rolled down, revealing Robert's imposing face. He had witnessed firsthand how I had overwhelmed Sophia with my mere presence, and a deep sense of awe flashed in his eyes, solidifying his stance. He completely ignored his own daughter, who was sitting on the floor weeping, and looked at me with respectful eyes.

"Get in, James." The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire block. "I'll take you home."

“Father, you actually chose to help him instead of me? I am your daughter!” Sophia shouted in disbelief.

At that moment, the media in the entire venue frantically pressed their shutters.

Everyone knows that the head of the Harrington family has abandoned his daughter in the most ruthless way.

I opened the car door and got in. The Maybach started smoothly, leaving the media clamor behind.

Inside the carriage, Robert handed over a glass of whiskey, his tone carrying a caution only he displayed when facing someone of equal strength: "I was blind before, thinking you were lucky to have climbed the social ladder by associating with the Harrington family. Now it seems... the Harrington family is fortunate to have your protection. Sophia is a fool, but I am not."