Chapter 5

"Really?!" Dani burst into tears of joy and grabbed her husband's hand.

Diana jumped up with excitement, clutching Stuart's arm, laughing and crying at the same time. "This is amazing! Stew! Dad's going to be okay! I always knew you were the best!"

Lying in his hospital bed, Layne watched his son standing tall and proud, saw the joy on his family's faces, and felt tears well up in his old eyes.

The family was still caught up in the moment when Dani suddenly tugged at Stuart's sleeve. The smile faded from her face, replaced by deep worry. "Stuart, my boy, there's something else... I have to tell you."

Stuart noticed his mother's expression right away. "Mom, what is it?"

Dani glanced over at Diana, who was still riding the wave of excitement, then lowered her voice, her eyes filled with sorrow. "It's about Diana. Ever since you went to prison, we've fallen on hard times, and a lot of people have looked down on us. There's this rich kid, well-known around here... Carmen, I think that's his name. He's had his eye on Diana."

Dani let out a quiet sigh. "That bastard kept coming after her, sending gifts, all of which we turned down. But he wouldn't stop. He just kept pushing harder. The day before your father's legs were broken, he sent people to the house with a message. He said... he said if Diana didn't become his woman, he'd use his connections to make sure our whole family could never survive in Maple State. We went to the police, but they did nothing. We had nowhere to turn, and then your father got hurt... We just didn't know what to do anymore..."

The warmth that had just appeared on Stuart's face vanished without a trace.

A cold, deadly intent flashed through him, sharp enough that even Owen Carter, standing nearby, felt a chill run down his spine.

Stuart turned and looked at Diana, who was leaning against their father's bed, her face lit up with a bright smile. His little sister, the one who had followed him around since she was small, full of innocence and life.

Carmen?

Good.

Stuart turned back and gently patted his mother's hand. "You and Dad focus on getting better. Dr. Carter will take care of everything here. I'll handle the situation with Diana."

Dani looked at her son. The familiar face she knew so well now carried a coldness she had never seen before. She wanted to say something, but in the end she just nodded, feeling both worried and, somehow, strangely at ease.

Meanwhile, in a luxury apartment in Maple State.

"Ahhh! My... my God... that bastard!"

Leon was sprawled on a leather couch, thick ice packs wrapped between his legs, his face twisted in agony.

He felt like his life was over. The most important thing to him as a man had been crushed under the boot of that ex-con he had always looked down on.

Selena paced back and forth nearby, restless and fuming. The handprint on her face had not fully faded.

"Shut up, Leon! What good is all that screaming doing?" she snapped. "He threw us out like we were trash! My face, my dignity! And that villa! All of that should have been ours!"

Leon was already at his limit, and her yelling pushed him over the edge. "Then what do you want me to do?! That guy is insane! He doesn't play by any rules. He's just a savage who crawled out of prison! Did you see the way he looked at me? He actually wanted to kill me!"

"Kill you? He wouldn't dare!" Selena let out a cold laugh, her eyes full of contempt. "He just broke out. He's a wanted man. If he pulls anything else, the police will throw him back in for life. But... we can't just let this go."

Her gaze fixed on Leon like a snake sizing up its prey. "Leon, don't you know some people? The kind who handle... problems."

Leon understood immediately. His eyes turned hard and vicious. "You mean hire someone?"

Selena leaned down toward him, her voice low and full of intent. "What else? We need him gone. Permanently. Once he's dead, no one will ever know what we did. That villa, and everything else he owns, as his 'ex-wife,' I have every right to inherit it all. Everything becomes ours."

The thought of money and revenge made Leon laugh. He said through gritted teeth, "You're right. He has to die."

He struggled to pick up his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, it's me... I need a job done. A big one... Yeah, money's no issue. I want the best. The Night Ravens. I've heard of them. Get me their contact..."

...

Back at the hospital.

Stuart settled his parents and sister down, then turned and walked out of the room.

Owen Carter followed close behind. "Sir, are you going to deal with that piece of trash named Carmen?" he asked respectfully.

Stuart glanced at him, his expression unchanged. "I'll handle it myself. You stay here. Make sure my father's safety and treatment are absolutely airtight. I don't want any more surprises."

"Yes, sir! Don't worry. No one gets near your father unless they go through me first!" Owen Carter stood up straight and declared.

Stuart gave a small nod and headed straight for the elevator.

He planned to deal with Carmen first, the man who had been harassing Diana. For someone who dared to threaten his family, Stuart had no problem taking care of it personally.

But as he stepped through the hospital's front doors and into the cool night air, his stride slowed for just a moment.

For a man who had once stood at the very top of the world's assassination circles, sensing danger had long since become pure instinct.

Just now, at least a dozen pairs of eyes, all loaded with killing intent, had locked onto him from different directions in the shadows around him.

"Interesting," Stuart said, the faintest cold smile crossing his lips.

So something with a death wish had already come looking for him.

He didn't look back. He showed no sign that anything was wrong. Like any ordinary visitor, he slipped his hands into his pockets and walked at an easy pace along the sidewalk.

He deliberately avoided the main road and turned down a dim side street that led into a back alley.

The smell of blood seemed to already be hanging in the air.

When he reached the far end of the alley, he stopped.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

Dozens of dark figures emerged from the shadows, from behind abandoned vehicles, from second-floor windows, closing in and surrounding him on all sides.

Every one of them was dressed in black tactical gear, wearing various masks, and armed with military knives that caught the faint light and silenced handguns.

Their movements were sharp and coordinated. Their breathing was steady and controlled. Every single one of them carried the thick, unmistakable scent of blood.

Killers.

Trained, professional killers.