Chapter 2: Family Marriage Alliance

The Browns stood in the living room, looking at Cole with eyes as cold as if they were looking at a stranger.

Cole had been sentenced to seven years. Because of good behavior in prison, his sentence was reduced to three years.

For three years, he thought about one thing every day—when he got out, he would ask them to their faces: why.

Not because of anger, not because of grievance. He just couldn't understand how someone could abandon another person they'd raised for over ten years, just like that.

Two hours later, the car stopped in front of the Brown Villa.

Cole got out with his canvas bag and stood before the house he'd lived in for twelve years.

The house hadn't changed. White walls, gray tiles, the oak tree by the entrance was still there, the lawn neatly trimmed.

He stared at that familiar door, stood there for about ten seconds, then walked over. Cole pushed open the door. The scene in the living room was exactly as he'd imagined.

His adoptive father Roy Brown sat on the sofa reading the newspaper, his adoptive mother Mary Brown was making coffee in the kitchen, and Tyler was lounging in an armchair with his legs crossed, holding his phone, looking at something.

All three looked up at the doorway at the same time.

No one stood up.

Tyler spoke first, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Well, well, Mr. Criminal is back? I thought you died in prison."

Cole ignored him, walked in, and put his canvas bag on the floor.

Mary came out of the kitchen holding a cup of coffee, looked him up and down, her gaze pausing for a second on his old T-shirt and canvas bag, her mouth turning down slightly. "Good that you're back. We found you a fiancée. Although this is sudden for you, Cole, you need to understand—now that you're out of prison, you must contribute to the family."

Cole looked up.

Mary's tone was unusually flat. "The Rockefeller family's heir, Sophia Rockefeller. She was in a car accident a year ago and became a vegetable. Their family needs to find Ms. Rockefeller a husband now."

Cole said nothing.

Tyler threw his phone on the coffee table, stood up and walked over to Cole, patting his shoulder hard with obvious mockery. "You went to prison for me, so I found you a good match. The Rockefeller family—top-tier tycoons in America. You marry Ms. Rockefeller, you'll be set for life. How about that? Pretty generous, right?"

Cole looked at him.

Three years later, Tyler had gained some weight, grown stubble on his chin, wore a designer hoodie, and had a gold watch on his wrist.

His eyes still had that thing Cole was familiar with—calculation, greed, and a bit of poorly hidden guilt.

"Why don't you go?" Cole asked.

The smile on Tyler's face froze for a moment, then he stepped back and spread his hands.

"I'm the heir to the Brown Villa. How can I marry a vegetable? You're different, you were always—"

He didn't finish, but Cole knew what he wanted to say.

You were always meant to go to prison for me.

Roy put down his newspaper and spoke for the first time. "Cole, this is good for you. The Rockefeller family is rich, you won't lose out. And we've already been talking with Mr. Victor Rockefeller. He's willing to accept you."

Cole glanced at him. Roy's face showed no expression, exactly like when the police came to the door years ago.

Cole suddenly remembered what Old Eric had said—the Browns were The Volchatnik's informants.

If that was true, then this "marriage" couldn't just be about bringing good luck to a sick person.

The Rockefeller family.

Sophia.

A vegetable.

Cole's mind quickly went over Old Eric's words.

The Phoenix bloodline heir hadn't been found yet. The Volchatnik was also looking.

The Browns were The Volchatnik's informants, and they were arranging for him to join the Rockefeller family—

His heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Seeing him silent, Tyler thought he was still hesitating and pushed him.

"Don't be ungrateful. You're a criminal fresh out of prison—you should be grateful someone's willing to take you in. Besides—"

Tyler leaned in closer, lowered his voice, his tone carrying a kind of intimacy that made Cole's back go cold. "Once you're in the Rockefeller family, I'll need your help with something. I haven't been feeling well lately. The doctor says it might be a blood problem. You're my brother—sometimes I'll need your help, right?"

Cole's fingers twitched.

He remembered now.

Tyler had anemia since childhood, going to the hospital every few days.

Apparently, the situation was worse than he thought.

And Tyler had clearly heard something from the Browns—about his bloodline.

So the purpose of this marriage was clear.

The Browns were informants for The Volchatnik, sending him into the Rockefeller family, probably because the Rockefeller family was connected to the bloodline heir.

Tyler wanted to draw his blood to treat his illness, while The Volchatnik waited in the shadows to close the net.

The situation was really complicated.

Cole suddenly smiled.

This smile made Tyler freeze.

In his memory, Cole never smiled like this—three years ago, Cole was a freak who wouldn't make a sound even when bullied, just kept his head down and took everything.

But the person standing before him now had changed—his eyes were like a knife pulled from its sheath, not yet swung, but the gleam on the blade already made people's hearts run cold.

"Fine," Cole said. "I agree."

Tyler's expression changed from stunned to smug.

Mary paused with her coffee cup at her lips, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

"Go see Victor tomorrow," Mary said. "You'll sleep in the guest room tonight. Change those clothes, they're too dirty."

Cole picked up his canvas bag and went upstairs.

The guest room light was broken. He sat on the edge of the bed in the dark, pulled out the little notebook Old Eric gave him from his bag, and opened to the first page.

It was the old man's handwriting, messy like it was carved with a knife.

"Fenrir bloodline, half-wolf form: pupils turn red, fangs protrude, strength doubles. Full wolf form not unlocked, needs crystal core. Warning—losing emotional control triggers berserk state. After going berserk, strength surges but drains lifespan and loses reason. Remember, before you find the Phoenix bloodline or crystal core, every time you go berserk, you're shortening what's left of your life."

Cole closed the notebook and pulled out the silver dagger from his waist, gripping it in his hand.

The handle was ice cold.

The dark red patterns on the blade glowed faintly in the darkness, as if something inside was still alive.

He sat holding the knife for a long time, until the rain outside stopped and the moon emerged from behind the clouds, shining on the floor.

Tomorrow, he would walk through the gates of the Rockefeller Estate.

There would be The Volchatnik's informants, Tyler wanting to draw his blood, and who knows how many eyes watching him.

But there might also be clues about the Phoenix bloodline.

Cole put the dagger back at his waist and closed his eyes.

From today on, he would no longer live for anyone else.