Chapter 4

Her voice was hoarse, trembling with a desperate plea, as if she feared this was nothing but a dream that would shatter at the slightest touch.

"Aunt Susan, it's me."

Sean slowly knelt before Susan, took her rough hands and pressed them against his face, his eyes red. "After I was kidnapped, I ended up in the Arctic. I changed my name to Sean to survive. But I was always your Sean. I'm home."

The moment she heard that familiar "Aunt Susan," tears poured down Susan's face.

Fifteen years.

The child she had raised from infancy and loved as her own was finally standing right in front of her, flesh and blood.

"Good... as long as you're back, as long as you're alive!" Susan pulled Sean into her arms and sobbed like her heart was breaking.

Sean closed his eyes and soaked in the warmth he had missed for so long.

On the battlefield, he was the Arctic Marshal—cold-blooded, merciless, with countless lives on his hands. But in front of Susan, he was just that little boy who was afraid of the dark and always wanted to be by her side.

After a long while, Susan's sobs finally quieted. She wiped her tears and looked Sean over with joy.

"You've grown taller, and stronger... If your seven sisters find out you're back, who knows how happy they'll be!"

At the word "sisters," the corners of Sean's stern mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

"Aunt Susan, where are my sisters now? Are they doing okay?"

"They're fine, all of them doing great!"

Susan's face lit up with pride as she took Sean's hand and began to tell him everything.

"Your sister Sofia is incredible now. She's New York's most famous ice-queen CEO. She founded a publicly listed company while she was still young, worth billions. She funded most of the renovations here at the orphanage."

Sean smiled and nodded. Sofia had always carried herself like a leader since they were kids. Her success didn't surprise him at all.

"Your sister Isabella, that girl was wild from the start. Now she's even more mysterious—sometimes you can't reach her for months at a time. But whenever she sends money, the amount is shocking."

"What about Bianca?" Sean asked.

"Bianca became an international flight attendant. She's always up in the air, flying all over the world. But the moment she lands, she always calls to let me know she's safe."

Susan smiled warmly and went on.

"Jenna loved messing around with plants and flowers when she was little. Now she's a nationally renowned doctor who runs her own top private hospital. Lucia spends all day talking and singing at her phone screen—apparently she's some big-time live streamer. People say she has hundreds of millions of followers."

"And Valentina is hardly ever home, but every time she comes back, she brings a pile of strange herbs that actually work wonders."

"Then there's your sister Rosa—that girl always loved being pretty. Now she's a household name, a legendary actress who rules both the box office and the music charts. You see her face on posters everywhere."

As he listened, Sean was first stunned, then broke into a warm, easy smile.

He never could have imagined that those seven sisters—who once crammed together on a shared bunk and fought over half a steamed bun—had each risen to the very top of their fields.

Sisters, once I find you all, it'll be my turn to protect you. Sean made a silent vow, his eyes full of anticipation.

But the warmth didn't last long.

A harsh, grating noise suddenly shattered the quiet of the orphanage.

HONK——!!!

HONK HONK HONK——!!!

Sharp, frantic car horn blasts erupted outside the gate like a rabid dog barking.

The peaceful afternoon was torn apart in an instant.

From the rest room next to the lobby came the sound of children jolted awake and crying—the same kids who had just suffered heatstroke and had barely managed to fall asleep.

The warmth in Sean's eyes vanished in an instant.

In its place was a bone-deep killing intent that could freeze a person's soul.

"Aunt Susan, stay inside and rest. I'll go check."

Before the words were even out, he was already gone.

Outside the orphanage gate.

A black Bentley sat parked sideways across the road, its hood nearly pressing against the orphanage's worn iron gate.

The driver was cursing and leaning on the horn without stopping.

Beside the car stood a man who had to weigh at least 280 pounds.

He was squeezed into a slightly too-tight suit, sweating heavily. Next to him, a young female secretary in a pencil skirt and heels carefully held a parasol over his head.

"What the hell, did everyone in this dump drop dead?"

The fat man yanked at his tie, the flab on his face jiggling with irritation.

He spat on the ground and bellowed, "Are you all deaf? Can't you hear the horn? Get your director out here to greet us!"

As he was shouting, a tall, upright figure walked out from inside the orphanage.

Sean's face was blank. His eyes were as cold as a dead man's.

"Was that you out here barking like a dog?"

Sean's voice was quiet, but it reached the fat man's ears with perfect clarity.

The fat man blinked, then burst out as if he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life, jabbing a finger in Sean's face. "Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that? Get Susan out here! Kimberly Real Estate executives are here for an inspection today. If you waste my time, I'll tear this dump to the ground!"

The female secretary chimed in with a shrill voice. "Exactly! Mr. Joseph coming to your little orphanage is doing you a favor. Making your kids stand out in the sun to welcome us—that's called respect! Stop dragging your feet and open the gate!"

So this was the person responsible for making those children stand in the blazing sun earlier.

Sean said nothing.

He walked toward the Bentley, one step at a time, slow and steady.

"You—what are you doing? Stop right there!"

Looking into Sean's eyes—completely empty of warmth—Joseph felt a strange chill crawl up his spine and took an involuntary step back.

Sean stopped half a meter from the front of the Bentley.

He slowly raised his right hand and closed it into a fist.

"I gave you a chance. Too bad you didn't take it."

The next second, Sean moved.

No fancy technique. Just the simplest, most direct straight punch.

BOOM——!!!

A thunderous crash.

Under the horrified stares of Joseph and his secretary, Sean's fist slammed down onto the Bentley's hood.

The solid alloy steel crumpled like paper. The hood caved in across a wide area, twisting and warping out of shape. With a sharp screech of tearing metal, the entire rear of the car lifted half a meter off the ground.

Every airbag in the car exploded open with a bang.

The horn cut out dead.

The driver in the seat was rattled senseless. He was so terrified that a dark stain spread through his pants.

Silence.

The whole street went still. The only sound was a faint hiss of white smoke curling up from the mangled hood.

One punch. One car, destroyed.