None of the Callahans bothered to look for Thea even though she had been gone for ten days.

To the Callahans, Thea was the black sheep of the family and the laughing stock of Cansington. If it were not for Thea, the Callahans’ business would be booming.

Once Thea had recovered, she picked up her marriage certificate with James and they went home together.

Lex Callahan had three sons.

According to birth order, they were Howard, John, and Benjamin.

Benjamin was shunned by his own family because of Thea. It did not matter that he worked hard, expanding the family business by leaps and bounds.

At home, he did not have any rank, status, or authority whatsoever.

Benjamin might be a Callahan Group manager, but he had no shares in the company. All he got was a fixed salary each month with no bonus. As such, he was struggling to make ends meet.

It was true that he had bought a house, but there was still the mortgage to pay off every month.

“This is my home, Jamie.”

Pointing to the doors, Thea said, “It’s nothing compared to the palace you live in though.”

James took her hand in his and smiled. “Home is wherever you are.”

Thea smiled. Approaching the entrance, she knocked on the door gently.

Gladys opened the door.

She was slightly shocked to see a beautiful girl and an unfamiliar man. She asked, “Can I help you?”

“Mom,” Thea said.

Gladys was stunned upon hearing this beautiful girl call her mom.

“Mom, I’m Thea. Your daughter.”

“What?”

Gladys was shocked. Looking at the girl in front of her, she was confused. “Y-You’re Thea?”

“It’s me, mom. My scars are all gone now.”

“Hi, mom,” James added.

“What?” Gladys thought that she would never recover from all the shocks.

Holding onto James’ arm, Thea said, “Mom, grandfather picked him as my husband.”

Gladys finally responded. She pulled Thea to her side quickly. Coldly, she said to James, “I’ve never acknowledged you as my son-in-law.”

She touched Thea’s smooth face. “Thea, is it really you? You… Your face and the scars and your body… What happened?”

“Mom, I’ve been undergoing treatment for the past ten days. I’ve recovered now, and will no longer be a humiliation to the family,” Thea choked out.

Ever since the incident, she had been an embarrassment to the Callahans, causing them to be the laughing stock of Cansington. Her parents were barely able to show their faces in public.

“My girl…” Gladys hugged Thea, crying. “My girl… It’s my fault. I never should have left you alone to deal with it. You’ve been through so much… Come, let’s go inside.”

She pulled Thea into the house.

Now that Thea had recovered her looks, Gladys had other plans in mind.

With Thea’s beautiful looks, she could marry a rich man instead of a lazy worm who was after the family’s wealth.

She pointed at the door and coldly ordered James, “Get out.”

“Mom, what are you doing? He’s my husband, hand-picked by grandfather!”

“Let’s go to the family villa now. I’ll have the old man call off the wedding himself.”

Gladys wasted no time, dragging Thea with her.

“Jamie…”

Thea turned around to look at James helplessly.

James shrugged, looking like he did not have a care in the world. He merely followed the two women.

The Callahans gathered in the villa’s foyer, looking at the beautiful girl standing next to Gladys in disbelief.

How could she be Thea?

Thea, who was disfigured for ten years?

What on earth happened? How could she have transformed in just ten days?

“Thea, is that you?”

“Thea? Did you undergo plastic surgery in Korea? Is their technology so advanced that there’s a full-body option?”

The Callahans were gobsmacked.

They could not believe that the beautiful girl in front of them was the same Thea who was scarred all over.

What did she do?

Gladys got straight to the point. “Dad, I disagree with this marriage. With Thea’s looks, she could marry someone rich from a prestigious family. How could she marry some spineless worm?”

Smoking a tobacco pipe on the couch, Lex stared at Thea.

He was struggling to keep up.

How did Thea recover her looks in just ten days?

However, Thea was a beauty now. There was no denying that. He nodded his head, saying, “You’re right. There are still many eligible bachelors among Cansington’s most prestigious families. I could put a word out and find a suitable husband for Thea.”

“No.”

Thea stepped up with tears in her eyes. “Grandfather, you decided to marry me off to James. Now that James has helped me recover, you’re not keeping your word. What am I to you?”

“You ungrateful brat…” Gladys slapped Thea across the face. She yelled, “What do you see in this penniless man?”

Thea grabbed a knife lying on the table and pressed it to her cheek. “I’ll cut my face up if you push me too far.”

“How dare you…” Gladys trembled in anger.

“Enough!” Lex roared. “What is going on, Thea? This is for your own good. Look at how beautiful you are now. You could marry well and enjoy an easy life. Why do you insist on being with a poor fellow like him?”

Just then, James, who had been quiet all this time, spoke up. Looking around at the Callahans, he said mildly, “I don’t care about being part of your family either way, but this is between Thea and me. We’ve obtained our marriage certificate. If she wants a divorce, I’ll go with it. If not, no one will force her to do anything.”

“Who gave you permission to speak?”

Tommy, the eldest grandson of the family, leaped to his feet and pointed a finger at James. “You’re nothing but trash. You have no right to speak here. If we want you gone, you’re gone.”

James reached out and bent Tommy’s outstretched finger backward. Coldly, he said, “No one has ever pointed a finger at me before.”

“Ah, it hurts!”

Tommy yelled in pain. His body was bent at an awkward angle and his face twisted with pain. He said, “My bad, my bad. Please let go.”

James obliged.

Tommy panted hard. Looking at James’ expressionless face, Tommy was angered. He picked up an ashtray from the table, preparing to hit James on the head.

“What are you doing?” Lex shouted. “Is there no order in the family anymore? Put it down!”

Tommy looked at Lex pleadingly. “Grandfather, James has crossed the line. You have to help me.”

“Enough.” Lex was still puffing on his pipe, waving a hand. Looking at James, he said, “I’ll give you five hundred thousand dollars. All you have to do is divorce Thea and stay away from her.”

“No!” Thea yelled.

“How dare you!” Lex slammed his hand onto the table. “I’m not dead yet. I’m still the head of the family. All of you have to bend to my will!”

James did not want Thea’s relationship with her family to fracture.

His return was fueled by two purposes. To repay Thea, and to avenge his family.

He did not want Thea to suffer a broken relationship with her family just so he could fulfill his own purpose.

“Grandfather, give me a chance. Let me prove that I’m just as capable as anyone else.”

“A chance?” Tommy sneered. “James Caden, according to our information, you’re an orphan. You grew up at an orphanage, and you were in the military for a few years. Thea’s out of your league. Sure, we could give you a chance. Have you heard of Celestial Group? We’ve always wanted to work with them, but we’ve never managed it. If you could make it work, we’d be happy to acknowledge you as part of the family.”

Tommy had disliked James from the start. He was a retired soldier after all. He had no money and no power. What was he so arrogant for?

Therefore, he came up with this idea to make things difficult for James, hoping that he would give up.

He already had a better candidate in mind for Thea, Joel Xavier. The Xaviers was the leader of The Great Four, and it would be a beneficial union.

“Grandfather, let James try getting a deal with Celestial Group. If he gets it, we’ll acknowledge him. Otherwise, he’s gone.”

Lex puffed on his pipe. “Agreed. Our business mostly deals with medicinal processing. Recently, Celestial Group has been expanding its production, and they have released plenty of order opportunities. Many businesses are fighting to obtain these orders. If you could get an order worth thirty million from them, I’ll tell everyone you’re the son-in-law of the Callahans. You have ten days.”

“I don’t need ten days. I’ll get it done tomorrow.”

After that, James left with Thea.

“He’s bold but stupid. Celestial is the leader of the pharmaceutical groups, worth a hundred billion in the market. It’s almost impossible to get an order from them.” Tommy was unimpressed.

Gladys begged, “Dad, you can’t do this. What’s thirty million when Thea could marry anyone from The Great Four?”

Lex waved his hand. “We can’t rush it. Celestial’s business dealings are all with The Great Four. It won’t be that simple to get an order from Celestial. Let James try. He’ll give up. By then, we’ll think of an idea for Thea to marry someone from The Great Four. With a marriage alliance, we’ll be able to rise through the ranks in Cansington.”

After leaving the Callahans’ villa.

Thea was crying. “Jamie, I’m so sorry. I don’t even have any control over my marriage.”

James took her hand. “It’s okay. Grandfather has made the statement. If I manage to get an order from Celestial Group, he’ll have no choice but to acknowledge us as husband and wife.”

“It’s Celestial Group we’re talking about.” Thea was worried.

Born and bred in Cansington, she knew all there was to Celestial Group.

Celestial Group was an international company, having broken into the Cansington market just recently. The Great Four basically monopolized Celestial Group’s orders.

James only smiled. “We’ll never know if we don’t try.”

Thea thought of something suddenly, saying, “Oh yeah, I remember now. An old classmate of mine is working at Celestial Group. In fact, she’s the head of a department there. Let me get in touch with her. She might be able to connect us with the higher management.”

“Okay.”

Holding hands, the both of them walked home to Thea’s.

Thea’s house and the Callahans’ villa were located in the same residential area. Where the headquarters of the Callahans’ was the villa, Thea’s place was in a high-rise building.

The two of them took a leisurely stroll back. Gladys had arrived ahead of them, and she refused to let James into the house.

James shrugged. There was nothing he could do. “I’ll go home then, Thea.”

Thea knew she had no choice either, so she nodded.

The priority now was to secure the orders from Celestial. That way, the Callahans would have no choice but to accept James as part of the family.

After settling down at home, she got in touch with her classmate whom she had not spoken to for many years.

On the other hand, James returned to the House of Royals, situated in an area where the most luxurious villas of Cansington were.

He sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette. Taking out his phone, he dialed a number. “Bring me the chairman of Celestial Group.”

He hardly wanted to press his privilege as the Dragon General, but it could not be helped if he wanted the deal with Celestial.

Soon, a middle-aged man about 50 years of age arrived at the house.

Wearing a suit, he was heavyset and starting to go bald.

“Gen-General.”

As soon as the man entered the House of Royals, he fell to his knees.

In Cansington, he was in charge of Celestial Group. Hailing from the capital, his name was Alex Yates.

Before arriving, Alex had taken the time to find out with whom he would be meeting.

He was kneeling in front of the legendary Dragon General of the Southern Plains. He showed no mercy on and off the battlefield, and his enemies cowered in fear when they heard about the Black Dragon.

The Dragon General was no ordinary man. He was more than important, and therefore commanded the highest level of respect. Still kneeling on the ground, Alex felt a trickle of perspiration slide down his spine.

“Alex Yates?”

James put down the stack of documents he was holding in his hand. Looking at the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground, he waved a hand and said mildly, “Why don’t you stand up?”

“Yes, sir.”

Alex stood. He was sweating profusely, but he made no move to wipe his sweat away.

Shaking in fear, he wondered if he had somehow offended this modern-day Ares. Why was he summoned?

“Tomorrow, my wife Thea Callahan will be visiting Celestial Group, asking for a deal of thirty million. You’re to handle it personally. Don’t mess it up.”

Alex sighed in relief and broke into a smile. “Of course, General. Even if it’s a deal of three hundred million, it would be yours if you say the word.”

“Remember, my wife’s name is Thea. Thea Callahan.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s all. You may leave now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alex felt like he had been granted amnesty and left at top speed, still soaked in sweat.

As part of the Yates family from the Capital, he helmed Celestial Group in Cansington. Even The Great Four had to be careful lest they provoke him, but his role was reversed when meeting James.

After Alex left, James rose from the couch and muttered to himself, “I’ve been back for more than ten days, but I have not paid my respects yet.”

He walked out of the house, planning to take a taxi to the ruins of the Caden house in the suburbs.

However, there was a multi-purpose vehicle without a license plate waiting outside. A dark-skinned man in a black tank stood by the car.

James walked up and cut Henry a glare. “Didn’t I tell you to take the men and return to the border?”

“General, all the other men have returned to the Southern Plains. It’s just me now. Won’t you let me stay?”

“Call me James. The general is no more in Cansington.”

“You got it.”

“Take me to the Cadens’ cemetery.”

“Well, get in the car then, James.”

…

Soon, James was at the spot where the Cadens’ villa once stood.

The villa had been burned to ashes, now replaced by graves.

Cansington’s first family was now worm food, their home in ruins.

The sky was dark. Gray clouds gathered overhead.

Pitter-patter.

The heavens opened and unleashed a torrent of rain.

At the cemetery, a young man stood there in a brown coat. Behind him was another man, holding an umbrella over him.

Thud.

James fell to his knees.

Ten years ago, the Cadens were the first family of Cansington.

He was only 18 years old then.

The same year, his father married another woman.

His stepmother was Rowena Xavier of The Great Four, belonging to one of the most prestigious families in Cansington.

Rowena had a plan all along. She slipped into James’ grandfather’s bed, accusing him of drugging her. His grandfather’s reputation was left in tatters and the Cadens were reduced to a joke.

That very same year, Rowena lodged a report against his father, accusing him of corruption and bribery. His father was so angry that it triggered a heart attack. Not only did Rowena not save him, but she pushed him off the third floor. She told everyone else that his father Nicholas committed suicide because he felt guilty.

After the death of his father, the Xaviers, who led The Great Four, converged at the Cadens’ and killed his grandfather. They held the entire Caden family hostage, forcing them to hand over their family treasure, a painting named Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside's Edge.

After they obtained it, The Great Four burned the house down with the Cadens still within and divided the Cadens’ assets.

“Dad, you’re a sinner. You’re the reason the Cadens are gone. You should have never married Rowena Xavier. You should have never brought that vicious woman home…”

James knelt in front of the grave, crying his heart out.

It was a myth that men did not shed tears. It just took a certain amount of pain.

He hated his father. His father fell in love with the wrong woman, resulting in the demise of the Cadens.

He hated Rowena Xavier. He hated The Great Four even more.

The Xaviers, Frasiers, Zimmermans, and Wilsons murdered the Cadens.

“Grandfather, I will not let you die in vain. I swear I’ll avenge your death. The Great Four will not live in peace. I’ll bring you the heads of The Great Four as proof.”

“My condolences, General.” Henry was still standing behind James, holding the umbrella.

Henry had never seen James so distraught before. In fact, he did not think that the almighty Black Dragon even had an emotional side.

He had shown no hint of fear against enemy armies, but in front of the graves, James was a puddle of tears.

“General, Megatron Group, belonging to the Xaviers, will be having a celebratory banquet tonight. Megatron and Celestial have signed a permanent agreement. From now on, Megatron will have early access to Celestial’s orders before letting the other groups and companies choose. The head of the Xaviers is also turning eighty today. It’s a double celebration.”

“Megatron…”

James clenched his fists.

Megatron was the Cadens’ family business.

Now, it had fallen into the Xaviers’ hands.

He stood up slowly, a murderous glint in his eye.

“Get me a coffin. We’re going to the banquet. It’s time to collect a debt.”

The Xaviers were the leaders of The Great Four in Cansington.

It was a day of celebration for them. Megatron Group, one of their many businesses, had signed an agreement with Celestial Group, and they were now the best of business partners. In other words, the Xaviers’ influence would be even more widespread thanks to this agreement.

Also, the patriarch of the family, Warren Xavier, was turning 80.

Outside the Xaviers’ villa, a fleet of luxurious cars gathered. All the celebrities in Cansington were there for the double celebration.

“This is a bottle of Retrouve wine worth eight million dollars, gifted by The Frasiers. They wish Mister Warren Xavier many happy returns!”

“The Wilsons present a painting, The Black Thorn by Jacqui en Blanc, worth twelve million dollars, and they wish the Xaviers good wealth.”

“The Zimmermans have gifted Mister Xavier a Froit Mi watch worth eight point eight million dollars…”

At the main entrance, a lady held a microphone in her hand. She enthusiastically announced the gifts that guests had brought for the entire room to hear.

In the foyer, Warren was dressed in a blue suit. Although he was 80, he looked fit and alert. Hearing about all the gifts he was getting, he looked as happy as a lark.

The banquet was full of people from important families in Cansington.

Even the second-rate Callahans had made it. In an attempt to suck up to the Xaviers, Lex Callahan had pulled out all the stops, spending a small fortune to get a Monique wallet for Warren.

Everyone was busy trying to make their own connections and expand their networks.

Outside the villa, a man wearing a brown coat and a mask on his face approached, carrying a coffin.

The coffin weighed at least 100 kilograms, but the man supported it with just one arm, carrying it with ease.

It was James.

His return was fueled by two purposes. To repay Thea, and to avenge his family.

Now that he was Thea’s husband, he might be recognized. As he did not want to get her into trouble, he put on a black mask to conceal his identity.

Crash!

As he reached the entrance, he threw the coffin with all his might. It shattered the Xaviers’ door and landed in the foyer of the Xaviers’ villa.

Everyone was shocked at the sudden intrusion.

The noise stopped abruptly. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

What was going on?

It was Warren Xaiver’s 80th birthday. Who was so bold as to actually bring a coffin to a celebration?

Warren was chatting with the other heads of family when the coffin came sailing through. His expression darkened and he shouted, “What’s this? Where are the security guards? What are they doing? Who sent this? Take it away at once.”

“Warren Xavier, may I present this coffin as your birthday gift? It’s your eightieth birthday today, but this time next year, it will be your death anniversary.”

A voice rang out from outside the doors. A man with a brown coat and a ghost mask then sauntered in.

“Who… who are you?” Warren stared at James. This was the Xaviers’ place, and he was the head of the family, a very important person in Cansington. Who had the guts to cause trouble at his home?

“I’m someone who wants your life.”

The cold voice cut through the space. With the black ghost mask on his face, James stalked over to Warren.

“Not today.” A man in his twenties walked over and pointed at James. “I don’t care who you are. When you’re at the Xaviers, we’re in charge.”

That was William Xavier. Still pointing at James, William attempted to remove his mask. Coldly, he said, “You’re a coward for hiding behind a mask. Let’s see who you are.”

James attacked. He grabbed William’s arm and lifted him off the ground before twisting it.

Crack!

William’s arm was torn clean off his body. Blood fountained everywhere.

“Ah…”

William howled in agony.

All the guests were in shock. As they were people of status and lived in peace, they had never seen such gore or violence before. Many of them stumbled backward, worried that they would be the next target.

Looking just like a modern-day Ares, James threw the arm away carelessly. He had a confident, aggressive air about him. Coupled with his display of power earlier on, the Xaviers were so scared that they were trembling, backing away as much as they could.

Even Warren retreated slightly, his arm reaching behind his back, ready at a moment’s notice to grab a weapon and kill the uninvited guest.

James stalked toward Warren slowly.

William’s moans of pain echoed through the foyer.

After a while, he slumped into a dead faint, unable to take the pain anymore. The foyer suddenly quieted. Only James’ footsteps echoed, sounding like the harbinger of doom.

“Kneel.”

James’ order rang out, clear as a bell.

James was extremely imposing. It was the cumulation of being a seasoned soldier and general with murder as second nature. Under his murderous stare, everyone was scared silly. Coupled with how easily he tore William’s arm off, no one dared utter a single word.

Even Warren was affected, and he lost his bearings for a second.

At that moment, he forgot to fight back and his knees buckled. He fell to the ground, kneeling.

Crash.

Upon seeing this, the celebrities were stunned.

Warren Xavier, the patriarch of the Xaviers, the leader of The Great Four in Cansington, was kneeling on the ground.

James held a wire in his hand. It was an odd sort of wire with several joints. Upon closer inspection, one could tell that it was made out of countless needles.

“Warren Xavier, do you care to admit your sins?”

Just then, Warren realized that he was kneeling, though he did not know why. Sweat slid down his spine.

He wanted to stand up, but he did not have the strength anymore.

“Boy, do you know who you’re speaking to?” Even though he could not stand, Warren still looked strong. His arm was still behind his back, ready to attack with a weapon anytime.

The other Xaviers did not even try to protect Warren, worried that they would be hurt as well.

“I might as well tell you the reason. Ten years ago, a fire razed Flora Lakeside. It burned for an entire day. Thirty-eight lives were lost, and now, you’ll pay in blood.”

His cold, merciless voice rang through the foyer.

James moved. In a flash, he appeared behind Warren. He wound the silver needle wire around Warren’s neck and pulled.

Blood spurted, and Warren’s head thudded to the ground.

“Ah!”

Cansington’s celebrities screamed and fell to the ground, all of them shivering in fear. Upon Warren’s death, the Xaviers did not know what to do, frozen to the spot.

James produced a black bag. He scooped Warren’s head into it and turned to leave.

Long after he had left, The Xaviers’ villa remained dead quiet. Everyone squatted on the ground, cradling their heads in their hands. Warren’s headless corpse remained motionless in the foyer.

…

At the Cadens’ cemetery, Thomas Caden’s grave.

James leaned the black bag against the tombstone.

He took a flask out and swigged a mouthful from it. He poured the rest of it in front of the grave.

“Grandfather, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that our entire family rests in peace. I’ll also get Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside's Edge back.”

After that, he got up and left.

When he returned to the House of Royals, he took a bath.

In the Xaviers’ villa.

The celebrities who were there for the celebration left.

In the foyer stood a coffin. Warren’s corpse lay on the ground.

William, who had lost an arm, had been sent to the hospital.

All the Xaviers were kneeling at Warren’s corpse.

In the lead was a beautiful woman wearing a dress. She was Warren’s youngest daughter, Rowena.

The same Rowena that destroyed the Cadens utterly.

She was in a terrible mood.

“Has anyone called Trent?”

Her roar echoed through the quiet foyer.

“Y-yes. We’ve called him.”

“Leave everything as it is. We’ll wait till Trent gets back.”

…

It was a quiet night. In Cansington’s military region, a few helicopters painted with the words “Western Border” landed.

A middle-aged man clad in a military uniform wearing a cold expression exited the helicopter.

Outside, a row of fully-armed soldiers stood in a line. They saluted the man.

A jeep appeared and the man got into it. It headed straight to the Xaviers’ villa.

Upon his arrival, he assessed the situation in the villa and saw Warren’s headless corpse. He removed his hat and fell to his knees.

“Dad, I’m sorry I’m late. I swear I’ll bring the culprit to justice no matter who he is.”

His voice, full of rage, echoed through the house.

“Trent.” Rowena appeared suddenly.

The man was Warren’s fourth son, Trent.

Trent was expressionless, his face dark. “I need the banquet’s surveillance video.”

“I’ll get it right away.” Rowena nodded and got someone to retrieve it.

Trent stood up and inspected Warren’s wound before watching the video. He saw the entire process of James killing Warren.

Coldly, he asked, “What did he say before killing dad?”

Rowena said, “Ten years ago, a fire razed Flora Lakeside. It burned for an entire day. Thirty-eight lives were lost, and now, you’ll pay in blood.”

Trent clenched his fists upon hearing this and his expression darkened. “A survivor of the Cadens?”

“It must be.”

Trent pressed his palms into his face and waved a hand at Rowena. “Bury dad. Keep it simple. I’ll make a trip to the Capital and ask the big man there about potential Caden survivors.”