After guarding the nation's border for ten years, I return home only to see my younger sister, Piper Wright, being trampled under someone’s foot.

"Where did this country bumpkin come from? How dare you show up at a place like this?"

The man in a suit throws an invitation in her face. "Take a look at yourself. What do you think you are? My sister is Velda Mercer, the top socialite of Hyporion. If you offend me, I will have your whole family thrown into the river!"

I smash his nose with a single punch.

I help Piper to her feet and dial Velda's number.

"Velda Mercer, if it were not for me back then, you would still be begging for food. How dare you bully my sister?"

I expected Velda Mercer to give me an explanation, since I'd entrusted my parents and little sister, Piper Wright, to her care all those years ago.

On the other end of the line, her voice was cold and impatient. "I'm at the Hyporion Summit right now, Callan Wright. I don't have time for your lowlife family's petty drama."

She didn't bother to ask where I'd been for the past decade and hung up without another word.

I gripped the phone so hard that my knuckles paled. It seemed that ten years of my blood, sweat, and sacrifice meant nothing to her.

Ten years ago, she was just a struggling college student relying on my financial support. But now, she couldn't even be bothered to talk to me.

When his little brother, Jude Mercer, saw the way she shut me down, he grinned wickedly and grabbed Piper's phone. After throwing it onto the floor, he crushed it under his boot.

"Who do you think you are, acting all important? To my sister, you're nothing but a lowly animal!"

My heart shattered at the sight of Piper's swollen cheeks and terror in her eyes.

"Callan, you're back…" she choked out. "Their company… leveled Mom and Dad's graves with an excavator!"

Her words hit me like a physical blow.

Leveled? They bulldozed my parents' graves?

My mind went blank before my blood started boiling in rage.

Jude kicked me hard and sent me sprawling onto the ground. "Cut the melodrama, Callan. Get on your knees and lick my boots clean, or I'll have my men break Piper's legs right now."

I was about to get up and fight back when Piper held me back with all her strength. She shook her head and sobbed, "Please don't! We can't win against them! Mom and Dad died because…"

My eyes were bloodshot as I stared toward the construction site, where Mom and Dad's graves used to be.

Jude burst out laughing and pointed at me arrogantly. "That's right; I had them bulldozed! Velda said anyone who stands in the way of her profits has to die!"

I gave Velda everything, and yet she claimed that I was standing in the way of her money.

Before I could even react, Piper dropped to her knees and crawled toward Jude, just to protect me. "Please have mercy, Mr. Mercer. I'm begging you!"

Just like that, she stayed on her knees and banged her head against the floor, groveling in humiliation. It felt like countless knives were tearing my chest apart.

Growing up, Piper had always been my pride. She was brilliant in school, strong-willed, and never bowed her head to anyone. And now, she was kneeling to protect me and groveling before the monster who'd destroyed our parents' graves.

Jude's face was twisted with cruelty as he kicked her away. "A worthless life like yours doesn't get to beg me for favors."

I shielded her behind me and fixed him with a cold, murderous glare.

Velda wouldn't be where she was today without me. After earning a "Special Talent Technology Transfer" quota through exceptional military service, I'd signed the core patents over to her for free.

Not only did she forget the kindness I'd shown her, but she also gave Jude the green light to dig up my parents' graves and humiliate my only sister.

That was when I received an encrypted satellite call. It was from the General, Gunthar Vale.

"You've finally decided to turn your phone back on, Callan. I assume you're back with your family; is everyone doing okay?"

Gunthar's booming voice came through the line. Each word sounded like a battle cry, warming my heart.

"There's a little trouble at home, General, but I can handle it."

I swallowed hard, fighting back the crack in my voice. The last thing I wanted was to bring my negative emotions back to the unit.

But Gunthar was a veteran of a thousand battles. He caught the strain in my voice, and his tone turned deadly serious. "Stay put. I'm coming to HC myself. It's high time the Sentinel's Edge plaque you earned sees the light of day."

His words sent a stream of warmth rushing through my veins. I'd spent ten years guarding the nation's borders and earned that plaque with my blood and soul.

With a sharp crack, Jude slapped the phone out of my hand and stomped hard on it. "You won't stop playing make-believe and calling the General, will you? You must think you're in some goddamn movie."

Jude and the bodyguards behind him burst into raucous laughter, and their eyes were full of contempt.

The flicker of hope I'd just felt was immediately crushed under his foot. They had no idea what kind of call they'd just cut off.

I protected Piper behind me and locked my cold stare on Jude and his advancing bodyguards.

"Do you have any idea what the punishment is for hanging up that call?" I calmly asked.

Jude spat. "All I know is that in Hyporion, my sister, Velda Mercer, is the law! I'll give you one last chance—crawl between my legs and let Piper spend the night with me, and I'll let this slide."

His words pushed my rage past its breaking point, but before I could react, Piper lunged at Jude to take on everything herself and save me from humiliation.

"No!" I tried to stop her, but it was too late.

"Wow! The brat's got some spirit, almost like a loyal puppy protecting her master!"

Jude and his bodyguards howled with raucous laughter and began hurling insults.

My anger finally exploded.

"I'll kill you!"

Nothing could drive me mad more than seeing Piper humiliated.

I roared and charged forward, smashing my fist into a bodyguard's jaw until it was dislocated. But Jude's men were trained professionals, so no matter how well I could fight, I was outnumbered.

"Beat him to death; I'll take the heat if he's crippled! And don't forget the woman!" he hysterically screamed.

To protect Piper, I forced her beneath me and took on the rain of fists, kicks, and swinging batons with my back. Every strike felt like it was landing on my heart.

She trembled in my arms with tears streaming down her face.

"Don't worry about me, Callan… Just run…" she sobbed.

I held her tight as the blows rained on me like a hailstorm. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth and dripped onto her face.

Suddenly, a cold, sharp voice cut through the chaos. "Stop!"

Velda appeared, flanked by a massive entourage, and looked at me with eyes full of pure disgust.

"Callan! Haven't you caused enough of a scene already?"

"Me? Causing a scene?" I echoed.

I looked at the elegant, flawless Velda and laughed. She was dressed in a custom-made gown worth millions of dollars, and the look she gave me was full of contempt, as if I were more disgusting than a pile of trash on the streets.

"Why didn't you tell me before coming back? And why are you at my company's project site, assaulting Jude?"

Impatience flickered in her eyes and was soon replaced by her lofty, accusatory tone.

I pointed at the flattened ground where my parents' graves used to be, then at the injured Piper. "I called you, and you hung up. Now, how is that my fault?"

Velda faltered for just a second, then slipped back into her composure as a CEO. "The demotion was fully legal, but your family stubbornly refused to vacate.

"As for Jude, he's young and hot-headed, so you should be understanding. Now, apologize to him."

Before she could finish, I cut her off and announced, "We're breaking up, Velda. It's over."

"Excuse me? Are you trying to dump me?"

She stared at me in disbelief. A wave of barely contained fury was starting to boil over under her flawless makeup.

The surrounding reporters and guests began whispering amongst themselves.

"Wait. Is that Ms. Mercer's fiance, who went missing for ten years? He looks like just a beggar."

"Talk about a bottom-feeder punching above his weight. Now that he's dumped, he immediately tries to stir up trouble for some money. That's absolutely disgusting."

I helped Piper to her feet, then yanked off the engagement ring I'd worn for ten years, which was a simple band I'd hand-polished from a bullet casing.

I tossed it at Velda's feet and snapped, "Jude dug up my parents' graves, so you don't get to tell me to be understanding."

Velda's expression darkened. She yanked off the multi-million-dollar diamond ring on her finger and tossed it onto the floor. "Don't regret this, Callan! You vanished for ten years, and you've long since lost the right to call yourself my man!"

I remained expressionless, though deep down, my heart had gone cold. My missions with Talon Unit were top national security secrets, and I knew I owed her for my ten-year absence. But that didn't give her the right to trample on my family's dignity.

Before I could say another word, Jude lunged forward and slapped me hard. "How dare you upset Velda! You must be courting death!

"You saw how rich she is now, so you decided to drag that pathetic, crippled Piper along to squeeze us for a payout, didn't you? Well, don't even dream about it!"

I ignored him and kept my eyes fixed on Velda.

"First things first. I want Project Sentinel, your company's most valuable asset, returned to me at once."

Velda's pupils contracted, but she chuckled coldly and snapped, "Fine. If you have what it takes to take it back, be my guest."

A sharp pain throbbed in my chest.

Project Sentinel's core was built on the patents I'd given Velda. She once swore that they were a symbol of our love and promised to protect them for the rest of her life.

I looked at the diamond necklace glittering on her neck and continued, "Second, you will restore my parents' graves to their original state and pay every last penny for Piper's medical bills and emotional distress!"

Jude panicked and immediately roared, "Damn it! I won't just flatten your family's graves today, but I'll tear your house down, too!"

He leapt onto an excavator and roared as he swung the bucket straight toward our only remaining family home.

"I'll wipe your family off the map! That's what you get for having the guts to threaten Velda!"

As the family home collapsed in a thundering cloud of dust and rubble, the last of my childhood memories were crushed.

Suddenly, Piper screamed. A chunk of flying brick from the collapse had struck her leg, and she collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.