Monday morning began with a tranquility that seemed almost too normal. Soft sunlight filtered through the kitchen windows, mingling with the steam curling up from the coffee mugs, carrying the rich aroma of roasted beans and toasted bread throughout the house.
The atmosphere inside the Ward household today felt warm and orderly, reflecting the family's current stability, which had clearly improved in both finances and the mental state of everyone involved.
At the kitchen counter... Clara stood humming a soft tune in a good mood. She was wearing a sweet floral apron over a cream-colored satin nightgown. Although it looked modest at first glance, the way the fabric clung to her voluptuous curves and the hem of the nightgown that ended high above her knees couldn't hide her natural sexiness at all.
"Good morning, Owen~"
Her sweet, clear voice greeted him the moment she saw Owen walking in, still groggy from sleep. Clara turned around with a smile dripping with sweetness. She held a white ceramic mug filled with hot black coffee in both hands as she walked toward him.
"I made it extra strong for you today..." she whispered, meeting his eyes with deep meaning. "Just in case you have to tackle some hard work today." She then slowly extended the coffee mug to him.
And in the moment Owen reached out to take it, Clara's slender, soft fingertips deliberately "touched" and "held" his hand a little longer than necessary. Her index finger traced lightly over the back of his hand, a secret signal conveying the love and deep relationship they shared...
"Thanks, Clara." Owen smiled back, fully understanding the implication. He lifted the coffee to take a sip. The bitter yet mellow taste instantly woke up his slightly foggy brain.
At the dining table, Damian sat in his usual spot, dressed sharply in a perfectly ironed work suit. He was focused on the tablet in his hand, his expression serious but his eyes filled with the energy of a man ready to start the day. He didn't seem to have the slightest clue about the secret currents of love floating in the air around his wife and best friend.
"Morning, Owen," Damian looked up to greet his friend as he sat down. "By the way... have you seen this news yet?"
Damian turned the tablet screen to show him. A large red headline screamed of an emergency.
"An S-Rank Gate just appeared in the neighboring city... The situation looks pretty tense. I hope no serious mistakes happen, because if the Awakened can't clear this Gate, our Titan City right next door will definitely feel the impact." Damian's voice was laced with the anxiety typical of a businessman fearing a chain reaction.
Owen glanced at the headline for a second before setting his coffee mug down and calmly picking up a piece of buttered toast to take a bite.
"Don't worry about it, buddy," Owen replied with a relaxed and confident tone. "The Awakened Association has handled plenty of S-Rank Gates. They know what they're doing. Besides... even if we sit here worrying right now, it won't help anything, right? Better to use our brains for something useful."
Damian went quiet for a moment before chuckling softly. "You're right... You have a point. Maybe I'm just stressing too much."
Owen chewed his toast while looking at the peaceful scene before him with satisfaction. His life right now was perfectly balanced and simple. The debt problem was partially resolved, all his women seemed happy, and he himself had become stronger. The news of an S-Rank Gate in the next city seemed too distant to care about on such a bright morning.
...
After finishing breakfast, Owen excused himself back to his bedroom. He threw himself onto the soft edge of the bed and picked up his mobile phone to start managing the important "errand" he had promised Clara.
Renovating the basement into a high-quality "Soundproof Studio."
He scrolled through his contact list and decided to call his tech-savvy best friend, "Jace," first. Even though Jace wasn't a builder, with his wide connections, he might be able to recommend someone.
Ring... Ring...
"Yo! What's up, best buddy!"
An answering voice full of energy and enthusiasm rang out almost immediately after the signal connected. "Calling this early? Is there anything this Jace can serve you with, Mr. VIP Customer?"
Owen smirked at his friend's hyperactivity. "Hey, Jace... I have a favor to ask. Do you happen to know any skilled 'renovators'?"
"Renovators?" Jace repeated in a high pitch.
"Yeah... I want to renovate the basement at home into a high-quality 'Soundproof Studio'," Owen explained his needs. "But the key condition is... the contractor must not have a 'big mouth'... He has to be good at keeping secrets, trustworthy, and not ask prying questions. Do you have anyone to recommend?"
The line went silent for a moment... only the faint sound of keyboard tapping could be heard before Jace burst out into a dry laugh.
"Haha... Wait a minute, Owen... A 'secret' soundproof studio?" Jace's tone turned teasing instantly. "Do you need a room for loud gaming streams... or are you building a secret 'love nest' to keep girls in, buddy? Hahaha!"
Owen sighed. "Whatever... So, do you have anyone?"
"Hmm..." Jace dragged the sound out, making a serious thinking noise. "Sorry, man... If it were about wiring, LAN cables, or setting up servers, I could handle it easily. But construction workers... that's tough."
"The skilled technicians I know are mostly 'loudmouths'," Jace explained. "These guys gossip while they work. If they see you building a thickly soundproofed room like that, I guarantee that by the next morning, rumors about you building a torture chamber or a porn studio will spread across the industry for sure... I don't want to risk recommending someone I'm not sure about to you."
Jace's answer was like a slammed door. Owen knew Jace was telling the truth. Secrecy was a matter of life and death for this job.
"Got it... Thanks a lot, Jace. I'll try to find another way."
"Okay, buddy! Once you get the room, if you need help running cables or high-speed internet, just let me know! See ya!"
Click...
The call ended. Owen lowered the phone and leaned back, spreading out on the bed, letting out a soft sigh as he stared at the ceiling.
'Jace couldn't help... guess there aren't many options left,' he began analyzing the next path in his head. Since Jace couldn't help, the best remaining option was...
Sahara...
The goddess of the fashion industry, owner of "The Gilded Scarab." Her shop was decorated with exquisite luxury, and most importantly, it had "high privacy" to accommodate wealthy VIP customers.
'She must know a premium contractor team for sure...' Owen thought. 'People working at that level must prioritize client confidentiality above all else.'
Even if the fee was sky-high, with the money he had now, it was worth paying in exchange for peace of mind and Clara's safety. Owen decided to lift his phone again, his fingertip scrolling to the contact saved as 'Sahara'.
But just as his thumb was about to press the call button...
Vrrrt... Vrrrt...
The phone screen suddenly turned black and vibrated. An incoming call abruptly cut in! Owen frowned when he saw the bright white text flash in the center of the screen, identifying the caller as...
[ Unknown Number ]
A certain premonition flashed in his chest. Owen stared at the incessantly vibrating screen for a moment before deciding to answer.
"Hello?..."
However... the voice that shouted back the moment the signal connected was not at all what he expected.
"Owen!! Help!! Sob... Let go!! Don't come near me!! Oweeeennnn!!"
A high-pitched scream filled with extreme terror pierced through the phone speaker. It cut deep into his auditory nerves like a razor blade... A voice trembling and broken from heavy crying, the voice of purity being violated.
Owen's eyes widened in a split second. His brain processed and identified the owner of that voice faster than a computer.
'Finley?!'
The image of the little cosplay tailor... the small, thin frame in a cream cardigan, the sweet doll-like face that was always bowed in shyness and innocence... those images popped into his head instantly. Owen's heart lurched violently. His body, relaxed just a moment ago, tensed up instinctively.
"Finley! What happe..."
SMACK!!!
The sound of a palm slapping against fresh flesh rang out loud, cutting through the call, silencing his words and Finley's crying instantly... followed by a groaning cry of "Ugh!" in pain from Finley, fading as if she had collapsed to the floor.
"Heh heh heh..." A middle-aged man's throat-laugh replaced it. It was a harsh, raspy voice, filled with the mockery and sarcasm of someone confident they held the upper hand.
"Answered pretty fast... you popular little brat," it greeted with a provocative tone. "Sorry I had to use a little force. This little girl is annoyingly loud, crying out only your name."
Owen gritted his teeth, inhaling deeply to control his voice. "Who are you... what do you want?"
"Oh... don't be so hasty," the voice on the other end dragged out the words, deliberately taunting. "I'm just... a messenger who wants to deliver a special 'gift' to you, that's all."
"Listen well, kid... If you want this cute little doll back, come find me at the 'Old Port Warehouse, Zone 4' within 1 hour."
"Old Port Zone..." Owen repeated in a low voice, his brain immediately mapping the route.
"Oh... wait! Don't hang up yet..." The voice laughed heartily as if it just remembered something fun. "I forgot to tell you another piece of 'good news'..."
It paused, to pull the tension to its peak.
"Besides this cosplay girl... I also sent another team of skilled subordinates to greet your 'coffee shop girl' as well... Her name is Jessica, right? By now, she's probably shopping for her store in the commercial district comfortably... but in a few minutes... she'll probably be crying under my feet just like this one. Heh heh heh."
The second bomb was dropped with precision! Owen felt the blood in his body turn ice-cold...
"You!!..."
"Hahaha!! How does it feel!" It exploded in laughter, satisfied by sensing the rage on the other end. "This is a 'Special Promotion' just for you, Owen! The chance to play hero and save two beautiful girls at once... it doesn't come around often, you know!"
Its tone shifted to be ruthless and low in the final sentence.
"Hurry up and come... before the promotion expires, leaving you to save only 'one person'... or maybe none at all! Hahaha!!"
Click!
The call was cut instantly, leaving only a terrifying silence in the once-peaceful bedroom.
CRACK...!
The sound of a hard object fracturing in his hand rang out.
Owen stood motionless. The expensive mobile phone in his right hand was now twisted out of shape. The tempered glass screen was shattered into pieces from the massive crushing force born of rage... His four fingernails dug deep into the flesh of his palm, yet he felt no pain at all. Fresh red blood slowly seeped out, mixing with electronic components, before dripping onto the carpet...
Drip... Drip...
His thoughts began to scatter and churn... Fury surged from the depths of his soul like lava erupting from the underworld. The veins on his temples and forearms bulged visibly. Hot breath puffed from his nose. He opened his mouth, preparing to roar out the madness compressed in his chest!
However...
Vwoom...
In the split second his sanity was about to snap... the [Intelligence: A] stat and the essence of the [Instant-Mind Palm] he had trained so rigorously all week activated automatically!
The feeling in Owen's head changed almost instantly... As if someone had dumped a giant bucket of ice water right into the center of the raging fire of wrath!
The rage didn't disappear... but it was "frozen" in an instant! The crimson flames of madness were condensed into a dark blue crystal of ice... cold... still... but sharper and thousands of times more dangerous than before.
Eyes that once blazed with vengeance now turned vacant and profound, like a bottomless ocean. His brain began processing data at high speed, cutting away emotional outbursts, leaving only logic and raw data.
'Finley is captured... Jessica is in danger... The target is me.'
'Who?'
Jigsaw pieces of information were pieced together in a split second…
Someone with the power to command many subordinates…
Someone who knows the network of relationships around him in detail…
Someone with enough motive to attack him…
And someone with a habit of "trampling" on the dignity of others...
Alex's warning flashed back in his memory... "Victor Draymond."
'Yes... It has to be him!'
This wasn't a kidnapping for ransom, but a "lesson"... His intent was very clear. He wanted to break his mind. He wanted to see him running around in despair, choosing to save one and losing the other... He wanted to trample him into the dirt to vent the grudge for daring to eliminate his favorite subordinate, 'Cole'.
'A special promotion, huh...?' Owen slowly loosened his grip on the wreckage of the phone, letting the debris fall to the floor. He paid no attention to the blood seeping from his palm.
He walked to the closet, taking out the [Sun God's Gauntlets] hanging there, and put them on slowly and steadily.
The atmosphere around Owen changed completely. From the good brother, from the warm man, now... a murderous aura radiating from his body lowered the temperature in the room until it was hair-raising.
"You want to play this kind of game... Victor..."
Owen murmured softly... as light as the whisper of the Reaper.
"Fine... I'll go accept your promotion. And I'll pay you back amply... with my own version of 'Mercy'!"
—-------
From the author: We now have 15 chapters available for early access! This will soon increase to 20. Join my Patreon to get ahead of the story, along with exclusive, uncensored illustrations.
Your support is crucial in helping this story continue. Thank you very much!
[Patreon Spirit_Alphabet: https://patreon.com/SpiritAlphabet]
—-------