Chapter 48 – The Returning Fire ( A Man and a Gun)
Bang.
Clara crumpled. Screams pierced the cathedral. Guests scrambled away from the scene, shoving chairs aside, heels slipping against marble, desperate to protect themselves. But none dared to move closer to him, or Clara.
Only Christopher did.
"Julia!" he screamed
He ran to where she was, dropped to his knees beside her, catching her before her body fully struck the floor.
Blood spread beneath white fabric like a blooming accusation. His hands trembled as he pressed against the wound.
"Stay with me. Stay with me!" His voice cracked — not composed, not powerful — but broken.
Around them, people fled. But Magnus did not move.
Magnus' gaze swept over the room. Calm. Assessing. Supreme.
"Do not be afraid," he said evenly. "Not yet, at least. Since we're just getting started anyway."
A pause.
"Come in," he called.
The doors burst wider.
Men rushed into the hall, each carrying guns. Tactical. Silent. Trained.
Except one.
One man held a gun in one hand. And in the other—A child.
A very young boy. No more than three years old.
Small. Dressed in blue. Confused.
The crowd gasped as they saw the man press the barrel of his gun against the child's head.
Christopher froze. Clara, barely conscious, saw it.
"Louis…" she whispered, blood at her lips.
The cathedral held its breath. Silence wasn't requested—it obeyed.
Then Magnus stepped forward. Not hurriedly. Not nervously.
But with the kind of calm that made the ground itself seem to steady beneath him.
"I suppose introductions are in order," he said.
His voice was low. Smooth. Dangerous.
"My name is… Magnus."
He let the name linger.
"Magnus Blossom as some of you may know."
A pause.
"And yet—there is more to this story."
No one interrupted him.They couldn't.
Even if they could, they wouldn't. Guns were pointed at each guests.
"But what you don't know is that I'm Kingsley De'ora twin."
The words struck harder than the gunshot.
Kingsley stiffened.
"That is impossible," Lily whispered.
Magnus' lips curved faintly.
"Is it?"
He walked slowly towards the aisle, shoes echoing against marble like a countdown.
"We were born on the same day. Same blood. Same mother."
A beat.
"They also did the same thing you did to her." he pointed at Clara." They decided one was enough and discarded the other ".
The cathedral tightened.
"Kingsley De'ora," Magnus continued, turning his gaze toward him, "was the chosen one. The golden child. The heir."
His voice remained calm.
" While I Magnus Blossom was the discarded one. The mistake."
A flicker of something colder passed through his eyes.
"I was removed. Quietly. Efficiently. Sent away before memory could form. Before questions could be asked."
Kingsley's hands trembled.
"You're lying—"
"Am I?" Magnus cut in smoothly. "You were told you were an only child. They told you nothing about my existence. They wanted me dead"
A slow inhale.
" But I survived."
He turned back to the crowd.
"They sent me to an orphanage. A place where children learned early that weakness is punished."
"Gave them special orders."
His voice did not shake.
"I was different. I did not cry when beaten. I did not beg when starved. I did not break when isolated."
He looked almost amused.
"The orphanage hated that."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"I was bullied. Locked in storage rooms. Denied food. Made an example of. The odd one out."
A pause.
"And one night, I decided I had endured enough."
The chandeliers seemed dimmer.
"I burned it."
Gasps rippled through the hall.
"I burned the orphanage to the ground," he said plainly. "Every wall that confined me. Every bed that chained me. Every system that believed I would grow obedient. Every soul that bullied me"
"I burned them all to the ground."
He stepped closer to Kingsley.
"I walked away from the fire alone."
Silence.
"I begged. I worked. I did whatever was necessary to survive. I sent myself to school. I built myself piece by piece."
His gaze hardened.
"I was nothing. A ghost in this damned world."
Then—
"She saw me."
His voice shifted slightly.
"My wife."
For the first time, something like memory crossed his face.
"She saw potential where others saw filth. She married me. Gave me access. Gave me a name that opened doors."
The Blossom name.
"I married into power." His eyes sharpened. "And I used it."
He turned slightly, addressing the room like a lecturer revealing a thesis.
"With her family's resources, I began to search for my origins. Quietly. Thoroughly."
Documents.Hospital archives.
Hidden payments.Buried birth certificates.
"And I found the truth."
His gaze snapped to Kingsley.
"I was not abandoned by fate. I was abandoned by choice."
A ripple of horror passed through the crowd.
"You," he said to Kingsley, "were selected. Protected. Groomed."
"And I was erased."
Kingsley staggered back a step.
"Our parents chose you," Magnus continued, voice still controlled. "They kept the stronger-looking twin. The first child. The one who fit their image and beliefs."
"And they discarded me."
A breath.
"So I decided," he said softly, "that if I was discarded… I would return as consequence."
His eyes moved.
To Clara who was bleeding on the floor.
"To destroy a golden child," Magnus said evenly, "what better weapon than his own blood?"
The cathedral stilled.
"Clara De'ora," he continued, "was the perfect instrument."
Kingsley's face drained of color.
"She was your daughter, but she was also discarded. She wanted revenge, so do i."
His voice lowered.
"I did not need to create a monster."
"I only needed to guide one."
Clara's fingers twitched weakly.
"I offered her power," Magnus said. "Resources. Protection. Revenge."
He did not look remorseful.
"I nurtured her resentment. Fed her narrative. Directed her hatred."
A faint smile.
"What better justice than allowing a daughter to destroy her father?"
Christopher looked up at him, fury blazing.
"You are mad!"
Magnus glanced down at him.
"Its not madness if it's an opportunity."
His eyes flicked toward the child.
"And now… I have a leverage."
The gun pressed harder against Louis' small temple.
"Stop!" Christopher shouted. Magnus ignored him.
He spread his arms slowly.
The cathedral no longer felt like a wedding hall.
It felt like a throne room.
"I survived fire. I survived abandonment. I survived erasure."
His voice deepened.
"I built myself from ash."
He looked at Kingsley one final time. "You were born into privilege."
"I was forged."
A pause.
"And forged steel does not break."
He stepped forward, shadow stretching across marble like a crown.
"I forgive nothing."
"I tolerate no failure."
"I control what must be controlled." The air itself seemed to tighten. "I am not the discarded twin."
"I am the inevitable one." His gaze swept the cathedral.
"And now you must understand."
At that moment, every single person in that hall knew— Magnus Blossom had never been the forgotten child.
He is the returning fire.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Violet & Vira POV
Magnus was still standing at the center of the cathedral, speaking like a ruler addressing his kingdom.
Absolute.
The word echoed in Violet's mind. Her expression did not change.
But her eyes sharpened.
"Vira," she said quietly.
"Yes, host?" Vira replied at once.
"Search him."
There was no need to explain.
Vira understood.
"Oh," she said softly. "We're digging into the great Magnus Blossom? This should be interesting."
A minute later
Streams of encrypted data began moving through Violet's mind. Financial records. Corporate reports. Private accounts.
Magnus Blossom.
CEO of Blossom Group. Philanthropist. Empire builder.
"He's careful," Vira muttered. "Very careful."
"No one is perfect," Violet said calmly. "Find the crack."
There was a short pause.
Then— "Oh."
Violet did not blink. "What did you find?"
"Ten years ago," Vira said, her tone shifting. "Blossom Group had an internal audit. There was a missing amount."
"How much?" asked Violet
"Forty-eight million."
Violet's fingers curled slightly at her side.
"Was it embezzlement?"
"Yes. The money was moved through several small companies. Then it ended up in a private investment account."
"Under whose name?"
Vira paused before answering.
"Magnus."
Silence settled inside Violet.
"Who found it first?" she asked again.
"…His wife."
The noise of the cathedral seemed to fade into the background.
"Explain," Violet said.
"She was reviewing company accounts. She noticed the irregular transfers. That same night, security footage shows them arguing in his office."
"They fought."
"Yes."
"And the very next day?" Vira's voice became quieter. "On her way to work, she had a car accident. Brake failure. The car lost control and crashed killing her instantly."
Violet's face remained calm .
"Accidents happen."
"Yes," Vira replied. "But this one was… unusual."
"How?"
"The brake line was cut. Cleanly. Not worn out. Not damaged by age. It was tampered with."
Violet's eyes darkened, surprised.
"When was the car serviced?"
"The night before the accident.By two private mechanics.They both resigned within a week. Large sums of money were transferred to their families shortly after."
The truth formed clearly.
"She confronted him about the money," Violet said slowly.
"Yes."
"They fought."
"Yes."
"The next morning, her brakes failed."
"Yes."
There was no need to say it aloud. Magnus Blossom had killed his own wife.
"After her death," Vira continued, "he received full control of the company. And the insurance payout was significant."
Of course it was.
Violet looked at Magnus again. He stood tall. Confident. Untouchable.
Talking about survival. Talking about power.
Talking about being absolute.
"He calls himself absolute," Violet murmured.
"He murdered the only person who helped him," Vira said quietly.
Violet shook her head once. "No," she corrected.
"He murdered the only person who could expose him."
That was the difference.
"Host…" Vira asked carefully. "What do you want to do with this?"
Violet watched Magnus as he stood beneath the stained glass windows, bathed in colored light like a crowned ruler.
So confident. So certain.
"Release it," she said without hesitation.
Vira froze for half a second.
"…All of it?"
"All of it."
The audit reports. The hidden transfers.
The security footage timestamps.
The mechanic payouts. The brake line report.
Everything.
"Host," Vira said slowly, "once this goes live, there is no pulling it back."
"I know."
The corners of Violet's lips lifted slightly.
"He wanted the world to know his name," she said calmly. "Let them know the truth behind it."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Oh," Vira breathed, excitement rising. "Uploading."
Encrypted files moved at lightning speed.
Corporate forums.
Financial watchdog platforms. Anonymous journalist networks.
Underground data boards. Public social media feeds.
Simultaneously.
"No trace back to us?" Violet asked.
"Please," Vira scoffed lightly. "I'm offended you even asked."
Progress bars flashed through her vision.
25%.
48%.
72%.
Magnus was still speaking. Still commanding.
Still unaware.
"99%," Vira whispered.
And then— "Done."
Across the city, notifications began to light up.
Phones vibrated. Screens refreshed.
Breaking headlines started forming.
Blossom Group Scandal?
CEO Linked to Financial Fraud?
Suspicious Details in Late Wife's Fatal Crash?
Inside the cathedral, nothing had changed. Yet everything had.
"Host," Vira said softly, almost impressed, "you just set his empire on fire."
Violet's eyes never left Magnus.
"No," she replied calmly.
"I simply removed the mask."
And somewhere beyond the cathedral walls— The world had begun to turn against its king.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Violet's voice slipped into Vira's mind.
"Host. Send it online. Let the world see."
"On it, host," Vira replied, almost gleeful.
Within seconds, the network ignited.
Emails, encrypted streams, social media feeds—every device lit up with the same image: Magnus Blossom standing over Clara's body, followed by a meticulous dossier exposing the staged car accident that had killed his wife years ago.
The crowd froze.
Whispers cascaded into gasps. Shock ricocheted through the cathedral like thunder.
Magnus' jaw tightened, but he remained composed.
He had built his empire on fear, manipulation, control—but now, in real time, that control was slipping through his fingers.
The evidence was damning: falsified documents, tampered security cameras, coerced witnesses… the truth laid bare.
The cathedral doors burst open.
Gloria Blossom entered, flanked by uniformed police. Her face was pale, but her eyes burned with controlled fury.
"Father," she said, voice sharp and unwavering.
"Courtesy young lady". Said Magnus trying to reprimand her.
"Oh please, stop this pretense you. I know what you did". Said Gloria
Don't talk to me like that young lady, if you're here to talk about Christopher and Clara, about Louis, just know this they were long together before you got in the equation". Said Magnus getting angry.
I'm not here for that nonsense, I knew they were together already, why did you think I told you, I told you for you to break them up and give me what I want, it's your duty". Said Gloria.
Gasp spreads widely through the hall about this new confession.
Christopher who was clutching c the almost dead Clara, looked up, surprised lost for words.
So you knew, you knew all along ". Asked Christopher
Of course I did why did you think I made her my best friend ,why do you think I'm helping her, it's for compensation. If it's not that is she worthy ".
Vira couldn't help but say. "Host your sister is so pitiful. She's surrounded by selfish people."
If you ask everyone there, they will all tell you that they agree with Vira. Clara is indeed the most pitiful person there.
Gloria turned back to Magnus
"I'm here because I now know the truth. You killed her—my mother—to seize control, You killed mother, how could you."screamed Gloria as she confronted magnus
"What nonsense are you talking about". Magnus said trying to defend himself not believing the truth he kept for years is out, his hands twitched—but there was no time, no leverage, no escape.
It's all over the news right now with complete evidence, and yet you still try to hide it ". Gloria said
"Gloria…" he began, voice low, trying to mask the first cracks in his composure.
"Don't lie," she snapped. "The evidence is everywhere. The world already knows the truth. You staged it, you staged the car accident that killed mother ."
Chaos erupted. Gasp spreads through the hall. As everyone brought out their phone to see what Gloria is talking about.
Magnus' cold mask cracked. Rage flared—but he tried to maintain control.
"You think this changes anything?" he spat. "I built everything from nothing. I am Magnus Blossom. I survive!"
Even as he spoke, sirens echoed faintly outside. More police rushed into the hall.
Gloria stepped closer, unwavering. "Not this time. You will answer for your crimes. Police arrest him, he killed my mother."
Magnus clenched his fists, the empire he had ruled for decades fracturing in a heartbeat. Violet, watching silently, allowed herself a thin, satisfied smile. Her plan had worked perfectly.
He drew a gun.
"Stand back! No one move!" he barked, his voice a command, a threat.
He snatched young Louis from the mans hands and pointed the gun towards his head himself
Kingsley stepped forward, pale but resolute.
"Stop it , let go of the child. This ends now, Magnus!"
Oh no it's doesn't until I say it does" said Magnus as he pointed the gun to Kingsley
In a heartbeat, Gunshots were heard.
Two guns were fired at the same time.