The noisy sounds turned into silence. Expensive and luxurious items were scattered around as if a powerful wave had just hit the magnificent house. Pools of blood were everywhere on the cracked marble floor.
Julian knelt with his back being stepped on. His shirt, which was usually neat, was now torn to shreds and stained with the blood of his family. He was helpless as he watched his family fall at the hands of his enemy—Gilas Vane Black.
"Look at me, Julian!"
The voice was like the roar of a wild animal. The footsteps of his expensive shoes echoed. Julian did not look up. His gray eyes were fixed on the two severed heads right in front of him.
"Julian!" The voice was low, but it sounded like an absolute command.
Julian kept his head down. He didn't want to look at the face of the man in front of him right now. "Kill me, Gilas! Finish your obsession with destroying the Moretti family. Don't regret leaving me as the only one you have left!" Julian said, clenching his fists so tightly that his fingertips turned white.
"Kill you?" Gilas grabbed Julian's chin. He forced Julian to look up and meet his gaze. "If I can make you suffer more than death, why would I kill you?" Gilas continued deliberately.
Gilas' fingers stroked Julian's lower lip as if caressing a soft strand of hair. The man brought his face closer until Julian could feel Gilas' breath. There was a faint scent of cinnamon, mixed with the fishy smell of fresh blood that surrounded them.
"What do you want from me?" asked Julian. He began to feel disgusted just looking at the man's face. "Tell me, Gilas!" shouted Julian.
"Your soul!" Gilas replied without hesitation, smiling.
Julian had no desire to live. His entire family had been slaughtered; he only wanted death. He rebelled, knocking down the two guards who were forcing him to kneel. Julian paid no attention to his bruised body and severely injured legs. He was fixated on the weapon in Gilas's hand.
"What are you doing, making such useless noise, Julian?" said Gilas. He played with the weapon Julian was eyeing, twirling it on his finger.
"If you don't want to kill me, I'll kill myself!" Julian threatened.
Julian tried to grab the weapon. He only needed one bullet to pierce his heart. However, Gilas grinned. He grabbed Julian's waist, clutched him, and brought his lips close to the man's ear.
"Without my permission, you cannot die," whispered Gilas.
Click!
The sound was quite shocking. Soft, but also cold. Silver handcuffs locked Julian's hands without him being able to move. Gilas's tricks were completely unreadable to him.
"What are you doing?" Julian cursed.
"Building a new world for you, Julian." Gilas grinned. "This is your hell!"
"Akhhh!" Julian screamed. He collapsed onto the floor in a pool of his family's blood.
Julian was dragged away cruelly, unable to fight back. In the sudden battle and attack, Julian was the only one left in the Morentti family, while Gilas had not lost a single one of his men. The power and authority were clearly one-sided.
A specially modified black luxury car was waiting for Gilas. The crowd's cheers welcoming the man were very loud in Julian's ears because Gilas' victory was his defeat.
"Get in!" Gilas said firmly.
"You think I'd want to? Pfft!" Julian deliberately spat in Gilas's face. He wanted Gilas to get angry, rage, and kill him, but that hope was different from what Julian had imagined.
Gilas wiped his face with a silk handkerchief. He threw it away, stepping on it as if to show Julian that destroying it was as easy as blowing away a speck of dust.
"Push him!" Gilas ordered.
The wounded and bruised body was forced into the car. The injured legs, the handcuffed hands, the helplessness made Julian want death even more.
"You're a real bastard!" Julian cursed.
Gilas ignored Julian's repeated curses. He sat calmly, as if his hands, which had just beheaded many people, had done nothing. Now Julian realized that this man was indeed the cold king of death.
"Are you really just thinking about dying?" asked Gilas.
Julian was silent. He looked back at his home, which had many stories, even though it ended tragically. The car he was riding in slowly drove away, leaving behind the Morentti family, which was now only a name.
"I don't need anything but death," said Julian.
Gilas glanced sharply. His aura made the atmosphere silent as time continued to pass. Julian hid his hatred. He knew he would achieve nothing by rebelling in his current physical condition.
Gilas took out his gun. Julian laughed because he was sick of the man playing with him. Julian thought that with just one pull of the trigger, he would die, but the man was only showing off a bullet that he wanted so badly.
"Just kill me, Gilas! I don't mind at all," said Julian after finishing his ridiculous laugh.
Gilas lit the end of a cigarette that was already tucked between his lips. The billowing smoke had a rather sweet aroma.
"It turns out you're pretty stupid," said Gilas in the tension he created. "If you can kill, why should you be the one to die?" he continued.
"You're obsessed with victory. Would you let someone kill you? Don't say anything stupid, Gilas!" Julian sneered.
During Gilas's reign as leader of the underworld, he had never once been defeated. His obsession with victory drove him to continue climbing the ladder to higher places. Then, death? That one word tickled Julian's ears when he heard it.
"I won't allow anyone else to do it, but you're the exception," said Gilas.
"What do you mean?" Julian shouted as he turned his head.
The car they were riding in had stopped in front of a luxurious mansion located in the middle of the city, but on a restricted road. No one dared to enter the area, which was marked with boundaries. Anyone who violated them would lose their life.
"Sir, we're here."
The car door was opened by the bodyguard who had been waiting for news of Gilas' victory. His feet were already stepping on the land he had obtained from the blood of others, while Julian was very reluctant to get out of the car, especially with the hostile stares from people he didn't know.
"Get out, or I'll drag you out in front of everyone!" Gilas threatened.
Gilas was not a patient man. He grabbed Julian's arm. Roughly, he pulled the man out of the car. The captive, shackled and defeated, seemed like a big trophy that Gilas was showing off.
"Look closely, Julian," Gilas whispered in his ear while grabbing the back of the man's hair. "This is the hell I have prepared for you! Your life is in my hands."