Chapter 84

Williams remained sitting, unfazed by the nervousness that seemed to ripple through the room. His knuckles tightened briefly around his crystal glass of whiskey, then fell back into a casual grip.

"No." His voice was firm, icy. "Say it here."

The servant faltered, glancing around at the congregation of powerful men - all members of the Gravesend family and its empire - then nodded reluctantly.

The butler let out a rich, scornful chuckle. "The thief must be shaken to his core by Master Williams' power." He turned back toward his master with a smug confidence. "He probably wants to come here in person... to kneel... to apologize in your own home."

Williams remained composed, unfazed by the sycophantic words. He raised his glass and took a sip of whiskey — slow, deliberate — letting the rich flavor calm the rage beneath his icy exterior.

"Hmph." An elderly advisor crossed his arms. "Now it's much too late. Guys like him shouldn't be shown mercy."

The butler nodded, adding in a sinister tone, "People like him need punishment... death."

For a moment, silence fell — a heavy, oppressive silence — as everyone turned toward Williams, waiting for the final word.

Williams exhaled, a deep breath filled with years of power, revenge, and regret. "He killed my biological son... kidnapped my adopted son... and now... now you think I'd forgive him?” His knuckles tightened against the glass, threatening to crack it.

He stood suddenly, letting his piercing gaze sweep across the room. "Bring that man here. I want to kill him myself."

The servants nodded and fell back, clearing a path for the nervous delivery boy who remained in the center, hands shaky, face glimmering with nervous perspiration.

"M... Master... that's... not what... not what I meant." The delivery boy swallowed hard — a painful lump in his throat — and forced himself to continue. "He... he... didn't come here in person."

Williams' eyebrows rose a fraction, a spark of suspicion creeping into his piercing gaze. "Then?"

The delivery boy raised the wooden box with shaky hands. "He... sent... this." "Open it."

The delivery boy nodded. His knuckles were white against the box's edges. He pressed the latch and opened it...

The lid fell back - and a severed arm fell forward-bloody, raw... the flesh nearly tearing from the bone.

A chorus of horrified gasps filled the room.

"Jesus Christ!" someone whispered.

"What the hell?" another said under his breath.

The mood shifted instantly from smug confidence to icy disbelief. The servants fell back; some turned away, unable to look directly at the grisly trophy The butler staggered forward a step, disbelief batting rage on his face.

Williams remained silent for a moment... then... a deep, anguished

roar rose from him a rage not

meant for this world. How

he." His knuckles tightened,

are

threatening to crush his phone and

his whiskey glass alike. His face was

a mask of pure wrath - piercing, raw, elemental.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pressed it against his ear without ceremony.

Jaden's icy voice flowed through the phone, calm yet filled with lethal intent. "Williams Gravesend... Tomorrow... 12:00 noon... I'll be at your office."

He paused briefly... letting the silence weigh heavy... then added, "I will visit you

personally... and kill your last successor in front of you."

The room fell deathly silent, every man holding his breath.

Williams pressed the phone tighter against his ear, knuckles nearly white. "Good. Tomorrow I'll be waiting His voice was gravelly filled with rage. "Id like to see who has the guts to kill my only

Sin

successor in my presence in my territory."

He pressed "end" and hurled the phone against a nearby wall. It shattered into countless pieces — a dramatic punctuation to his vow.

Turning back toward his men - now nervous, unsure - Williams raised his voice. "This thief... this madman... is shameless... decisive... a coward who strikes from the dark... But now... now we draw him into the light."

The butler nodded, knuckles white against his own hands. "Tomorrow we will kill him... on the road... in the face of everyone... to take revenge for you, Master."