The Next Morning.
Saoirse stood like a judge about to pronounce a sentence, a cold smirk playing at the corners of her lips as she stared down at Veil. "So, still feeling impulsive?"
Veil swallowed hard, clearly guilty, and quickly shook his head. "Not anymore."
She glanced down, her tone sharp. "Your hand?"
Like a scolded child, Veil obediently pulled his hand back from under the blanket, flashing a sheepish grin. "Come on, Saoirse, don't be like that. You've got happiness right in the palm of your hand now. No need to mess it up."
"Oh, really?" Saoirse narrowed her eyes and slowly clenched her hand. "You were pretty bold last night, weren't you? You even pointed a gun at my father. What was that about? Were you planning to kill him too? He may have his faults, but he's still my parent."
Veil shifted away slightly, wincing, a bitter smile on his face. "Didn't you say before how he kept pushing you into blind dates? That kind of pissed me off, you know?"
Saoirse blinked. "Wait—are you saying you were jealous?"
Veil didn't answer right away. He looked away, letting out a cold snort. "Jealous? Don't flatter yourself. I just don't like anyone laying a hand on what's mine."
Saoirse's gaze sharpened as she watched his expression shift. Her heart skipped a beat. Could this guy actually have feelings for me? Was that why he always acted so rashly whenever they were together?
She eased up a little, her fingers loosening their grip. With a teasing tone, she said, "My mom used to tell me not to be so mischievous when I grew up. I didn't understand what she meant back then, but now? Turns out it's pretty fun. At least with you, that cocky attitude of yours always dies down a little. Next time, no matter what happens, don't point a gun at my dad again, okay? No matter what, he raised me. He's old now—what if you scare him to death?"
Veil sighed deeply. "What if he tries to mess with me first? The way he looked at me when we first met—wasn't that obvious enough? If I didn't put him in his place, he would've stirred up trouble sooner or later. And as for Gai's turf, you should forget about it. Turn to legitimate business while you still can. I can't protect you forever, got it?"
"Hmph!"
Saoirse snorted inwardly.
Telling me not to touch Gai's territory? Please. That's just your way of saying I should behave or I'll get hurt, isn't it? If you're worried, just say so. If you like me, say that too. Why hide it like some shy kid?
She rolled her eyes flirtatiously. "Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Don't worry about my dad. If he dares to bully you, I won't let it slide either."
Her voice had softened, and her grip eased.
Then she paused, noticing something off. "Wait, what's going on with you?"
Veil offered an awkward smile. "Saoirse, you really have no idea how charming you are, do you? How about we do some morning exercises—together?"
No girl hates being complimented—Saoirse was no exception. Her heart gave a small thud, though she tried to keep her face neutral. "How long do your morning exercises usually last?"
Veil smirked. "That depends… entirely on the situation."
As he spoke, his hands had already begun wandering.
"…"
Doo-doo~
Suddenly, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Saoirse stretched out her hand and grabbed it, pressing it to her ear. "Speak quickly…"
"Miss, we've found Scorpion. Kosdy Murphy's men captured him—but it looks like he wasn't the one who killed his son."
"What?!" Saoirse drew in a sharp breath, trying not to let it show. "That's impossible! I already sent the tip. That bounty needs to hit my account by tomorrow—tell Kosdy Murphy that if he tries to delay, he can deal with the consequences! That ten billion belongs to Black Dragon Society. We're not some charity organization!"
On the other end, the deputy head of Rose Hall was still confused, her voice full of concern. "Miss, are you hurt? You sound… off. A little breathless?"
"Just do what I said."
Click!
The call ended.
Around sixty kilometers outside of Tianhai City, in a rural area, the Rose Hall deputy stood in confusion. Did something happen to the Miss? She sounded like she was hurt… but she still answered the call, so she must've escaped whatever it was.
The deputy didn't know much beyond loyalty and combat—she had been trained by Saomi since childhood to be a secret weapon, not a strategist. So she set her doubts aside and continued walking along the mountain road until she reached the Murphy estate.
There, she stepped in front of the family butler, eyes sharp and voice cold. "Whether Scorpion killed him or not doesn't matter. That ten billion bounty is ours. Black Dragon Society expects it in our account by tomorrow."
The butler grimaced. This is trouble… But most of the people here were from Black Dragon Society. If he didn't deliver the message, and they pulled out, he had no guarantee he could take on Scorpion alone. So he obediently stepped forward and leaned in to whisper a few words to Kosdy Murphy.
Kosdy's brows furrowed deeply. He only gave one curt instruction: "Process the transfer."
Then his attention turned back to the man kneeling before him, eyes bloodshot and full of fury. "What did you say? Damon Murphy wasn't killed by you? Then who was it?!"
Scorpion knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf. "Mr. Murphy, I swear, it wasn't me! We didn't even know he was your son. If we had, we wouldn't have dared touch a hair on him! It wasn't us—it was some stranger who broke in out of nowhere. That guy was insanely strong. My brothers didn't even last a second. He killed them brutally—and your son too."
"If I hadn't hidden in the bathroom, I'd be dead too! I don't even know who that guy was, but Damon… Damon seemed to recognize him. Called him 'Roy'!"
Roy?
Impossible!
The moment Kosdy Murphy heard that name, it felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over his head, extinguishing all the burning fury within him in an instant.
If there was any way to avoid it, he would never want to make Roy his enemy.
Others might not know, but how could he not?
Roy ran a mercenary organization overseas. Not only did he command a deadly group, but his own strength was terrifyingly formidable. With just the men Kosdy had under his command, there was no way they could take on Roy—not even close.
"What exactly happened?" Kosdy asked in a cold voice, eyes fixed on the pathetic, beaten-down figure of the Scorpion.
Especially after what had just happened earlier on the mountain—under the coordinated effort of several members of the Black Dragon Society, the Scorpion had been captured far too easily. That alone raised red flags.
According to the investigation reports from the authorities, the other two kidnappers were killed in a manner that left no doubt—a broken neck from sheer brute force, and another's internal organs crushed by a single kick.
With what he knew of the Scorpion's abilities, there was simply no way he could have done any of that.
The Scorpion's face was twisted in agony. He felt nothing but bitter resentment in his heart.
He had been hiding in the mountains, living off stolen food and handouts from a nearby village, not even daring to return home for money, let alone risk using a bank account. He had thought himself hidden well.
So how had he still been found?
And now, caught and dragged back here—what was the point in hiding anything anymore?
"Mr. Murphy… I don't know much about your family's inner workings, but according to Young Master Damon Murphy, it seemed like Roy had something going on with both of the Murphy daughters. He said Roy wanted them to inherit the family estate… and then take them both for himself."
Kosdy stood rooted to the spot, stunned into silence.
For a long while, he didn't say a word. He just stood there.
Then, slowly, he turned and began walking down the mountain path.
The butler leaned in beside him and whispered, "Sir… the Scorpion?"
"Bury him."
As the words left his lips, a heavy object smashed into the back of the Scorpion's skull. He collapsed instantly and never woke up again.
Kosdy Murphy's steps were slow. A tear traced silently down his cheek.
"Son… this is all my fault. I brought the wolf into our house. I'm the one who let him in…"
He believed the Scorpion's story—at least eighty percent of it. Roy's strength matched the scene perfectly. And more importantly, how would a lowlife like the Scorpion even know about Roy's connection to the Murphy daughters—unless Damon himself had mentioned it?
No matter how he tried to rationalize it, Kosdy could no longer deny the truth.
Roy, a mercenary leader who thrived in blood and war, had likely killed his son for the sake of power, money… and control over the Murphy legacy.
"Die… I want you to die!"
Kosdy's eyes turned bloodshot, his body trembling violently.
Whatever fear he once held for Roy had been obliterated by the crushing pain of losing his son.
His son was dead. What more was there to fear?
He would have his revenge. No matter what it took.
Roy would die. He would make sure of it.
"Bring me the butler…" Kosdy's voice was hollow and low.
"I'm here, sir," the butler answered, bowing slightly.
"There's a hit list on the black market, isn't there? I don't care what it costs. Whoever wants the job—no matter how much they ask—I'll pay it.
I want Roy dead. One assassin's not enough? Then send ten. Ten not enough? Then send a hundred. I don't care how many it takes—just make sure he dies. Understood?"
Kosdy's tone was calm—eerily so. But beneath that calmness, there raged the fury of a volcano on the brink of eruption.
He would call upon Murphy family guards. He would summon the Black Dragon Society. He would hire the darkest killers the underworld had to offer.
All of them.
To create a trap that even Roy couldn't escape. A death sentence. A reckoning.