“Please follow me, Sir,” Pablo said.He gestured for Alejandro and Cedric to follow him toward the VIP entrance.Alejandro walked with his cane, using it not just for support but also as a means of self-defense against any potential threats.Without any assistance, Cedric moved alongside Alejandro in his electric wheelchair.Alejandro glanced at Cedric briefly. “Your sister’s not coming with you?” he asked.“She wasn’t done getting ready. She’ll be coming later with Mom, Dad,” Cedric replied.“Women are such a hassle. Tell them not to bother coming if they’re still not ready,” Alejandro muttered.Cedric signaled one of his men to relay his father’s message. Of course, they had brought their subordinates along for security reasons, in case anything unexpected happened. However, the Royal Dragon’s security team was also taking precautions.“My apologies, Sir. We need to conduct a security check first,” Pablo informed them as they approached the screening gate before boarding the yacht.
“What’s wrong with Daddy’s little princess, hmm?” Gino shifted his gaze to his stepdaughter, Kimmy Moonstone, who was pouting.“Are you tired, sweetheart?” he asked again, looking at the little girl who looked absolutely adorable in her princess-style gown.Kimmy lifted her face and asked, “Is Rayden coming too, Dad?”Gino frowned, visibly disappointed. Instead of answering, he turned to his wife and complained, “My love, I think it won’t be long before I’m demoted to second place.”Estelle chuckled and said, “You don’t even have to wait. You’re already in second place because all she ever thinks about is Rayden.”Gino’s face soured even more. He couldn’t argue with his wife because, honestly, it was the truth. Almost every time, his stepdaughter lit up whenever she talked about Regis Lorenzo’s son.“Hmph, what’s so great about that kid compared to me?” Gino grumbled.Estelle sighed. “Are you seriously jealous of a child? Besides, you should be happy that our daughter is close friends
“Can we get out now, sweetheart?” Regis asked, gently pinching his wife's chin before adding, “But if you need more time to settle down, I’ll wait for you.”“I’m feeling much better. Thanks, Regis,” Amora replied, returning his smile.Out of nowhere, Regis leaned in and kissed her lips softly, making Amora jolt in surprise and instinctively lean back.“Regis .…” Amora turned to glance at their son, who had been watching their conversation the whole time.“Can’t you two save all this lovey-dovey stuff for home? My eyes are suffering here,” Rayden grumbled, making Amora chuckle.“My son, you’ll have to get used to it,” Regis smirked, looking victorious.Rayden could only let out a long sigh.“One day, when you’re older, you’ll understand why I do this,” Regis said, trying to justify himself.Rayden rolled his eyes. He had no idea what his father was getting at. Sometimes, he did feel like an outsider when his parents got lost in their own world. But at the same time, he was genuinely ha
"Who is that woman?""Is she the mother of that child?""Is she Young Master Lorenzo’s wife?"One question after another spilled from the lips of onlookers, making Amora feel nervous. She could faintly hear the chatter around her and feel the sharp gazes directed at her."Which family is she from? It doesn’t seem like any high-ranking family has a daughter like her."The reporters began digging into the background of the woman who arrived with Regis. They tried to uncover her identity, but no one seemed to have any concrete information about her."They must be married! Look! Young Master Lorenzo and that woman are both wearing rings on their ring fingers."A female reporter pointed out her observation, sparking excitement among the media crew. Cameras instantly turned to focus on Amora, making her tense up slightly.Sensing her unease, Regis tightened his grip on her hand, drawing her attention back to him. He could see the worry in her eyes over how the public was perceiving her."Ign
Diego gave a faint smile. His gaze shifted to the young woman, significantly younger than Regis. She lowered her head in fear as Diego observed her with sharp eyes.He remained silent, making the atmosphere around them increasingly uncomfortable. He thought to himself that Gordon was even willing to sell off his freshly graduated daughter just to establish ties with his family.Sensing her husband's thoughts, Liliana quickly took over the conversation. "Regarding the matchmaking, I'll discuss it with my son first, Mr. Watson."She looked at Melisa Watson warmly, easing the young woman's nervousness."Your daughter is very beautiful. She takes after Mrs. Watson’s beauty," Liliana praised, making Mrs. Watson beam with pride.Turning to the head of the Watson family, she continued, "I don’t think you need to worry about your daughter’s future, Mr. Watson. She’s still very young. There's no need to rush her into marriage."Gordon Watson could only force a thin smile. He knew this was a po
In the stateroom's guest lounge, two powerful figures locked eyes in a tense stare-down. The air between them was thick with an unspoken battle of dominance, each trying to outmatch the other’s presence. Alejandro Volker and Murat Demir sat face-to-face, neither uttering a word for the past ten minutes. Their subordinates exchanged wary glances, their tension mirroring their leaders'. When Alejandro was led into the cabin by Diego Lorenzo's assistant, he immediately noticed the presence of a man with dark brown skin and a scar across his right eyebrow, already seated in the room. That man, nearly the same age as Alejandro, was none other than Murat Demir, the leader of Levent! “I’ll step out for a moment to fetch my master. In the meantime, you can chat with each other. I think you two already know each other, don't you?” Pablo Varon remarked as he ushered Alejandro into the lavish private cabin. Alejandro didn’t respond. His gaze remained locked on Murat, who returned the sa
Murat's lips curled into a cynical smirk, followed by a low chuckle escaping from his mouth. "Looks like you have no idea that Diego’s son orchestrated everything." The statement that left Murat’s lips made Alejandro’s expression shift. A flicker of anger flashed in his sharp, hazel eyes. Before Alejandro could respond to Murat Demir’s words, the cabin door suddenly swung open, revealing the person they had been waiting for. Diego Lorenzo stepped into the suite stateroom and took a seat on the sofa between his two guests. He glanced between them, immediately sensing the tension in the room. "Did I come at a bad time?" Diego’s deep voice drew both Alejandro and Murat’s attention to him. There was no trace of warmth in their gazes as if Diego had just done something unpleasant to them. “Was the hospitality not to your liking?” Diego quipped, attempting to ease the tension. A faint chuckle, more of a formality than genuine amusement, escaped the lips of the Royal Dragon lead
Alejandro scoffed. “You're trying to dodge again, Diego. I know you have the power to clear all the accusations against your son and turn the media in your favor. But I won’t forget the blood debt that you and your son still owe me,” he hissed.Diego felt no fear in the face of Alejandro’s threat—not because he thought Alejandro wouldn’t dare act on it, but because he was confident that both he and Regis could handle anything that came their way.More importantly, there was something Alejandro didn’t know, and Diego intended to reveal it now.Maintaining his indifferent attitude toward the hostility of the Golden Snake’s leader, Diego said, “Alejandro, I won’t make excuses for our past. But I strongly suggest you let go of your grudge—before it ends up choking you instead.”Alejandro let out a bitter laugh. “Let go of my grudge? Don’t be naive, Diego.”Diego responded with nothing but a smirk.“Don’t tell me you’re actually scared that I might do the same thing to someone you care abo
In the lavish living room of a five-star hotel suite, Alejandro Volker sat on a plush sofa, slowly puffing on a cigar. He seemed lost in thought until the voice of a younger man sitting across from him snapped him out of his reverie.“Let’s cut to the chase. Why did you ask me to come here, Mr. Volker?”Alejandro’s gaze fixed on the young man seated in front of him — clean-cut and impeccably dressed. The look on his face was one of obvious impatience.A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Alejandro’s lips. “Young Master Lorenzo, you’ve changed quite a bit since the last time we met.”Yes — the young man with him was none other than Regis Lorenzo.Not long ago, Regis received an unexpected phone call from Alejandro. He had no idea how Alejandro got his number, but he knew it wouldn’t be hard for someone in their circles.Alejandro had invited him to meet in this very hotel suite. Regis hadn’t planned to accept, but Alejandro mentioned he might be able to convince Diego—Regis’s father—t
Diego’s lips curled into a faint smirk at the woman’s reaction before he added, “But, if you want to tell Regis, that’s fine too. I wouldn’t want to waste the Old Madam Lysander’s time. Besides, she probably doesn’t have much time left anyway.”Amora’s eyes widened in shock. She shot up from her seat and slammed her hand on the table.“Mr. Lorenzo, stop threatening me by using my grandmother! Is this how a leader of the Royal Dragon behaves? Don’t you feel the slightest bit of shame?” she snapped.Diego’s expression darkened at Amora’s criticism, but he didn’t respond to her outburst. Instead, he said coolly, “If you leave Regis, I’ll grant you one request. This is the last of my patience, Miss Lysander.”“That’s not fair, Mr. Lorenzo! Why are you being so selfish? Are you only thinking about your happiness? Regis is your son, but nothing you’ve done reflects what a father should be!” Amora shouted, her anger boiling over.She couldn’t hold back anymore—his words and attitude had cros
“Do you want to meet your biological father, Miss Lysander?” Diego asked, his tone probing.He had considered arranging a meeting between them as a trade-off—if Amora agreed to leave Regis. “If you want, I can—”But Amora cut him off immediately. “That won’t be necessary!”Diego froze, caught off guard. He noticed the tears beginning to pool in her clear eyes, but there was something else there too—a sharp, almost predatory glare that made it clear she wasn’t someone to mess with.A faint, cold smile curved Diego’s lips. That side of her ... it was just like Alejandro Volker—and Diego hated that side the most.Even though he could see how angry Amora was with both Alejandro and himself, Diego couldn’t care less. In fact, he almost welcomed her hatred for Alejandro. To him, that was a win.‘Alejandro Volker … maybe the best punishment for you is your daughter’s hate,’ Diego thought with a twisted smile.He wanted Alejandro to feel the same kind of pain he felt now—being despised by you
"Are you criticizing how I handle my son, Miss Lysander?" Diego asked, his voice cold and piercing.The pressure in the air made Amora hold her breath. She quickly broke eye contact with the middle-aged man. That sharp gaze, almost suffocating in intensity, made her realize she might've crossed the line. Still, she didn’t believe anything she said was wrong.“I think you know what I really meant, Sir,” Amora replied, refusing to back down even a little.Diego scoffed. Her unyielding attitude both impressed and annoyed him. “If he hadn’t chosen a life with you, I wouldn’t have gone this far either, Miss Lysander,” he said as calmly as he could.Inside, though, rage was boiling in his chest. But he wasn’t about to let Amora see that she had managed to stir him so easily.Diego kept cornering her with harsh words, trying to make it seem like all his actions were her fault, as if she were the root of the problem. And that made Amora’s blood boil.‘No! I can’t lose it. He still has Grandma
“Mr. Lorenzo—”“Let’s talk over dinner,” Diego cut her off before Amora could say anything else. He signaled to one of his men standing by the door.Moments later, a server rolled in a cart of food that had clearly been prepared in advance. He placed a plate of beef bourguignon in front of Amora and Diego.The rich aroma of the dish made Amora’s stomach growl. She was starving—she hadn’t eaten a single thing since morning. But despite the tempting sight and smell in front of her, she held herself back.“I’m sorry, please take my plate away,” Amora said to the server.The man hesitated and looked toward Diego, whose expression had darkened at her refusal—clearly taking it as a sign of disrespect.Amora could sense the shift in Diego, too. Still, she stayed calm, projecting confidence as she stared him down. “I’m not hungry. So let’s just cut to the chase, Mr. Lorenzo.”Diego smirked. With a wave of his hand, the server quickly wheeled the food cart out of the room.“What do you want in
"Grandma ...."Amora’s whisper was soft and full of sorrow. She deeply regretted dragging her innocent grandmother into her mess.Clutching her phone tightly, Amora’s earlier resolve to avoid Diego completely shifted. Without a second thought, she bolted out of her rented house and rushed to the meeting place Diego had set.Thirty minutes later, she arrived. Amora glanced around before stepping toward the restaurant.Her brows furrowed when she saw the sign hanging on the restaurant’s door—it said closed. But the street outside still buzzed with activity like usual. A place like this shouldn’t be closing this early.Her heart pounded. A sinking feeling settled in her chest as her mind conjured all the terrible things that might be happening inside. For a second, she considered turning back. But then her grandmother’s face flashed in her mind, reigniting her courage.She took a deep breath, bracing herself, and pushed the door open. The silence inside sent a chill down her spine.The r
“Oh my God. What time is it?”Amora shot up in bed, completely startled to see the sun already high in the sky. She turned to glance at the wall clock and nearly panicked—it was almost ten in the morning. And she hadn’t even started prepping lunch for her husband and son yet.Running her fingers through her already-messy hair, she groaned, “Ugh, I can’t believe I slept this long.”She had only meant to lie down for a bit—but somehow, she ended up sleeping for three whole hours!Normally, no matter how tired she was, Amora never slept this deeply. Something felt off. She realized she’d been feeling unusually drained for the past week, and today it was even worse.“Am I ... actually sick?” she murmured, worry creeping into her voice.But a moment later, Amora shook her head firmly. She tried to shake off the fear with a positive affirmation. “No. I can’t be sick,” she said with conviction.She didn’t want to give Regis anything else to worry about—especially not her health. So she pushe
It had been three days since Regis, Amora, and Rayden moved into their modest rental home. A calm morning greeted them with warmth and cheer. The scent of freshly baked pizza mixed with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.“Morning, Dad,” Rayden greeted as his father walked out of the bathroom and joined them at the dining table.“Morning, Ray,” Regis replied, bumping fists with his son.Simple mornings like these had become a special kind of happiness for Regis over the past few days. A warm greeting and a genuine smile to start the day—no wealth or power could ever replace that.But deep down, Regis still carried a concern—he hadn’t secured any steady income yet. Over the past two days, he had applied to several companies, but not a single one had called him in for an interview.Regis suspected his father had a hand in that. Both Gino and Xavier had previously offered him positions in their personal businesses.But Regis turned them down. Their lines of work didn’
“Mad?” Amora raised an eyebrow.Regis gave a hesitant nod. “Aren’t you? I mean, you were completely silent on the drive here.”Amora let out a small laugh before replying, “I’m not mad. I was just a little annoyed earlier. I’m sorry.”Seeing how concerned Regis looked, she added, “But I’ve thought about it, and I understand—you were only trying to keep us safe.”Earlier, Amora had stayed quiet in the car, reflecting on Regis’s words. She realized that her stubbornness might’ve put them in danger. But Regis had misread her silence, thinking she was giving him the cold shoulder.“I was going to say sor—”Before she could finish her sentence, Regis leaned in and kissed her lips.Amora’s eyes widened in surprise. She quickly glanced around, noticing the agent who had accompanied them looked just as shocked. The agent immediately turned away, pretending not to see anything so as not to make Amora feel uncomfortable. But Amora's face had already turned bright red like a boiled lobster.“Reg