Chapter 1

Ares Grant is breathing heavily while running as fast as possible to signal his men. It was very dark and due to the heavy rain he couldn't seem to identify the way he's been earlier and could no longer see where he was going.

He needs to find the way out, or else he might die here. He wasn't prepared. How dumb he is to forget his gun in the car. He was dropping by this old forest that used to be the hideout of his clan way back in the war era. No one knows this place, and it's not even on the map!

"Better hide, Grant! I did not know you were this scaredy-cat! What a shame to your ancestors if they find out that the great O'Grant can't even fight my men!"

Hugo Ontario is one of his rival in black market. He is nothing compared to him of course. What did he call him? A scaredy-cat? Of course, he can finish them with his bare hands but this is not how he fights.

"You'll regret this, fat ass. I'll surely make you beg for your life!"

He whispered.

He has to find the way out here. It's been ten years since he last visited this place. The grass are taller than he is and the forest is not safe at this moment. Wild animals are everywhere, ready for the prey to come, and he will not be their meal tonight.

'Ugh'

He stopped running when he heard someone made a whimpering sound not far away from where he is. It isn't loud, it sounds like you are running out of breath and gasping for air, trying to fight life over death.

He strolls towards the sound he heard and made sure to walk lightly so no one could listen to the crackle of his footsteps.

"Find him! And make sure to bring him to me alive!"

Hearing Hugo's voice screaming like a mad man, he slumped down but fell into a soft object, or is it an animal? He can smell the blood merging the air.

When he finally made sure that the men who were chasing him were gone, he pulled out his phone from his pocket to see what he just stumbled on.

It's a damn unconscious woman covered with her own blood! He checked the pulse and discovered that she is still breathing. What happened here? When did this place become the dumpsite of dead people? Or was she intentionally thrown in this place?

Thinking that the woman wouldn't make it even if he dared to save her, he slowly got up and walked past the body. Who the hell cares if she dies here? He doesn't even know her, and why does he need to save her when it is what he does. He kills people.

"Uuugh. Amorè."

He stopped and turned his head to the woman who mumbles a word. But without hesitation, he lifted the body and walked faster when he sensed the continuous vibration from his phone, giving him the signal that his men had just arrived.

——————

"How is she?"

Ares asked the doctor who is checking the woman he brought home from last night. She was still unconscious, wrapped in bandages and machines connected to her slender body. He did investigate and looked for information about her, but he couldn't find anything that matches her identity. Even the webmaster of his organization failed to do his job for the very first time.

"She's stable right now, but she still needs to undergo several tests. I'm very much amazed at how her body is slowly recovering inside. I mean, her vitals are responding. She must be physically fit before this happened."

He paused from sipping his coffee while staring at the woman in a vegetative state.

When the doctor noticed that he's pondering on something, he cleared his throat and continue.

"Ares, I don't have a good feeling about this woman. Before she causes something big in the future, bring her to the city. You can't hide her here forever. You have a big responsibility, and you know that keeping a woman won't help you maintain the wins in this war."

He smirked and turned his cold gaze to the doctor.

"I don't plan on maintaining the work, uncle. I'm bringing the organization to Zenith Palace."

He clenched his fist, turning the dark aura inside him. He could feel his blood rising, fueling the desire to kill every person who will try to stop his ambition.

The Zenith Palace— consists of six organizations. They are gods of every organization; everyone feared them, no one dared to compete nor even tried to lift a finger to any of their members.

But not him because he will destroy them by all means, even if it'll cost him his life. He will find and kill the one who assassinated the only woman he loved and adored — his mother.

*Flashback*

"Mommy! Guess what dad taught me today!"

A four-year-old little boy was wearing a cowboy suit running excitedly towards the woman in her late twenties who's holding hot chocolate cookies fresh-baked from the oven. She looked like a princess, even if she was wearing a melted yellow apron.

She spread her arms and let the little boy bumped on her chest so he could enjoy the warmth of love from his mother.

"My darling! Hug mommy! I missed you! So, tell me, how did you spend your time with your father? Hmmm?"

"Dad taught me how to fire a gun! I love it, and shoot one of my bodyguards!"

His mother was stunned before turning her sharp eyes to his husband, who had just entered the kitchen. How can he be so heartless to let her child kill a person at his age! But instead of giving her an explanation, his husband just shrugged his shoulders and went straight to the fridge.

"He should learn everything from now on. One day he will be the Alpha of our organization, and I expect a man with blood as his weapon."

She just stared at his son with tears in her eyes. It's not the life she wanted her son to have, but she knew that her husband was right.

"Mom? Are you alright? Are you sad?"

The boy was curious. Not able to read what's going on in his mother's mind at the moment. After a while, his mother smiled sweetly, like how the angels love heaven.

"Nooooo. I'm so proud of you, my darling! Oh wait, I made you a cookie. Want some?"

She held him in her arms and carried him to the table.

"One more time you show him tears, a bullet will go through your head."

A shattering of words his fathers whispered to his mom that he never noticed. It looked like he was kissing her cheeks, but he was piercing a dagger through her heart.

*End of flashback*

Ares put down the newspaper he was reading when he heard a loud slam on his door in the office. A guy in buttoned-down black polo entered the room holding an envelope. It was his cousin, Liam. When his father turned over the position, Liam became his right hand and eye on everything.

"Damn, bro! When did you have had the habit of bringing a woman to the mansion?"

He exclaimed as if he did something terrible, which of course, Liam's words were valid. He never had a woman in his life. He had flings, but most were used for a fun overnight or whenever he needed a date at parties. He can get a woman whenever he wanted, but he never did anything for them especially bringing them to the mansion.

The mansion is the most private of all his properties, where only his family and trusted men could get the pass. The estate was surrounded by hundreds of assassins and guarded with high-technology weapons.

When his mother died, parties are not allowed in the mansion, and when his father passed away, he banned everyone and only allowed a few people to enter the estate.

"And since when did you become so nosy about my business?"

He answered coldly and was not even bothered by his cousin's question. He took the envelope from Liam's hand and scanned the papers one by one.

"Woah! 'My' business?"

Liam is delighted to see his reaction. If only he can see his face frantically changes its color from pale white to red. Did he blush over that statement? No. Maybe he was just annoyed. Liam is always like that, and he constantly nags everyone around him as if he can't pull a trigger on his head in a second.

"Did I just witness the great O'Grant turn into cherry tomato?!"

"No news yet?"

"Did you just change the topic?"

"I want Hugo's head on a silver plate tonight."

"Did you just blush again?"

He shoots a sharp look at him. He is ready to break his bone any moment from now. When Liam saw him reaching his gun from his drawer, he quickly stood up and ran towards the door, but before he could even touch the doorknob, Ares shoot the gold vase that cost a fortune beside him.

"Come back here, or I'll feed to Scar tonight!"

He shouted while still pointing his gun, aiming at Liam's head now. He is referring to his pet named Scar.

Scar was a baby when he took him to the estate when he was hunting ten years ago. He found him dying while a bear was chasing him.

Liam had no choice but to follow him like a scared puppy, but his teasing expression hasn't changed.

"She's still unconscious when I left the mansion, but uncle said she would gain consciousness anytime soon. Did you check the area that night?"

It's been four days, and she still has no sign of life. He always visits her room whenever he is in the mansion. He wants to transfer her to the city, but they can't find any data or information about the woman. He does not know what got into him and why he feels responsible for taking good care of her. Is he just curious, or is there something with the woman that draws his attention?

"We did. Well, aside from your encounter with Hugo, we can't find anything earlier or a day after that incident had happened. There was no sign because that area was closed for too long. We even put security cameras in that forest. Hugo is maybe the dumbest person I know, but he is tricky sometimes yea? I like his guts."

Liam amusedly replied while tapping his fingers on the table.

"So, what's your plan with Hugo? Guess you already knew they'd allied with overseas investors. They are getting out of hands these days, then aren't you doing something?"

Liam stood up and went into the window where the sun is slowly setting down to the vastness of the sea. The breeze coming from outside his office window smells like salt combined with the smell of gun powders from the training area underground.

He smirks at the thought that everything is under his control.

He got up from his swivel chair then went straight to the door, but before he steps his foot outside, he turns his gaze to Liam.

"I want Hugo's eldest son this evening. Bring him to the old warehouse."

Then went out, leaving Liam dumbfounded. He wanted Hugo to have a little dose of his own medicine. He is just starting to play with him without an intention of killing that bastard, at least not for now.