ANMELDENRENZO“... lower…” Hawk whispered into my ear.I opened my eyes. “Good. No one touches him until I get there.”I walked down to the secure section of the warehouse where we handled special matters. The room was prepared with the tools I might need: bright lights, a metal table in the center, and various instruments laid out neatly on a side cart. Shu Yi sat tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He was fourteen years old, but his face already carried the arrogance of someone who thought money could protect him from everything.What was a fourteen-year-old doing with Zaria's baby boy? That boy was barely nine. I think? Damn it. I should have asked Anna for more details about the fucking boy.To my surprise, this Shu Yi boy looked up when I entered and smirked. “Now, who the hell are you?”I turned to the back, hoping he was talking to Hawk. Clearly, he wasn't.“Are you the boss?” He eyed me from up to down, reminding me of Yakov's sharp tongue. A fourteen-year-old Yakov probably
RENZO 224:Oh, the master? His name still sounded hilarious. Asher, the clown of the gang had found a way to tease us the entire way about capturing the master.He eleven mentioned something like the master doing dirty things to Hawk. My laughter knew no bounds at the disgusting expression Hawk threw back at Asher. The man had tried playing mind games with me earlier when my team first brought him in, speaking in riddles and trying to manipulate the conversation. I had not been in the mood then, and I was even less in the mood now. So I had snapped my fingers and my men had bound him properly while I was still dealing with Zaria and Rai’s situation. He was settling in quietly now. Just the way I wanted.Further down the warehouse, another team was unloading the shipments we had confiscated from Governor Henry’s private convoy. He had crates of illegal weapons, stacks of cash, and several sealed containers of questionable chemicals being catalogued and moved into secure storage.
RENZO But I kept quiet.The time will come soon.The boy on the bed suddenly whimpered. “Father…”Wang leaned in immediately. “I am here, son. I am right here.”I looked away. Zaria and I could have had such a life… but everything was ruined because of my father.But no worries. I would handle Shu Yi. I would make sure no one touched Zaria’s son again. And then I would remind Wang exactly who he was dealing with.Zaria opened her eyes and caught me staring. I did not look away. Let her see the anger. Let her see everything I was holding back.When we landed back at the main institute, my team moved fast. They had the operating room fully prepared. I watched Zaria remove her jacket and demand gloves and scrubs. She wanted to go in with her son.Well, deep down, I respected that fire in her, but another part worried she was too exhausted.“Are you sure?” I asked, searching her eyes. “You’ve lost some color and your eyes are sunken in. Zaria, allow my team to handle it. Dr. Anthony i
RENZO An annoyed sound left my lips.Seeing Zaria break down today was one of the worst feelings of my life. She had a lot of snort running down her face… not caring who was seeing her.Before the helicopter took off, I had stood a few steps away from the group, crossed my arms tightly over my chest, and watched the entire pathetic display unfold. What's with the crying?Also what the fuck was wrong with Wang? The man was constantly hovering around Zaria, offering his shoulder, whispering soft words that made my blood boil. Jesus. I could fuck him up with one call alone!Every time he touched her arm or pulled her closer, my jaw tightened harder. That man had no right or claim to her, yet there he was, playing the devoted fiancé in front of everyone while I was forced to stand back like some outsider in my own institute.This was my wife for heaven's sake.I turned my gaze away and towards the boy on the stretcher, Rai. His face was swollen beyond recognition with one eye complet
ZARIA “Are you telling me that Rai's school did nothing?”Mama Li nodded. “We spoke to the teachers many times. We even went to Shu Yi’s parents. But that boy is vengeful and a real bully.”“What?” I snapped. “Why didn't you call me? I would have taken the first flight…”Mama Li raised her hands to stop me. “No, Zaria. We promised that we would take care of your boy and we were doing a good job—”“Until you weren't.” The words jabbed into my heart mercilessly. “Listen. Shu Yi waited until no adults were around and attacked Rai when he was coming home from school. We could not watch him every single second of the day.”I felt fresh tears coming. “I should have told my boy to beat him to stupor all because of his father…” I stopped myself mid-sentence. My eyes moved to Renzo who was standing a few steps away watching everything. No one said anything about what I almost said, but we all felt it hanging there. Uncle Thomas cleared his throat, and Mama Li looked everywhere but Renzo.Th
ZARIA He put his arms around me. “He is going to be okay, Zaria. The doctors here are the best. Breathe, my love.”I sniffled hard, unable to stop the tears. “Thank you, Anna. Thank you so much. And you too, Doctor Josh. Thank you for everything you have done already.”Anna pulled me into a bear hug. “Your ex-husband’s team will do everything we can. He is in good hands.”I eyed her warily. Why would she put it that way? “Where's the Shu boy?”“At the village head's office. He was beaten fifty strokes today and his parents are still haggling over the price of his bail. His ass is a sorry sight, Zaria. But not as fucking sorry as poor Rai. I am praying for him to suffer like never before.”I blinked. Anna sure did have a peculiar way of putting words. I couldn't tell if she was mocking me, joking with me, or… ugh. “Anna?”Her blue eyes widened. “Yes? Are you alright?”I nodded. “Get me a cup of water.”She snapped her hands. “Right away.” Then she turned. “Oh, Mama Li and Uncle Thoma
RENZO A week changed everything.And it was not because time healed or any of that bullshit, but because my body finally stopped lagging behind my head. On the second day of my recovery, the shaking eased and the weakness stopped embarrassing me. I could walk without the crutches by the fifth day
ELIX “I’m sorry, ma’am,” Grace continued. “She’s been under a lot of stress.”I nodded once. “It’s fine. Accidents happen.”“Come, I’ll attend to that.” Grace gave May a worried look and gently guided her away, still apologizing, completely unaware of how close she had been to witnessing something
ZARIA That also meant my days of ‘normal’ were over.Was it Grace? Her voice was unmistakable over the landline. No. Grace wouldn’t do that. Reasons?My mind gave me two solid reasons and the first was: She wasn't a hacker. Secondly; she was old. I exhaled slowly and shook my head, forcing the tho
ZARIA Work resumed in a way that felt almost surreal.After the rush of adrenaline, and the bright satisfaction of finally scoring a strategic goal against Rosita Dominico, life simply… went on. I couldn't place it.Normal was the best way to describe it.The patients we desperately wanted— came







![SUBSTITUTE BRIDE FOR THE MARAZONA HEIR [ Series]](https://www.goodnovel.com/pcdist/src/assets/images/book/43949cad-default_cover.png)