Chapter 9

Damian told Kane where he was, and not long after, a black Rolls-Royce pulled up.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir," Kane said as he hurriedly got out and opened the car door for Damian.

Once Damian was seated, Kane closed the door and got in himself. The car started moving slowly. The driver, a burly middle-aged man, looked at Damian through the rearview mirror.

He was visibly excited as he said, "I used to drive Mr. Thorne when he was here. It is truly an honor for me to drive you today, sir!"

Kane, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, quickly made the introductions. "Sir, this is Fergus Egan. He was still a young man when he worked as Mr. Thorne's driver two decades ago. Now, he's the kingpin of Cloudcove's criminal underworld.

"When he heard that the dinner party tonight is in your honor, he pleaded for the opportunity to drive you himself. Luxora Hotel belongs to him as well."

"I appreciate it," Damian said with a smile, though his eyes glinted sharply.

He sensed a flicker of bloodlust emanating from Fergus. Only someone who'd taken countless lives before could develop such a fearsome presence. It might've gone unnoticed to an ordinary person, but it couldn't be hidden from him.

From the looks of it, Fergus had gone through a bloodbath to secure his position as the boss of the criminal underworld.

When they arrived at the hotel, Fergus stopped the car, and Kane led Damian to the VIP private dining room on the sixth floor.

As soon as they entered, several men who had been waiting jumped to their feet. Once they saw Damian, their faces filled with nervousness and agitation.

"Sir, these are the veterans who fought alongside Mr. Thorne. After he left, they've all contributed greatly to prevent the downfall of Mistfall Estate!" Kane declared.

Hearing this, Damian nodded gratefully to them and said, "On behalf of my mentor, allow me to thank all of you most deeply!"

"Heavens, no! Not at all, sir!" the men cried out. "We were thrilled to hear that you've come, sir. At last, the pillar of the Shadow Sanctum has returned!"

After some polite exchanges, they all sat down. Fergus personally acted as a server, tending to the table. Once the food and drinks were served, the room filled with lively conversation and laughter.

…

Meanwhile, in another private dining room on the same floor, Christine sat stiffly, visibly annoyed. Lacey had told her they were meeting a few of their female friends for a fun night out. But when they arrived, she found Sean there as well.

She wanted to leave immediately, but upon remembering the project in the south of the city, she reluctantly stayed. But she didn't expect that after having a few drinks, Sean would become even more inappropriate with his words.

With a wine glass in hand, he shoved Lacey aside and sat down beside Christine. Grinning, he said, "I really like you, Christine. You're destined to be my woman. Come. Let's have a toast and make tonight our wedding night!"

Christine frowned and backed away, saying, "Please show some respect, Sean. I'm a married woman!"

After a brief startlement, Sean threw his wine glass on the floor. Immediately, a few of the women screamed in fright.

"Are you referring to that country bumpkin, Damian? Believe it or not, I could have him killed with a snap of my fingers!"

Face ashen, Christine felt a little apprehensive when she looked at Sean, whose eyes were bloodshot.

Lacey quickly chimed in, "Christine! Mr. Webb is sincere about his feelings for you. You shouldn't trample on his feelings like that. You should be with Mr. Webb and tell that country bumpkin to get lost!"

"Christine got involved with a country bumpkin?"

The other women were eager to hear the gossip.

Lacey hurriedly fanned the flames by saying, "She did! I even saw him earlier today before we came here. Judging from his tacky clothing, it was obvious he was just a country bumpkin. He can't even hold a candle to Mr. Webb.

"Christine, I have no idea why you're still hesitating. If I were the one Mr. Webb was interested in, I would've agreed to be with him in a heartbeat!"

"I'm going to the restroom," Christine said abruptly, her expression dark as she left the room.

Seeing this, Sean gave Lacey a look. Nodding, Lacey went after Christine.

"Christine, Sean will be inheriting Franklin Group someday. If you marry him, you'll be set for life! All the others envy you so much. You'd better not throw this chance away!"

Lacey kept talking as she kept up with Christine, who remained silent with a grim look on her face. She sorely regretted listening to Lacey and coming to the dinner gathering. All she wanted to do right now was find a quiet spot and calm down.

All of a sudden, she spotted a familiar figure. Immediately, she became infuriated.

"Damian Luther!" Christine shrieked. "I warned you not to follow me. I told you not to! So why are you still following me around? Can you be any more shameless?"

It was as if she'd found an outlet for her pent-up fury. Wagging her finger at Damian, she screamed her heart out at him. Her eyes turned red, and soon, her face was covered in tears.

This was all Damian's fault for being a complete nobody—a country bumpkin with no background or ability to speak of. She wouldn't have had to suffer like that if it hadn't been for him.

The dinner party had just ended, and Damian was about to leave with Kane and the others escorting him out. He didn't expect to run into Christine here. Moreover, she looked completely aggrieved and was even crying.

He was completely dumbfounded.

"I didn't follow you," he quickly explained. "This is just a coincidence."

"I can't believe you're denying it when it's so obvious! Are you even a man?" Christine shouted hysterically before running back into the room, still crying.

Kane and Fergus exchanged nervous glances.

"What's going on, sir? Do you need me to handle it?" Fergus asked.

He had broken out in a cold sweat. Someone had just lashed out at Damian in his hotel. It would be his responsibility to bear if Damian got upset.

"It's a family matter," Damian said with a sigh. "There's no need for you to get involved."

It seemed like there was no way of clarifying the misunderstanding.

Meanwhile, Lacey's eyes lit up. Damian, that damn country bumpkin, showed up at just the right time. This was a golden opportunity!

Her heels clacked on the floor as she marched up to Damian with a scornful expression and demanded, "Hey, you deluded sucker! Do you know the tough position you've put Christine in? Hurry up. You're coming with me right this instant! You're going to explain yourself to Christine in person!"

Fergus' gaze turned icy as he began emanating a murderous air. Lacey had a death wish for talking to Damian like that!

Sensing Fergus' hostility, Damian quickly said, "You guys don't have to get involved. I'll check it out."

"At least you know your place!" Lacey scoffed before strutting back to the room.

Sighing, Damian followed her.

As soon as Lacey entered the room, she quickly tried to curry favor by saying, "Look who's here, Mr. Webb!"

Sean was already furious that he couldn't take Christine for himself. Upon seeing Damian, he shot to his feet. "What the fuck? It's you!"

Leaning against the doorframe, Damian glanced coolly at Sean before saying, "I'm not interested in dealing with you today. I came to explain things to my wife. Darling, I—"

"Who are you calling your wife? Who needs your explanation? Just leave! Get out of here!" Christine screamed, having abruptly lost her composure.

Frowning, Damian turned to leave. Christine was obviously too emotional right now and wasn't going to listen to any of his explanations, so there was no point sticking around.

"Did I fucking say you could leave?" Sean snapped as he slammed his hand on the table and marched up to Damian with a fearsome expression.

He wasn't going to waste this wonderful chance to make himself look good. He was going to humiliate Damian in front of Christine and let her realize who she should choose!

Pausing in his tracks, Damian turned around and questioned icily, "Are you saying I need your permission to leave?"

Puffing his chest out, Sean retorted arrogantly, "That's right! Damian, get on your knees and apologize to me at once! When you're done, get the hell out of Cloudcove. Go back to your village and stick to feeding the pigs there. Don't you ever harass Christine again, or else, I'll cripple you!"

Damian's gaze turned cold as he asked, "Do I look like a pushover to you?"

Snorting, Sean wagged his finger at Damian and declared imperiously, "What do you think?"

All of a sudden, with a loud smack, Damian's palm made contact with Sean's cheek.

Instantly, a dead silence ensued.