THE PRICE OF BLOOD...

Chapter # 01

Note: Kindly note that English is not my native language — it’s my third language.

If there are any grammatical errors, I would really appreciate it if you could please ignore them.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.

___

In the middle of a night on a dark and deserted road, Elias and Clara were returning to their mansion after attending a function.

The event had ended late, and by the time they finally left, the road was almost completely deserted.

Clara sat quietly beside her husband when suddenly—

A group of men stepped into the middle of the road.

Elias slammed on the brakes.

Before he could understand what was happening, Cassian approached the driver's window with a gun in his hand.

“Get out. Now!”

He pointed the weapon at Elias.

“And tell your wife to get out too.”

Elias' jaw tightened.

“What do you want?”

“Whatever you have. Money, phones, everything. Hurry up!”

Two guns were pointed at them.

Elias slowly reached for his wallet.

“I'll give you everything I have. Just let us go.”

He handed over his wallet and phone.

“That’s all I have. Now let us leave.”

One of Cassian's companions looked toward Clara and smirked.

“I have to admit… the women from these big houses are—”

“Finish that sentence,” Elias growled, “and I'll tear your face apart.”

He made a move toward the man.

Cassian immediately pressed the gun against Elias' head.

“Don't try anything stupid.”

Clara grabbed her husband's hand, terror filling her eyes.

“Please… don't. Just give them whatever they want.”

The man laughed.

“And what about the car?”

“Give us the keys too,” Cassian ordered.

Elias hesitated.

“How are we supposed to get home? It's the middle of the night.”

The man stepped closer to Clara with a sinister smile.

“Who said you were going home?”

Elias expression changed.

“You bastard!”

He lunged forward and punched the man across the face.

The man stumbled backward, then charged at Elias and struck him hard.

“Do you have any idea who you're messing with?”

Clara screamed.

“Elias!”

She dropped beside him, trying to protect him.

“Please, stop! Please! Take whatever you want and leave us alone!”

Cassian suddenly grabbed his companion and pulled him away.

“Have you lost your mind?” he snapped. “We're here for money, not to take a life!”

But the situation had already spiraled out of control.

In the chaos, Elias managed to knock Cassian off balance.

The gun slipped within his reach.

Everything happened in seconds.

A gunshot tore through the darkness.

Cassian collapsed, clutching his leg.

The second man froze.

Elias turned the weapon toward him.

Another shot rang out.

The man fell to the ground.

Clara screamed and covered her ears.

But Cassian wasn't finished.

Despite his injury, he lunged forward, kicked the weapon from Elias hand, and pulled a knife from his pocket.

Before Elias could react, Gohar drove the blade against his neck.

“Elias!”

Clara scream echoed across the empty road.

Cassian fled into the darkness, leaving behind chaos, blood, and two motionless bodies.

Clara collapsed beside her husband.

She shook him desperately.

“Elias… please… wake up…”

But there was no response.

Her hands trembled as she reached for her phone.

It was gone.

The robbers had taken it.

Then, from a nearby house, the sound of gunfire finally brought the residents rushing outside.

They found Elia's lifeless body on the road and Clara lying beside him, barely conscious.

“She's alive!”

One of the man said.

They quickly carried Clara into their home and brought Elia's body inside.

When Clara finally regained consciousness, her eyes immediately fell upon her husband.

For a moment, she simply stared.

Then her world shattered.

“No…!”

A heart-wrenching scream escaped her.

She threw herself toward him, sobbing uncontrollably.

She struck her own chest, pulled at her hair, and screamed his name again and again.

Someone tried to hold her back, but she fought them desperately.

“My husband… please! Don't leave me!”

One of the residents quickly handed her a phone.

With trembling fingers, Clara called the mansion.

Her voice was broken as she tried to explain what had happened.

But before she could say much, her eyes returned to Elia's lifeless face.

Her strength abandoned her once again.

She fainted.

Hours later, the family from the mansion arrived.

They rushed Clara to the hospital while Elia's body was taken back to the mansion.

That night, two lives were changed forever.

Somewhere in the darkness, Cassian disappeared—

unaware that the blood he had spilled would soon come back to haunt him.

____

PAST…

"It wasn't me... Olivia did it."

Five-year-old Ava pointed her tiny finger toward her little stepsister, her innocent lie echoing through the room.

"What?"

Mr.Henry's face darkened with rage as he roared, "Olivia!"

As if summoned by fear itself, the little girl appeared at the doorway, her wide hazel eyes shining with innocence.

"Y-Yes, Dad?"

She smiled softly, hoping for the affection she had always longed for.

Instead...

Smack!

The sharp slap sent her tiny body crashing onto the cold floor. Tears instantly blurred her vision while her burning cheek throbbed with pain.

"You stupid girl!" Mr.Henry shouted, glaring at her with disgust. "Do you have any idea what you've done? I cleaned my shoes, and you ruined them again!"

"D-Dad..." Olivia sobbed, shaking her head desperately. "I didn't do it... I swear I didn't. Please believe me..."

"Believe you?" he sneered. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

Without another word, he grabbed her fragile wrist so tightly that she cried out in pain. He dragged her down the hallway while she stumbled behind him, her tiny legs struggling to keep up.

"N-No, Dad! Please let me go, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

She begged through broken sobs, even though she had done nothing wrong.

Henry ignored every tear.

He shoved her into a pitch-black storage room and slammed the door shut.

Darkness swallowed her whole.

"Dad!" she screamed, pounding her little fists against the wooden door. "Please let me out! I didn't do anything! I'm telling the truth!"

Her terrified cries echoed inside the tiny room.

No one came.

No one listened.

Because no one cared.

__

Present…

The moment Clara regained consciousness, she told the police everything she could remember about Cassian—his appearance, his clothes, and the way he had looked that night. But her condition was still fragile. Every few minutes, her eyes would grow heavy, and she would slip back into unconsciousness.

After the burial of his grandson,Mr.Charles Kingsley personally accompanied the police to Cassian's house. They searched every corner of the place, but there was no sign of him. After finding nothing useful, they were forced to leave empty-handed.

Mr.Henry was devastated when he heard what his son had done. This time, Cassian had crossed a line he could not undo. He had picked a fight with the people of the mansion—the most powerful and respected family in the area.

The following day, Henry was summoned to the Elders's council.

Mr.Charles Kingsley sat among the elders, his son Mr.Mason Kingsley beside him. The atmosphere was heavy with authority and anger.

“Look, Mr.Henry” one of the elders said sternly. “Your son attacked their son. Hand him over to us. A life must be paid for with a life.”

Mr.Henry's face crumbled with helplessness.

“I haven’t seen my son for three months,” he said, his voice trembling. “How am I supposed to bring him here?”

He turned toward Mr.Charles Kingsley and, unable to control himself, dropped to his knees.

“Please, I beg you. Forgive my son.”

Mr.Charles's Kingsley expression remained cold.

“Your son attacked my grandson. I can never forgive him for that.”

His gaze swept across the elders.

“Whatever decision the Elders's council make, we will accept it.”

Then he looked directly at Mr.Henry Bennet.

“And so will you.”

Mr.Henry's heart sank.

After a long discussion, they finally announced their decision.

The moment Mr Henry heard it, the ground seemed to disappear beneath his feet.

The Elders's council decided that “since your son cannot be found, you will give your daughter in compensation to their family to end the blood feud.”

“N-No…”

Mr.Henry lips trembled.

“I can’t do that. I cannot sacrifice my innocent daughter for my son’s mistake. She is just a child…”

“The decision has been made,” an elder declared firmly. “You must accept it. There is no other option.”

Mr.Henry lowered his head, shattered.

He had come to the Elders’s council hoping to save his son.

Instead, he had returned with a sentence for his daughter.