جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 79

The highway shimmered under the late afternoon sun, its asphalt a ribbon of molten gold, casting sharp glints off the taxi’s battered hood. Nero sat in the backseat, his broad frame filling the space, his jaw tight, eyes locked on the rearview mirror. Natasha clung to his arm, her fingers digging into his sleeve, her breath shallow and ragged from the terror. The driver, a wiry man with sweat beading on his forehead, gripped the wheel, his knuckles pale, his eyes darting nervously to the mirror where Veyra’s black SUVs loomed closer, their engines snarling like hounds on the hunt.A thunderous roar split the air. A military convoy surged into view, tires shrieking, dust swirling in the fading daylight like a storm of amber and grit. Armored G-Wagons and troop carriers barreled down the highway, their sheer mass a declaration of power. Jason, Nero’s aide-de-camp, had tracked his commander’s phone. Five hours was the unspoken limit for the King of War to be out of reach, and that time h

“Listen, I’m the king of this place,” he sneered, his voice dripping with venom as he yanked the rope, making Emilia and her brother gasp, their small hands clawing at the coarse fibers digging into their neck. “When I say you’re a bastard, you’d better act like one. Bark like a dog, now!”The other kids snickered, their eyes glinting with amusement, as if watching a twisted cartoon. Emilia’s red-rimmed eyes darted to her brothers, Ethan’s face set in a stoic mask, Elias’s lips quivering. They crawled forward, their knees scraping the hardwood floor, too small to fight back against Marcus’s bulk or his gang’s cruelty.Samantha reached the classroom’s entrance, her breath catching as she froze in the doorway. The sight of her triplets—leashed like animals, their faces grubby and tear-streaked—sent a jolt of shock through her. Her heart pounded, her hands trembling as she rushed forward, dropping her bag with a thud. She knelt, gathering Emilia, Ethan, and Elias into her arms, her finge

Samantha stood frozen, her heart pounding, as Mrs. Rashford’s fleshy arm swung toward her face, the woman’s diamond-encrusted rings glinting with malicious intent. The flesh on her arm jiggled with the force of her swing, her meaty palm inches from Samantha’s delicate cheek, the air thick with the promise of pain.Nero reacted in a heartbeat. Dropping the triplets gently but swiftly—Emilia, Ethan, and Elias sliding to the floor with wide-eyed gasps—he thrust out his right arm, weaker from an old injury but steady enough to seize Mrs. Rashford’s wrist. Her hand hung frozen in mid-air, trembling as she strained against his iron grip, her face twisting in shock and fury. No matter how she yanked, her palm couldn’t budge, as if caught in an invisible vice.In a flash, Nero released her wrist and delivered a stinging slap across her face. The crack echoed like a thunderclap, sharp and final, as if he were swatting an irritating mosquito. Mrs. Rashford staggered, her posh updo unraveling in

Mr. Rashford’s face contorted with rage, his slick suit gleaming under the fluorescent lights as he jabbed a finger at Nero. “How dare you a sucker like you to bully my wife? And then talk back to me?” he roared, his voice shaking the air like a beast’s bellow. “I’ll teach you a bloody lesson today on behalf of your family, the most painful lesson of your life! And just who are you?”“I’m Nero Magnus,” Nero said, his voice steady, cutting through the chaos like a blade. “The exiled son of the Magnus empire, the father of these kids.”Mr. Rashford’s eyes widened, then narrowed into a vicious grin, his laughter sharp and mocking. Fate had handed him a prize. Rumors of Nero’s return had swirled through New Delta—whispers of him putting Baron Cassian in the hospital, walking free despite Magnus Otumba’s wrath. If Rashford could crush Nero, Cassian and his brothers would owe him favors, cementing his power. “The murderer, the rapist heir,” he sneered. “You’re back?”The onlookers—teachers,