As the Don of the Red Dragon gang, Titan had many guards, stationed at every possible entry point, so Nancy wasn’t familiar with all of them. Yet something about this particular young man standing there with blood on his clothes and his eerie eyes unnerved her completely.
Instantly, Nancy covered her exposed body, a scream building in her throat. But before she could release it, the young man simply lifted a finger to his lips. "Shh," He demanded silence.
Nancy’s heart pounded violently. To be honest, she wanted to run, but she couldn’t. There was something about the way the young man looked at her that made her instinctively obey. Instead, she cautiously reached for the bedsheet, drawing it over herself while her mind spun with questions.
Who was he? Where did he come from? He looked no older than nineteen, maybe twenty, but there was something old and vicious lurking beneath that youthful face.
What was he doing here?And more importantly, how did he get past Titan’s guards? If there had been a fight, they would have heard it. The walls weren’t thin, but gunfire was loud enough to shake the entire building.
But there had been none, which could only mean he had slipped through undetected. Or worse, he had eliminated them before they could make a sound.
Nancy’s blood ran cold.
At this point, she had no idea whether this man was a savior or executioner.
She turned to the bathroom, where Titan was still talking, completely unaware of the uninvited guest in the room with them.
"I mean, if I had Violet," he said with a coarse laugh, "and you wanted to join in, then no problem."
Nancy’s stomach churned violently as Titan’s laughter filled the room, as if enjoying the vile fantasy playing in his head.
"The virgin daughter and the experienced mother to satisfy me? That’s every man’s wet dream." He relished the thought.
Those words made Nancy’s cheeks burn with shame. Her fingernails dug into her palms, the humiliation, the self-hatred sinking into her like poison.
Her eyes flicked to the young stranger, desperate to gauge his reaction. He must be disgusted with her right now. She had failed as a mother after all.
But what she found instead startled her.
The young man was still. So utterly motionless he almost resembled a statue. Even from that distance, Nancy felt the tension from his body. It was raw and palpable, like a storm gathering in his chest, and ready to explode.
For a moment, he wore a look of disbelief, as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then his face darkened with a blinding, seething, all-consuming rage.
God. Nancy’s throat went dry and she knew at that moment, Titan wasn’t leaving that bathroom alive. And perhaps, she wouldn’t either.
Realizing the room had gone unusually silent, Titan’s voice rang out from behind the bathroom door. "Why aren’t you talking anymore?" he called.
The flush of water sounded, and then he stepped out, still half-drying his hands.
"What? Are you jealous?" Titan teased, glancing at Nancy, mistaking her rigid silence for resentment.
"You don’t like the idea of sharing me with your daughter—" He trailed off at once when he spotted Asher standing there.
"Who is this?" Titan asked dismissively, initially assuming the stranger was just one of his men, here on some minor errand.
He opened his mouth to scold him for entering without permission, only to stop short when he got a clearer look at Asher’s bloodstained attire. In an instant, alarm flared in his eyes.
He whipped toward the bed in a frantic bid for the nearest weapon, but before he managed a single step, a single word left Asher’s mouth. "Sit."
Titan froze, then, to his horror, found himself walking toward the bed. "What the—?! Huh?! What is going on?" he sputtered, his voice rising in hysteria.
His fingers twitched, his body fighting to stop, but nothing obeyed him. "Why am I listening to him?!" Titan roared, his face twisting in rage and fear.
Nancy, who had been watching the bizarre sight, suddenly felt her own heartbeat spike in terror. This was her best chance to escape. She didn’t know who this monster was, but this was a nightmare waiting to happen.
With one quick breath, she leapt to her feet, intending to make a run for the door, only for Asher’s cool command to pin her in place as well. "Sit too, Mother."
Nancy’s entire body seized up.
A strange force wrapped around her, dragging her down until she was back on the bed. But above all, the word ’mother’ on his lips sent her heart skittering.
Since when did she have a son? If she had one, she would have known — and prevented it. Violet was in enough trouble already.
"Mother...?" she murmured, trying to understand where that was coming from.
Asher made an attempt to smile at her. Or at least, it was supposed to be a smile. Instead, it looked terrifying.
"Apologies that we have to meet this way," he murmured. "But introductions can wait, right?"
Nancy was too stunned to respond. What in the name of the lord was going on here?
"For now, I’m sure you’d like this part better." She barely registered the words before Asher turned his gaze to Titan again.
His expression darkened, all traces of warmth he had for Nancy vanishing in Titan’s case.
"I heard something interesting about you, Titan." Asher said, his voice almost gentle. Almost.
"Something about taking Violet’s virginity." A short, breathy chuckle escaped Asher, as if the words themselves were so absurd they were laughable.
"Please tell me that’s not true."
Unfortunately, Titan didn’t seem to understand the danger he was in. Instead, his rage took over his fear, his ego refusing to break.
His lip curled, and he spat out threats like venom. "Whatever trick this is, I’ll have you die horribly for it! Whatever gang sent you, they’re dead! Over!"" he bellowed.
Asher let out a long, tired sigh. Why was the man so loud? Titan’s ranting was a headache he couldn’t be bothered to deal with right now.
So without a word, he reached behind his back. "I planned to bring your head back for my Violent Queen," he said, "but it seems I’ll be taking something better instead."
Asher pulled out a knife. He twirled it lazily between his fingers before dropping it onto the bed. The blade landed between Titan’s legs, the steel glinting menacingly in the light.
"Take it off," Asher ordered, his voice like ice.