UNDER HIS RULES

“Those sneaky bastards! They’ve already killed our brother but wait for us to start the war!”

“Let’s go, buddy! Let’s go now!”

“Hold on!” Anne said loudly. “No one leaves from here. That’s Sam’s order! Understand!”

“What are we waiting for here, then? Do you want to live comfortably without fighting back against Gerald, Anne?” Rocky, a dreadlocked man, asked angrily. “Sam is defending Tony, what about you? Sitting comfortably here, right? Under Sam’s protection? If I were you, I wouldn’t hesitate to take up arms.”

Anne sighed in frustration. She glanced at the screen to monitor, but her heart was boiling. The words were not meant to corner her. Anne knew that, but she couldn’t leave her post. There were things she had to take care of and ensure their safety.

Beatrice.

“Anne, what’s on the screen?” Valdo pointed, immediately diverting Anne’s attention there.

“Gerald?”

Anne immediately expanded the range of the available CCTV. “Empty. Flown is empty, Val.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Valdo sighed softly. “Did Sam not give any signals? But his car is moving, right?”

The girl fell silent. Once again, she clarified Sam’s car movement with more accurate captures. “It’s them,” Anne pointed. “I think Sam intentionally emptied Flown earlier.”

Gerald’s figure, who had been walking swiftly through every corridor of Flown, was accompanied by his subordinates. They could be seen clenching their fists with angry expressions, clearly visible in the CCTV footage.

Anne intentionally increased the volume where the CCTV recording captured Gerald’s figure.

“Find that damn Sam!” Gerald cursed angrily. “Bastard!” Gerald swung a punch at an innocent table there. The people around Gerald began to cause destruction inside Flown.

The place that was usually lively, a location to relieve stress after a day filled with problems or just to find solace, was now devoid of people.

Sam’s bait worked. Although Anne was a little worried about the outcome. She grinned in satisfaction. “I think they’ll be heading to the headquarters soon.”

“Can’t you contact Sam yet?”

Anne turned to Valdo and gave him a strange look. “Who am I to casually call Sam and ask where he is?”

Valdo sighed softly. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You need to know, Val, why you and your men are here. We were all asked to protect someone precious to Sam.”

Valdo furrowed his brow and his eyes widened in surprise. “Bella?”

Anne shook her head quickly. “No… someone we have to protect with our lives, just like we protect Sam to the death,” she said, pointing with her chin.

Beatrice walked slowly towards Anne, accompanied by a group of people who had been in the living room. She had no intention of greeting anyone. She also ignored the many eyes directed towards her. The cellphone in her hand seemed to serve no purpose. Numerous calls and messages had gone unanswered.

“An, has there been any news from Sam?” Beatrice called out.

“Not yet. Did you try to contact him?”

“No response.” Beatrice pulled out a chair. “It’s taking so long. What could be keeping him?”

“Be patient, Beatrice. He’ll come soon. Don’t you want to go into the room? Meet Hera and her mother?”

Beatrice shook her head slowly. “I already did. I’ll wait for him outside.”

Zein and Mateo also stood up promptly, intending to accompany Beatrice, as it was their duty to protect the girl who looked gloomy. Anne didn’t say much either, while Valdo stared intently at Beatrice’s retreating figure.

“Is it her?” Valdo asked, trying to confirm.

Anne nodded softly as confirmation. “So you know what your task is here, right?”

***[]***

He let the cigarette that had been wedged between his fingers go untouched. The room he was in felt increasingly silent, despite the presence of many people. No one uttered a word as if what came out of their mouths was a mistake. They didn’t want to incur the wrath of the man who was still paying attention to his cigarette.

“Any news?” he asked softly. He directed his question to one of the people he trusted: David.

“Most of the victims suffered burns and gunshot wounds to the legs,” David reported. “There’s nothing to worry about from De Faux, Sir.” David spoke with a lowered face.

The middle-aged man with a cigar clip nodded slowly. He appeared to be deep in thought, reading the situation that was unfolding around him. While most of his affairs were in the Northern Division, there were also matters he had to handle in the Southern Division, where he came into direct contact with Sam, who had never been one to compromise for a long time. Ah… not only when Sam was in power, but since the Twin Dragon Clan’s inception.

Alfred didn’t know the details of their history too well, but he understood the general outline.

“Sam,” Alfred stood up, and the sound of his chair scraping was quite loud. He walked slowly through his brightly lit workspace, surrounded by numerous bookshelves. “Sam wouldn’t cause trouble unless someone disturbed him. Especially to the point of creating chaos there.”

“Yes, Sir,” David could only respond to that because what Alfred said was true. As far as he knew about the ruler of the Southern Division, Sam never wanted to be meddled with by anyone. It should be emphasized that “anyone” because Sam preferred to lead without interruptions from others.

That’s why Alfred had difficulty expanding his influence to the Southern Division because of Sam’s presence.

Although there might be some leniency due to their past familial relationship, the fact remained that Sam currently held the highest position of power. It wasn’t easy to negotiate with the man. Additionally, many members of the government also held respect for the Twin Dragon Clan.

“But why target Jimmy?”

“I’ve tried to find out, Sir. But I haven’t received a definite answer yet.”

The old man just coughed briefly. He enjoyed the last remaining bit of his cigar. He exhaled the remaining smoke into the air in the room, allowing it to billow. “Carry it out discreetly.”

David was slightly taken aback by the recent order. Jimmy did often act recklessly when at Alfred’s residence. However, when his grandfather was around, he was no different from a sweet little fox. David knew that the behavior of the Quassano heir apparent was often careless. It was quite different from Mr. Ethan. Unfortunately, he passed away in an accident more than a decade ago.

The grief and loss still lingered to this day because Alfred didn’t just lose a child but also a son-in-law and his only grandchild. Initial suspicions of sabotage arose. However, no matter how many times David investigated, he couldn’t find any answers. There was only one thing they could trust: Ethan had an accident in the midst of a storm when he was returning to their home on the border of the South and North.

“Make sure that Jimmy lacks nothing either. He will inherit the Quassano name in the future.” There was an undertone of dissatisfaction there, but Alfred tried to suppress it.

It was not a trivial matter when it came to the Quassano affair. The blood that flowed through their veins. The blood that made him a successful businessman with many supporters. The blood that Alfred had raised with great difficulty.

For him, Jimmy was just a replacement. The true heir of Quassano was out there. However, he didn’t know their whereabouts. He let out a heavy sigh, especially when his eyes looked at the portrait of his pride and beloved son-in-law.

And the little girl in the arms of a beautiful woman wearing an ivory white dress.

“Are you truly gone, Leora?”