The morning after my night with Melissa was a strange, quiet affair. I woke up in her lap, the first rays of dawn painting the hotel room in a soft, golden light. She was already awake, gently caressing my hair, a thoughtful, almost maternal look on her face.
"You're just the same age as my younger daughter," she said, her voice a low, amused murmur. "How many miracles can you possibly perform? At the end of the day, you're just a boy with a fetish for older women, aren't you?" She asked it with a straight face, her eyes full of a warm, maternal love that was a world away from the fiery passion of the night before.
"I would rather not answer that question," I said, a small smile playing on my lips.
She chuckled, a soft, musical sound. "What? Is the king's aura going to decrease?" She leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry, my king. Your queen won't tell anyone about this. Your vulnerability is safe with me. But seriously, you look so relaxed right now. Not like the usual you. In fact… you look cute."
"Enough, Melissa," I said, trying to get up. But she held me, her grip surprisingly strong.
"Continue resting," she said. "I know you want to." She sighed, a deep, contented sound. "Last night was like a dream. For the first time in years, I wasn't a mother, I wasn't the Commanding Head of Police. I was just Melissa. And you… you messed me up, in a good way. I was a little conflicted when you told me the truth, about the other women, about your possessive love. I thought it was a bad step. But then I thought, whatever. I want to follow my heart for once. The wedding between me and Steve was orchestrated by my father. I had to marry him. I'm not blaming him. But now, it's all in the past."
She paused, a new, hard edge to her voice. "The whole police organization is looking for him. I got a call from headquarters. I told them I'd be in late. Even while you were asleep, Steve called me, begging for help. Instead of helping him, I sent him our video."
I sat up, shocked. "He'll definitely try to use that as leverage against you!"
She just laughed, a cold, triumphant sound. "Don't worry. The video is set to self-destruct after one viewing. And I edited our faces out. But he'll know. He'll definitely know. I just wanted to see his broken reaction." She looked at me, her eyes shining with a new, fierce light. "I am alive, Adam. And that's all your work. I don't know everything about you. And even if I think you might be using me… you love me. Don't you?"
I pulled her into a hug. "I told you, you are mine. And your every responsibility is mine. I respect your opinions, your circumstances, and your thoughts. I will not bind you, but I will possess you. I love you. And I love my women to the point they forget everything else in this love."
"I love you too, Adam," she whispered. "You are chaotic, reckless, and strategic. I'm really amazed how you made me do the things we did yesterday. I felt like I was possessed by another spirit. I wanted to keep going until you were finished. You left so many marks of our passion on my body. You made me feel like a woman again, like I could feel happiness. And for you, I am willing to bend any societal rule."
"I love you because you are righteous," I said. "Don't change yourself. Just… don't be too rigid."
She then started talking about my harem, a teasing, amused glint in her eyes. "You need a calendar, you know. To keep track of who you're going to meet. Your mother, your sister, your aunt, your teacher, the headmistress's and her daughter, the board of directors of your own company… your harem has a very unique lineup."
"You are also in my harem," I said with a grin.
She chuckled. "Yes. I am yours. You claimed me, you bad boy." She stood up, her professional persona slowly returning. "It's getting late. I'll contact you later." As she was about to leave, she paused. "Baby, I'm thinking about the Deputy Chief position. Think about it. If you want to meet me, you can just come to my home. Bye."
She left, and I just stood there, my mind reeling. Deputy Chief? She wanted to make me the Deputy Chief of Police? People put their whole lives into reaching that rank. My life was getting more and more chaotic.
(Chloe and Maya's Perspective)
The air in the Tiger's Den was thick enough to choke on. A toxic miasma of stale cigarette smoke, cheap whiskey, and fear clung to the concrete walls of the abandoned workshop. We stood near the back, clutching our boyfriends' arms with what we hoped looked like terrified concern. In reality, our hearts were pounding with a thrilling, electric excitement. This was the heart of the enemy's territory, and we were the vipers in their den.
At the center of the room, Kevin Lucas was a caged predator. He wasn't just angry; he was a walking storm of pure, humiliated fury. The utter demolition of his gambling operation—his primary source of independent income—had been a devastating blow. But the true wound was to his pride.
"Fifty-two men," he growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated through the floor. He paced back and forth in front of a terrified-looking Friedrich Colson and a pale, trembling Lina Richard. "Fifty-two of our best enforcers, taken down. Not in a street brawl. Not over the course of a night. But in less than an hour. By a handful of children."
He stopped, whirling to face Friedrich, his massive frame radiating a terrifying aura. "You're my strategist, Colson. Explain it to me. How does a team of five, maybe six people, systematically dismantle my entire operation with military precision? How do they know our exact layout? How do they know our numbers?"
Friedrich flinched, sweat beading on his forehead. "Boss, I… I don't know. It's impossible. Adam Wilson… he's not the same person. He's… different."
"Different?" Kevin sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "He's a cuckold who got lucky! A pathetic loser who stumbled into a bit of power!" His gaze then shifted to Lina, and it was so cold, so full of venom, that even we felt a shiver of fear. "And you. You're our eyes and ears. You're the daughter of the Commanding Head of Police. You were supposed to have him wrapped around your little finger. How did he know? How did they find the location?"
Lina shrank back, her face as white as a sheet. "I… I swear, I don't know, Kevin," she stammered, tears welling in her eyes. "He doesn't talk to me anymore. No one does. Since that incident with Charles, it's like he's a ghost."
While Kevin's fury was a storm front consuming the room, we subtly tuned our ears to the whispers behind us. The grunts, the low-level thugs who had survived the raid, were huddled together, nursing their bruises and their shattered egos.
"Did you hear?" one of them muttered, his voice a low, nervous whisper. "The rumors about the boss… they're getting worse. They're saying he's got a weird thing for his sister, Karen."
"I heard that too," another added, glancing nervously towards Kevin. "That all this rage isn't just about the money. It's because Adam Wilson is a direct threat to his… family."
Maya and I exchanged a fleeting, triumphant glance. Anna's work was spreading like a virus, rotting the Ruthless Animals' morale from the inside out.
"Forget that," a third thug hissed. "How did they find us? It's gotta be that Hailey girl. The Vice-President. She's the only one who's been seen with them. The timeline fits. They were all quiet for a few days, then she meets with them, and boom, we get hit."
The seed of doubt, so carefully planted by Adam, was beginning to sprout.
"ENOUGH!" Kevin's roar silenced the entire room. He was breathing heavily, his hands clenched into fists the size of bricks. He looked like he was about to personally tear Friedrich and Lina apart.
"Kevin."
The voice was calm, measured, and cut through the rage like a scalpel. Hughes Jackson stepped forward from the shadows. He moved with a quiet, deadly grace, his expression unreadable.
"Let them go," Hughes said, his gaze cool and analytical. "Their incompetence is a symptom, not the disease. You are asking the wrong questions."
Kevin turned to him, his rage still simmering. "Then what are the right questions, Hughes?"
"The question is not how Adam Wilson got strong," Hughes began, his voice a low, logical counterpoint to Kevin's fury. "The question is how he got smart. This attack wasn't a brawl; it was an execution. They knew our weak points. They knew our command structure. They bypassed our main enforcers and took out the entire operation with a non-lethal, coordinated assault. This was planned by a military strategist."
He paused, letting his words hang in the air. "And there is only one new variable that has been introduced into this equation since we last saw Adam Wilson. A few days ago, his team had a very public, very friendly meeting with the Student Council President, Nari Han. And who was with them, looking quite comfortable? Your supposed girlfriend, Hailey Banner."
The accusation, delivered with such cold, undeniable logic, landed like a physical blow. The entire room went silent. Kevin's furious expression slowly morphed into one of dawning, horrified suspicion.
"Hailey?" he whispered, the name a strange, wounded sound on his lips.
"She is the only one with the intelligence and the access to orchestrate something like this," Hughes continued, pressing his advantage. "She has been covering for you for years. She knows all your secrets. And now, she is spending her time with your greatest enemy. The logic is unavoidable."
Kevin didn't say anything. He just stood there, the seeds of paranoia and betrayal now firmly planted in his mind. The fury was gone, replaced by a cold, terrifying stillness. We knew, in that moment, that Adam's plan had worked perfectly.
Later, as the meeting broke up in a cloud of fear and suspicion, we found a quiet corner near the exit.
"Did you hear that?" Maya whispered, her eyes shining with a mixture of fear and exhilaration. "They took the bait. They actually believe Hailey is the traitor."
"Hughes served her up on a silver platter," Chloe replied, a small, vicious smile on her lips. "Adam's plan… it's terrifyingly perfect. He's not just fighting them; he's making them eat themselves alive."
"We need to report back," Maya said, her voice dropping even lower. "Our real leader needs to know that the hunt is going exactly as planned."
We shared a final, triumphant look before melting back into the crowd, two perfect, loyal vipers in a den of clueless animals.
(End of the Chloe and Maya's Perspective)
After such an eventful morning, I went straight to the guild room. I found my entire inner circle already there, waiting for me. I sat at the head of the long, rickety table, my gaze sweeping over the faces of my court: Tiffany and Anna, my strategic powerhouses; Padro and Jack, my loyal brawlers; Nari, our new and formidable ally; Stacy and Isabel, my queens of business and battle; Maya and Chloe, looking thrilled to be at the center of the action; Kenji, my silent, unbreakable mountain; and Ken Pots, my first devotee, standing at attention behind my chair. The room was crowded, but it felt right. It felt like a war council.
"Okay, everyone," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet chatter. "What's today's agenda?"
Anna stood, a new, quiet confidence in her posture. "There are a few news items everyone would like to share." She then gestured to our two spies.
Chloe and Maya recounted their story, their voices full of a triumphant, excited energy. When they finished, a wave of impressed murmurs went around the table.
"You two are incredible," Isabel said, a look of genuine respect on her face. Jack whistled. "Damn. Dropping right into the enemy's nest and coming out with their entire battle plan. You guys are amazing." Padro just slammed a fist on the table, a wide, predatory grin on his face. "Excellent! Let them come! We'll be ready for them!"
I gave Chloe and Maya a nod of profound appreciation. "Excellent work, both of you. You've given us the advantage."
"Now for my update," Anna said, her expression turning serious. "Regarding Inspector Steve Richard… he is currently on the run. However, using the trackers I developed, I was able to give the police his real-time location. They are closing in on him as we speak. His career, and his freedom, are over."
Tiffany spoke next, her voice a cool, clinical report of our victory. "From Steve Richard's assets, after a thorough whitewashing process, Phoenix Capital Group has acquired a total of five trillion Funos. This includes all his liquid assets, properties, and the loans Anna took out in his name. From the gambling site raid, we acquired an additional five hundred million Funos."
The numbers hung in the air, so vast, so utterly astronomical, that they seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the room. Jack's jaw dropped. "Five… trillion? Are you serious? With a 'T'?" Padro looked completely bewildered. "Leader, that's… that's an insane amount of money. Why… why didn't we know about this part of the plan?"
His question broke the spell, and a flicker of unease rippled through the combat-focused members of the team. I met their gazes, my own expression calm and unyielding.
"Because while all of you were training, fighting, and gathering intel on the streets, the finance and intelligence division was doing their work in the shadows," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument. "Everyone has their role. Ours is to fight the battles. Theirs is to fund the war. We don't question each other's methods; we trust in the results."
The dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by a dawning understanding.
Anna continued, her own confidence bolstered. "With Steve's arrest, the Ruthless Animals have now lost their primary political backing within the police force. They are more vulnerable than ever." She paused, then looked at me. "Leader, there is one more thing." She took a deep breath. "I received my first message from our new asset just an hour ago. The information they provided… it's significant. It contains information about a major drug cartel operating underground in the city. The information is fragmented, a bit is still missing, but the agent believes the Ruthless Animals have a direct connection. I think it will take more time to get the full picture."
"It's okay," I said. "Focus on what you can. You'll get the full picture later. Good work, Anna."
Stacy then cleared her throat. "On that note," she said, her voice a smooth, confident purr, "we have the first official board meeting for Phoenix Capital Group this afternoon. The new recruits are settled, and it's time to set our first-quarter goals. Leader, your presence is required."
"I'll be there," I confirmed.
Finally, Isabel stood up, a proud, radiant smile on her face. "Before we adjourn, I want to introduce everyone to the two best men from the bootcamp." She gestured to the door. "Come on in, you two."
The door opened, and two familiar figures walked in, standing at attention. My eyes widened in recognition. They were the same two boys who had fought so gallantly against Friedrich and Charles during their first ambush.
One was a tall, muscular young man who stood at least 6-foot-2, built like a mountain. The other had a more normal, leaner physique, but his eyes burned with the quiet, intense fire of a lion.
"This is Leo, and this is Axel," Isabel announced, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "They have shown more grit, determination, and raw potential than anyone else in the guild. I'm promoting them from the general membership to our core combat team."
They both looked at me, their expressions a mixture of awe and a fierce, unwavering loyalty. A deep sense of pride swelled in my chest. Our army was growing stronger. The pieces were all on the board. And the hunt was about to truly begin.