Shadow of Power and Desire: Revenge and Obsession

Chapter 01.

Chapter 1. Thrown Out Like Trash

The main door of the mansion slammed shut. Arsen stood on the stone terrace, soaked by the hail. Blood dripped from his lip, while his left eye was swollen from the guard's punch.

Maya stood behind the half-open glass door. In her hand she held a thick stack of papers — their marriage certificate.

"What do you want with that paper?" Arsen asked.

"Erasing a mistake," Maya answered flatly.

_Rrip._

She tore the document in two, folded it, tore it again, then threw the shreds into the muddy puddle near Arsen's feet.

"Three years, Maya. Is this how it ends?"

"You were never more than an accessory, Arsen," Maya replied coldly.

"A charity case that overstayed its welcome. Look at yourself now. You are nothing."

"I did all the dirty work your father asked for."

A middle-aged man stepped out from behind Maya. Her father. The man stared at Arsen, leaned forward, and spat right in Arsen's face.

"Get out of my house!" the old man barked. "Or I'll have my men throw you into the gutter where you came from."

Arsen didn't wipe the blood from his cheek. His heart had gone numb. "I won't beg."

Maya laughed cynically.

"Of course not. You just need to leave. You have no money, no connections, and no self-respect. Go, Arsen. Let this city swallow you alive."

"Remember this day, Arsen."

"Go!" Maya shouted, then slammed the door shut.

Arsen turned around. He walked down the gravel road toward the main gate without looking back. Once outside the gate, he stopped under a dim streetlight. He was kicked out with nothing, only the wet clothes on his back and a cheap phone in his pocket.

Suddenly, the phone vibrated. The screen lit up displaying a long string of numbers that looked like a random code. Arsen frowned, then pressed answer.

"Who is this?"

"The chain is broken, Arsen," a heavy, firm voice said from the other side.

"I asked, who is this? How do you know my number?" Arsen said firmly.

"That's not important. What matters is what just happened to you. You were thrown away like trash."

Arsen clenched his cold hand. "If you just want to mock me, I'll hang up."

"Wait. Your time in disguise is over. That family's door may have closed on you, but your real inheritance is waiting."

"What inheritance? I have no one."

"That's the lie you had to believe to stay alive until today. But now they have crossed the line." The voice paused for a moment, a soft breath could be heard.

"A black car is waiting for you at the end of the block. Get in, if you are ready to reclaim what was stolen from your bloodline."

"What if I refuse?" Arsen asked hesitantly.

"Then you freeze to death on the street tonight. The choice is yours, Young Master."

The call ended.

Arsen was still holding the phone. The rain was still falling. He looked to the end of the block. There really was a black car. A black Maybach. Parked with its hazard lights on.

Arsen walked toward it. His clothes were still wet. The blood on his lip was still there. He didn't wipe it off.

The car door opened. An old man got out. He wore a black suit and held an umbrella for Arsen.

"Young Master Arsen?" the old man asked.

"Were you the one who called?" Arsen asked.

"Yes. My name is Jatmiko."

"What do you want?"

Jatmiko opened the car door. "Please get in first. It's cold outside. I'll explain inside."

Arsen got in. Inside the car it was warm. There was hot tea. There was a blanket. So different from outside.

The car drove slowly.

"I've been looking for you for three years, Sir," Jatmiko said. "I finally found you today."

"Don't call me Young Master. My name is Arsen Adinata," Arsen said.

"That's not your real name, Sir. Your real name is Arsen Kael Azura."

Arsen was shocked. "Azura? The Azura family that owns Azura Tower?"

"Yes. You are the only child of that family."

Arsen shook his head. "Impossible. The Azura heir died in a fire twenty years ago. Everyone knows that."

"That is indeed the story we made up," Jatmiko said. "At that time someone wanted to kill you. So you had to be hidden. Your mother ordered it."

Jatmiko gave a wooden box to Arsen. "This is from your mother."

Arsen opened the box. Inside was a ring. A black silver ring, with a black stone in the middle. There was a dragon engraving. Underneath it was a black card. A bank card. It said ARSEN KAEL AZURA.

There was also a photo. A photo of a woman holding a baby. Beautiful. On the back of the photo there was writing. _For my Arsen._

"That is your mother, Sir," Jatmiko said. "She died in that fire saving you."

Arsen held the photo. His hands were cold.

"Who started the fire?" Arsen asked.

"The Wijaya family," Jatmiko answered. "Your in-laws."

Arsen was silent. He clenched his fist. So all this time he had been working for the people who killed his own mother.

"Why are you only showing up now?" Arsen asked.

"Because you were still being watched. If we had appeared, you could have been killed," Jatmiko said. "But this morning your father, Master Kael, just passed away. All the inheritance falls to you now. It can no longer be delayed."

Arsen put on the ring. It fit his finger perfectly.

"So all of this is mine?" Arsen asked.

"Yes. Azura Tower, the bank, the harbor, all of it is yours now," Jatmiko said.

Arsen looked out the window. The city passed by. The lights of the buildings passed by. He remembered Maya's face laughing earlier. He remembered Maya's father spitting on him.

He used to have nothing. Now he had everything.

"Jatmiko," Arsen said.

"Yes, Young Master?"

"Take me to Azura Tower."

"Right away."

"And tomorrow morning, I want all of Wijaya's accounts frozen."

Jatmiko nodded. "Yes, Young Master."

The black car kept driving. Leaving the mansion far behind. The shreds of the marriage certificate that Maya had torn earlier were still in the muddy puddle. But Arsen no longer looked back.