Wrath of The Dragon General.

My Hunt Has Begun

Nobody replied at first. The hall fell into complete silence after Dante spoke. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the Virelli family understood that the man standing before them was no longer the same person they once knew.

Then Marcello suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Damien joined in almost immediately, as if it was a cue. A few guests around them tried to hold back their amusement, but the room soon filled with quiet chuckles and whispers.

“Just look at him,” Marcello said, still laughing. He pointed at Dante like he was pointing at something ridiculous. “Did you see his face when he said all that? Like he thinks he is the Dragon General himself. Except the weak, useless version.”

Damien snorted, shaking his head.

Caterina stepped forward and stopped in front of Dante. She looked at him from head to toe, her expression full of irritation and something close to disgust.

“You are pathetic,” she said plainly. “Did prison damage your head? You walk in here making threats like you hold any power. You are nothing now, Dante.”

Dante’s eyes did not move away from her. His tone remained steady.

“I made Virelli Holdings what it is today. I married you, I supported your brothers. I built the foundation your family stands on. And after everything, you all turned your backs on me. You framed me, threw me away, and expected me to vanish.” His voice was calm, without shouting. “So yes, I am here to take back what is mine.”

Mateo scoffed. “You built Virelli Holdings? Dante, you—”

“Not another word from you, Mateo.” Dante’s voice cut sharply across the room.

His adoptive father, who had been stepping forward as if to speak, froze where he stood. Susan, beside him, looked uncertain for the first time that evening.

Dante looked directly at them. His expression was not angry. It was tired. Heavy.

“You were farmers before I came into your home,” he said quietly. “You struggled every day. I understood that. I did not blame you for not being able to give me the same education other children had. But while I worked hard to help, you both spent what little you earned drinking in taverns or buying clothes you could not afford to impress people who didn’t care. I was left to fend for myself most of the time.”

Mateo and Susan both shifted uncomfortably.

“But I did not complain. I took small jobs. I learned how to manage trade. I saved every coin I could. By nineteen, I opened my first store. And after ten years of work, mistakes, and effort, Virelli Holdings was born. The biggest trading company in Monterio.”

He paused. His gaze moved to Caterina again.

“And how was I repaid? On our third wedding anniversary, I walked in and found my wife in bed with another man.”

Gasps spread through the hall.

Caterina’s face tightened, but she did not deny it.

“That same day,” Dante continued, “I was arrested for fraud. The charges were false. The evidence was planted. And the ones who planted it were standing right beside me in court, pretending to be victims.”

His eyes shifted to Damien and Marcello.

“And you two testified against me.”

He looked again to Mateo and Susan.

“And the parents I worked to support, the parents I respected, stood there and called me a criminal.”

Dante’s voice lowered.

“That was how I was repaid.”

Silence fell. Not the uneasy silence from earlier. This one was heavier. Real.

“And now,” Dante said, his words slow and clear, “I stand here as Grand Duke Dante Virelli. Dragon General of the Eastern Front. And I will not allow any of you to continue living comfortably off the life you stole.”

A soft wave of whispers spread through the hall.

“Grand Duke?”

“Is he serious?”

“Is he really the Dragon General?”

“If that is true, the Virelli family is finished,” someone muttered.

“Oh, come on,” another voice broke out loudly. “Do not be foolish. Look at him. Do you truly believe this man is the Dragon General?”

Everyone turned.

It was Xavier Santoro, heir to the Santoro family and well-known in Monterio’s political circles. A close ally to the throne.

Caterina’s expression lit up instantly. She hurried toward him and held onto his arm.

“Thank God you’re here,” she said in relief. “You met the Grand Duke personally, right? And you said you sent him an invitation. Tell everyone the truth. Tell them this man is lying.”

Xavier smirked slightly and looked straight at Dante.

The same man Dante had seen in bed with Caterina five years ago.

Dante’s hand slowly curled into a fist at his side.

“That’s right. Xavier is finally here. He will prove whether this man is real or fake,” Marcello said, regaining his bravado. For a moment he had feared everything was lost.

“Of course he is not the Dragon General. Look at him. Does he look like the feared commander the five great nations whisper about? How can you all be so gullible?” Xavier put a possessive hand on Caterina’s arm as if to humiliate Dante in front of everyone.

Dante did not react. He was not the same man who had once fallen to his knees begging Caterina to explain her betrayal. That man was gone.

“Funny,” Dante said calmly. “You said you met the Dragon General, Xavier. Strange that I never met you.”

“What is with that tone, loser?” Xavier scoffed. “You still call yourself the Dragon General? Are you so desperate to win your wife back? Newsflash, she is with me now. I am the real man. You are a nobody. Try to impersonate the Dragon General and you will be back in prison. This time you will not walk free. I promise you that.”

“That’s the kind of man she deserves,” Damien said, clapping Xavier on the back. “The Santoro heir is the only one fit for my sister.” Others nearby nodded and whispered their agreement.

Most of the guests believed Xavier’s confident words over Dante’s calm warning. The room shifted toward the idea that Dante was a desperate pretender.

“That is fine,” Dante replied, his voice flat. “I do not care who Caterina sleeps with.”

The look on Caterina’s face hardened. She had expected him to plead. He did not. She felt an old anger at the lack of fear.

“All I want is retribution,” Dante said. He raised a finger and spoke slowly. “One month. You all have one month to do what I asked. When the month ends, if my command is not carried out—” He paused and gave a small tilt of a smile that was more a promise than a joke. “You will feel pain you cannot yet imagine.”

He turned to leave. The room exhaled. Some guests smiled, thinking it was over. Xavier, however, stepped forward and called after him.

“Not so fast,” Xavier said as he walked toward Dante.

“You gave your ultimatum, Dante. Now I will give mine.” Xavier put his hand in his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He held it up like a prize. “This is the invitation to my and Caterina’s wedding. It will be in one month. I am inviting you to come and watch your wife marry me. Consider this your last chance to accept reality.”

Xavier’s voice carried across the hall, polite but mocking. People nudged each other and leaned in. Caterina’s smug smile widened.

Dante did not flinch. He reached out and took the envelope between two fingers as if it were nothing more than trash. He held it for a beat, then dropped it lightly into his coat.

“Thank you for the invitation,” Dante said quietly. “I will come.”

A cold silence fell. Xavier’s smile faltered for a fraction.

“And when that day comes,” Dante added, his voice low and steady, “the happiest day of your lives will be the beginning of the worst days you have ever known.”