VENGEANCE RISES

"Shattered Illusions"

****

Meanwhile, Kelita had been standing with Kadmiel"s son for a while. He had been

inquisitive about the ongoing events in the house, though he did not understand much, he

wanted to understand what was really going on.

But Kelita was not going to be the one to give him that information, she believed he was

too little to know all that happened.

She distracted him with another story while still trying to pay attention to what Kadmiel,

Leah and her parents had been discussing.

Kelita and Kadmiel"s son seemed to bond a lot during the little time they spent together.

She hoped and silently prayed that Kadmiel wins this case, she would be the best aunt in

the world to the twins, she looked at them both and admired how cute they had been.

“Precious little darlings.” She said underneath her breathe.

*****The drama in the house was still ongoing.

Kadmiel stood still, a faint smile played across his face.

The demand of one million from Leah"s mother did not seem to bug him in the least. One

million was a very little amount for him.

But it was Leah’s reaction and feelings that mattered most.

Her expression showed neither excitement nor relief. Instead, her eyes were clouded with

exhaustion. He believed that it was because they all had a long day. She needed to rest, but

it was far from it.

Leah stepped forward, her voice firm but weary.

"Kadmiel, I am not a gold digger. I never wanted this." She gestured vaguely around the

room.

“The only reason I even considered meeting Young Master Wilson was because I feared

for my family’s safety. I, personally was not looking for his money, but he is very powerful

and influential, that is exactly what I was scared of."

Kadmiel nodded slowly, realizing the weight of her words.

Her pride was not something to be toyed with.

“I understand you, Leah. I know that giving your family one million or any amount would

only hurt your self-esteem.

”Leah’s mother, however, was unimpressed by their quiet conversation.

Her eyes were filled with disgust as she watched the two of them. “Enough of all this

nonsense!” she snapped, stepping between them.

“If you are so sure you can get the money, then do it. Otherwise, get out of our house!

Idiot!

Her hand trembled with frustration as she pointed towards the door. “And do not even think

about stepping foot in here again unless you have the money with you. One million dollars,

Kadmiel! Or nothing!”

Just as Kadmiel opened his mouth to give her a fitting reply, a loud bang echoed through

the house.

The front door was kicked open with such force that it swung violently on its hinges,

crashing into the wall.

Everyone turned to see a group of rugged men storming inside. At the centre of all the

men was a tall, muscular man with a scar running down his cheek.

His presence immediately sent a chill through the room. Kadmiel though, was unmoved.

Leah gasped and instinctively pulled her daughter closer. Kelita held Kadmiel"s son tightly.

Leah’s mother’s face paled, while her father’s hands clenched tightly by his sides.

The tension in the room thickened and was very evident on the faces of everyone.

“Who are they?” Leah whispered, her voice trembling.The scarred man, Jae, swaggered

into the center of the room, his eyes beaming with malice.

“We are here for what belongs to us!” He shouted, his voice booming.

“When are you paying back the money you owe us? The principal and interest of the 1.1

million you owe us?”

Leah’s mother stepped back, her eyes wide with fear. "We, we just need more time."

Jae laughed, a low, sinister sound that sent shivers through everyone. “Time? Do you think

we care about time? I feel we have given you enough time, haven"t we boys? He gestured

toward his men, who fanned out, surrounding the room.

“If you can’t pay us soon, we will sell your entire family to make up for it.”

Leah’s father, who had remained silent until now, tried to stand tall.

“You can’t do that, I do not think that is even legal. We just need a little more…”

“Shut up, shameless old man,” Jae snapped, taking a long threatening step forward.

“We are not here to negotiate. Either you pay what you owe, or we take what we want.”

Kadmiel, who had remained silent during the exchange, finally spoke up. His voice was

calm but commanding.

“This family do not owe you anything.” Jae’s eyes snapped to Kadmiel, sizing him up. He

sneered. “And who the hell are you?”

Kadmiel stepped forward, standing between Jae and Leah’s family.

“I am the one who’s going to settle this,” he said simply. “You will get your principal. But

you are not getting any interest, and you are not going to harass this family again.”

Jae’s stare deepened. “You think you can tell me what to do, huh?” He took a step closer,

his hand hovering over the hilt of a knife strapped to his belt.

“I do not care who you are, and quite frankly I do not even want to know who you are, but

you are about to regret sticking your nose where it does not belong.”

Before anyone could react, Jae lunged at Kadmiel, aiming to strike him with the knife. But

Kadmiel was quicker. In one swift, fluid motion, he caught Jae’s wrist and twisted it sharply.

The knife fell to the ground as Jae cried out in pain.

Kadmiel’s eyes were cold as he tightened his grip on Jae’s arm. “I warned you, but nitwits

like you never listen.” He said quietly. With a flick of his wrist, he sent Jae crashing to the

floor.

Jae groaned in pain, holding on to his arm. His men hesitated, watching their leader

groaning on the ground.

For a brief moment, there was silence in the room.Then, chaos erupted.The remaining

bullies charged forward, their eyes burning with anger.

They rushed at Kadmiel, but he stood his ground, moving with the precision of someone

who had faced much worse.

With each swing of his arm, another man fell, groaning in pain as they hit the floor. It was

almost effortless for him.

Leah’s family watched in stunned silence as Kadmiel dispatched the attackers one by

one. But as more of them swarmed towards him, Leah’s mother’s fear morphed into fury.

"This is your fault!" she shouted at Kadmiel, her voice cracking.

“You brought this trouble into our house! You are the one putting us in danger!"Leah’s

father nodded in agreement, his voice shaking.

"We never had these problems before you came back into our lives! Now look, just one

day and we are in so much trouble, thanks to you.

Even as the accusations flew at him, Kadmiel continued to fight, his movements very

precise.

He barely broke a sweat as he defended himself and the family, but their words cut deeper

than any physical blow.

In the midst of the chaos, Leah’s daughter began to cry, her tiny sobs piercing through the

noise. Leah rushed to comfort her, her eyes filled with agony.

She glanced at Kadmiel, her heart aching. She did not want this violence, but she could

not ignore the fact that Kadmiel was protecting them.

“Kadmiel,” Leah whispered, her voice barely audible amidst the noise.

“Please… stop.” Kadmiel paused, holding one of the bullies by the collar. His eyes

flickered over to Leah, seeing the fear and exhaustion in her gaze.

With a deep breath, he released the man, who crumpled to the floor in a heap.

But the leader, Jae, had managed to stagger to his feet, his face twisted in rage. “You

think this is over?” he roared in pain.

“You are dead, all of you!”Before Jae could continue his threat, a new figure entered the

scene.

A woman with fiery red hair and sharp, piercing eyes. Phoenix, Kadmiel’s loyal

subordinate, stepped into the room with a calm but deadly air about her. “Is it my turn now?”

Phoenix asked, her voice deceptively sweet as she surveyed the room full of injured

bullies.

Kadmiel nodded once, stepping back. “Take care of them,” he said simply.

Without hesitation, Phoenix moved swiftly, grabbing Jae by the collar and dragging him

towards the door. “Let’s go,” she hissed.

“Unless you want to lose more than your pride today.”The other bullies, seeing the look in

Phoenix’s eyes, quickly scrambled to their feet and followed her out.

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving the room in silence.

Leah’s mother was the first to speak, her voice trembling with both fear and anger. “Do

you see what you have caused?

You have ruined everything! First Leah’s life, and now our future! We were already

struggling, and now you have made it much..much worse!”

Kadmiel turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “You have nothing to fear. I will

make sure your debts are paid.”

But Leah’s mother was not listening. She was too consumed by her resentment, her fear,

her anger. “You have destroyed us! You should never have come back!”