While I Prayed for Him, He Betrayed Me

Chapter 4

To his dying breath, my father refused to lay eyes on me.

His last words weren't for me and they were for Damian alone. "Raven is a cold-blooded, selfish monster. Mark my words, Damian, she'll ruin you."

After storming out of the hospital, I floored the accelerator at the racetrack, letting the engine scream into the night.

But Damian's words clung to me like shards of glass, sharper than the wind howling against my skin.

"Boss, we intercepted the video. Traced it straight back to our South City rivals."

Arthur's face remained grim as he added, "Damian went straight to the ancestral estate after leaving the hospital. The elders are summoning you and it's not for tea and sympathy."

I gave a terse nod, ordering him to prepare my contingency items.

When I strode into the ancestral hall, there was Damian, sprawled in the patriarch's chair like he owned the place.

The jade patriarch's ring glinted beside him.

I'd spent years hunting for that damn thing. Imagine my surprise when my father willed it to his golden boy instead.

Kevin, my Kevin, came thundering in, cane pounding the floor, face purple with rage.

When Arthur moved to shield me, guards knocked him to his knees.

"Arthur! After decades of service, you disgrace the Gray name by enabling this witch!"

With a snap of his fingers, bruisers forced me before my father's memorial tablet.

"The Gray Family bows only to strength. This reckless brat has no ring, no right to lead! Starting today,Damian takes everything you've built. You'll grovel here until you remember your place!"

My place? Hilarious.

I'd bled to make Gray Group the undisputed ruler of South City's underworld.

Now they wanted to cut me loose? A classic case of kicking the ladder after climbing it.

Muscle memory took over. I hooked my leg behind the nearest guard's knee and sent him crashing into an ancestral tablet.

The hall erupted, and shouts, scuffles, the clatter of overturned furniture.

Damian lunged from behind. I twisted, driving my fist into his ribs. He barely flinched before his boot slammed into my kneecap.

White-hot pain exploded through my legs. I collapsed face-first toward the doorway.

Pearl-white heels entered my blurry vision.

Clara loomed above me in her virginal white dress, eyes glacial, lips curled in triumph.

Damian seized my hair and smashed my forehead against the floorboards.

"Raven, enough lies. Apologize to Clara. Now."

Blood streaked down my temple just as Clara lunged, and her palm cracked against my cheek once, twice.

"You monster! Where's my baby?"

Her nails carved crimson trenches down my face.

When Damian finally pulled her off, she thrashed in his arms like a wild animal as he murmured empty comforts.

"Clara, don't be scared. I'm right here," he whispered urgently, his voice tight with tension.

My eyes burned red as I slapped my hand against my waist, finding my gun was gone.

Damian stood frozen, my weapon clenched in his fist while he cradled Clara's shaking body against him. His gaze snapped to me, taking in my ruined appearance, his lips pressed into a hard line.

"I'm taking Clara to a new place," he spat through gritted teeth. "You'll stay here and reflect on your actions until then."

The heavy doors slammed shut with a final, echoing thud, locked.

I pushed to my feet, my eyes sweeping across the ancestral hall, this gilded cage of hypocrisy. A broken laugh escaped me, tears cutting tracks down my face as I grabbed the nearest object and smashed it against the wall. Piece by piece, I reduced the entire hall to wreckage.

Late into the night, flames began devouring the wooden beams, their eerie glow staining the darkness. By the time Damian came rushing back, the whole structure was engulfed in roaring fire.

Kevin and the elders reeled back, gasping as if about to faint.

"Save her! Get her out!" Damian roared, his voice raw. "Raven's still inside!"

"Stop! You'll get killed!" Clara wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind.

But his panic only grew, until Arthur staggered into view.

The moment Damian saw what was in Arthur's hands, he went still. The entire courtyard froze, shock locking everyone in place.