Chapter 94

Sir Desmond, the Kade family’s senior butler, rushed onto the pool deck. His usual unshakable composure was gone, replaced by a pale, sweat streak face filled with urgency.

He didn’t wait for the bodyguards to announce him, he just hurried straight toward the edge of the pool, and nearly slipped on the wet floor.

"Young Master Renzo!" Desmond called out in a voice filled with panic while bowing his head slightly. "I apologize for the interruptions

Louis Kade sat up abruptly, almost spilling his champagne.

"Jesus! Desmond what the hell?! Can’t you see we’re..."

"Shut up, Louis!" Renzo barked, pushing himself off the edge of the pool and standing fully. The water cascaded off his tone chest as he glared at the old butler. "Desmond, this better be the confirmation I’ve been waiting for. Did Ivan finish the job?"

Desmond reached the edge of the pool, clutching a mobile phone as if it were a ticking time bomb. His chest heaved as he struggled to find his breath.

"Sir... I just received a call from Mr. Ivan not too long ago. It was... It was chaotic sir. There was the sound of screaming, fighting, and what sounded like a car crash in the background before he cut the call."

Renzo’s brow furrowed.

"Fighting? I thought I told him to handle a single man, not start a gang war in the middle of the docks. Is that man a fool?"

"No, sir, you don’t understand," Desmond stammered, his eyes growing wide with fear. "Ivan was hysterical. He only managed to get a few sentences out before the line went dead. He said... he said the man you sent him to handle is not normal."

Renzo stepped out of the pool, with a silk robe immediately being draped over his shoulders by a hovering servant, though he didn’t even acknowledge the gesture.

"What are you talking about? He is a student who goes to a low class university and a pretty faced nobody who got lucky with Nyx."

Desmond shook his head vigorously, his voice trembling.

"Sir, Ivan’s exact words were that... the man called Alex Walker was a bloody Awakened. He said that the boy is currently dismantling his entire operation in this part of the city alone. He also claimed that the boy was moving faster than the eye could follow and using some kind of black ice to slaughter his men. The last thing I heard before the call was cut off was Ivan screaming and a loud car crash."

The resort, which had been so peaceful moments ago, suddenly felt like the center of a brewing storm. Even the supermodels in the pool, who had no idea what was happening, went still the moment they sensed the shift in the atmosphere. Louis Kade stood frozen with his mouth hanging open in shock.

Renzo, meanwhile, felt a cold shiver that had nothing to do with the water still on his skin. He just stood perfectly still with the silk of his robe fluttering in the ocean breeze.

Every single word that came out from Desmond’s mouth echoed in his mind, shattering the carefully constructed fantasy he had been nurturing all afternoon.

"Awakened?" Renzo repeated.

The word hung in the air, thick and heavy. His face which was usually so arrogant and controlled was now contorted into an expression of pure shock. The realization hit him like a sucker punch to the gut.

He even began replaying every detail he could think of. Now it was so obvious! Why hadn’t he seen it before! So the main reason why Nyx decided to make that trash her so called boyfriend was because in a way she also wanted the trash closer since he was an Awakened!

"No..." Louis muttered while shaking his head. "That’s not possible. That guy? He just looks like some random pretty boy for crying out loud. There’s no way...."

Renzo raised a hand, silencing Louis before the young man could continue his rambling.

For several long seconds, nothing much as a peep left Renzo’s mouth. He just stood there in silence as the ocean breeze swept through the luxurious resort rustling the beautiful palm trees surrounding the private pool, while the distant sound of waves echoed faintly.

Yet despite this beautiful scenery and the seductive women still lounging around the water, the tension hanging over the area had become almost suffocating.

The thought of Alex being an awakened was making him run mad, but then he calmed down. First and foremost, he wasn’t just a rich heir of any family. No! He was a Kade, and a Kade’s first instinct when faced with a threat was to measure its height before cutting it down.

"All of you," Renzo said calmly. "Get out now."

The supermodels exchanged nervous glances with each other. Even the attendants stiffened. Nobody dared question him because everyone present understood one thing clearly. That is; whenever Renzo Kade spoke in that kind of voice, then it meant his mood was dangerously close to unstable. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Within seconds, the girls hurriedly climbed out of the pool, grabbing silk robes and towels while avoiding eye contact with the young master entirely. While the attendants bowed deeply and ushered the women away toward the resort’s private villas. Even the bodyguards stationed nearby retreated.

Soon only three people remained; Renzo, still glistening from the pool; Louis, who had risen to his feet with a mixture of confusion and lingering disbelief; and Desmond, the old butler who was still clutching the phone like it was worth 24 carat gold.

Renzo adjusted the rope around his shoulders and stepped toward a cluster of lounge chairs under a wide umbrella. He lowered himself into one of them calmly, and gestured for the others to join him.

"Sit down. Both of you."

Louis obeyed first, dropping into the seat opposite his cousin, while Desmond remained standing at a respectful distance, though he did manage to edge closer to the table.

Renzo exhaled slowly while running a hand through his wet blonde hair.

"The fact that he is an Awakened startled me, I won’t deny it. After all, an Awakened hiding in plain sight as some college pretty boy is really... unexpected. But it doesn’t really change anything much."

His eyes hardened as the initial shock gave way to the familiar arrogance that defined him.

"The results will remain the same as it has always been. Alex Walker dies tonight."

"But Renzo," Louis stammered while wrapping a towel around his neck. "An Awakened...? That changes everything! And if what Ivan says is true and he is truly an Awakened then we’re not just dealing with a random pretty boy. We’re dealing with a damn freak of nature! We should be calling the main house, we should..."

"Quiet, Louis," Renzo snapped, his eyes flashing with barely suppressed irritation. "Use that head of yours for something other than choosing champagne and thinking of the next girl that would warm your bed. Can’t you think? Alex Walker is just a college student. If he had been an Awakened for years, he wouldn’t be sitting in a lecture hall at a low class university. He would have been be a government asset or one of the Awakened subordinates of the big behemoth in the capital or maybe he would have even been sought by other powerful nations.

"So the fact that he’s now showing his hand means he’s a late bloomer, a novice who just newly Awakened. Think of him as more of a flickering spark that could turn into a wildfire one day. And we Kades don’t let any flickering fire burn for long."

Renzo turned towards the butler.

"Desmond, why don’t you remind my cousin of the Kade’s family’s standing in the city."

Desmond straightened his suit, regaining his previous professional bearing and said.

"Why of course, Young Master. The Kade family currently maintains a direct contract with eleven confirmed Awakened. Eight of which are in the Early Realm. Two are in the next realm which is the vanguard realm, and serve as your father’s primary enforcers. And of course, there is the Elder, the monster in the Ascendant Realm whose power is.... Well, it is the reason why we are feared even by the three underworld rulers. I hope you remember now, Young Master Louis?"

Louis nodded prompting Renzo to continue.

"You see? Alex Walker is just like a tiny drop of water compared to the Kade family, which is practically an ocean. All I just need to do is send two of our Early Realm Awakened to go finish him off. They will corner him, break his legs, hands and... his accursed dick! before bringing him to me so that I can show him what happens to those who dare come near Nyx."

Desmond bowed low.

"A truly brilliant move, sir. Two Early Realm Awakened should be more than enough to suppress a newly Awakened student without causing us much trouble."

"Wait!" Louis suddenly interjected with a voice that was uncharacteristically firm.