Free Web NovelChapter 11: 11 | Step-Mother’s Visit
Dexter almost burst out in happiness right there and then. All his investments actually came back to him! Well, not the cash but even then, these returns were terrifying.
Just cooking for a few hours and he gained 2 months worth of cultivation. If he did this everyday, wouldn’t he break through to Super hero stage in less than a month?
It was too terrifying to even think about!
Dexter accepted without hesitation.
The knowledge flooded into his mind — new techniques, new recipes, new understanding of how food and cultivation intersected. His hands tingled as the cooking skill upgraded, muscle memory forming for movements he’d never made.
Two more months of cultivation. Added to the ten months he’d already received, that was a full year of compressed mana refinement in less than forty-eight hours.
He was still weak. Still at the bottom of the power hierarchy. But he was climbing.
...
Dexter’s smile vanished instantly. His E-rank Enhanced Hearing activated and he picked up the sound of a heavy, idling engine outside the gate.
He walked cautiously to the front door, unlocked the heavy new deadbolt, and stepped onto the porch.
Standing outside the gate was a massive, clean-cut bodyguard wearing a tailored black suit and dark sunglasses. He stood with his hands folded in front of him.
Behind him, a long black Rolls-Royce sat parked against the curb. The rear door of the luxury car opened, and another bodyguard, holding a large black umbrella, helped a woman step out onto the cracked asphalt.
The woman walked elegantly up the concrete path toward the gate.
She looked to be in her late thirties, but her smooth, pale skin and flawless features made her look no older than nineteen. She had long, raven-black hair streaked with elegant silver at the temples, sharp, aristocratic cheekbones, and eyes the color of winter ice. She wore a dark designer dress that likely cost more than Dexter’s entire house, and her every movement oozed a cold, effortless authority.
"Stepmother," Dexter said, his voice going completely flat.
Valentina Ashford.
She was the primary wife of Aldric Ashford, the current leader of the family. She was the woman who had orchestrated Dexter’s suffering and isolation since he was a child.
Valentina had never laid a hand on him herself—she was far too intelligent for physical violence.
Instead, she had simply reduced him to a life of slavery, suffering and pain. She had spent ten years trying to make him invisible, to erase his very existence. And even killed a few of the servants for pitying him. Those who show him affection either ends up dead or maimed.
"Dexter, darling," Valentina said, her perfect smile not reaching her cold, winter-blue eyes. "May I come in?"
Without waiting for his invitation, the lead bodyguard opened the gate, and Valentina walked past Dexter, stepping into the small bungalow.
She surveyed the small living room with barely concealed disdain, her ice-blue eyes lingering on the worn sofas and old tv.
"How... cozy," Valentina murmured, her gaze moving slowly around the room. "I see you’ve made yourselves at home."
"What do you want, Valentina?" Dexter growled.
Valentina’s smile sharpened. "Can’t a mother check on her dear son?"
"My mother died when I was born."
"True, a truly mysterious death." Valentina glanced at him and chuckled then smoothly, walked slowly around the room.
She paused near the dining table, her cold gaze falling on the three women.
"The Crimson Valkyrie, Shadow Saintess and the illustrious Eternal Ice Princess Tempest." She let out a soft, mocking tutting sound. "Such a waste. Three brilliant heroes, reduced to... this. And married to a useless, bastard."
She turned to Dexter, her head tilting like a curious bird. "Your father was quite generous, don’t you think? He could have ignired the plea of the three families. Instead, he let you marry the three useless and famous cripple. ."
Dexter’s eyes narrowed. "I am asking again. What do you want, Valentina? Since I no longer have ties to the Ashford family, I can have you arrested for trespassing."
Valentina’s smile slowly vanished, and for a brief second, her mask of high-class elegance slipped, revealing a cold, ruthless expression.
"Very well," she said quietly.
"Your father is concerned about the safety of your three wives. We heard of the attack from the thugs and ask me to deliver a warning."
"If anything happens to these three girls under your roof, the Ashford family will hand you over to the Calloway, Vance, and Frost families as a sacrifice to appease their anger."
Dexter let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Banish me to this run-down house and then threaten me? You’ve already thrown me away, Valentina. Your threats mean nothing to me."
"Get the fuck out of my house, and tell Aldric I’ve severed ties with the family as per the contract. The safety of my wives are my concern alone. I and the Ashford family have nothing to do with each other. So leave."
Valentina’s expression did not change, but her gaze hardened. "Brave words for a useless kid."
She turned to leave, pausing as she reached the heavy front door. She looked back over her shoulder, her lips curving into a terrible, beautiful smile.
"Oh, Dexter? One more thing before I go."
"What?"
"The official investigation into the SSS-rank gate incident has finally been closed," she whispered, her voice carrying a chilling trace of amusement. "It turns out the gate was not misclassified by accident. Someone intentionally altered the records to trap those three girls inside that dungeon permanently."
She let out a soft, mocking chuckle. "If they wanted them dead back then, you might want to ask yourself... will they want to finish the job now?"
