My Cuckhold System

Chapter 276: You’re Finally Awake

They wondered who exactly this young man was and why he so close to Yelena...

Why did the children seem completely comfortable around him?

Benjamin had even fallen asleep earlier resting against West’s side before one of the maids carried him upstairs.

Mia too remained unusually attached to him... they had no choice but to assume he was a family friend.

Others believed he was simply one of Darius’ subordinates.

However, a couple of them recognized him as the leader of Shadow Reapers.

The rapidly rising gang leader who had become increasingly famous on the local news recently.

However even the ones who recognized him suspected absolutely nothing.

Shadow Reapers and Eagles Print had never clashed after all, neither were they aware that the one who was responsible for the family missing five days back was West.

Meanwhile, West looked heartbroken, concerned and protective so they had reason to believe he was just initially close to the family.

One Eagles Print member even approached eventually with heavily tattooed scars running across his jaw.

"You were there?"

West slowly nodded while the man clenched his fists.

"...Did boss suffer?"

West paused briefly before answering quietly. "No. It even seemed as though he was winning..."

The awakened visibly relaxed slightly hearing that. "Thank you... for trying to help..."

West nodded while one particularly massive awakened stepped forward.

His body looked like it had been carved from granite with veins protruding heavily across tattoo-covered arms while a thick beard covered his hardened face.

He looked toward Yelena seriously. "Mrs Bentley," he spoke with a very deep voice.

"We swear to you..." he clenched his fist tightly. "...whoever did this to boss will pay for it."

Several other Eagles Print members immediately voiced their agreement.

"We’ll hunt him down."

"No matter where he hides."

"He won’t escape Eagles Print."

"We’ll rip him apart."

The rage in the room was undeniable. Gangs hated many things but one thing they hated above all else, was losing one of their own.

Even if the person that had brought about the loss was more powerful than most of their members, they’d still do whatever it took to bring them down.

Besides, Eagles Print was a big gang... they had more than one tier 2 awakened.

Yelena only cried harder after seeing their resolve to avenge her husband while West almost laughed internally.

It was absolutely hilarious to him that the very people promising revenge, had no idea the man they sought was seated directly among them comforting the widow and whispering reassurance into her ears.

The sheer irony of it all made something dark inside him grin. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

West lowered his gaze slightly to hide the faint twitch threatening to form at the corner of his mouth.

One Eagles Print executive suddenly looked toward him. "You fought beside boss that night, right?"

West slowly nodded while man’s expression hardened.

"Then help us find the bastard."

West’s face remained perfectly solemn. "Of course."

The awakened nodded gratefully while Yelena suddenly held onto West’s sleeve weakly.

"West..." her voice trembled. "...you won’t leave us alone, right?"

Several eyes turned toward him again as West looked down at her softly.

"No," he gently squeezed her hand. "You and the children are safe."

This would have been another lie but strangely enough, it wasn’t, because West truly had no intention of hurting them.

He hated Darius but not them.

Perhaps that was the biggest difference between himself and the man because unlike Darius eighteen years ago, West had actually drawn a line... even after everything.

•••

•••

Renzhi stood inside Bloodstain’s private office with visible irritation written all over his face.

The room looked as oppressive as ever with ark metal walls, beasts skulls mounted everywhere and weapons displayed like trophies.

Seated behind the massive black desk, was Bloodstain himself.

The terrifying leader of Iron Vultures leaned back lazily while smoking.

Half his face remained covered in that infamous dark ink-like pattern stretching from his scalp down his neck.

The man radiated danger even while sitting still but Renzhi wasn’t in the mood to care.

He slammed both hands onto the desk violently.

"Just one little favor," his voice carried restrained fury. "One..."

"And somehow you still can’t handle it?"

Bloodstain’s eyes narrowed faintly as Renzhi continued angrily.

"Not only have you failed to deal with him..." he pointed aggressively. "...his damn gang is becoming one of the fastest rising new gangs in the city."

The giant screen behind Bloodstain displayed Shadow Reapers statistics of 13 successful ruin clears, rapid rank growth, new recruitment spikes and media coverage.

Bloodstain exhaled smoke slowly. "It’s strange."

Renzhi scoffed. "Strange?"

Bloodstain leaned forward slightly. "It’s like there’s some guardian angel watching over the bastard."

Renzhi frowned while Bloodstain continued calmly. "Every single time I try sabotaging Shadow Reapers..."

"...something goes wrong."

"And now?" his expression darkened. "We’re the ones getting sabotaged."

Renzhi’s eyes narrowed as Bloodstain crushed the cigarette into the ashtray.

"The bowel incident."

"The transaction bugs."

"The supply issues."

"Something keeps happening."

He stared directly at Renzhi.

"And I don’t believe in coincidences."

Renzhi however only became angrier and suddenly smashed the desk again hard enough to crack part of it.

"He’s an awakener who hasn’t even been in the game for a year!"

His voice thundered through the office. "You’re disappointing."

That line immediately caused several nearby Iron Vultures members to tense up because insulting Bloodstain directly was dangerous...

The room became colder instantly as Bloodstain’s expression lost all amusement.

"Don’t insult me," his voice turned dangerously calm but Renzhi still glared, unmoved by the chill Bloodstain was emitting.

Bloodstain slowly rose from his seat and the sheer pressure radiating from him became overwhelming.

"I underestimated him," he admitted coldly. "But that mistake won’t happen again."

His tattooed fingers tapped slowly against the desk. "I’ll take care of the matter soon."

Renzhi stared at him for a few more seconds before finally turning away. "See that you do."

He proceeded to walk out afterwards and the sound of the massive office doors shutting, rang out behind him.

Bloodstain remained standing there silently afterward thinking because unlike Renzhi, he was starting to suspect that something wasn’t normal about West...

And that instinct, was beginning to bother him...

•••

•••

At a different location, far beneath Misty High City, inside a secluded underground structure hidden from the public world, darkness dominated the surroundings.

Cold stone walls barricaded the vicinity and dim blue lights coated the heavily silent space.

Water dripped rhythmically somewhere in the distance and suspended in the middle of the chamber... was the silhouette of a person.

His body dangled limply from strange glowing restraints wrapped around his torso and legs... and his arms were completely severed with bandaged stumps remained where they once existed.

Dried blood stained much of his body, bruises covered his face and his breathing sounded rough and uneven.

Slowly, his eyes twitched open and a wave of pain hit instantly.

"Ughhh..." Darius groaned heavily while trying to move, only for the restraints to tighten slightly.

He spotted a familiar face standing directly in front of him, smiling and dressed casually with hands inside his pockets.

"Ah," West tilted his head slightly. "You’re finally awake."

Darius immediately struggled violently. "You—!"

The restraints glowed brighter instantly and pain shot through his body causing him to growl furiously.

"You psycho bastard!"

West chuckled softly. "Still talking tough after losing both arms?"

Darius glared murderously. "If I get out of here—"

"You’ll kill me?" West interrupted with a look of amusement. "That line’s getting repetitive."

Darius’ breathing became heavier. "Why am I still alive?"

West smiled wider as he slowly stepped closer. "Now that..."

"...is the interesting part."

Darius stared hatefully at him as West circled around him leisurely.

"You know...I really thought killing you would make me feel better," his voice sounded strangely thoughtful now. "But honestly?"

He shrugged lightly. "Turns out revenge is much more invigorating when there is something extra attached."

Darius spat blood toward him but West casually tilted his head aside avoiding it.

"Still got spirit," he laughed softly.

"You sick bastard!" Darius’s voice cracked from rage. "I’ll kill you! I’LL KILL YOU!"

West merely stood at a close distance with one hand in his pocket while his other hand lazily scrolled through his phone.

"Oh?" he said casually. "You’re still making threats?"

He turned the screen around and a video played out.

In this footage, Benjamin and Mia slept peacefully against him during the ride back from the resort. Benjamin’s arms were wrapped around West’s waist while Mia had her cheek pressed against his shoulder.

This was before they knew of the battle that involved their father.

In another clip, Yelena asleep beside him earlier that day in the living room after the guests had left with all their condolences.

Her blonde hair spilled across his arm while her exhausted face rested gently against his shoulder. Even through the grief, there was visible trust in the way she leaned into him unconsciously, like she had found stability in the middle of emotional collapse.

Darius completely lost control. "NO!"

His voice thundered through the chamber while the restraints rattled violently.