The Devil Who Claimed Me

Chapter 173: You are the king.

Across the city, Dominic had no idea that Mila had already given birth to their baby.

For the past few months, he had been tirelessly eliminating Mathius’s men one by one. He wanted to finish everything as quickly as possible so he could finally return to Mila and live the peaceful life they had dreamed of.

He pressed himself against the wall, adjusting the pistol in his hand. His sharp eyes scanned the dimly lit room as he silently waited for his target.

Moments later, the door swung open.

A man staggered inside, his steps unsteady from alcohol. He loosened his tie before dropping heavily onto the sofa.

"John," he shouted, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. "Bring me some water." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Dominic watched him without blinking.

The man was obviously drunk. His eyelids drooped, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

There was no need to waste a bullet on him. Quietly, Dominic slipped the pistol back into its holster.

A few moments later, an elderly servant walked in carrying a glass of water.

A thick bandage was wrapped around one of his hands. His injured fingers trembled so badly that water sloshed over the rim of the glass with every step.

"Sir... your water."

The drunk man lazily reached for it. His hand missed.

The glass slipped from the servant’s grasp and shattered on the floor. Water splashed across the man’s lap.

"What the hell?" He shot to his feet, glaring furiously at the old servant. "Why are you so careless?"

Before the servant could explain, the man threw a heavy punch.

The elderly man crashed onto the floor. "S-Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to..."

His apology was cut short as a vicious kick landed in his stomach.

He curled into himself, groaning in pain. His frail body shook with every blow.

Fresh blood seeped through the white gauze wrapped around his injured hand.

Yet his master showed no intention of stopping.

Dominic’s expression darkened. He couldn’t watch everything quietly. He lunged forward.

The butt of his pistol slammed into the man’s head.

"Ugh." The man staggered, clutching his head.

His vision blurred as he struggled to stay on his feet. "Who dared hit me?"

He turned around unsteadily. Before he could make out Dominic’s face, a crushing punch smashed into his jaw.

His body flew backward.

Crash

He landed on the glass coffee table, shattering it into countless pieces.

The old servant scrambled backward in terror.

Dominic emerged from the darkness like a merciless demon. Without giving the man a chance to recover, he pounced on him and wrapped both hands around his throat.

The man clawed desperately at Dominic’s wrists, trying to pry them away.

It was useless.

Dominic tightened his grip.

The man’s windpipe was completely blocked. His face turned crimson. The veins in his neck bulged violently. His lungs burned from the lack of air.

Behind the black mask, he couldn’t recognize the man who was trying to kill him.

"W-Who... are you?" he choked out.

"Who am I?" Dominic’s voice was cold enough to freeze blood. "I am your death."

"W-Why..." The man barely forced out the word.

Dominic let out a humorless laugh. "I’ve spent months searching for you. Every single day, I dreamed of this moment, of killing you with my own hands."

His grip tightened even further.

The man’s consciousness began slipping away.

"You want to know who I am?" Dominic leaned closer. "Then listen carefully. I am the man you wanted dead. The man who survived your ambush."

His eyes blazed with murderous fury. "Mila almost died because of you. She was pregnant."

The mere thought nearly drove him mad. "So now, I’m here to kill you."

His voice dropped into a chilling whisper.

The man’s struggling suddenly intensified. His eyes widened in horror. He realized it was Dominic.

’He is alive.’

A fresh wave of chills raced down his spine.

"It... wasn’t... me. It’s someone else," he rasped before his body went limp.

Dominic instantly released him. "What did you say?"

He grabbed the man’s face. "Wake up. You don’t get to die before telling me the truth!"

He slapped his face twice.

The man remained motionless.

"Damn it."

Dominic ran an impatient hand through his hair. His gaze then shifted toward the elderly servant, who was still trembling in the corner.

The old man flinched. "N-No... Please don’t hurt me. I don’t know anything. I didn’t see anything. I won’t tell anyone."

Dominic’s expression softened slightly. "You are injured. You should go to the hospital."

The old servant hurriedly shook his head. "N-No... I’ll stay and take care of my master."

"Your master is under my care now," Dominic interrupted calmly. "Don’t worry. He won’t be hurting you again."

He pulled several bills from his pocket and pressed them into the old man’s trembling hand. "Go. Get your injuries treated."

The old servant stared at the money in disbelief. Unable to refuse, he bowed repeatedly before hurrying out of the mansion.

Dominic looked down at the unconscious man. He dragged him onto the sofa before walking into the bathroom.

A minute later, he returned carrying a bucket filled with cold water.

Splash

The icy water crashed over the man’s head. He jolted awake with a gasp. His head still spun, and his vision remained blurry.

But the moment he recognized the tall masked figure standing before him, every trace of drunkenness disappeared. He instinctively clutched his bruised throat, coughing violently.

Dominic didn’t give him a second to recover. He grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him forward.

"You were saying something before you passed out." His voice was dangerously calm. "You said you weren’t behind the attack."

The man nodded frantically. "I wasn’t. I swear. I’m just a pawn. The mastermind is someone else."

"Who?" Dominic’s eyes narrowed. "Mathius?"

The certainty in his voice was unmistakable.

The man quickly shook his head. "No. It’s not him."

Dominic frowned. "What?"

"It’s Luke."

Dominic’s grip tightened until the fabric nearly tore. "Don’t play games with me. I know exactly what Mathius has done. He killed Alejandro. He manipulated Marco and turned him against his own gang. He ordered my assassination. And now you are telling me he is innocent?"

"N-No..." The man coughed painfully. "I’m telling you the truth. Please... believe me."

"Believe you?" Dominic sneered. "You almost killed me."

"That wasn’t my decision." The man swallowed hard. "Mathius never wanted you dead. In fact, he has been searching for you ever since you disappeared. He never believed you were dead."

Dominic’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Searching for me? Why?"

Suspicion churned inside him.

The man hesitated before answering. "Because..." He coughed again. "You are the future king, Dominic."