He smirked.

“Miss Bailey, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop pretending!” Katelyn snapped.

“Hades helped you, and you tried to bring her down! Do you have any idea what your actions could do to the patients who depend on her?” Her voice cracked, her anger breaking free in a rush.

For years, as Hades, she’d been the one to save families from ruin by bringing back their loved ones. She never imagined she’d be standing here, fighting Langston, someone she had never seen as an enemy. She simply couldn’t wrap her mind around why Langston would do something like this.

But then it hit her. Langston had always been unpredictable, acting on whatever whim crossed his mind.

Langston couldn’t hold back his laughter at her words. In the tight, dim basement, his laugh bounced off the walls, sharp and jarring.

Vincent’s eyes narrowed with a quick, cold flicker of anger. Without a word, he moved forward and landed a solid kick to Langston’s stomach.

The laughter stopped instantly, replaced by ragged gasps.

Langston’s bloodshot eyes blazed with fury as he shouted, “Vincent, you dare kick me? Aren’t you scared of the Walsh family’s revenge?”

“Who do you seriously think you are? The Walsh family’s been fighting against each other for years. If you die, they’ll probably send me flowers,” Vincent said, his voice steady and unbothered. Every powerful family had its dark secrets and dirty dealings. Take the Adams family, for example. The one who rose to the top was always the strongest, the most ruthless—the one who survived the bloody struggle for power.

It was very cruel, but it kept the family’s control unshaken.

The Walsh family was a whole different kind of beast. Langston might still hold on to his position, but there were…

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Others were circling, ready to take over at the first sign of weakness. If he faltered, they’d strike without hesitation. That was just how it worked.

But Langston seemed unfazed. His smirk never faded as he taunted, “Ha! Should I be scared? They’re all weak. If I wanted them gone, it’d be over in a heartbeat.”

Even with his hands shackled, Langston still carried himself like he was untouchable.

Vincent kicked him again, this time striking his leg.

The sickening sound of bone snapping cut through the air.

Langston’s face twisted with pain, sweat dripping from his forehead, but he clenched his teeth and swallowed down the scream that rose in his throat.

The chains rattled as he jerked against them, their noise echoing in the heavy silence of the basement.

As the pain started to fade, a cruel grin spread across his face.

“You want to know who targeted Hades? Come a little closer, and I’ll let you know.”

Katelyn stepped forward as she asked, “Who is it?”

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