"Sir, we're ready when you are,"
Said Shen Goddem's lawyers as they finalized the papers for the Tuckers, documenting their attempt to steal control of the Black Dragon Group.
Everything was set and ready. One lawyer handed the document to Hela Tucker as she began to read it.
"Blasphemy! This is blasphemy!"
Her voice, sharp and trembling with outrage, echoed through the room.
Shen Goddem chuckled—low, amused, merciless—before suddenly striking Hela Tucker across the face with a hard slap.
The crack silenced the entire room. Every Tucker froze. Not a single person had ever dared lay a hand on Hela Tucker—not even Zac Tucker. But today, Shen Goddem hit her without hesitation.
"You… you dare!!!"
Hela's cane shot up, trembling with fury, ready to strike him. But Shen caught her by the neck with one swift movement, lifting her slightly off the ground. Her breath hitched, her fingers clawing desperately at his wrist.
The whole family stepped back in fear, forming a loose circle around them.
"Let go of my grandma!!!" Zac Tucker shouted, voice cracking with panic.
Hana Tucker and Tom Tucker rushed forward, hands trembling, begging as they reached out helplessly.
"My son! Please don't—she is your grandmother!" Hana cried, voice breaking. But when she looked into Shen's eyes, her words died mid-breath.
His gaze… cold, unblinking, intentional. He wasn't acting on impulse. He meant every second of this.
"Sorry, Hana," Shen said quietly, tightening his grip. "But she… you… Tom… the whole Tucker Family… have always been—and will always be—dead to me."
With a swift movement, Shen dragged Hela toward the window. Glass rattled as he smashed her through it, shards scattering into the air. Hela gasped, eyes widening as she stared down at the concrete floor several stories below.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!!!" she screamed, legs kicking violently as the wind whipped around her.
"Let go of you…?"
Shen's lips curled into a malicious, satisfied smirk as he slowly loosened his grip, letting her feel each centimeter slipping.
Hela realized her mistake instantly.
"No—no, no, no!!! I meant pull me back! Pull me fucking back!!!"
"Too late."
He released her.
Hela plunged downward—but before she hit the concrete, her body splashed violently into the pool below, water erupting upward in a chaotic burst.
"Somebody stop him!" Dehu Tucker yelled.
Bodyguards rushed forward, launching themselves at Shen Goddem. Before they could reach him, Hana Tucker stepped in front of her son, shielding him with both arms spread wide.
"Nobody hurts my son!" she screamed.
Shen Goddem froze for a second, genuinely confused by her sudden defense—but the confusion didn't soften him. He still could not forgive her. He stepped past her slowly, eyes steady.
"Go sit this one out, Hana," he said calmly. He lifted a black cigar to his lips, lit it with a flick, and exhaled a stream of smoke. A slow, crooked grin spread across his face. "I'll take it from here."
The ten men charged. Shen Goddem moved first—taking down one with a quick strike and flipping another over his shoulder. Two more fell in rapid succession, hitting the floor hard.
One bodyguard grabbed Xin Yin Jin from behind, yanking her arms back.
"Surrender, or else!" the man threatened.
Shen didn't even look at him. Instead, he tilted his head toward Xin Yin Jin, giving her silent permission.
She understood instantly. With perfect timing, she drove the heel of her shoe straight into the man's groin. He collapsed with a strangled gasp.
That brief distraction was all Shen needed. Within seconds, he'd dismantled the remaining guards—every one of them on the ground, groaning or unconscious.
Shen dusted off his hands, turned, and walked toward Zac Tucker with slow, deliberate steps.
"Get away! Get away from me!" Zac screamed, stumbling backward.
"Aww… so sad," Shen said mockingly. "You sent a bounty to Khontaar, yet here you are—afraid. Traitor of Malaysia."
Shen squatted down and began punching Zac Tucker in the face.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each blow landed with the weight of eight years of parental abuse, stolen heir rights, and the quiet, festering pain of being unwanted. Shen's knuckles cracked against bone; Zac's head snapped back with every strike.
All Shen Goddem had ever wanted was family—real family, real love. And now he gave Zac Tucker every ounce of rage he had ever swallowed.
Blood splattered across Shen's suit, across the tiles, across Zac's limp body. By the time the thousandth punch landed, Zac's face was unrecognizable, swollen and smeared with red.
Shen stood up slowly, chest rising and falling in controlled breaths. He leaned over and spat on Zac's face.
"Sign the document. Or I will take your head off."
Zac Tucker, trembling and barely conscious, signed without hesitation. The rest of the family scrambled to do the same, hands shaking as they scribbled their names.
Until it came to Hana Tucker.
She froze.
Her hand refused to move.
"I will not sign it," she whispered.
"Sign it," Shen said, voice low and dangerous. "Don't waste my time, Hana."
She lifted her head, tears streaming silently as she stared at him. Her lips trembled, her voice barely audible.
"I am not your mother…?"
---
Chapter 24 — End.