“What did you do?” Zhao Lifei cut straight to the chase. The only reason she didn’t argue with him in the car and downstairs was that she didn’t want other people to be present during their arguments.

Yang Feng had anticipated that this conversation would surface one day and he was prepared for it. However, staring into her eyes, his throat ran dry. Originally, he wanted to lie to her, but looking at her, face to face, he knew he couldn’t bring himself to do so. “I disposed of him.”

“Why?”

“The kidnapping from a few months ago was his doing.”

Silence.

Zhao Lifei felt her world attempt to spiral out of control, but she firmly grasped it. Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. She knew her father would do something to her for her disrespectful behavior.

“I told you before, my love, that anything or anyone that has or had intentions of harming you will suffer by my hands.” Yang Feng crossed the distance to her and gently grabbed her hands with tender love. “He has harmed you beyond this kidnapping, starting from the day of your birth.” Slowly, softly, he brought her hand to his lips.

Zhao Lifei didn’t know how she should feel. She numbed by the news. She wondered if she truly cared about her father in the first place.

Had he shown her any fatherly affection, maybe guilt would have drowned her alive. But he didn’t. Zhao Wenjin had emotionally and physically harmed her. There was no redemption for a man like him. He never loved her the same way he did with Zhao Linhua. The same goes for Wang Nuoli.

Thinking about the loneliness of her absent parents and neglectful childhood, she had stopped viewing them as her parents.

“Are you going to harm my mother and younger sister?”

“That depends on if they want to continue behaving foolishly.” Yang Feng answered. His hands itched to do something for how they behaved two hours ago.

“I don’t want them dead.”

“Then they won’t be.”

Zhao Lifei tilted her head, “Then what are you going to do to them?”

“Do you want blood to be shed?” Yang Feng gently asked her, placing a hand on her lower back and stepping closer to her.

“…”

“Alright then.” Yang Feng chuckled at her silence. She didn’t say or desire anything. It was up to him.

“What happened to Zheng Tianyi?”

“Do you want to know the truth?”

Zhao Lifei shook her head, paused for a second before slowly, nodding her head.

– – – – –

A week ago.

Drip. Drop. Drop. Drip. Unrhmythic and out of tune droplets of liquid trickled from somewhere. Whether it was water, blood, sweat, or other substances, no one could tell. An unidentified stench filled the air, unpleasant to the nose and when breathed in too deeply, caused a stinging sensation.

A man struggled on the dirty floor, groggily waking up. His eyes fluttered as if he had slept for an eternity. His slumber made him drowsy and the pounding headache was negatively hurting his rationality.

Zheng Tianyi groaned, grounding his teeth at how painful the headache was. When was the last time he experienced something like this?

The Young Master was not used to pain. Whenever he felt it, it would be treated on the spot. Pain was foreign to him. Even when he drank himself stupid, the hangovers hadn’t been as painful as this headache.

“What the…” His blurry vision finally cleared, causing him to rapidly blink and look around the room. “Where the hell am I?” He coughed a bit, wheezing at the stench. His hands moved to cover his nose, but he found them bound behind him. The side of his face was pressed onto the dirty floor.

“Yay, you’re awake! I’ve been waiting for SO long.” Guo Sheng hopped off the table he was sitting on. For the delivery of his new toy, he had specifically changed into a nice set of clothes.

“I heard you put up the biggest fight.” Guo Sheng grinned, staring at the floor while he walked over to the man. Carefully, he made sure his shoes never touched the borders of the tiled-floor. He liked to pretend each tile was a rock and stepping on the lines was like stepping on lava. It was his fun little game.

“I like a challenge.” Guo Sheng raised his head, his overgrown hair slightly hovering over his eyes.

Zheng Tianyi patiently listened to the babbling man in front of him. He paid no mind to the taunting weapons on the walls and the equipment on the table.

Nothing fazed him. Nothing scared him. His company was already tanked. His crown was passed on to unworthy heads that would roll when he came back. His father might’ve been disappointed with him, but Zheng Tianyi held on to the assumption that his father would come for him. He always did.

‘Regardless of the mistakes I’ve made, I am still his oldest son.’ Zheng Tianyi arrogantly thought to himself, his eyes burning. His blood boiled at the realization of what has happened to him.

She will pay for this.

He knew she had something to do with this. That sinful, tainted, and horrendous woman. He knew he should’ve paid someone to kill her when he had the chance. But for once, he was kind. He showed her mercy because of what she had done for him.

‘That b*tch. Wait until I get my hands on her.’ He growled inside his head.

“Hey! I’m talking to you. Are you even listening?!” Guo Sheng scowled and his easygoing face flashed with a warning. “You’re so rude, honestly.”

“Where the f*ck is your Boss, you pipsqueak son of a—”

The door opened and in came a gush of air from blistering cold Antarctica. Not a single sound could be heard except for the thud of polished leather shoes against the tiles. The intimidating sound echoed in the room.

Zheng Tianyi’s breath hitched, his arrogant eyes widening and morphing into disbelief. An impressive physique effortlessly sauntered into the room, his brood eyes at rest and shoulders at ease.

Zheng Tianyi’s face paled. Thunder struck his core, rendering him as still as wood. His fingertips went cold, his heart palpitating at what had befallen his shoulders. Betrayal.

He never thought he would encounter such a thing. Even when Yang Feng made it clear they were nothing more than mere strangers, Zheng Tianyi still couldn’t help but feel betrayed at the turn of events. All the years of coaxing and appeasement towards Yang Feng and this was what Zheng Tianyi got in return. Sure, they argued, but which friendship didn’t have their ups and downs?

“What is the meaning of this?” Zheng Tianyi was able to heave his body up into a sitting position. He didn’t like it one bit. He had to crane his neck just to look up at Yang Feng.

Yang Feng lazily strolled to the clean chair that was facing the kneeling man. It was a simple chair, made of metal, but furnished with cushions to suit him. When the graceful man sat down upon the chair, it gave off the image of a heavily decorated throne. He rested the side of his face on the hand he propped on the armrest.

“Are you really going to let a woman tarnish our friendship? Do you understand how pathetic that is?! There are so many women in the world, why throw everything away just for one?” Zheng Tianyi angrily bit out, his face flushed when the blood rushed to his head. His headache had been long forgotten, even though it was nudging and pestering him.

After a long silence, Yang Feng turned his head to his secretary. Chen Gaonan stood beside the chair, arms tucked beside him. He behaved like the hand of the King and the great advisor of an Emperor. Upon receiving the message from his Boss, Chen Gaonan took out the photos from a folder and tossed it onto the floor for Zheng Tianyi to see.

And for the second time today, his heart shattered. Another betrayal. One was worse than the other. Judging by his dark eyes, black like the Grim Reaper’s cloak, it was evident, the second affected him much more.