Adam let out a low chuckle, the sound cold and hollow. "Ah, so you know what it feels like to be terrified, Bran. To be at the mercy of someone who could take your life in a heartbeat."
Bran's mind raced. He could sense that the man before him was no ordinary enforcer. "Please… leave me alone," he stammered, his voice weak. "I'll give you whatever you want. Just let me live."
"Anything?" Adam's voice was a dangerous whisper.
Bran nodded hastily. "Yes! Name it, and it's yours."
Adam's gaze hardened. "Alright, I'll let you live. But first, tell me everything. Start with what your gang is planning in District Four."
At the mention of District Four, Bran's face went slack. He was visibly sweating, his gaze darting nervously around the room. "We… we aren't doing anything there!" he lied, his voice faltering.
Without a word, Adam drove his sword into Bran's shoulder. Bran let out a strangled cry, though no sound escaped his lips.
[Host skill active: Disorder]
Adam leaned in close, his voice a low growl. "Lie again, and the next time this blade will go through your heart."
Fear radiated off Bran in waves. "Even if I tell you… they'll kill me for talking."
"Maybe. Or maybe I'll make your death far more painful if you don't talk," Adam replied, his tone unwavering.
Bran swallowed hard, resignation setting in. "Alright! I'll tell you. A few days ago, our boss received a task from the Kol family. We're to assemble as many people as possible in District Four by the 28th… My duty is to mobilize all our forces from District Three into District Four this week."
"Where is the assignment document?" Adam demanded.
Reluctantly, Bran reached into his pocket, producing a small slip bearing the Kol family's mark. He held it out with a trembling hand.
"There! I've told you everything! Let me go—I swear I'll disappear," Bran begged.
Adam took the document, studying the family insignia. "You're not going anywhere, Bran," he said coolly. "From now on, you work for me. You're my informant within this organization, and when I call, you answer. Or…" He let the unspoken threat linger in the air.
Bran's eyes widened in horror. "You're… you're trapping me between death by you and death by them!"
Adam ignored his protests, sheathing his sword. "I need details on every member in your organization right now, and tomorrow I want information on your allies in the other districts."
"That's impossible—" Bran began.
Adam responded by twisting the blade further into his shoulder. Bran's face contorted in agony, though no scream escaped his lips, silenced by Adam's skill.
"This isn't a request. It's an order," Adam said, his voice as cold as steel.
Bran's resistance crumbled. "Fine. Just… let go of me first."
Adam withdrew his sword, and Bran staggered, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He moved to a desk, pulling open a drawer and retrieving a list of names.
With a trembling hand, he extended the paper toward Adam, avoiding eye contact.
"Here. These are all the names you want," he muttered, resentment brewing beneath the fear in his eyes.
Adam took the list, scanning it briefly before folding it into his pocket. He fixed Bran with a cold stare, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Good boy. If you keep this up, maybe I'll reward you with a bone now and then."
Bran's face flushed with a mixture of humiliation and anger, but he said nothing, his gaze locked on the floor.
With his new information in hand, Adam turned to leave. His form moved soundlessly across the room, and Bran dared to breathe a sigh of relief as the dark figure finally walked toward the door.
But as Adam stepped into the shadows, Bran's simmering anger boiled over. 'Curse him!' he thought furiously. 'He thinks he can use me like some dog? I'll find a way to escape this—'
Without a second glance, Adam disappeared into the dark corridor, leaving Bran alone, still clutching his injured shoulder.
Bran slumped onto the floor, waves of pain and fury flooding his mind. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he realized the depth of the situation. He was trapped between Adam's wrath and the Kol family's looming threat.
"What… what should I do now?" Bran whispered, his voice thick with fear.
Adam in his true form comes from the base of the DockMaster organization.
He goes a little away from there and thinks, "I will have to give these details to Arthur's family... but will they still believe me?"
Adam leaves from there in black outfit and starts moving towards Arthur family's mansion.
Restaurant scene -
Lily comes home with restaurant kitchen items and goes to Anastasia.
Lily:"Mom, where is Eli?"
Anastasia:"What? She went with you, right?
Lily:"Yes, but when I was introducing her to my friends, she left from there."
Hearing this, Anastasia says, "Tell me everything?"
Lily tells everything and Anastasia tells Lily, "Don't worry, she has not adjusted well in this new environment."
Lily: "Mom, I used to behave very rudely with her, right?"
Anastasia: "No, don't think like that, you just need to know her and I am sure that she will also want to know you"
Lily: "Where is she now?"
Anastasia:"I think she will be alone now, we should give her some time"
Lily nods, and she starts helping Anastasia in serving at the restaurant.
Adam's scene-
Adam comes in the upper district where there is the administrative area and the mansions of both the noble families.
Adam sees that there are 3 big buildings in this area, out of which on the right side is the mansion of Arthur family and on the left side is the mansion of Kol family and in the middle is the government building.
That government building is run by the Kol family and the Arthur family together.
Adam starts going to the building on the right.
To be continued....