Gideon Vortannis stood frozen, his face a mask of bewilderment.
"This isn't protocol!" he muttered to himself.
The scene was being scrubbed clean, evidence discarded without documentation. Panic set in as he barked at the officers around him, his voice rising in desperation.
"Preserve the evidence! Over here—this knife! It's the murder weapon!"
His frantic gestures toward Deven's bloodied blade went ignored.
Lee, the chief of police, didn't even glance his way. Instead, the middle-aged man jogged over to Kael Renforth, his back hunched in deference. Bowing deeply, he addressed Kael in a tone dripping with reverence.
"Sir, is this to your satisfaction?"
Kael said nothing at first, his sharp gaze drifting toward Gideon. That single look sent a chill down the former's spine.
Cold sweat beaded on Lee's brow as he turned and barked an order to his team:
"Strip him of his uniform, remove his badge, and detain him for investigation!"
The color drained from Gideon's face. "What?! What's happening?!"
Everyone watching stood in stunned silence.
It was now clear: these officers outranked Gideon, and they weren't here to support the Malavant family.
Gideon's mind reeled. He was no fool—years of maneuvering his way to the position of precinct chief had taught him how to read power plays. He knew in an instant that he had crossed a line he should never have dared approach.
"It's over," he muttered, his voice trembling. "It's all over."
Years of backroom deals, bribes, and sacrifices to secure his position—gone, reduced to ashes in mere moments. As officers dragged him away, his voice cracked with desperation.
"You're arresting me? Arrest the real murderer! It's him—Kael Renforth! He killed Enoc Malavant!"
But Lee didn't so much as flinch. Instead, he turned back to Kael, bowing even lower this time.
"Sir, does this meet your expectations?"
Kael finally stood, brushing the dust off his coat. Placing a firm hand on Lee's shoulder, he gave a faint smile and said, "You've done well."
The gesture was small, but its impact was colossal. The room buzzed with shock and fear as Kael turned to leave.
Behind him, Cedric Malavant, patriarch of the once-mighty Malavant family, collapsed in a fit of rage and despair. His eldest son, Elias, rushed to his side, his hands trembling.
"Father! Stay with me!" Elias cried, red-eyed and seething with anger.
The once-dominant Malavant family—reduced to ruin in the blink of an eye.
Tears of fury burned in Elias's eyes as he stared at Kael's retreating back. "Kael Renforth! If you've come for revenge, take my life too! End it here!"
Lee hesitated for a moment before turning to Kael and asking tentatively, "Sir, should we detain him as well? A thorough investigation might be in order."
Kael waved him off, his tone casual.
"No need."
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Elias. The man's decades in business had honed him into a ruthless operator—the true architect behind the Malavant family's exploitation of the Denvair estate. Elias had wielded every tool at his disposal to steal resources and crush competition, driving his rivals to ruin.
But Kael saw potential.
"Let him be. He'll make good practice for Lyria."
Kael turned and strode out of the estate, exuding an air of unshakable authority.
Lee and the others watched him leave in silence, their postures still deferential. Once Kael was gone, Lee's demeanor shifted. Straightening his back, he cast a disdainful glare at Elias.
"Foolish and blind," Lee spat coldly.
Elias trembled, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. For the first time, true fear gripped him. He now understood the magnitude of the forces Kael commanded.
Behind Kael stood a power so immense that even Lee, the epitome of authority in Port Avallon, dared not defy him.
Elias clenched his fists, his body wracked with shame and terror. Kael Renforth wasn't merely a man.