Chapter 1

I had spent fifteen years in Rathai’s jade trade. Tonight was another routine trip to a private auction to pick up stock.

On the outside, these auctions moved jade, but behind closed doors, they sometimes moved people.

I had just walked into the back when I spotted a teenager huddled in the corner, covered head to toe in bruises and welts. He looked up at me with desperate eyes.

A second later, lines of text floated across my vision.

[This is Arden Carlisle, the fake son of the Carlisle family in Harstead!]

[The real Carlisle son framed him, and his own sister shipped him out here to 'teach him a lesson'.]

[It's awful. He's been shocked, whipped, and beaten. Now, they're about to strip him and put him on the block.]

[The real Carlisle son and his people are in the auction hall right now, waiting to watch him get humiliated.]

I lived by one simple rule. If it was not my problem, I would not get involved. I turned to leave.

However, another line then appeared.

[Oh my God! The jade dealer is his biological father!]

Chapter 1

My heart clenched.

The words that had appeared out of thin air hit me like a freight train. I did have a missing son. I had been searching for him for fifteen years.

However, if there was one thing Rathai never ran short of, it was scams and traps.

I looked away, keeping my expression neutral as I weighed the piece of jade in my hand. I turned to the man running the venue, Sal Keever.

"Good color. Sal, has anything new come in lately?"

My eyes drifted back to the corner as I spoke. The way the boy was curled up, the pattern of wounds across his body, none of it looked staged.

Sal grinned. "Yeah, a fresh batch just arrived. You want to take a look, Cade?"

Another line of text floated past.

[The boss is thinking about it! Did he just remember his own son?]

I pretended to browse the stock, working my way over to the boy until I was close enough to crouch down in front of him.

He was shaking all over, eyes full of desperation and distrust. His knuckles were swollen and raw, with dirt ground deep under his fingernails. Those were the marks of someone who had been restrained for a long time and fought against it.

I kept my voice low. "What's your name? Where are you from?"

His lips were cracked and bleeding. His voice barely carried over into my ears. "Arden... Carlisle. I'm from Harstead."

"Who sent you here?"

Tears rolled down his filthy face. "Brynn... My sister—no! The eldest Carlisle daughter..."

More text appeared.

[The real son, Corbin Carlisle, framed Arden. He pushed him down a staircase and accused him of hiring someone to ruin Corbin’s reputation.]

[Brynn believed it. She shipped him to Rathai to 'learn a lesson', and told him he could come home once he learned to behave.]

The boy's trembling worsened, as though something terrible had clawed its way back to the surface. I did not press him. I just stood up.

I had heard enough. Everything he told me matched what the floating text had said, and that was enough to confirm one thing. This was not a scam. This boy could very well be my son.

I walked back to Sal.

"I'm taking that boy with me."

Sal's expression tightened. "Cade, this one's not that simple.

"The eldest Carlisle daughter paid a fortune for this. There are specific instructions to work him over. The only rule was not to let him die."

I pulled out a rough jade stone. "This should more than cover him."

Sal's eyes locked on the jade. His throat bobbed, but he shook his head.

"Cade, it's not about the money. The Carlisles have serious pull back home. If I let him go and Brynn comes after me, I can't afford that kind of heat."

I held his gaze and did not back down. "Sal, I've been doing business in Rathai for fifteen years. When have I ever shortchanged you?"

He gave me a pained smile. "Cade, don't put me in this spot. The auction's about to start. The Carlisle people are out there waiting.

"Brynn said he has to go on the block. She wants to watch him get humiliated with her own eyes."

I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms. Sal turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm.

"What if I insist?"

His expression hardened. "Cade, you know how things work here. Taking someone by force means you've got a problem with us."

I let go and steadied myself.

"Here's what we'll do. You hand him over to me, and I handle Brynn. If she comes after you, that's on me."

Chapter 2

Sal hesitated. "Cade, can you really handle that? The Carlisles have serious connections back home."

I let out a cold laugh and said slowly, "I've been in Rathai for fifteen years. I've had blood on my hands, and I've pulled people out from under the knife. The Carlisles can be as powerful as they want. Their reach doesn't extend out here."

He shook his head again. "It's not happening. You don't understand. Brynn gave specific instructions, and I can't afford to screw this up. Cade, you should go."

I did not waste any more words. I turned and walked back to the holding room.

The floating text kept scrolling.

[Arden has been locked up for seven days. He's been shocked three times, and the whippings happen every single day.]

[He's covered in injuries. If this keeps up, he's going to die.]

[Brynn has no idea what Rathai actually is. She thinks it's just a few days of scaring him straight.]

I pulled out my phone and hit speed dial. A few minutes later, my five bodyguards arrived.

I walked straight into the holding room. Arden was still huddled in the corner, staring at me blankly. I crouched down and checked his injuries.

Up close, they were far worse than what I had seen from a distance. His back was covered in lash marks, some already blackened and festering. His arms were dotted with circular burn scars from electrical shocks, new ones layered over old.

"Can you walk?"

He nodded and struggled to his feet, but his legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed. I caught him and turned to my bodyguards. "Get him out of here."

We had barely cleared the holding area when a crowd surged in from the far end of the corridor. Sal stood at the front, his expression dark.

"Mr. Brennan, what exactly do you think you're doing? Taking someone off my property?"

I stepped in front of Arden. "Sal, I already told you. I'm taking this boy, and I will pay you every cent he's worth."

Sal laughed, but there was nothing warm about it. "Money? What the Carlisles are offering is a long-term partnership. You're one man, Brennan. What do you have that can compete with an entire family?"

My bodyguards drew their guns. Sal's men raised theirs, and the two sides locked into a standoff.

Sal lit a cigarette. "Mr. Brennan, I'm giving you one last chance out of respect for the years we've done business together. Leave the boy and walk away. The auction's about to start, and the Carlisle people are here. If you walk out with him, I have nothing to tell them."

I held his stare. "And if I take him anyway?"

His smile vanished. "Then don't blame me for what happens next."

Tate, one of my bodyguards, leaned in close. "Boss, they've got us outnumbered."

The floating text turned frantic.

[It's over. The boss only has five men, and Sal has at least thirty.]

[Brynn and Corbin found out Arden never made it to the auction floor. They're heading over with people right now. They're already at the door!]

The words had barely faded when footsteps echoed behind me. I heard the sharp click of heels on concrete, unhurried and deliberate.

A group emerged from the far end of the corridor. The woman at the front was young, dressed in a tailored suit, her expression cool and assessing. She carried herself like someone accustomed to looking down on everyone in the room.

The boy beside her wore a crisp white casual outfit, his hair styled to perfection, and the look he gave Arden was pure, unconcealed malice.

[Here they come. Brynn and Corbin!]

[Corbin is really playing the part. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was here to rescue his brother.]

Brynn surveyed the standoff and let her gaze settle on me. Her brow creased. Then she turned to Sal, her tone sharp with displeasure.

"Mr. Keever, why is our 'merchandise' still here? The auction is about to begin."

Sal hurried over to her with a placating smile. "Ms. Carlisle, I wasn't expecting you to come down here personally. We've got a small situation, but it will be sorted out momentarily."

Brynn's eyes moved from me to Arden standing behind me. She looked at him the way a person would look at a piece of inventory.

"Who is this?" she asked Sal.

"Cade Brennan. He's in the jade trade." Sal gestured between us.

"Cade, this is Ms. Carlisle, from the Carlisle family in Harstead."

Only then did Brynn look at me properly, sizing me up with undisguised contempt. "Mr. Brennan? A businessman out here in Rathai?"

I did not respond. I reached into my pocket and drew out a piece of jade, letting it rest in my open palm.

Under the lights, the stone was luminous all the way through, an even and vivid green without a single flaw. It was the kind of specimen that was rare even among the finest old-mine glass jade.

Chapter 3

"Ms. Carlisle, I hear you came to Rathai looking for quality stones." I held the jade out a little further.

"This is imperial green. Its market value sits around $8 million. I'm offering it for the boy."

Brynn's gaze lingered on the jade for just a moment. I caught the flicker in her eyes. Anyone who knew stones understood that a piece like this was a once-in-a-lifetime offer. However, she looked away just as quickly, her tone indifferent.

"That's a generous offer, Mr. Brennan, but the Carlisle family isn't short on money."

I put the jade away, unfazed. "Then what is Ms. Carlisle short on? Mining claims? Distribution channels? Or do you need connections in Rathai?

"You can move mountains back home, but out here, there are things money cannot solve."

Brynn's eyes narrowed slightly, and she studied me again with renewed interest.

Corbin poked his head out from behind her and snapped, "Brynn, don't listen to him! He's obviously working with Arden!"

I ignored him entirely and kept my eyes on Brynn. "Ms. Carlisle, you sent the boy to a place like this because you wanted to teach him a lesson. Now, someone is willing to pay a premium to take him off your hands. You walk away with the money and your dignity intact. Why wouldn't you take that deal?"

Brynn was silent for a moment, as though weighing her options.

Sal cut in from the side, looking uncomfortable. "Cade, it's not that I don't want to do you this favor. What Ms. Carlisle is offering isn't a one-time payment. It's a long-term partnership. If I let him go, who's going to trust me after this?"

I turned to him, my voice even. "Sal, I've been in Rathai for fifteen years. When have I ever shortchanged you? That pipeline you've got running back into the country... Who do you think built it for you?"

Sal's expression shifted.

I kept going. "Think it through. What the Carlisles are giving you is money. Money runs out, and you make more. But if what I have on you ever sees daylight, money won't matter, because you'll be dead."

His eyes darted away, and he said nothing.

Brynn frowned, her tone cooling. "Mr. Brennan, is that a threat?"

I turned back to her, perfectly composed. "Ms. Carlisle, you misunderstood me. I'm just talking business. You can run everything back home, but this is Rathai. One phone call from me, and your shipments will sit at the border for three months. Believe it or don't."

Brynn's face darkened. She fixed me with a sharp stare. "Mr. Brennan, are you threatening me?"

"Still not a threat." I met her gaze without flinching.

"Just a reminder. If you intend to humiliate this boy like a piece of merchandise, then you and I are going to do business. If you won't sell, I'll take him. If you bring people in from back home, I will make sure you cannot move an inch in Rathai.

"You're a long way from your own territory, Ms. Carlisle, and you're not nearly as powerful out here as you think."

The corridor went quiet for several seconds.

Corbin finally lost his composure and shrieked, "Who do you think you are, talking to my sister like that?"

He jabbed a trembling finger at me. "Brynn! Look at him! He's obviously in on this with Arden! Have your people grab him right now!"

Brynn raised a hand and silenced him. She looked at me and smiled, though the smile never reached her eyes. "You're an interesting man, Mr. Brennan."

Her tone shifted. "But when it comes down to it, everything you've said is just about protecting this boy. Do you even know him? Do you have any idea what he's done?"

I looked right at her. "Do you?"

Brynn blinked, caught off guard.

I spoke slowly, and I made every word count. "You say he hurt Corbin. Where's the evidence? You say he stole from you. What did he take? You say he tried to harm someone. What was his motive?

"Whatever Corbin told you, you believed it without question. Did you investigate? Did you ask Arden? Did you give him a single chance to defend himself?"

Brynn's expression went cold. "Mr. Brennan, the Carlisle family's affairs are none of your concern."

I smiled, and it was not a kind one. "Ms. Carlisle, you've made quite a name for yourself in the business world. Are you really telling me you made a judgment based on one side of the story?

"I'm not meddling. I'm just telling you that you're making a fool of yourself."

Chapter 4

Corbin screamed, "Do you have a death wish? You just insulted my sister!"

I turned a cold glare on him. "Shut your mouth."

Corbin's eyes went wide, as though it had never occurred to him that someone would dare speak to him that way. I did not spare him another glance. My focus stayed on Brynn.

"You say he's the fake son, so he deserves to be tortured. You say he hurt Corbin, so he deserves to be shipped to a place like this. You say he's a criminal, so he deserves to be stripped naked and auctioned off.

"Then let me ask you something. If it were Corbin tied up in here today, would you do the same to him?"

Brynn's pupils contracted sharply.

Corbin erupted again. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm the real Carlisle son! He's a b*stard! Some nobody who crawled out of nowhere! He deserves it! He deserves to be sold into the filthiest hole they can find!"

"Corbin!" Brynn's voice cracked like a whip, silencing him instantly.

The floating text exploded.

[Corbin's panicking! There it is. Now we're seeing who he really is!]

[Look at Brynn's expression. She's starting to waver.]

Brynn stared at me, something complicated moving behind her eyes. She said nothing for a long time. No one else spoke either.

When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse. "Mr. Brennan, what exactly do you want?"

I did not answer. Instead, I reached over and pulled open the torn front of Arden's jacket.

Arden flinched and let out a startled sound, but he did not pull away.

The wounds beneath were laid bare under the lights. Lash marks criss-crossed his torso, some still seeping blood. The worst of it was just below his collarbone, where electrical burns had left the skin charred and curling back from the flesh.

I turned those wounds toward Brynn.

"Ms. Carlisle, is this what you meant by 'teaching him a lesson'?"

Brynn's pupils tightened, and a visible tremor passed across her face.

Corbin's expression faltered, but he recovered almost immediately. "Brynn, the people out here just don't know the rules. They went a little overboard—"

"Shut up." Brynn's voice dropped low. "Corbin, what's this?"

Corbin's lips trembled. "Brynn... I..."

I did not give him the chance to talk his way out. "Brynn, you've lived in comfort and privilege your entire life. Do you know what it feels like to have a whip tear across your skin? Do you know that when a shock baton is held against flesh, the meat actually burns? This isn't a lesson. This is attempted murder."

Brynn went quiet. She stared at Arden's wounds for a long time.

Then, she raised her head and looked at me. "Mr. Brennan. This is a Carlisle family matter."

I scoffed. "A family matter? Torturing someone until they look like this is a family matter?"

Brynn drew a deep breath, visibly fighting to keep her composure. "Mr. Brennan, I don't want to waste any more time with you. Name your price. How much will it take for you to walk away?"

I looked at her, and something about it struck me as deeply absurd. Even now, she still believed everything could be solved with money.

"I don't want money. I want the boy."

Brynn's patience finally broke. She turned to Sal and gave the order. "Move in. Whatever happens, I'll take full responsibility."

Sal waved his hand, and his men closed in with weapons raised. Tate and the others lifted their guns in response. The standoff was instant.

Corbin cowered behind Brynn and hissed, "Hurry up! Drag him away!"

Two of Sal's men rushed forward and reached for Arden. I spun around and shielded him with my body, planting myself between them like a wall.

My gaze cut across Brynn and Corbin like a blade.

"Don't you dare touch him." My voice filled the corridor.

"Your family raised him for twenty years, and you think that gives you the right to buy and sell him like merchandise? To degrade him? To destroy him?

"Brynn, you listen to me. What you call discipline is a crime. It's attempted murder.

"I'm telling you right now, here and in front of everyone, that none of you have the right to take him!"

I drew a shaking breath, and my voice wavered for the first time. "Because he's my son. He's Cade Brennan's son, and I've been looking for him for fifteen years."