Chapter 9 - The Patriarch
Silas Kensington walked slowly toward the hospital bed, his heavy cane tapping rhythmically against the floor.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees just from his presence.
Titan stood up from the corner, placing his massive body between me and the older man, letting out a low, menacing growl.
Silas did not even look at the terrifying Mastiff.
"I orchestrated the poisoning of your dog to see how far you would go to save something you loved," Silas told Jared casually.
I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands in absolute horror.
This man had tortured an innocent animal just to test his own son's emotional detachment.
"You are a monster," I whispered, unable to contain my disgust.
Silas finally turned his cold, dead eyes onto me.
"And you are a liability," Silas replied smoothly.
He snapped his fingers, and two of his armed guards stepped forward, grabbing my arms and dragging me away from the bed.
"Let her go!" Jared roared, struggling violently against his medical restraints.
His surgical wounds began to bleed through the white bandages, but he did not stop fighting.
"She is a civilian, Father," Jared choked out, his face pale with pain.
"She is a loose end who knows the location of our underground bunker," Silas corrected sharply.
He ordered his men to take me to the incinerator room and dispose of the problem permanently.
I kicked and screamed, thrashing wildly against the massive guards dragging me toward the door.
"Stop!" Jared shouted, his voice echoing with absolute, unquestionable authority.
The guards hesitated, looking between the bleeding son and the ruthless father.
Jared forced himself into a sitting position, staring directly into his father's eyes.
"Under Syndicate Law, Article Four, I formally claim Willa Thornton as my blood-bound fiancée," Jared declared loudly.
The entire room fell into a stunned, suffocating silence.
Silas's face twisted into a mask of pure, unrestrained fury.
By invoking the ancient mafia law, Jared had officially made me untouchable to anyone in the family, including the patriarch.
"You would bind our empire to a street trash veterinarian?" Silas hissed, gripping his cane until his knuckles turned white.
"She is under my absolute protection now," Jared said, his dark eyes blazing with defiance.
Silas stared at his son for a long, deadly moment before waving his hand to dismiss the guards.
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"Congratulations on your engagement, Willa," Silas sneered, walking out of the room.
"I promise you, the honeymoon will be very, very short."
