Back when I was at Ravenport University, the name Dominic Graves was already the kind one only whispered in hushed tones—part awe, part fear.
On paper, he was the richest man in the city.
Off the record? He ran the underworld like it was his family business.
People didn’t just avoid crossing him. They avoided talking about him.
His reputation for dealing with enemies was downright legendary, smashing limbs without a second thought. But when it came to his family, he was known to be fiercely loyal, especially to his mother. Around Ravenport, everyone knew Dominic as the kind of man who’d burn down the world for his mum.
Once, rumours had it he dropped a full billion dollars—billion, with a B—to organise her a birthday banquet. The kind of spectacle that shook the entire city.
So, if the bloodied woman Kyle had just shoved was really Dominic’s wife… and the old woman lying on the ground was his mother…
Then we weren’t just in trouble. We were as good as buried.
Right then, a sharp smack snapped me out of it.
I looked up just in time to see Kyle draw his hand back for another strike. His face was red with anger, twisted into something ugly.
“You trying to scare me, bitch?” he growled, voice mean and shaky with adrenaline. “You think name-dropping your husband makes you some big shot?”
“I don’t care if your man’s Dominic Graves or Dominic Nobody, I’ll slap the hell outta anyone who pisses me off!”
The woman coughed up blood. Her lip was split, and her face was already swelling. Still, with trembling fingers, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
“Honey... where are you guys now?” she asked, voice weak and broken. “Mom and I are hurt… we’re at Weaver’s Ridge, we were just—”
Before she could finish, Samantha lunged forward and snatched the phone right out of her hand.
Her face was stone cold as she smashed it on the pavement.
The phone shattered into pieces.
Then, as if she were doing the woman a favour, she rummaged into her purse, pulled out a thick wad of cash, and flicked a pile of bills—at least ten grand—right into her face.
“Quit your whining,” Samantha snapped. “Isn’t this all about money? Take the ten grand and get lost.”
The woman didn’t even flinch. She kicked the cash aside like it was garbage, her voice rising with anger.
“Look at the car I drive,” she said, motioning toward the wrecked black sedan. “Open your damn eyes. Do I look like someone who needs to scam you for chump change? I was willing to let this slide if you’d just taken my mother-in-law to the hospital. That’s all I asked. But instead, you treat me like trash, smash my phone, and slap me.”
“Well now?” She squared up, voice sharp and steady. “Now you’re in for it. My husband will be here any minute. Let’s see how smug you are when Dominic Graves shows up.”
At the mention of Dominic Graves, my skin prickled.
Before she could get another word out, Kyle let loose again, slapping her three more times. The sound of palm on skin cracked through the air like gunshots.
“Oh, we’re in for it?” he snapped, panting. “I’ll make damn sure of it. I’m gonna break that pretty little face of yours today. Let’s see what your short-ass husband does about it!”
Right then and there, I knew exactly how this was going to end, and I was not going to go down with them. I stepped in quickly and grabbed Kyle’s arm, pointing straight at the old woman still lying on the ground, barely holding on to life.
“Enough!” I shouted. “We need to get her to a hospital. Now. If we don’t, she’s not gonna make it!”
Kyle turned on me like a rabid dog. He snarled and shoved me back, then slammed a kick straight into my chest.
I hit the ground hard and slid across the pavement, the wind knocked out of me.
“Get the hell outta my way, Henry,” he barked, voice full of hate. “Or I’ll beat your ass too!”
I coughed, trying to catch my breath. My ribs felt like they’d cracked.
The bloodied woman across from me observed everything. Her face was bruised, her arm visibly broken, yet her eyes showed concern as she extended her healthy hand.
“Young man… thank you. For trying to help me and my mother-in-law.”
But this wasn’t just about being the good guy.
I needed her to realise that I wasn’t with them.
That kick from Kyle? I could have dodged it. Hell, I probably should have. But I didn’t. I took it completely, let myself hit the ground, and let myself roll across the tarmac.
I wanted to draw a line right there—a hard one.
I wasn’t on their side.
Then Kyle barked another order, this time at his two dirtbag buddies. “Gavin, Jordan, grab Henry. Hold his ass down! I ain’t done schooling this crazy bitch yet!”
Those two didn’t hesitate. Gavin and Jordan rushed over, pushed me onto the pavement, and yanked my arms behind my back, holding me down as if they were proud of it.
Kyle stormed back towards the woman and raised his foot.
Then, he forcefully kicked her broken arm. A sickening snap followed, sharp and wet, like dry wood splitting under pressure.
The sound turned my stomach.
She crumpled instantly. Her face turned pale, and her whole body shook with pain. But she didn’t scream. She didn’t cry. She merely looked up at Kyle, her expression fixed in a cold, unwavering glare, with pure hatred blazing behind her eyes.
That silence seemed to piss him off even more.
Kyle snapped, lifted his boot again, and brought it down firmly onto her face.
“You still not scared?!” he shouted like a man possessed. “You still think your husband can do anything to me? Huh?! Say it again! Who’s coming? You say Dominic Fucking Graves, huh?!”
Off to the side, Samantha chimed in, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Serves you right for being greedy. We offered you $10,000, and you still said it wasn’t enough? You deserved that beating.”
But the woman—bruised, bloodied, and still pinned under Kyle’s foot—didn’t flinch. She kept her eyes locked on his face, filled with nothing but fire, and clenched her teeth through the pain.
“I’ll make sure my husband cuts off that leg of yours and feeds it to the dogs.”
Kyle’s face twisted into something vile, almost feral. Without warning, he reared back and kicked her in the face, spitting out his words like venom.
“Cut off my leg? Who the hell do you think your husband is?! Not only am I beating his wife today…”
He turned to the frail old woman lying close by, barely conscious, not even strong enough to cry out.
“…I’m gonna kick his mom too. Let’s see what he does about it!”
And just like that, before anyone could stop him, Kyle pivoted and drove a brutal kick right into the old woman’s ribs.
“No!” the bloodied woman screamed.
She scrambled forward, trying to cover her mother-in-law, but she was too late.
The old woman’s body jerked from the blow. A thick stream of blood gushed from her mouth, and she slumped over, completely still.
Then, as if ripped straight from a film, the low growl of engines rolled in from down the highway.
A black convoy sped to a halt along the emergency lane, tyres screeching as doors flew open one after another.
Men in black suits and dark sunglasses poured out, moving fast and with purpose.
And leading the charge was a colossal man with a neck like a tree trunk and shoulders that could shade the sky.
From across the road, his voice rang out, booming with urgency. “Laura! Are you all right? Mom, are you okay?”
