2024-12-23 17:43:13Madeline’s mind was in chaos, her hands trembling.
The sudden withdrawal of the two biggest investors supporting J&S Corp’s cash flow almost made her faint.
This meant the company had abruptly lost its operating funds, which could disrupt the supply of raw materials—and paying workers would be out of the question.
A major corporation can collapse in an instant!
A flicker of doubt crossed her mind:
Could it be... that Samuel was actually important?
She quickly dismissed the thought.
If Samuel were so capable, why would he have worked to help run the Brooks family’s company?
There must have been some mistake during the partnership.
Gritting her teeth, Madeline returned to her seat.
Gideon and Arthur didn’t seem to have heard anything, cheerfully sipping their wine.
Looking at Gideon’s face, Madeline felt reassured.
After all, it didn’t matter if the investors pulled out.
J&S Corp was about to partner with The Hawthornes!
With The Hawthornes Corporation involved, those investors were irrelevant. J&S Corp would only grow faster than ever before!
Feeling uplifted again, she raised her glass with a smile.
“To our future partnership—cheers!”
Amid the frustration overwhelming Madeline, the person she was thinking about seemed to be enjoying his journey to the West Line.
Samuel lounged in a black sedan wearing sunglasses, accompanied by none other than Joey Gunther.
“You should’ve just let your men escort me.”
Joey smirked and shook his head. “I was wrong, and I admit it was very careless of me.”
The car came to a stop in front of a gate marked ‘Aurora Farm.’
“We’re stopping here for a moment. I need to pick something up before heading to the West Line,” Joey said.
Samuel simply nodded, and both of them stepped out of the car. He looked around, realizing the place seemed familiar.
“I’ll take a walk,” Samuel said.
They both entered through the gate but headed in different directions. Samuel walked to the right, where a path lined with flowers stretched out.
He inhaled deeply, savoring a sense of calm he hadn’t felt in a long time.
His eyes landed on a building by an artificial lake with the sign ‘Aurora Époque.’
Just standing there, Samuel felt a rush of complicated emotions.
This used to be his favorite place.
It was right here that he proposed to Madeline, kneeling on one knee and offering her a diamond ring.
As he approached the elegant building, a voice stopped him in his tracks—one he knew all too well.
It was the laughter of his ex-fiancée, Madeline.
Samuel frowned, and he turned to leave without hesitated.
At the time, a waiter standing near the back door noticed him.
“Mr. Hayes! Mr. Hayes is here!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Madeline's eyes widened.
Her breath catching in her throat as she reflexively turned toward the door.
The muffled sounds of Arthur and Gideon’s conversation faded into the background.
She couldn't focus; her attention had been snatched by the name she had just heard mentioned by a waiter.
“What’s wrong, Madeline?” Arthur’s voice pulled her back for a moment.
His brow furrowed as he leaned toward her from across the table.
Madeline straightened, shaking her head quickly.
“Nothing. I just need to use the restroom for a moment.”
Without waiting for a response, she pushed back her chair and stood, her steps hurried and purposeful.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she followed the faint sound of voices toward the back door, her unease growing with every step.
“Mr. Hayes! Oh, my, it’s an honor for us to welcome you!”
"We thought you weren’t coming!"
The words hit her like a thunderclap, freezing her in place for a moment.
They were unmistakable now, and they spurred her into action.
Madeline pushed open the door without hesitation, her heels clicking sharply against the floor as she descended the stairs.
There he was.
Samuel Hayes.
Samuel stood still, his expression unreadable.
Disaster, Samuel thought to himself. He didn’t expect to see this woman here.
Madeline stormed toward him, fire blazing in her eyes.
“Are you following me, you bastard?” she snapped.
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BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 7
The room fell silent as the sharp crack of her slap echoed through the air. Samuel’s head turned slightly from the impact, but he didn’t react otherwise. His jaw tightened, his calm demeanor only fueling her anger.“Bastard!” she spat, her voice trembling with fury.As she raised her hand for another slap, Samuel caught her wrist mid-air.“That’s enough,” he said coldly.“I let you slap me twice.”“The first was to repay the debt I owe your grandparents for taking me in.”“The second was for the years you claim you were ‘trapped’ with me.”“Now, we’re even. I owe you nothing.”Madeline froze, her face a mixture of shock and rage.How dare he defy her?For years, she had grown used to Samuel’s quiet compliance, his willingness to endure whatever she threw at him.She didn’t see her own faults, only her mounting anger.This was all Samuel’s fault, she thought bitterly, especially after hearing about the investors pulling out because of him.She burned with fury, wishing she could destro
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 8
To Samuel, he was simply stating the facts.But to Gideon, it was an outright provocation!Gideon’s eyebrows twisted in anger.The next moment, he clenched his fist and threw a powerful punch toward Samuel’s face.The room seemed to hold its breath.But the punch never landed.Samuel seemed to just flicker and dodge the attack.In one smooth motion, he blocked the strike and pushed Gideon’s arm aside.The onlookers gasped in unison.Gideon stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock.“What?!” he sputtered, clearly stunned.The move he had just tried was one of his master’s most advanced techniques—a strike that had never failed him before!He was confident in his fighting skills.Normally, his opponents couldn’t dodge and would fall helplessly.How could someone like Samuel block it so effortlessly?Samuel was beneath him!“You’re such a weasel,” Gideon seethed, his eyes bloodshot with fury. “How did you dodge that?!”Samuel raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.“I don’t want to fight,”
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 9
Madeline clearly had no idea what Gideon talked to him. She also had no idea she had lost all her dignity in Gideon's words. The only thing in her eyes, was that Samuel hurt her ticket to the richer.“How dare you, Samuel!” She shouted, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “You’re a dead man. Hayes.” Gideon, sitting on the ground, looked like an enraged bull. His bloodshot eyes bulged with fury.“Damn it!” Arthur swore from the sidelines, looking visibly shaken. He quickly pulled out his phone, and called for his private bodyguards waiting outside.Within minutes, five towering men stormed into the backyard.Their presence radiating menace. Each was a champion in their respective combat fields. With their master’s orders, they moved in on Samuel.Like a pack of hunting dogs.But Samuel didn’t flinch.Every punch, every kick thrown at him was countered with ease. Samuel moved like water, his strikes precise and devastating.Within seconds, the bodyguards lay sp
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 10
Gideon's eyes, which had originally looked at Joey with pleading, immediately changed to that of a tiger eyeing its prey. He, who had been kneeling, stood up and gave a cynical smile."Nowhere, it's so hard for the police to work seriously, pfft!"Gideon patted Joey on the shoulder and said, "I hope you catch and take this scoundrel away soon! Don’t let The Hawthorne get involved any further!"Joey shuddered upon hearing that sentence.If it weren’t for Samuel, Joey would have punched Gideon in the face with one blow.A spineless bully! A coward!Just as Joey was about to step toward Samuel, Gideon stopped him again."You know The Hawthorne, right?" Gideon asked, craving validation.Joey calmly nodded. "Sure, Mr. Hawthorne.""Take him quickly! I'm tired of looking at his face!" Lisa screamed.Samuel had it enough. He didn’t say much and walked out on his own.Joey quickly followed him.Arthur felt a flicker of doubt in his heart. The sheriff's attitude toward Samuel had a hint of resp
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 11
“Are you saying he’s rotten? Talk to my ass, Arthur Brooks!”“What are you worried about now? This city’s economic growth has soared thanks to my company and will certainly increase under Gideon Hawthorne’s leadership!”Arthur approached Mayor Smith and said, “Gideon is the ideal partner for my company: well-educated, with an excellent background. Do you know Samuel Hayes? Both of his parents were servants in my family!”“Oh, come on, do you think I’m blind to how much chaos the Hawthornes have caused in many countries?”The mayor shot a cynical look at Gideon.“I even know the scandals this young man has if I dig deeper. Cut off my hand if he can do better than Samuel!”“Hawthorne’s ambition has long turned into greed, and we don’t even know how much wealth they actually have.”“One of their houses in England was secretly auctioned off. Doesn’t that show their finances are not doing well?”“I’m not convinced that J&S will thrive; you’re both just playing a game.” Mayor Smith’s words
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 12
Joey’s eyes were bloodshot from fighting off sleep as he monitored the hotel’s surroundings from the window.Since their arrival until now, at two in the morning, Joey hadn’t stopped his vigilant watch.“Get some rest. How long are you going to keep this up?” mumbled Samuel, his eyes already closed.“Until I figure out the cause of this strange situation, Mr. Hayes!”The drowsiness that had started to creep in immediately vanished. Joey shifted his gaze back to the window.Samuel felt the same unease, though it was because of Joey’s behavior. He got out of bed, pulled up another chair, and sat beside Joey.“BrownsVille and The Falcon weren’t enough to make you stop?” Samuel asked.Joey shook his head and shot Samuel a weary look. The urge to slap him for his stubborn attitude was almost overwhelming.“West Line is not something to be underestimated, Mr. Hayes.”“No one is underestimating this place, Chief Joey. You’re just overreacting,” Samuel replied.Joey loosened his already loose
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 13
“Good morning,” Joey greeted them, only to be met with silence.Returning to the room, Joey found Samuel lounging on the bed.“It’s safe, Mr. Hayes, but I think it’s best if you stay here until midday,” Joey suggested.“Why? Aren’t you returning to the city?” Samuel asked.“I planned to, but I can work from the nearest police station. I’ll return by noon, and then we can head to the desert together,” Joey offered.Samuel chuckled, shaking his head.A sense of foreboding crept into Joey’s mind.“The scorching heat clouds judgment and spawns bad ideas. Morning is the best time to observe the West Line,” Samuel said. “You’ve done more than enough for me, Chief. I don’t want to burden you further.”Samuel stood and embraced the Chief, ensuring no room for argument. He then calmly left the room, walking out as if West Line were a vacation spot.Joey watched closely, observing Samuel as he approached the two receptionists.His eyes widened when he saw the receptionists speaking to Samuel wi
BENEATH THE MASK: REVENGE OF SAMUEL HAYES 14
Silence still filled the air.Joey and the three other officers exchanged glances without end."They're not members of Mr. Hayes' team, you heard that, right?" Joey's friend mumbled."Yeah, I’m not deaf."Joey replied curtly, his eyes still fixed on Samuel and the suited man in front of him.He still couldn't accept the reality of it all.Not because he was jealous or resentful of Samuel's greatness.Joey was simply confused about how everything was connected.The Falcon was a warlord notorious for his cruelty and viciousness.He wasn’t an ordinary man; his army was known for being incredibly tough and undefeated.No one knew how many lives had been claimed by them.The Falcon was always in conflict with many nations, and his stop at the border was one of those things that defied all logic.And now, all the questions swirling in Joey’s head grew louder as he observed the behavior of The Falcon’s crew toward Samuel.Who exactly was Samuel Hayes?"So, you’ve all been guarding this place
Latest Chapter
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The group moved quickly through the desolate landscape, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on them. The air still held the remnants of the Devourer’s presence, thick and suffocating. Samuel kept a firm grip on Mercer’s arm, making sure he stayed steady.Mercer, though exhausted, still managed to crack a weak smile. “You planning to hold onto me forever?”Samuel scoffed but didn’t let go. “You can barely stand.”Mercer sighed but didn’t argue. His body was covered in bruises, his clothes tattered, and his skin was still marked with faint traces of the dark tendrils that had bound him to the Devourer.Vincent led the way, his gun still drawn, eyes sharp and scanning the area for any threats. Evelyn walked beside him, her hands trembling slightly, though she tried to hide it. Sophia was a few steps ahead of Samuel and Mercer, her grip still tight on the dagger, ready for anything.Thorne, as always, was eerily calm, his presence steady. “We need to move faster,” he said.
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The second eye blinked open, followed by a third, then a fourth. The Devourer’s presence spread, a suffocating force pressing down on Samuel’s chest. The symbols on the ground pulsed in response, flickering like a heartbeat.Sophia’s grip tightened on the dagger she held, ready to intervene if things went wrong. Vincent and Marcus stood at the edge of the ritual circle, their eyes locked on Samuel, prepared for anything.The Devourer’s voice slithered through the air. “You… are tethered to the one we hold.”Samuel swallowed hard. “Yes.”The entity’s gaze burned through him, its presence creeping into the depths of his mind, sifting through his memories, his emotions, his very essence. A wave of nausea rolled through him as the connection strengthened.“You offer yourself?”Samuel’s fingers curled into fists. “I do.”Evelyn’s chanting shifted, the cadence growing sharper, more forceful. The mimic ritual had to remain convincing, and that meant making the Devourer believe it was getting
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The weight of Thorne’s words settled over them like a suffocating fog. A willing sacrifice.Samuel’s fingers curled into fists as he stared at the page in front of him. The ancient symbols meant nothing to him, but the implications were clear. To sever the Devourer’s connection to its feeding ground, someone had to die.“That’s not an option,” Sophia said, shaking her head. “There has to be another way.”Thorne leaned back in his chair, watching them with a measured gaze. “If there was, I would tell you. But Devourers are ancient creatures, bound by deep-rooted laws of existence. To break their hold, something of equal value must be given in return.”Vincent scoffed. “So you’re saying the only way to save Mercer is for one of us to die? Not happening.”Thorne sighed. “I understand your reluctance. But this is not a simple monster you can kill with bullets or fire. Devourers are entities of hunger and power. If you go in unprepared, you won’t just lose Mercer—you’ll all become part of
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Marcus kept one hand on the wheel while his other gripped his phone tightly. “We need to move fast,” he muttered. “The Brook family won’t just sit back and let us find Mercer first.”Samuel exhaled slowly. “Then we beat them to it. Whatever’s up there in that village, it’s dangerous. But Mercer is still alive. I can feel it.”Vincent scoffed from the backseat. “Feel it? Or just hoping?”Samuel ignored him. He wasn’t about to explain the gnawing pull in his chest, the unshakable certainty that Mercer was still out there, barely clinging to life.Sophia shifted uncomfortably beside him. “That thing in the village… It wasn’t human, was it?”Evelyn, who had been silent the entire drive, finally spoke. “No. It wasn’t.” Her voice was unusually quiet. “I’ve read about things like this before, but seeing it in person is something else.”Marcus frowned. “Read about it? What was it?”Evelyn hesitated before answering. “There are stories of ancient beings bound to certain places, creatures that
111
The wind howled through the ruins, carrying an eerie whisper that sent a chill down Samuel’s spine. The inhuman eye within the darkness remained fixed on them, unblinking, filled with a hunger that made the air itself tremble.Sophia gripped Samuel’s arm, her breath shallow. “Samuel… what is that?”Vincent stepped forward, drawing his gun. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”Marcus cursed under his breath. “We need to get out of here. Now.”The trembling man on the ground clutched at Samuel’s sleeve. “You can’t fight it,” he rasped. “You can only run.”Evelyn narrowed her eyes at the shifting darkness. “No. We don’t run. We face it.”As if responding to her defiance, the shadows coiled like living tendrils, stretching toward them. Samuel barely had time to pull Sophia back before the darkness lashed out, striking the ground where she had just been standing. The impact left a deep crack in the earth, radiating an unnatural heat.“That’s not normal,” Vincent muttered.The villagers had
110
The moment they stepped onto the tarmac, a biting cold wind greeted them, carrying the scent of damp earth and something else—something older, almost metallic, like the air before a storm.Samuel adjusted the collar of his coat, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar terrain. He wasn’t the only one on edge. Sophia wrapped her arms around herself, glancing toward Marcus."Are you sure your contact knows where Mercer is?" she asked, her voice hushed.Marcus checked his phone, his fingers typing rapidly. “He says Mercer was last seen near a village deep in the mountains. But it won’t be easy to reach. The roads are dangerous, and the locals avoid that area.”Vincent scoffed. “Of course they do. Let me guess—ghost stories? Cursed land?”Evelyn, standing slightly apart from the group, tilted her head. “It’s not just stories,” she murmured. “There are things in these mountains older than any of us.”Vincent rolled his eyes. “Great. More cryptic warnings. Love that.”Marcus ignored him and motione
109
Samuel knew they were far from safe. His palm still ached from where his blood had sealed the cracks, but that pain was nothing compared to the weight of what they had just done.Vincent leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “So what now? We just sit around and wait for it to wake up again?”Samuel turned to Evelyn, whose gaze remained fixed on the stone. “How long before the Leviathan tries to break free again?”She didn’t answer immediately. Her expression was unreadable, but there was something almost… distant about her, as if part of her wasn’t even in the room. Finally, she murmured, “It depends.”Sophia frowned. “On what?”Evelyn’s eyes flickered toward Samuel. “On him.”Sophia stepped closer, her patience wearing thin. “Enough with the riddles, Evelyn. If you know something, say it.”Evelyn’s lips curled slightly, but it wasn’t a smile. “The Leviathan is bound to the Blackthorn bloodline. That bond was weakened over centuries. But tonight, it tasted his blood again.”Vincent s
108
Evelyn stood motionless, her hollow eyes locked onto Samuel’s.“The Leviathan will rise,” she had whispered, and those words still hung in the air like a curse.Samuel exhaled slowly, forcing himself to push past the fear curling at the edges of his thoughts. He had spent his life ruling over boardrooms, manipulating billion-dollar deals, ensuring he remained untouchable. But now, he wasn’t dealing with business rivals or power struggles. This was something primal. Something ancient.Marcus stood at the edge of the room, watching them carefully. “You wanted answers, Blackthorn. Now you have them.”Samuel’s jaw clenched. “That wasn’t an answer. That was a warning.”Vincent crossed his arms, his usual sarcasm absent. “We’re not just going to sit here and wait for some monster to crawl out of the ground, are we?”Sophia’s fingers hovered over her phone screen, but she knew there were no quick searches that could prepare them for this. “There has to be something in your research, Marcus.
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The night had an eerie stillness, the kind that set every nerve on edge. Samuel stood by the window of his penthouse, gazing down at the glittering city below. It was a kingdom built on power, wealth, and secrets. But tonight, something in the air felt different.Behind him, Vincent poured himself a drink, the sound of ice clinking against glass breaking the silence. “So, how long do you think this so-called alliance is going to last?”Sophia, sitting on the couch with her laptop open, didn’t look up. “It won’t. Marcus is playing an angle, we just don’t know what it is yet.”Samuel didn’t respond immediately. He had spent years trying to keep his world under control, but now, cracks were forming in the foundation. The entity from the ruins, the ancient warning, and now Marcus Brook—these weren’t coincidences.“They need us as much as we need them,” he finally said. “For now, that keeps them in check.”Vincent scoffed. “Until they decide they don’t need us anymore.”Sophia sighed, her
