Xavier Hale stood at the periphery of the grand party, his eyes sweeping across the room with a mix of disdain and longing. The lavish decorations, the cacophony of conversation, and the clinking of glasses seemed to mock him, a constant reminder of his position in his family. His mother, Alicia, a stunning woman with piercing green eyes, laughed and chatted with the other guests, her beauty and charm captivating everyone around her. But Xavier knew the truth - she was a mistress, a mere plaything for the powerful Mafia lord, Donatello Hale."Xavier, darling, come join us!" his mother called out, her voice dripping with sweetness, like honey. Despite all the mistreatment she received from the other women in the Hale family, she still treated Xavier like a treasure that could not be exchanged for anything.Xavier hesitated, knowing he didn't belong. The weight of his mother's expectant gaze forced him to move forward, his feet heavy with reluctance, as if trudging through quicksand. As
Xavier made his way to the garage, his mind racing with questions. What was this business transaction his father wanted him to oversee? Why was it so important? And why did his father seem so cold and calculating?As he approached the car, Edgar, the driver, greeted him with a nod. "Ready, sir?"Xavier nodded, getting into the car. "Let's go."As he got into the passenger seat of the car, his mind couldn't help but go back to what his father said about clearing away the shame by completing this mission, but still, somehow he felt uneasy about everything.Edgar drove through the winding roads, eventually leading them to a deserted warehouse on the outskirts of town. Xavier's instincts told him something was off, but he pushed aside his doubts."Wait here," Edgar said, getting out of the car. "I'll go check if everything is ready."Xavier watched as Edgar entered the warehouse, his heart pounding in his chest. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the shadows."Xavier Hale," a voice
In a starless void of darkness. Xavier floated away. His mind replayed the events of what had happened over again and over again. He was overwhelmed by the emotions of regrets, anger, loss. He had refused to believe what those men said about his father being behind everything that happened, but deep down he knew it might just be true. Edgar didn't dispute what those men said, and Edgar himself said he was just following orders, that only meant his father planned all these.. but why? Because he was the son of a mistress? Because he had no significant place in the family? Or because his mother was once a maid? Were these reasons enough to kill him? Hadn't he been laying low, taking in all their abuses and insults without any form of retaliation? Why would they still plan to kill him, and without even letting him say goodbye to his mother! If he was allowed to live, perhaps he could become a Mafia Lord one day."WHY!?" Xavier screamed to the starless void. The more he thought about it, t
Xavier, now known as X, pretended to be brainwashed, staring blankly at Doctor Ambrose. The doctor smiled, seemingly pleased with Xavier's condition."Good, good. The treatment is working. You will make a fine asset for the Continental," Doctor Ambrose said, nodding to the guards.One of the guards, a tall, muscular man with a scar above his left eyebrow, stepped forward. "Sir, can I have a word with you?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.Doctor Ambrose frowned. "What is it, Victor?"Victor glanced at Xavier before speaking. "I think we should be careful. He's not as brainwashed as we think."Doctor Ambrose laughed. "Nonsense. The treatment is foolproof. X here will do our bidding without question."Xavier's mind raced, remembering the system's warning to level up quickly. He knew he had to play along, but he also needed to find a way to escape and start his journey to become a Mafia Lord. He knew if he remained here, he would be nothing but an experimental subject, a guinea pig fo
More guards arrived, forming a semi-circle around Xavier. He stood tall, disruptor at the ready."You're surrounded," a guard sneered. "Surrender now and perhaps we might go easy on you."'Surrender?' Xavier repeated the words in his mind. How many times had he always surrendered to the Hale family? How many times had he stepped down with his head low just to survive? And what did he get for those acts of cowardice? A painful and undesirable death orchestrated by none other than his own father. From now on, he would never bend a knee, ever again.Xavier smiled grimly. "I'd rather die."«Ding!New skill acquired!Undying Resolve (non upgradable)Description: In desperate times, Host's resolve to persevere will give all attributes ×2 boost.»'Hehehe, things just keeps getting better and better.' Xavier chuckled inside.The guards opened fire, but Xavier's disruptor rendered their laser guns useless. Seeing them shocked at the fact their guns weren't working, he rushed at them with the k
After leaving the Continental facility. Xavier and Victor ran without any pitstop till they got to a busy road. There they boarded a taxi."Take us to Ancroft city." Victor said."That would be $200 each." The taxi driver said with mischievousness clearly written on his face. Victor was about to refuse when Xavier simply opened the door and went in."I only have $500 only me right now, and we still need to buy some food along the way." Victor said a bit worried."Do not worry about it." Xavier spoke with a smile.'Hey Erebus. I can make use of the gold coins as hard cash, right?' Xavier asked the system via telepathy.«Ding! Yes. Host just needs to will a few coins to materialize in his hand and it will be so. Note, one gold coin is equivalent to ten dollars.» Xavier smiled at the system's response.*Ancroft city was in front of a mountain. Victor's family mansion was hidden in the mountain."Welcome to our humble abode," Victor said, one could sense pride in his voice. As they walke
Xavier sat on a metal chair in the armory. Victor had decided that the ambush operation will only consist of twenty persons including Xavier. Knowing the kind of effect his identity will have on this mission, Xavier had decided to wear a mask."System. Kindly show me my stats please." Xavier said to the system.«Ding!STAT (System for Transfer and Analysis of Tactical data):Host: Xavier HaleAge: 18Status: HealthyAttributes:Strength (STR); 35Intelligence (INT); 40Agility (AGI); 35Vitality (VIT); 40Endurance (END); 40Charisma (CHA); 25Combat stats:Attack power (ATK); 45Defense (DEF); 40Health points (HP); 100%Mana points (MP); 300Accuracy (ACC); 60%Evasion (EVA); 55%Performance metrics:Experience points (XP); 1,400Level; 3 (1,400/20,000)Skills:Revitalization (passive, upgradable) lvl 3Ever-Calm (passive, non upgradable)Undying Resolve (active, non upgradable)Weapon master (passive, upgradable) lvl 4Hand-to-hand combat (passive, upgradable) lvl 5Gold or currenc
Xavier walked into the meeting room, the morning sunlight streaming through the windows. The LaGraine family elders and Victor were already seated, their faces stern and focused. "Xavier, thank you for joining us," Victor said, his voice firm. "We've received intel that the Hale Family is transporting a new shipment to their warehouse. We believe it contains more of the crystalized energy cells we discovered amongst the crates." Two nights ago, they had ambushed the Hale family's convoy and raided their warehouse. They discovered that apart from refined gold, most of the crates contained blocks of energy cells. Xavier's eyes narrowed. "What's so special about these energy cells?" Victor leaned forward. "They have the potential to produce new, highly advanced weapons. We can't let the Hale Family get their hands on that kind of power, once they make use of these energy cells, they will be unstoppable amongst the Mafia community. We need to get that power for ourselves." The elders