88 Chapter 88 The Ashworths Unforgiving Justice
88 Chapter 88 – The Ashworths‘ Unforgiving Justice
The Hawthorne estate had transformed into a war zone within minutes. Through the tinted windows of Harrison Ashworth’s armored vehicle, I watched in stunned silence as tactical teams secured every inch of the property. Beside me, Isabelle sat with perfect posture, her face betraying no emotion as she observed her father’s orchestrated destruction of the Hawthorne family,
“Your father…” I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper. “He planned all of
this?”
Isabelle’s eyes remained fixed on the mansion. This is actually restrained by his
standards..
The cold precision of her words sent a chill down my spine. The woman beside me- the woman I’d fallen for–was speaking about the systematic ruination of an entire family as casually as discussing the weather.
“Sebastian and Julian are being brought to the garden pavilion,” she said, checking her phone. “Father wants us to witness what happens next.”
I swallowed hard. “And what exactly is going to happen next?”
Her eyes finally met mine, unflinching. “Justice, Liam. Ashworth justice.”
We exited the vehicle into the cool night air. Armed guards flanked us as we walked across the immaculately landscaped grounds toward the garden pavilion. The once–peaceful space had been transformed. Floodlights illuminated the area with harsh white light. Sebastian and Julian Hawthorne knelt on the marble floor, surrounded by guards with weapons trained on them.
Harrison Ashworth stood before them, looking more like a disappointed teacher than an avenging patriarch. When he noticed our arrival, he nodded slightly.
“Perfect timing,” he said. “I was just explaining the situation to our friends here.”
Sebastian’s face was twisted with terror, while Julian maintained a veneer of defiance despite his trembling hands.
“Mr. Hawthorne,” Harrison continued, focusing his attention on Sebastian. “You’ve placed me in a difficult position. Kidnapping my daughter is, frankly, unforgivable. But
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I’m a reasonable man:
Sebastian looked up, desperation etched into every line of his face. “Please, Mr. Ashworth. There must be some misunderstanding-
“Stop” Harrison raised a hand. “Let’s not waste time with denials. Your son already confirmed your involvement during our initial questioning
Sebastian’s head snapped toward Julian, disbelief and betrayal in his eyes. Julian refused to meet his father’s gaze.
“However,” Harrison continued, “I’m prepared to offer you a choice. A father’s choice.”
The air seemed to grow colder as Harrison paced methodically in front of the kneeling
men.
“Option one: confess to orchestrating my daughter’s kidnapping, and your son walks
unharmed. He’ll lose everything–wealth, status, connections–but he’ll be alive.”
My stomach churned as I realized what was happening. I glanced at Isabelle, but her expression remained unreadable.
“Option two,” Harrison said, “you maintain your innocence, in which case I’ll have no choice but to hold you both equally responsible.”
The implication hung heavy in the night air. Sebastian’s breathing had become ragged, his eyes darting between his son and Harrison.
“Father,” Julian suddenly spoke, his voice cracking. “Don’t listen to him! Tell him the truth–it was all your idea!”
Sebastian stared at his son in shock. “Julian, what are you saying?”
“It was you!” Julian’s composure cracked entirely. “You ordered those men to take her! You said we could leverage her against the Ashworths! I told you it was too dangerous, but you wouldn’t listen!”
I watched in disbelief as Julian Hawthorne, who had commanded rooms with his arrogance just days ago, threw his father to the wolves without hesitation.
Sebastian’s face crumpled as the full weight of his son’s betrayal hit him. For a moment, the pavilion was silent except for Julian’s panicked breathing.
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Then, something shifted in Sebastian’s expression. A terrible resolve settled over his features as he looked at his son one last time.
“Yes,” Sebastian said quietly, turning to Harrison. “It was my plan. Julian had nothing to do with it. I take full responsibility.”
Harrison nodded thoughtfully. “A father’s sacrifice. Admirable, if belated.”
Relief washed over Julian’s face. “You see? I told you! It was all him!”
“Indeed you did.” Harrison agreed. “You sold out your father rather impressively.”
Julian stood shakily, straightening his rumpled suit. “So I’m free to go?”
Harrison looked at him with something approaching pity. “I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding.
Julian froze. “What do you mean? You said if he confessed-”
“I presented two options, Harrison corrected. “I never said I would honor either of
them.”
The color drained from Julian’s face. “No, you can’t-
“You kidnapped my daughter, Harrison said, his voice suddenly glacial. “Did you think a confession would erase that crime?”
Sebastian struggled to his feet. “You gave your word!”
“I gave you choices to reveal your true characters,” Harrison replied. “And you’ve both shown exactly what you are. One a coward who would sacrifice his father, the other a criminal who would endanger my child.”
Julian’s face contorted with rage. “You lying bastard!” He lunged toward Harrison with desperate fury.
What happened next unfolded so quickly I could barely process it. Two sharp cracks echoed through the night. Sebastian and Julian Hawthorne collapsed simultaneously, each with a perfect bullet hole in the center of their foreheads.
I hadn’t seen anyone fire. I whipped my head around, scanning the darkness beyond. the floodlights. Nothing. The snipers were invisible.
Isabelle’s hand found mine, squeezing gently. I couldn’t tell if the gesture was meant to
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comfort me or herself.
Harrison observed the bodies with clinical detachment, then checked his watch. “Efficient,” he murmured, seemingly pleased.
He turned to us as if we were simply concluding a business meeting. “Let’s go. The cleanup team will handle the rest”
As we walked back toward the waiting vehicles, I felt numb. I’d hated the Hawthornes for what they’d done to us, but this cold execution had shaken me to my core.
“Your father’s bodyguards,” I said quietly to Isabelle as we reached the car. “I never even saw them fire.”
Harrison overheard me. Those weren’t bodyguards, Mr. Knight, he said, the hint of a smile playing at his lips. “Those were Guardians of the Fifth Ring:
The term meant nothing to me, but the way he said it carried unmistakable weight. And the way Isabelle tensed beside me told me everything I needed to know.
Harrison slid into his seat with casual grace. “Welcome to the real world, Mr. Knight. The sooner you understand the powers at play, the better your chances of survival.”
As we drove away from the Hawthorne estate, leaving behind two cooling bodies and the ruins of a once–powerful family, I stared at the back of Harrison Ashworth’s head. For the first time since my powers had awakened, I felt truly, deeply afraid. Not just of Harrison himself, but of the invisible forces he commanded–forces so powerful and precise they could end lives from the shadows without revealing themselves.
I thought I’d been climbing toward power, but I now realized I was standing at the foot of a mountain whose peak I couldn’t even see. And somewhere up there, figures like Harrison Ashworth looked down, deciding who would live and who would die with terrifying indifference.
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