Chapter 11 Chapter 11
“In every empire, loyalty is rewarded… but obedience is worshipped.”
Jason did not flinch when the body hit the marble floor. The sound was thick and final, echoing through the Maddox estate’s massive living room like a warning. The man’s limbs sprawled out grotesquely, a smear of blood creeping across the white rug beneath him. Two guards stood by the doorway, waiting.
Jason flicked two fingers toward the exit; efficient, silent, unquestionable, and the men immediately dragged the corpse away, heels scraping loudly across the tile.
Bryant didn’t even look up at first. Sitting comfortably on a low velvet chair, he swirled his black coffee in slow circles, watching the steam curl and fade. Only after taking a long sip did he speak.
“You know something, Jason…” Bryant began, his tone faintly amused, but hiding a razor beneath the softness. “Once a person becomes useless to a cause, there’s only one sensible thing left to do.”
Jason kept his head lowered respectfully.
Bryant set his cup down with a soft click. “Uproot them before they rot everything else.” His voice dipped into a darker register. “Dead weight isn’t just inconvenient. It’s dangerous.”
Jason understood the message instantly. The dead man on the rug had not been the only target of that warning. Bryant’s eyes slid to him, sharp and evaluating. Jason inclined his head.
“I agree, sir.”
A small smile touched Bryant’s lips. Pleased.
But the moment was abruptly shattered by the loud slam of double doors.
Rihana Brattfield swept into the room with all the subtlety of a firestorm. Her heels clicked aggressively against the marble floor, her perfectly styled waves bouncing with each irritated step. Her expression was an artful blend of indignation and pout. An expression only someone who had grown up spoiled could master so elegantly.
Bryant’s hardened demeanor softened instantly, like snow melting in the sun.
“Jason,” Bryant said without even glancing his way, “leave us.”
Jason stiffened. Again.
The dismissal cut through him sharply, more painful than the corpse disposal he had just overseen. He was the one Bryant trusted with executions, blackmail, operations no one else dared to touch. Yet Rihana Brattfield, daughter of Mayor Brattfield, pampered, demanding, untouchable only had to frown to push him out of the room like background decor.
“Take your men,” Bryant added, waving his hand lazily
Jason forced out a controlled, “Yes, sir,” and strode out with rigid posture, jaw tight enough to crack teeth. The doors closed behind him with a resounding thud.
Inside, Bryant turned to Rihana, warmth radiating off him as if he hadn’t just sentenced a man to death five minutes ago.
“What has my little stormcloud frowning today?” he asked with indulgent affection.
Rihana collapsed onto the couch beside him, throwing her head back dramatically. “My request to visit Saint Ridge was denied again!” she huffed like a child denied ice cream.
Bryant blinked once, unbothered. “Ah.”
“And,” she continued louder, “my dad won’t even use his influence to help me. Can you imagine? He’s the mayor, Bryant. He could get me in with a phone call!”
Bryant rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Sweetheart, there are strict protocols there. The men in that facility are dangerous. Unstable.”
“I’m not going there to see men!” she snapped. “I want to see Hale. And maybe my brother if I feel charitable.”
“Even so,” Bryant replied, unfazed by her theatrics, “The annual visit is around the corner. And if you want to see Hale, you’ll wait until then.”
“That’s ages away,” she groaned, flopping against him.
“I know.” His tone softened, but his decision remained iron. “And you will wait. There’s no negotiating that.”
She sulked, lips pushing out into a deep pout that would have made most men cave. Bryant was amused but unmoved.
“Smile, princess,” he teased lightly. “You’ll wrinkle your pretty face with all that glaring.”
“It’s wrinkled with disappointment,” she muttered.
Bryant chuckled and hugged her closer. Despite the affection in his gestures, nothing in his stance hinted he’d budge even an inch.
Outside, Jason stood by the balcony, staring out at the city beyond the estate gates. The Maddox estate’s grounds spread out in pristine, carefully manicured lines. Everything was orderly, structured, controlled. Everything except the gnawing anger twisting in his gut.
He replayed the moment Rihana had entered. Bryant’s instant shift. His own immediate dismissal.
He was useful when blood needed to be spilled. When secrets needed to be erased. When Bryant needed someone willing to do the impossible without question.
But the moment a spoiled princess walked in? He became invisible.
Jason’s fingers tightened around the balcony railing until his gloves creaked.
He wasn’t jealous, he wasn’t that foolish but he was realistic. People who felt untouchable acted recklessly. And recklessness always became someone else’s burden to fix.
If Rihana Brattfield became a liability, he knew exactly who would be expected to clean up after her.
His jaw clenched.
One day, he promised himself, everyone would stop underestimating him.
Across the city, Rome’s phone buzzed. He picked it up instantly.
“Rome speaking.”
Bryant’s voice drifted through, cool and controlled. “Any request from Rihana to visit Saint Ridge is to be denied.”
Rome blinked. “All of them?”
“All,” Bryant confirmed. “Even the annual visitation "
Rome hesitated. “Sir… denying her that might cause..."
“I don’t care what it causes,” Bryant cut in, voice suddenly sharp. “She is not going anywhere near that facility.”
Rome straightened in his seat. “Understood.”
A brief pause.
“And now,” Bryant said, voice lowering, “the assignment. Updates?”
Rome exhaled slowly. “It’s progressing, but… I think we’ll need a medical boost if you want to accelerate things. At our current pace, we won’t get results fast enough.”
Bryant hummed thoughtfully on the other end. “How soon can you obtain what’s needed?”
“If I pull strings,” Rome said carefully, “within a week.”
A beat of silence.
“Then do it,” Bryant ordered. “Quietly. And Rome… do not let anything slow you down.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended.
Rome lowered the phone, staring at the dark screen for a long moment. Whatever Bryant was planning involved Saint Ridge, Hale, and now Rihana in ways none of them fully understood.
And Bryant Maddox never pushed a timeline unless the consequences of waiting were worse.