Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Damien had no interest in a direct confrontation with Crescent City, but Bavich saw an opportunity to stir up trouble and profit from the chaos.

So Bavich sent people to impersonate Damien's crew and openly provoke Crescent City at its gates. He even had someone disguise themselves as Damien, showing up at the city entrance with a group of men, acting arrogant and demanding Wraith Grass.

They barely got through a few threats before guards swarmed them from all directions.

Judy happened to be in Crescent City at the time. She had originally come for an auction and planned to leave right after, but Domingo's warm insistence convinced her to stay at Lord's Manor for a few days.

So it didn't take long before Judy heard the news that "Damien had shown up at Crescent City."

"Damien is a friend of mine. Can you let him off the hook, as a favor to me?" The moment Judy learned Damien was surrounded by robots at the city gate, she rushed to Domingo to plead for him.

"Since you're asking, of course." Domingo waved to his men, and they immediately went to handle it.

Judy wanted to go see Damien herself. Knowing Crescent City rarely let outsiders in, she decided to head to the gate in person, and Domingo insisted on going with her.

"Judy?" The commotion at the gate had already died down. The moment she appeared, the fake "Damien" called out her name.

But Judy's brow furrowed. "That's not Damien. He's in disguise."

Domingo caught her words and shot a look at his men. "Kill them all."

The imposters saw things go south fast and tried to run, but Domingo's people cut them down without mercy.

Judy walked over and tore the skin mask off the man's face, revealing someone she recognized — one of Celestial Temple's people.

"Damien is my friend. He crossed Celestial Temple, and they've been hunting him down like crazy. These people disguised themselves as him on purpose to stir up trouble — they wanted to drive a wedge between you two and get you to go after Damien yourself. You need to watch your back." Judy's brow tightened as she looked at Domingo and gave him a grave warning.

Domingo's expression darkened. What he didn't say was that Crescent City had already been on Celestial Temple's radar before any of this happened.

"I get it. But you should be careful too. That man recognized you — I noticed his lips moving just now. He might have already sent word out." Domingo said, clearly concerned.

All of them had been carrying communication devices. There was a real chance that word of Judy being in Crescent City had already gotten out.

And sure enough, Bavich — who had been pulling the strings behind the whole thing — received exactly that intel.

"I figured she'd be sticking close to Damien this whole time. Didn't expect her to turn up in Crescent City, and so tight with the mayor of all people." Bavich lit up when he heard the news.

"Someone get over here! I want to send a message to our dear Judy!"

When the reply came back as a refusal, a cold smile crept onto Bavich's lips. "Celestial Temple has plenty of ways to make you come out and play."

He stared out into the void beyond the window, already turning a dark scheme over in his mind.

Meanwhile, Damien was completely tied up dealing with Dragon Society, hitting wave after wave of attacks.

The fighters weren't exactly top-tier, but they were a constant annoyance — like being blocked by a stray dog that just wouldn't back off.

"These idiots have a death wish. Ironclaw, go teach them a lesson." Damien's voice was flat and cold.

"Yes, sir!" Ironclaw's face went hard, and he moved immediately to rally the men.

But before they could even head out, Dragon Society's Rhett showed up at the door himself.

"He actually has the nerve to come here? Let him in." Damien laughed coldly.

Rhett walked in unhurried, leaning on his black cane. The moment he laid eyes on Damien, his expression turned even icier.

"I know you've uncovered the secret hidden in that painting. You sent it back — fine. But that doesn't mean we're square." Rhett sat down directly across from Damien and got straight to the point.

"So what do you want?" Damien asked, smiling coolly.

"Dragon Society still has real pull in Crescent City's territory. If you want to make an enemy of the whole organization, you're going to have to pay a price for that." Rhett was clearly annoyed by Damien's dismissive attitude.

Damien let out a short laugh. Nothing got under his skin faster than being threatened.

"I was already on my way out. I didn't want the headache of dragging things out with Dragon Society, so I sent the painting back. Looking back, that was apparently a wasted gesture. The way you keep pushing — it's genuinely disgusting."

Damien leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, arms resting on the armrests, watching Rhett with cold, steady eyes.

A flash of irritation crossed Rhett's face. "That painting is a treasure passed down from Dragon Society's ancestors. It went missing a few years back, and we went through hell tracing it down. Then you swooped in and grabbed it first. If you're some kind of art lover, fine — but that painting looks completely unremarkable on the surface. Who in their right mind drops five million dollars on something like that? You'd have to be an idiot."

"It's not unreasonable for us to suspect you're a spy sent by our enemies. And you say you returned the painting — but you only sent it back after taking it apart. What kind of good faith is that?" Rhett shot back, his voice sharp.

Damien studied him. By the man's own logic, it actually held together — but that still didn't justify all the harassment.

"Fair points, honestly. But like you said — if I were really your enemy's agent, why would I give the painting back? And for that matter, with all this back-and-forth you've been pulling, if I actually wanted you gone, Dragon Society would already be ash. I have the means to make that happen."

Damien's expression stayed calm, but something behind his eyes went very still.

That landed like a punch to the chest. Rhett's mind started moving fast.

He'd come here mainly to probe what Damien was actually after. Now it was looking like Damien genuinely had no interest in the treasure — but that realization sparked an entirely different idea in Rhett's mind.

"Since Mr. Shaw puts it that way, consider this matter closed. I hope you'll keep your word and leave soon." Rhett's whole demeanor suddenly softened. Damien figured the threat had done its job.

The next day, a hotel staff member delivered a letter to Damien's room. He checked the envelope — nothing unusual. But the moment he opened it, a strange scent hit him. By the time he thought to hold his breath, it was already too late. He collapsed to the floor, and his last conscious thought before blacking out was a bitter curse at his own carelessness.

Shortly after, a cleaning staff member entered the room, stuffed Damien into a housekeeping cart, buried him under towels and supplies, and quietly wheeled him out of the hotel.

Not long after, Mona came looking for Damien and couldn't find him anywhere. She immediately reached out to Ironclaw — but Ironclaw had no idea where Damien was either.

After searching with no results and getting no response from Damien, they finally realized something had seriously gone wrong. They pulled up the security footage right away.

Only one thing stood out — the cleaning staff member who had entered Damien's room. He'd been inside for a very short time, and Damien had never been seen leaving after that. It had to be him.

"Stay here and wait for word. I'm going after them now." Ironclaw barely had time to say that much before he took off running.

By then, Damien had already been taken to a narrow back alley, where Pax was waiting. From there, he was brought straight to Dragon Society's headquarters.