The Warlord's Return

In Neonorra's central square, a vintage Hummer grinds to a halt.

Maxwell Donovan steps out, his brown combat boots hitting the pavement with authority.

His eyes are icy, his eyebrows sharply defined.

He exudes power, his broad chest suggesting he's not to be trifled with.

Beside him stands a stunningly beautiful woman, her striking figure turning heads and drawing gasps.

"Scarlett! Any updates?" Maxwell calls out.

"We'll have answers today, Mr. Donovan!"

Scarlett Monroe replies, her voice tinged with both reverence and fear.

It's been six years since Maxwell last visited this place.

At twenty, after his father died in a car accident, he inherited a vast business empire. But soon after, he was framed and forced to flee, disappearing for half a decade.

Now, looking around, the familiar old buildings have been replaced by modern skyscrapers.

His hands clench into fists, his veins nearly bursting with tension.

Scarlett, standing behind him, shivers as a cold breeze sweeps by.

She knows too well the force of his presence—a single man, equal to an army, with a tally of fallen foes beyond count.

In these six years, he transformed from a naive young man into the feared reaper of Frostvale, walking a path lined with blood and bones.

Once, he boldly ventured alone into Frostvale, mocked for seeking a fight he couldn't win.

But after defeating seven generals from four nations, no one dared challenge him as he stood on their city walls.

Everyone knew then—he could claim the throne of Frostvale if he wished.

Scarlett speaks softly, almost hesitantly, "Mr. Donovan, you could take down Neonorra with just a word. Why..."

He interrupts her with a sharp grunt, startling her into kneeling.

Maxwell exhales deeply, "Forget it. I've resigned as the Northern Command Chief. You follow me now—no more kneeling."

"Yes, Mr. Donovan..."

"Daddy!"

Suddenly, a little girl with a handmade book bag dashes over.

As Scarlett begins to stand, the girl wraps her arms around Maxwell's leg.

"Daddy! I've missed you so much!" she exclaims.

The girl is incredibly cute. As Maxwell looks down into her eyes, his body stiffens for a moment.

He gently strokes her head, "Little lady, you're mistaken."

"No! You are my daddy! I've seen mom looking at your picture. Even if it's just from the back, I know it's you!"

Maxwell silently shakes his head, then hears someone nearby comment, "Look, that poor kid is making up relatives again!"

"Poor thing, her mom's lost it and her dad apparently took off. Can't really blame her..."

Scarlett immediately drops to her knees again, panic-stricken. "Mr. Donovan, forgive me, I've failed you. Please, punish me!"

She's visibly stressed, beads of sweat on her forehead.

With Mr. Donovan still healing from serious injuries, any surprise attack could be catastrophic.

Failing to prevent even a small child's approach was a clear dereliction of duty.

Maxwell dismisses it with a wave of his hand. "Let's go. I'm worried about Aria."

He picks up the little girl and gently sets her inside the park fence, then climbs into the car and slams the door.

"Daddy... please don't leave! Don't abandon Chloe. I'll be good... Daddy..."

The girl's cries and outstretched hands are heart-wrenching as she tries to squeeze through the fence.

"Alright, let's hit the road!"

The Hummer's engine roars to life, sounding like a lion declaring its territory.

As they pull up to a residential area, Maxwell gets out and says, "You go ahead with your stuff; I'll catch up with you later!"

He walks confidently to a house he knows well. Six years have passed, and he wonders if Aria, his childhood sweetheart, might now be married.

He wasn't looking for forgiveness, just a chance to explain things to Aria.

They had been inseparable since childhood and were engaged to be married when, on the very night of their engagement, he was drugged and unwittingly ended up with another woman.

Caught in the act, framed, and humiliated, he was arrested, an event that led to his mother's death and shattered his family's business empire overnight.

After a good long think, he dropped the tough act and blended in like any other regular guy.

At Aria's house, the decorations and noise indicate a celebration.

Taking a deep breath, Maxwell pushes open the gate and walks into the living room where relatives are chatting and laughing.

Upon seeing Maxwell, someone gasps, "The... the rapist... he's back!"

The room suddenly goes quiet, all eyes on him.

At that moment, a young man comes out from a bedroom, holding Aria's hand, and asks, "Hey everyone, what do you think of Aria's wedding dress?"

Aria spots Maxwell first, her eyes widening in shock. Noticing her reaction, the young man, Gideon Frost, asks, "Aria! Who's this guy?"

Maxwell steps forward and softly says, "Aria, I'm back."

Aria looks at him for a few seconds and replies quietly, "It's good you're back. Just make sure you live a good life from now on."

Gideon, now realizing who Maxwell is, smirks slightly and says, "So you're Maxwell Donovan... I've heard a lot about you!"

His tone is both dismissive and disdainful, reflecting the attitude of the relatives who clearly despise Maxwell.

These were people who had once benefited from Maxwell's kindness but now seemed to have forgotten all about those times.

Aria then introduces Gideon, "This is my fiancé, Gideon Frost. We're getting married tomorrow. Feel free to drop by for a drink if you're around."

Maxwell nods, understanding her polite way of saying goodbye. He takes a deep breath and begins, "I just wanted to say, about that night..."

"Enough, I don't need your explanations," Aria cuts him off.

Seeing the emotional turmoil his fiancée was going through, Gideon instantly felt a surge of anger.

He was fiercely protective; no one was allowed to mess with his woman, not even in their thoughts.

After mulling it over for a while, he pulled out a check from his wallet.

"Here's $100,000. After this, I hope I never see you again."

His implication is clear and threatening.

"$100,000? Mr. Frost, you're quite the generous man."

Maxwell comments, eyeing the check but not taking it.

Gideon, increasingly annoyed yet restraining his anger, adds, "For someone fresh out of jail, $100,000 should be enough to get you back on your feet. Think it over. Just remember, one word from me, and you could be back behind bars tomorrow. You know what that's like."

"Oh really? Mr. Frost, that’s quite the power you think you have. Isn’t there supposed to be law and order here?"

Gideon smirks, "In Neonorra, the Frost family makes the rules. My word is the law here. Got it?"

A few years ago, the Frost family was virtually unknown.

However, with a powerful ally backing them in recent years, they've rapidly expanded their influence.

They've taken over numerous small and medium-sized businesses, quickly becoming one of the top families in Neonorra.

Gideon's claim was bold but true in Neonorra. "My word is the law here!"

Gideon's patience thinned.

"Just so you know, no one even looks at my woman without my permission! If you still have any hopes, I don't like trouble but I'm not afraid to deal with you," Gideon warned.

Maxwell scoffed, "Don't cause problems for your own family. It wasn't easy for the Frosts to get where they are today!"

Their intense gaze met, sparks flying.

But the next moment, Gideon felt an icy fear.

To him, Maxwell was nothing more than an ant to be crushed.

Gideon thought to himself, "This man is a problem. It seems I've been too quiet for too long; people have forgotten who I am."

"You really don't know when you're well off. Mr. Frost is only being nice to you out of pity! Just get out here, you rapist."

Maxwell ignored the attempts to intimidate him and turned to Aria, "I've said what I needed to say. Goodbye."

Aria, tugging at Gideon's arm, suggested, "Let's not sink to his level. He's not worth our anger."

Hearing this, Gideon's expression grew even colder as he muttered, "Let's just consider him dead. We can't let a nobody like that disrupt our lives."

Aria's heart skipped a beat.

She knew Gideon well; his words meant trouble for Maxwell, but she merely sighed and did not intervene.

"Oh, and since you're getting married, here's a little gift from me!"

Maxwell returned and pulled out a simply wrapped box from his coat, handing it to Aria.

Aria hesitated, and just then Gideon snapped, "Take your junk and leave! I won't say it again!"

At that moment, Aria's mother Catherine rushed over, grabbed the box from him, and slammed it on the ground. "Bringing us cheap market trash? Even a crumb from Mr. Frost is enough for you to live on for a lifetime!"

With a sharp crack, the box broke open, revealing a necklace with a pendant that held a thumb-sized blue stone.

"Hmph!" Maxwell let out a cold snort, his whole body radiating a deadly intent that made Catherine stumble back in fear.

Swallowing hard, she blurted out in terror, "What kind of look is that? Damn it!"

Even Gideon held his breath, feeling a chill rush over him.

"Impossible! How can he exude such a terrifying intent? I can't even bear to meet his gaze. What has he been through? No way can we let him live!"

After a moment, Maxwell's aura subsided, and he spoke softly, "Sorry. I've delivered the gift and fulfilled a longstanding wish. Goodbye then."

"Stop right there! Drop that superior attitude. You think you're the same Maxwell from six years ago?"

A middle-aged man standing behind him snorted and grabbed his arm.

He was a distant relative of Aria and had come to curry favor with Gideon, hoping to make a good impression that would boost his business prospects.

Maxwell's lips curled into a slight smile as he was about to retaliate when Scarlett suddenly burst in.

She looked utterly panicked and dropped to her knees in front of Maxwell, her shoulders trembling as she managed to say, "... Mr. Donovan! Sorry !"

"Speak!"

"The target has vanished!"

As soon as she spoke, Maxwell's body jolted. He snorted coldly and furiously shouted at the man holding his arm, "Get lost!"

"Maxwell cut the act. You just got out and you're already hiring people to strut around here? Mr. Donovan? You're just a loser. Don't think that..."

Before the man could finish, Scarlett suddenly stood up, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him high before slamming him down hard on the ground.

Her eyes, cold and deadly, seemed to freeze him in place. In her mind, anyone who dared defy Mr. Donovan was already a dead man.

"That's enough! Let's go!"

Maxwell, no longer interested in prolonging the confrontation, left briskly, his mind racing about why the target had suddenly disappeared.

The middle-aged man, thrown down hard, clutched his neck and coughed violently, having felt the nearness of death just moments before.

"Mr. Frost, Maxwell... didn't he just get free?"

Gideon mused, well aware that the woman who had just intervened was clearly skilled.

"Didn't Uncle tell us? He probably hired some temp to put on a show for us. Some boss and secretary stories, you know? Just got out and he's already trying to impress at his ex's place!"

"Right! Good thing Aria never ended up with him... can you imagine the mess?"

In a quiet corner, a young man chimed in softly, "Did you guys notice that girl's uniform? It's from the Central Military Directorate."

"What?"

"The Central Military Directorate..."

The group burst into laughter. "This guy really wants to take it to the next level, huh? Faking Central Military Directorate uniforms now. Does he even think? When have we seen their kind around here?"

He then kicked a necklace Maxwell had dropped, tossing it into a nearby trash bin.

"Seriously, Neonorra is just a tiny town. There's no way we'd see someone from the Central Military Directorate here."

"And how would Maxwell be connected to someone from the Central Military Directorate right after his release?"

Prompted by the young man's comment, Gideon returned inside to make a call, "Check for me, send over the details on the Central Military Directorate uniforms!"

A few minutes later, pictures flooded his phone, none matching the woman's attire.

"Maxwell, always trying to steal the spotlight, huh? Soon, you'll be begging in front of me... and that woman…I would enjoy that woman. "

Meanwhile, Maxwell had left the area and climbed back into his Hummer.

The atmosphere inside was heavy; Scarlett felt as though she was in a cage, too scared to even breathe deeply.

"Mr. Donovan… Your sister isn't in Neonorra. The accounts you've been transferring money to... they aren't in her name!"

Maxwell's face darkened with fury, an intimidating aura radiating from him.

He squeezed an unopened water bottle until it burst, frightening Scarlett as she trembled and sweat dripped down her forehead.

Maxwell quickly reigned in his anger, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

"Mr. Donovan, please, you need to stay calm. You haven't fully recovered from your injuries!"

As Maxwell grunted in acknowledgment, Scarlett felt a wave of relief.

"Oh God... Mr. Donovan, it's my fault. All these years, I've been sending money to this account without verifying its legitimacy!"

"We need to find Ruby immediately! She's been missing for a long time, and I've failed as a brother..."

Maxwell clenched his fists, frustrated by the Central Military Directorate's restrictions that kept him from contacting his sister for six years.

His sister was his only remaining family, and he couldn't afford any missteps—not if he wanted to honor their parents' last wishes…

"Mr. Donovan! There's more news, from back then... back then..."