Chapter 7 Zack Is Back

• Alice and her family stood frozen like mannequins, struggling to process what just happened.
• Benjamin Burton—Mr. Untouchable—was now on the floor, wrecked. His empire? Shattered.
• And the man responsible? Chris.
• The same man who didn’t even make a single phone call… or step outside the office.
• Karen kept glancing between her daughter and the collapsed Benjamin, eyes twitching like she was doing mental math.
• Ava looked just as puzzled. “How did he do that?” she whispered under her breath.
• Before anyone could wrap their heads around it, Benjamin shot to his feet and grabbed Chris by the collar like a mad dog.
• “You son of a bitch! You did this, didn’t you?” he barked, eyes bloodshot. His fist cocked back, ready to land a punch...
• ...but Chris didn’t flinch.
• “What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Chris growled.
• His palm snapped forward, grabbing Benjamin’s fist mid-air and clenching it tight. The sound of bones grinding echoed through the office.
• “AAARGH!” Benjamin screamed like a goat in labor. “Let go! You bastard! How the hell are you this strong?!”
• Chris stepped closer, still gripping the fist with enough force to shatter confidence.
• “You wanted to humiliate me?” he said quietly, his voice sharp as broken glass. “I’ll leave you here today, just like the fool you are. Same way your jailbird of a brother crumbled. You’re no different.”
• He released Benjamin’s hand and watched him crash to the floor with a grunt. No sympathy. No apology.
• Chris turned, grabbed Alice’s hand without a word, and walked out like the ending of an action movie.
• Benjamin was left gasping.
• But just as Karen was about to exit as well, something soft brushed against her ankle. She looked down—Benjamin was on the floor, gripping her leg like a child.
• “Please, Mrs. Nile…” he choked. “I’m alone in this. Help me. Help me clear the mortgage…”
• Karen looked down at him like he was gum on her shoe.
• “Let me go, Benjamin.” Her voice was dripping with disgust. “You? Begging now? Wow. You're too poor to realize you're not in my class anymore.”
• She sneered, peeled his fingers off her leg with one quick kick, and walked off.
• When they got outside, Karen took a deep breath.
• What had just happened left Ava and her mother speechless.
• They sat in the back of the car, eyes wide, silent.
• But Alice… she couldn’t stop staring at Chris. Her gaze followed him like a camera lens.
• He didn’t flinch. He didn’t celebrate. He just stared out the window.
• And that made it worse.
• Did he really bring Benjamin down?
• How?
• Her brain said no. But the memory of his threats earlier, the rage in his eyes… it haunted her.
• Still, she forced herself to believe someone else must’ve done it.
• There’s no way Chris—the ex-convict, the boy who once took the fall for her sister—could destroy Benji’s Corp from inside a room.
• Just as she looked away, Chris turned to her.
• His mind wandered.
• He remembered how it all happened.
• The Soul Racer.
• It was small—sapphire-shaped and ancient-looking. A pendant once held by the Dragon Lord himself.
• Chris remembered the old man in jail, frail and dying, placing it in his hand.
• «“This connects your soul to the Oracle,” the old man whispered. “Once connected, you don’t need a phone. Don’t need your voice. You’ll control your enemies without touching them. This is your destiny. You are the Dragon Lord now.”»
• The words echoed as Chris touched the chain under his shirt.
• Just then, his phone vibrated.
• it was a message. From Miss Poison.
• “Zack is back. He heard about what happened to Mr. Jones—Edward’s father—and just returned from the States.”
• Chris’s fist curled instantly. His teeth gritted.
• Zack. That name burned like acid in his memory.
• That name wasn't just familiar, Chris had known him for ages now.
• Twelve years ago…
• “You don’t have what it takes to run Falcon, Chris,” Zack had said, voice arrogant and eyes shining with envy. “I’ll take it from you. And that’s on period.”
• “But Falcon was my father’s legacy. He left it for me!” Chris had pleaded. “They promised me I’d run it when I turned 18…”
• “I turned 18 before you,” Zack had grinned, cruel. “So guess who’s the boss now?”
• As Chris remembered all this, he couldn't stop clenching his fists tightly. Zack took over his father's company years ago and refused to give it back to him.
• And now? He's back!
• Chris muttered under his breath, voice like thunder rumbling, “Welcome back, Zack. Now watch me burn everything you stole.”
• Just then, the car jerked to a halt.
• Chris looked up. “Why did we stop?”
• Karen yawned. “I’m hungry. We’re getting food.”
• They stepped out of the car and stood in front of a modern glass-front eatery. Chris’s heart dropped when he saw the name glinting on the signboard:
• FALCON TOUR.
• The name hit like a brick to the chest. His father’s legacy. Right in front of him. Turned into a flashy eatery.
• “What are you waiting for, Chris?” Ava asked. “Let’s go in.”
• Chris clenched his jaw. His fists curled again—but this time, something strange happened.
• A voice echoed in his mind:
• “Remain quiet. Defend your integrity. Never defend yourself, my Lord.”
• He paused.
• It was the Soul Racer again.
• He remembered what the old man said: “The pendant gives advice when your soul is about to crack. Listen to it.”
• Chris nodded slowly. He breathed deeply, tucked his anger into the back of his mind, and walked into the eatery behind them.
• ****
• Inside the café, Karen and Alice were already seated at a table for four. Chris walked toward his seat.
• But just as he went to pull out the chair—
• it vanished under him.
• He hit the floor hard.
• The sound of laughter made his blood run hot.
• He looked up.
• Zack stood tall, smug as ever, his hand still gripping the chair.
• Alice was beside him, smiling wickedly and stroking Zack’s abs like she was polishing a trophy.
• “Long time no see, ex-husband,” she purred, her fingers trailed up Zack’s chest.