The thud of his footsteps was loud—like the sound made by someone who had very little time left and walked in a rush, or someone in such a foul mood that every step felt like he was stomping the earth, or maybe simply someone used to getting things done quickly.

The man was all of those things: pressed for time, in a terrible mood, and someone who always finished things fast.

And not only that— when he stepped onto the ship, every subordinate moved aside, tense and trembling. No one dared defy him, or even disappoint him. He wasn’t even thirty yet, but he’d been given a knife as a baby toy and a revolver as a sixth birthday gift. And at twenty-seven… forget it.

At this point, he was basically a monster.

The man didn’t need threats. Didn’t need theatrics. A single glance from him was already the final warning—blink, and a bullet could be tearing through your skull.

He rarely granted mercy. Even his own father, the founder of the most powerful underground organization— now led by the man himself—feared him. Rumor said he killed his father’s new wife on the wedding day and told him, “Be grateful I still bothered giving you a wedding present.”

You might think you know someone ruthless— your boss at work or your obnoxious dormmate— but you’ve never met

Adamas.

And that man was now standing right in front of you, in the middle of a ship deck that looked like pure chaos.

Caylass almost couldn’t breathe.

She had never seen the man before. But she just knew— instinctively —that he was the current heir of the Diamond organization.

“Scared?” Gold whispered into her ear, his breath dampening that sensitive spot and annoying her instantly.

“No! And don’t get so close!” she hissed, elbowing him.

If Gold felt pain, he didn’t show it.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them here.”

Caylass glanced at Adamas’ confident strides among his subordinates, his eyes sharp like a hawk’s, and shook her head. “‘We’ll take care of them here!’ Dios, don’t be naive. We’re outnumbered.”

“I heard a good soldier is equal to a thousand men,” Gold said optimistically.

“But that man—” Caylass pointed at Adamas, “is equal to a hundred thousand. Look at him. That tacky fur jacket? That durian-looking haircut? For all we know, his eighth-birthday gift was a cannon. Let’s just run.”

With a fake relaxed air, Gold nodded. “I’ll go along with whatever you say, my future lady.”

One jab to the stomach later, Gold couldn’t hold back anymore. “Ouch! Stop that!” he mouthed silently.

Caylass wanted to jab him again, but she held herself back because the man on the deck had started speaking.

“Wow, what a mess. If our ship ever looked like this, I’d kill you one by one, yeah?”

Laughter erupted afterward— like Adamas was joking.

“Oh my god, is this a base ship or… an ancestral relic?” Another wave of laughter.

Adamas shook his head, glancing around in disbelief. “I came here planning to sabotage their plan, but it turns out they managed to sabotage… everything all by themselves.”

The next wave of laughter was so loud it echoed, making Gold scowl.

“I didn’t know he was a clown,” he grumbled.

“Oh, honey,” Caylass smirked. “He’s the second-best one after you,” she whispered, her sweet smile somehow even more insulting than flattering.

“Well,” Adamas said again, now more serious, “I would not call what is happening here a ‘collaboration’.” Then he laughed loudly. “A collaboration between these low-grade mafias and the only daughter of Shine? What kind of delusional dream is that, huh, Twins?”

And just like that, the ship felt like it was shaking from the stomping laughter.

Now, Adamas looked past his own men, clearly mocking the twins.

“Old man Shine would rather dump his entire fortune into the Arctic than marry off his precious daughter to either one of you orphan- mafia rats.”

Gold’s shoulders tensed at Adamas’ words, while Caylass fell silent, unwillingly acknowledging that maybe—just a tiny bit—there was truth in that provocation.

Yes, her father would definitely react like that.

Many had proposed to her before, but her father rejected them all. Most gave up quickly, but the persistent ones would be taken to her father’s private office — they talked for about a minute, and afterward the man would never bring up the proposal again. Never tried again.

Was there a name her father mentioned? Someone with influence so enormous—

“Idiots. You two never should ’ve bothered the girl. I didn’t even realize you were still alive,” Adamas said, pulling out his gun and loading it with bullets. “You’re like cockroaches crawling around my feet.”

Across the deck, Caylass spotted Lucifer lurking in the shadows.

Shoot him, she thought, but she had a feeling Lucifer didn’t plan to.

Why? What was his reason? He could shoot Adamas from there — wide angle, high vantage point—no one even knew he was there.

“Because—” Adamas spoke loudly again, pulling Caylass’ attention back. “The only reason my father didn’t kill her that day at her mother’s mansion was because he wanted her once she was grown.”

“What?” Caylass forgot to lower her voice in shock. Not that it mattered — the roar of waves and wind drowned most sounds anyway…

Adamas paused, but only for a split second.

Okay, even if it was just one second, Caylass knew he’d heard her.

Now the man stared directly toward where Caylass was hiding, his gaze piercing through the wooden wall she peeked from behind.

Even so, Adamas acted nonchalant. “Yeah, point is— she is mine, Twins. And you will pay for trying to take her.”

Then, in the most terrifying tone Caylass had ever heard:

“Find those two bastards and shoot them on sight, and bring the girl to me.”

And from the way he said it, neither Gold nor Caylass could be sure that any of them would come out of this alive.