Chapter 3: You Didn't Come to Repay a Favor; You Came for Revenge

Words : 1997 Updated : Oct 17th, 2025

Crushing Fist is a basic style from the Valley of Villains. Few bother to train in it, and those who do usually get kicked out before they ever take it beyond the valley. The number who've managed to spread it outside could be counted on one hand. Otto Nicholson had already figured out who taught Maximus his Crushing Fist. That teacher was hardworking, but only average in talent. If he'd stayed in the Valley of Villains, the others would've beaten him to death. Back then, Otto didn't hesitate-he brought his blade down and kicked him out. In a way, he saved the guy. Meanwhile, Maximus struggled for a long moment before clawing his way off the ground, wiped the blood from his face, and finally realized Otto wasn't bluffing-he was the real deal. That little setup step he used just now was perfect-Maximus couldn't pull that off even with ten years of practice. Maybe only the Hall Master himself could keep Otto in check. With that thought, Maximus didn't dare stick around. He hauled his bruised underlings up and took off. Otto nodded, satisfied, and walked back to Nala Jameson. "The problem's taken care of." "Taken care of? You've ruined me, do you get that?" Nala looked ready to cry, but no tears came. They were at the Jameson Group's front gate, and, once again, it all started with her. Whether it's the Lawson Group or the Glory Gang, they'll pin it on the Jameson family. At that point, it wouldn't just be the Jameson Group going under. "It's over." "The Jamesons are finished." "We should start looking for new jobs." It was morning rush hour, and among the onlookers were plenty of Jameson Group employees. After seeing everything, they had only one thought: polish their resumes and start hunting for a new job. "Ruined? How did I ruin you?" Otto asked, genuinely puzzled. "Those men are with the Glory Gang. They've got a lot of people, they're vicious, and they never play by the rules," Nala said. "They just haven't run into me," Otto replied casually. Inside the Valley of Villains, nobody followed any rules. He'd taken them on one by one, and after a beating, who didn't fall in line? Unfortunately, Nala couldn't wrap her head around that yet. Otto didn't want to explain further. He changed the subject. "Alright, let's take care of the real business first." "What business?" Nala's mind was a mess; she'd already forgotten what Otto said earlier. "Get a marriage license, get married, and have a baby!" Otto brought it up again. "Is this really the time? Your head's full of dirty thoughts!" Nala snapped. She felt he had a heart the size of a house, totally oblivious to danger. Was his goal to grab one last hurrah before getting himself killed? "Dirty? What's dirty about getting a marriage license, getting married, and having a child?" Otto asked, baffled. To him, carrying on the family line was the purest thing-purer than fresh-fallen snow on a mountaintop. "All of it is!" Nala shot back. She gritted her teeth. "Don't think just because you stepped in at a critical moment I'm going to throw myself at you. That's the kind of melodramatic trope you read in trashy novels. We come from different worlds." "We really do come from different worlds," Otto agreed. Of everything she'd said, that last line was the one Otto agreed with. If his old man hadn't forced him, he wouldn't have set foot in Nykomar. "You really haven't heard my name?" he asked. "No." "Then have you seen this?" Otto pulled out a broken jade pendant-his half. Nala's expression changed instantly. She had the other half herself. The design and size matched Otto's piece exactly. Of course, that wasn't the main point. The point was, when her father gave her the half-pendant, he added a note: "One day, a man around your age will come to you with the other half. He's the one fate chose for you. He'll take you to heights you can't even imagine." Because of those words, Nala had never even gone on a single date. She'd been waiting for her dream man-the kind who would sweep in like a fairy‑tale prince. Even if he didn't ride in on rainbow‑colored clouds, a helicopter would've worked. But now, standing before her, was a ragged beggar. Nala couldn't bring herself to believe it. After a long pause, clinging to one last shred of hope, she asked, "You picked that up off the street, didn't you?" "How could that be? My father gave it to me. He said your father saved his life, and to repay him he offered me to your dad as your future husband." Otto handed Nala his father's letter as well. She looked over the pendant and the letter; everything matched up. Nala shook her head with a bitter smile. "I feel like you didn't come to repay a favor. You came for revenge." "Revenge?" Otto didn't get it. "Forget it. I'll take you to see my father first. He's been waiting for you for years. He always says once he sees you, his life will be complete." She got behind the wheel of the Audi A8, had Otto ride shotgun, and hit the gas-they sped off from the Jameson Group. Thirty minutes later, the Audi A8 rolled to a stop in the villa district in the western suburbs of Nykomar. The Jameson family's villa was bustling. Her second uncle Archer, her third uncle Steven, and her elder and younger aunts, Adelyn and Rhea, were all there. They crowded around their eldest brother, Nala's father Reid Jameson, trying to talk him into it. Three years earlier, Reid had been diagnosed with liver cancer. Even with the best medication, his body had declined day by day, so he'd handed the Jameson Group over to his only daughter, Nala, to manage. For the first two years, Nala ran it well. The Jameson Group thrived, and Archer, Steven, Adelyn, and Rhea, all shareholders, got generous dividends. But in the past year, the whole sector soured, and the Jameson Group started sliding. Her uncles and aunts immediately got restless, and just last night, things got worse: Nala had vetoed the Lawson Group's proposed partnership. "Big Brother, the Lawson Group came to us on their own, offering to partner up-how could Nala turn down a deal that dropped in our laps?" Archer said. "Exactly. If there's anyone you don't turn down, it's the Lawson Group." "The Lawson Group is loaded. Plenty of people would love to cozy up to them and can't even get close." "Big Brother, Nala is still too young. You can't just wash your hands of certain major decisions." Steven, Adelyn, and Rhea chimed in. "Nala talked to me about this," Reid explained from his half-reclined spot on the bed. "Bryson Lawson, the Lawson Group's point man, has ulterior motives and demanded a bunch of non‑business conditions." "Ulterior motives?" "Non‑business demands?" Archer, Steven, Adelyn, and Rhea exchanged looks, their eyes lighting up. "Could it be that Bryson has a thing for Nala?" "That's terrific news!" "Nala is so beautiful. We should have made use of that long ago!" Reid's face darkened. "Nala already has an arranged engagement. She's not allowed to have any contact with other men." "An engagement-an engagement! You've been talking about this for twenty years, haven't you? Who is he? Where is he? If such a man really exists, let him step up and help the Jamesons through the crisis!" In the past, nobody dared raise their voice to Reid. But now he was sick, his days numbered, and the Jameson Group was on the brink. Archer, Steven, Adelyn, and Rhea had lost their scruples. In the middle of this, Nala walked in with Otto. At the sound of footsteps, her relatives turned in unison. Seeing Otto in ragged clothes, covered in dirt, looking like he hadn't bathed in half a month, they pinched their noses in disgust. Archer snapped at Nala, his voice sharp. "Nala, do you not know your father's condition? You brought a beggar home, crawling with germs and viruses. Do you want to make him even sicker?"

Chapter 3: You Didn't Come to Repay a Favor; You Came for Revenge

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