Chapter 9: The Swift Family

Words : 1916 Updated : Nov 20th, 2025

"The Swift family is finished!" Everett could feel Dante's murderous intent and, in an instant, understood Denise's position. If a first-tier family was determined to go all in, the Swift family was doomed. Clutching the Swift family's invitation to a Renaming Banquet three days away, a twisted thrill ran through him. A family's downfall was about to unfold. He could smell the drama coming. His heart beat with savage anticipation. Denise answered with reverent poise. "Mr. Easton, things with the Swift family have gone too far. I doubt you can turn back now. You saved my father. I owe you a debt I can never repay. The Mendes family has a spare villa on Cloude Mountain Peak. Consider it part of your reward. Please accept it." She took out a key and offered it with both hands. "A villa on Cloude Mountain? That place is worth over ten million dollars." "Only the ultra-rich live up there. People like us don't even get to set foot there. And she gives it away?" "The Mendes family is first-tier. Isn't Asher Mendes's life worth ten million? Don't forget, Denise promised she'd do anything for whoever saved her father, even give herself. Maybe that's exactly what Dante wants!" "What? So Dante could end up as the Mendes family's future head? With one silver needle, he leapfrogs to the top?" The onlookers buzzed with envy, jealousy, and disbelief, as if the little key might burst into flames from their stares. Cloude Mountain was a summit they had spent their lives looking up to but could never reach, a symbol of money and power. If only they had that kind of medical skill, this stroke of luck might have been theirs. The thought stung bitterly. Dante didn't put on airs. He really had nowhere to go. He didn't mind living in poor conditions, but his mother still hadn't fully recovered and needed a quiet place to convalesce. He took the key, glanced at Asher on the hospital bed, and said in a low but clear voice. "The curse bug and the poison in him were someone's doing. If you need me, come find me." "Thank you. I'll get to the bottom of it." Denise's face darkened, as if she had already guessed who was behind the poisoning. "Mr. Easton, I'll have a driver take you back." "Let him drive me." Dante pointed at the crew-cut man who had beaten Eddie Swift earlier. "He... All right." Denise hesitated, then nodded and turned to the man. "Dave, Mr. Easton's a benefactor of the Mendes family. Watch your mouth. Don't offend him." "Understood." Dante returned to his mother's ward and gently lifted her into his arms. Dave had already brought the car around to the nearest entrance. The door slid open soundlessly. They rode in silence, speeding toward Cloude Mountain Peak, which overlooked Junbert. They moved into the villa. Dave helped air out the rooms and arranged for people to buy necessities. Once everything was set up, he didn't leave. He stood sentry at the front door, on call around the clock. Dante ignored everything else. He sat at his mother's bedside and resumed the treatment. Using the silver needles as conduits, he drew on the world's energy and slowly guided it into his mother's frail body, speeding her recovery. Meanwhile, at the Swift Residence, the atmosphere was solemn. The family head, Kyro Swift, was enraged. The flames in his eyes looked ready to burn everything down. Suddenly, he hurled the teacup in his hand. "Useless! A bunch of useless fools! You can't even handle an idiot, and now look at you. Ashley is still missing. If you don't find her, every last one of you get out tonight!" The younger Swift family members trembled. No one dared talk back. They could only take the scolding in silence. "Where is that idiot Dante Easton? Have you found him? Whoever brings me his head, I'll announce at the Renaming Banquet in three days that he'll be the general manager of Swift Corporation!" The rich reward stirred the silent crowd. The Swift family might have been third-tier, but in Junbert, it still stood above countless small families. Becoming general manager meant being just one step below the top. "Mr. Kyro, I found some leads." A young woman broke the silence. She was Ashley Swift's cousin, Skyla Swift. "Dante Easton was last seen at Junbert Hospital. He took Pamela with him. Dante ordered Denise Mendes to beat up Eddie. She even gave Dante a villa on Cloude Mountain worth twenty million dollars. He might be in Cloude Mountain." A wave of shock swept through the room. "Skyla, do you hear yourself?" a young man shot back. "Since when does that idiot Dante order Denise Mendes around? And a villa worth twenty million dollars, just given away? You're so desperate for the GM's seat that you can't even make up a decent story!" Skyla flushed, ready to retort. She glanced around, and even Kyro's eyes were full of doubt. Gritting her teeth, she swore, "Mr. Kyro, give me some time. Before the Renaming Banquet, I'll show you the proof." Kyro's rage didn't subside, but worry for his daughter gnawed at him. He knew all about Ashley's messes. He turned to his beautiful wife beside him, forced down his agitation, and tried to comfort her. "Gemma, don't worry. I'll bring Ashley back." Gemma wore a fitted gray dress that traced her voluptuous figure in dangerously alluring lines. But her well-maintained face looked distant. She wasn't worried about her daughter, Ashley, at all. She was concerned about Dante, who got her hooked and left her craving him. With Dante suddenly acting differently, had he recovered? Would he still come back to sleep with her? Gemma had long felt nothing but physical revulsion for her husband and an uncontrollable craving for Dante. He had become a drug she couldn't quit. She knew she was too old to chase after love, yet she had fallen headlong for a man she should never have touched. After this incident, would Dante ever come back? "Honey, Dante... Will he come back?" The question slipped out. Kyro and the others froze, confused. Gemma caught herself in time. "I... I'm just worried he might hurt Ashley. I heard he kicked Cairo Warth so hard he... he lost his manhood." "Ashley!" A cry split the suffocating air, drawing every gaze to the doorway. Under the lights, a figure staggered in, as if she had just clawed her way up from hell. It was Ashley Swift. Her hair was matted and filthy. Her clothes were torn rags barely clinging to her, exposing pale skin blotched with bruises and dirt. Dried blood crusted at the corner of her mouth. Her legs trembled. Her gait was grotesquely twisted, every step like walking on knives. Her eyes were hollow with despair, drained of all light. Her face was blank, and her lips were repeating the same words over and over. "Dante... Dante... That idiot son of a bitch..." "Kill him... I want him torn to pieces. I want him to die painfully." Her appearance jolted the Swift family awake, and they rushed to her. Kyro strode to her side, snatched up a coat, and wrapped it around his daughter, his gaze soft with pity yet boiling with rage. "Ashley, what... what happened?" Ashley's head snapped up. From those empty eyes burst a hatred that could carve bone. Her wail didn't sound human. "Dad, kill Dante... I... He tossed me to homeless guys..." "I'm dirty..."

Chapter 9: The Swift Family

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