Chapter 22 The Reaper's Rosebud 81 Finished In the dim light , a tall man lounged back in a chair , his sharp brow casting shadows across finely cut features . Long , pale fingers toyed idly with a knife , the blade catching brief flashes of cold light . " I hear you've been gathering old allies , pulling in heavy foreign funding . So all that playing dead was just to prepare for this moment , hm ? Still sharp for an old man . " Henry was already broken , his face streaked with tears and snot . He had thought Charles's army of killers would surely finish Sterling . Dozens of top - ranked assassins - and Sterling had survived . Now Charles's base was in ashes , his pawns inside Romero Corp uprooted . The pride Henry had strutted around with these past weeks looked like a sick joke . Sterling's methods were far more terrifying than Henry had ever imagined . Sitting before him , his nephew looked like a demon risen from the depths . " Sterling , I'm your uncle . If you kill me , your grandfather won't let you go ." " Kill you ? " Sterling snorted , amused . " You're mistaken . I won't kill you . But a man answers for his deeds . Tonight , I'm just inviting you to watch a show . " Henry's eyes widened in horror as he glanced at his bound son . " What are you going to do ? " " Seems your boy has been busy . Slept with another man's fiancée a month ago , had her fiancé storming into your house . Then , just two weeks back , he and his friends toyed with an underage girl . You swept it all away in the Romero name . Such rotten genes shouldn't be passed down . Don't you think ? " " No ! " Henry's voice cracked , desperation flooding his eyes . " Don't hurt him , please ! Spare Tyson ! " He had sown wild oats all his life , but Tyson was his only true heir . For all his sins , he had loved his son . Sterling lifted a hand . Masked men with medical tools approached the boy . Tyson thrashed in his chair , blindfolded , voice high with terror . " Stay away ! Don't touch me ! " The snap of bone split the air . His scream tore through the basement . " Sterling , I'll kill you ! " Henry roared , eyes bulging , veins standing out as his son slumped unconscious . 1/3 9:42 Tue , Oct 7 Chapter 22 The Reaper's Rosebud A 81 Finished " Finished , " Sterling said coolly . Henry's hatred blazed . His voice cracked into madness . " You bastard ! This is revenge , isn't it ? Hah ! I'll tell you the truth - your mother was a whore , a slut . And you , her freak child . You've always been Romero's curse . You'll never be loved . People will always fear you , despise you ! " Sterling dug at his ear with a finger , unmoved . " Ugly words . Cut out his tongue ." " Yes , sir . " " Sterling , you wouldn't- " The shriek was cut off . Father and son collapsed , unconscious . They would live - but beg for death . The air stank of blood , the heavy silence pressing in . Sterling stood , tall and immovable , a figure fused with the basement's darkness . Then , on a table nearby , his phone lit up . His men , who had just watched him maim kin without blinking , froze as he glanced at the screen . The man who a moment ago had looked like Death itself now smiled - warm , almost tender . Typing quickly , Sterling stripped off his black gloves and tossed them aside . " Clean this up . I'm leaving ." " Sir - there's a conference with the East European partners scheduled- " Clint reminded nervously . " Reschedule . " Sterling didn't even slow . " ... " Clint sighed . Their boss had grown steadily more unreliable lately . David entered just as Sterling disappeared through the door . " What's the rush ? Doesn't he have business to finish ? " Clint gave him a look that said everything and nothing . " He said he's going home ... to water his Rosebud . " David choked . The Reaper , tending flowers ? The sun must be rising in the west . 2/3 9:42 Tue , Oct 7 Chapter 22 The Reaper's Rosebud ( 1 ) ' Finished From the moment Sterling said he was coming home , Claudia's messages had lit his phone nonstop . " Hurry up , I'm starving . " " What's for dinner ? Can we have pickled fish ? " " We're out of green onions . If you buy the fish , remember to bring some back . " " I want strawberries . And yogurt . Please , please ! " " Mr. Romero , snack emergency ." To anyone else , it might look like she was the one paying him ten million to stay . But after half a month of living side by side , neither of them felt the slightest wrongness in it . If Clint or David ever saw Claudia ordering the Reaper around like a grocery boy , they might actually faint on the spot . Luckily , for now , they weren't allowed within reach of Claudia's little apartment . Send Gifts 10 B 2/3 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!