Chapter 517: Chapter 517 The Devil’s Messenger
The luxurious room had become unrecognizable in just a few minutes.
Only moments ago, Governor Vladimir had been enjoying a massage while smoking expensive tobacco, cocooned inside a world of wealth and power where his greatest concern had been choosing what to eat for dinner. Now the scent of incense and polished wood had been overwhelmed by fear so thick it almost felt physical. The unconscious maid remained sprawled across the carpet, the overturned massage chair sat crooked near the wall, and one of the most powerful men in the state looked like he was moments away from collapsing under the weight of his own terror.
Liam stood in the middle of it all with his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
He looked completely relaxed.
As though he had merely stopped by for a friendly conversation.
Then, with an easy smile on his face, he lifted his hand and pointed toward the trembling man kneeling on the floor.
"I’m sure you must remember my dear friend here."
Governor Vladimir’s eyes immediately darted toward Ivan before snapping back to Liam.
The fear in his expression intensified.
"N-No..." he stammered, shaking his head so hard his jowls trembled. "I’ve never seen him before in my life."
Ivan froze.
At first, he couldn’t process what he had just heard.
Then his eyes widened.
His face twisted.
The fear that had dominated him moments ago mixed violently with disbelief and rage.
This old bastard...
After everything.
After twelve years.
After the prison beatings.
After the stabbings.
After being abandoned inside a cell while waiting for promises that never came.
This old bastard was pretending not to know him?
The darkness gathering around the corners of Ivan’s vision suddenly wasn’t caused by fear.
It was anger.
"Eii, you old fucker!" Ivan exploded, his voice cracking from years of buried resentment. "You son of a bitch! You promised me! You promised me you would get me out! I took the fucking fall for you and now you’re pretending you don’t know who I am?"
He tried to lunge forward.
Liam stopped him with a single glance.
"Shut up."
His tone wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t angry.
Yet Ivan immediately fell silent.
Liam slowly walked toward Governor Vladimir.
His footsteps echoed softly across the expensive marble floor.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Each step seemed to squeeze the air tighter from Vladimir’s lungs.
Liam eventually stopped directly in front of him.
Too close.
Close enough for Vladimir to smell the faint scent of soap lingering on him.
Close enough to notice that despite everything happening around them, Liam’s breathing remained steady.
Too bad," Liam said lightly. "I thought you guys knew each other."
Vladimir swallowed hard.
"I swear..." he whispered.
His voice shook.
"I swear on my children’s lives. I don’t know this man."
Liam blinked.
Then slowly turned to look at Ivan.
The disbelief on his face looked almost comical.
His eyes widened.
He raised both hands slightly.
"Did you hear that?"
Ivan stared.
Then Liam looked back at Vladimir.
A grin spread across his face.
Wide.
Bright.
Amused.
He started clapping.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
The sound echoed throughout the room.
"Oh, you’re good," Liam said with genuine admiration. "You’re actually really good. You almost convinced me."
Governor Vladimir looked like he had just been handed a lifeline.
"Exactly!" he rushed out desperately. "I don’t know what this is about but you’ve got the wrong person. I swear to God I’ve never met him before."
Liam stopped clapping.
The grin remained.
But something changed.
The warmth disappeared from his eyes.
His entire expression shifted.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Even Ivan noticed it.
Liam lowered his hands.
His voice when he spoke next was deeper.
Calmer.
Far more terrifying.
"Do you know this man right here?"
Silence followed.
Governor Vladimir’s lips parted.
Closed.
Opened again.
His eyes shifted toward Ivan before immediately darting away.
The seconds stretched.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Sweat rolled down the side of his face.
Finally, barely above a whisper, he answered.
"N-No."
Bang!
Crack!
The sound exploded throughout the room.
A scream followed immediately after.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Governor Vladimir collapsed sideways onto the marble floor.
The shrill cry that tore from his throat barely sounded human.
He clutched at his broken leg instinctively, his entire body convulsing as agony ripped through him.
"Oh Lord! Help me! Ahhhhh! It hurts! Somebody help me! Ahhhhh!"
Ivan’s mind went blank.
His body refused to move.
He stared at the governor writhing on the floor.
Then slowly lifted his eyes toward Liam.
The horrifying part wasn’t the injury itself.
It wasn’t Vladimir’s screams.
It wasn’t the blood staining the expensive carpet.
It was the timing.
There had been nothing.
No warning.
No anger.
No buildup.
One moment Liam had been smiling.
The next moment he had acted.
The instant Vladimir finished saying "No," Liam had kicked.
No hesitation.
No pause.
No trembling hands.
No second thoughts.
It had happened with the same ease someone might use to close a door.
Ivan’s stomach twisted violently.
His bladder gave out.
Warmth spread down his legs.
He didn’t even notice until several seconds later.
Governor Vladimir continued screaming.
Tears streamed down his face as he writhed helplessly.
"It hurts! Please! Somebody save me! Please!"
Liam looked down at him.
The same amused smile rested on his face.
His breathing remained calm.
He tilted his head slightly.
Almost curiously.
"Interesting," he said softly. "I gave you plenty of time to think about your answer."
Governor Vladimir’s eyes widened with horror.
"P-Please..."
Liam crouched down.
"You know what surprises me?" he asked conversationally. "It’s not that you lied. People lie all the time. What surprises me is how comfortable you were doing it."
He glanced toward Ivan.
"Twelve years."
Then back toward Vladimir.
"You let another man rot in prison for twelve years."
He smiled.
"And even now, with your life hanging by a thread, your first instinct is still to lie."
Ivan trembled.
His teeth chattered uncontrollably.
He had spent years surviving prison.
He had witnessed murders.
Stabbings.
Beatings.
Men getting carved apart over cigarettes and scraps of food.
He had thought he understood fear.
He had been wrong.
This...
This was different.
Because prison violence came from rage.
From desperation.
From madness.
Liam wasn’t angry.
He wasn’t desperate.
He wasn’t insane.
He looked composed.
As if everything unfolding before him was simply another task that needed completing.
Ivan stared at the young man standing above them.
At the handsome face carrying that gentle smile.
At the eyes that hadn’t changed even once since entering this mansion.
A cold realization settled deep into his bones.
His life was over.
Whether Liam killed him today or tomorrow no longer mattered.
Because somewhere along the way, Ivan had stopped believing this was a man.
His trembling intensified.
Tears spilled down his cheeks.
As Governor Vladimir’s screams echoed through the luxurious room and blood stained the polished marble beneath them, Ivan lowered his head and silently accepted what he believed to be the truth.
The devil had finally come to collect.
And Liam had been sent to deliver judgment.
