Ray Dafelix returned home late at night.
The massive Dafelix mansion stood quietly beneath the night sky, its elegant blend of modern luxury and classical aristocratic architecture glowing under rows of warm golden lights.
Marble pathways stretched across the enormous estate, while fountains continued flowing softly in the silence of the night.
He arrived alone.
After the incident at the bar, his bodyguard had willingly taken the blame and surrendered himself as the one responsible for the cleaner's death. A scapegoat.
He would likely remain detained for about a month before being quietly released once the matter settled down.
Ray stepped out of the car and calmly observed the mansion before him.
This place… his home.
Several servants standing near the entrance immediately lowered their heads the moment they saw him.
"Young Master Ray."
Even though Ray was infamous throughout the family for being a useless spendthrift, nobody dared openly disrespect him.
Regardless of how worthless he was, he still carried the Dafelix bloodline.
Ray didn't respond.
His dark eyes quietly swept across the surroundings as though memorizing every detail around him.
The servants became increasingly nervous.
None of them dared move before he left, yet strangely, Ray remained standing there silently without walking away.
The uncomfortable atmosphere continued for several seconds before footsteps finally echoed from inside the mansion.
A young woman and a young man walked out together.
Both appeared to be around Ray's age.
The young woman's shoulder-length golden-black hair framed her elegant face beautifully, while her curvy figure carried a mature grace uncommon for girls her age.
Beside her stood a handsome young man with neatly combed golden-black hair. Though still youthful and lean, his body already showed signs of refined athleticism beneath his expensive clothes.
The servants visibly relaxed after seeing the two of them.
"Young Miss Joanna."
"Young Master Jordi."
Joanna casually waved her hand.
"You all can leave."
The servants quickly bowed before disappearing from the area, leaving only the three siblings behind.
Joanna crossed her arms and sighed in annoyance.
"Ray… you came home late again."
Jordi clicked his tongue.
"I heard you caused trouble again tonight."
"Arghhh, you really are good for nothing," Joanna muttered irritably.
"Your only talent is embarrassing the family," Jordi added coldly.
Ray silently looked at the two of them.
His half-siblings.
The Dafelix Family was a massive patriarchal household whose bloodline had already spread through many generations.
Its patriarch, Simon Dafelix, had three wives.
The second wife gave birth to four children: an eldest daughter, two sons, and finally the youngest son born one year below Ray.
The third wife also had four children: an eldest son, a daughter, and finally a pair of twins—a girl and a boy born in the same year as Ray.
Meanwhile, the first wife… Ray's mother… had only managed to give birth to a single child late in her life.
Ray.
And the difficult childbirth ultimately took her life.
The two standing before him now were Joanna Dafelix and Jordi Dafelix—the youngest children of the third wife.
Both were prodigies.
Talented enough to already be viewed as two of the future pillars of the Dafelix Family.
Compared to them, the original Ray was complete trash.
Talentless.
Wasteful.
Good for nothing.
Joanna and Jordi had always looked down on him. At some point, they had even stopped calling him brother.
Because to them… having someone like Ray as family was embarrassing.
Ray ignored them completely and simply started walking toward the western side of the mansion.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" Jordi shouted.
"Ray. Stop right there," Joanna ordered sharply.
But Ray continued walking without even glancing back.
Their expressions darkened instantly.
Annoyed, both of them moved at the same time, trying to grab him from opposite directions.
Then—
BRAK!!
Everything happened instantly.
Ray caught Jordi's wrist and slammed him violently onto the ground.
Pain exploded through Jordi's body. He felt something inside his arm shift unnaturally.
At the same time, Joanna froze in shock for a brief second... but before she could react, Ray's hand had already reached her neck.
His fingers wrapped tightly around her throat.
Joanna's eyes widened. Her breathing stopped instantly.
The pain both of them felt was real.
Jordi nearly blacked out from the impact, while Joanna desperately clawed at Ray's hand as suffocation slowly overwhelmed her.
But the shock they felt was even greater.
Neither of them had ever seen Ray like this before.
Normally, Ray would only grumble quietly before obediently accepting whatever they said. Even when bullied. Even when humiliated. He never dared resist.
Timid.
Weak.
Pathetic.
But now… without hesitation…
Jordi had been slammed to the floor like garbage, while Joanna couldn't even free herself from Ray's grip.
Neither of them had ever imagined Ray possessed this kind of strength.
Jordi slowly lifted his head. And froze.
The timid expression Ray always wore was completely gone. What stared back at him now was something cold. Merciless.
A pair of dark and deep eyes looking down at them as though killing the two of them would mean absolutely nothing.
A chill ran down Jordi's spine.
Joanna felt it too.
For the first time in years, genuine fear surged through both of them.
Then suddenly—
Ray released her.
Joanna immediately staggered backward, coughing violently as she desperately tried to breathe again.
Ray simply turned around and continued walking away as though none of this was important enough to care about.
Jordi and Joanna remained frozen.
Speechless.
Their minds struggled to process what had just happened.
Eventually, the two exchanged glances.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
But then another emotion quickly rose within them. Humiliation.
Why were they scared? This was Ray. The same pathetic Ray they had always dominated.
Gritting his teeth, Jordi forced himself back up.
"Hey!!"
His voice rose sharply.
"How dare you slam me like that?!"
Joanna's expression darkened as she stepped forward as well.
But before either of them could approach—
Ray turned back slightly. Only slightly.
Yet the moment his eyes met theirs, both of their bodies froze instantly.
That gaze. That aura. It felt violent. Predatory.
As though invisible claws were tearing apart their skin and crushing their lungs at the same time.
"Better not provoke me…"
Ray's voice was low and emotionless.
"...I'm in a bad mood."
Then he finally walked away.
This time without stopping again.
Leaving the two siblings standing there in silence.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
The pressure lingering in the air felt suffocating, almost enough to crush them entirely.
A few seconds later... both Jordi and Joanna collapsed onto the floor unconscious.
---
Not long after, Ray arrived at the far western end of the Dafelix residence.
Unlike the luxurious atmosphere surrounding the main estate, this area felt noticeably quieter and more isolated.
A smaller private complex stood there, containing a large residence, several smaller servant houses, a private lake, gardens, and supporting facilities spread across the spacious land.
Ray quietly observed the surroundings.
"This should be where I lived…"
The Dafelix Residence itself was divided into several territories.
At the center stood the Main House, where the patriarch and most important family functions were located.
Beyond that were three private residential areas assigned to each wife and their children, along with various supporting infrastructures spread throughout the estate.
And this place—
was the territory that once belonged to Ray's mother.
Now, only Ray remained there alone.
Compared to the other family areas bustling with dozens of servants and maids, this place barely had five workers (three female and two male), along with one head servant overseeing everything.
But what caught Ray's attention wasn't the small number of staff.
It was their attitude.
Unlike the servants near the main building who still showed him basic respect, the servants here openly acted lazy and careless.
Several of them lounged around casually beneath a garden gazebo, chatting while eating snacks and drinking expensive beverages that were most likely purchased using household funds.
Some only glanced at Ray briefly before looking away again with lazy, disdainful expressions.
None of them stood up.
None greeted him properly.
It almost felt as though they would only move if directly ordered—
or perhaps they never worked at all.
Ray's gaze slowly swept across the area.
Parts of the residence looked neglected.
Especially the main building.
Dust had accumulated around several corners, while parts of the garden were filled with dry dying plants that clearly hadn't been maintained for a long time.
Even the private lake emitted a faint unpleasant smell. Trash floated carelessly near the edges of the water.
Ray silently took everything in.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
There were no CCTV cameras in this territory.
But attached neatly to several servant uniforms were tiny electronic devices. Miniature cameras.
Ray immediately understood.
In the front areas of the residence, the servants couldn't openly disrespect him because there were surveillance systems and witnesses everywhere.
Evidence existed.
But here?
Nothing.
No cameras.
No oversight.
Even if the servants spent the entire day lazing around, there would be no proof unless Ray personally caused trouble over it.
As for the cameras attached to their uniforms…
A faint smirk appeared on Ray's lips.
"So someone's still trying to keep an eye on this place…"
Without another word, he calmly walked toward the gazebo where several servants were relaxing together.
Snacks and drinks were scattered across the table while laughter filled the atmosphere.
They genuinely looked like people enjoying a vacation rather than workers serving a noble household.
One of the maids noticed him first.
"Our Young Master Ray's here~"
Her cheerful tone sounded playful, but the mockery behind it was impossible to miss.
Another servant casually raised a hand.
"Yeah, Young Master. Need something?"
A different maid lazily leaned against the chair while sipping her drink.
"If you wanna take a bath, remember to turn the knob to the right if you want hot water."
She pointed toward the mansion carelessly.
"But I think Mr. Trum's using the bathroom right now, so you'll have to wait."
Another servant laughed lightly.
"Oh, and if you're hungry… the food's gone already."
"Pretty sure the fridge is empty too," someone else added. "Ah, I forgot to restock it."
The maid shrugged casually.
"Well… just order takeout for tonight. Maybe I'll refill it tomorrow. If I remember."
Ray quietly stared at them.
An odd feeling surfaced within him.
What was even the point of having servants if everything still had to be handled personally?
At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed from the direction of the main building.
A middle-aged man wearing a bathrobe casually walked out while drying his wet hair with a towel.
Mr. Trum. Ray's head servant.
"Finally home, Young Master," Trum greeted lazily from afar.
That was all. No respect. No professionalism.
He simply walked over to the gazebo before casually sitting beside the others and grabbing some snacks for himself.
Soon, laughter and conversation resumed as though Ray no longer existed there.
None of them noticed. Ray was no longer the same person they used to know.
Then—
tap.
Ray's hand landed softly on Trum's shoulder.
"You…"
His voice was calm.
"Trum, right?"
Trum looked up slightly in confusion before standing.
"Young Master… is something wrong?"
Ray stared at him silently for several seconds before slowly removing his hand.
Then he turned around.
"Since I don't want too many people noticing me right now…"
His voice remained calm and indifferent.
"I'll give all of you ten minutes."
The servants exchanged confused glances.
"Either you start acting like actual servants…"
Ray slightly tilted his head.
"Or tonight…"
His dark eyes shifted toward them coldly.
"…all of you are fired."
Then he began walking away.
For a moment, silence filled the gazebo.
Then irritation exploded across Trum's face.
"Young Master, what exactly do you mean by that?!"
His tone rose sharply.
"Are you threatening us now?!"
The others immediately stood up as well, their expressions darkening.
Trum stepped forward angrily, attempting to block Ray's path.
And just like before—
the outcome remained exactly the same.
BRAKK!!
The sound echoed violently across the garden.
Trum's body slammed hard into the ground with far greater force than what Jordi experienced earlier.
A mouthful of blood instantly spilled from his lips.
Pain exploded through his aging body as he collapsed there trembling violently, barely remaining conscious.
The surrounding servants and maids froze in panic.
None of them had even managed to react properly.
Ray didn't bother looking back at Trum.
"Remember."
His voice remained cold and emotionless.
"You only have ten minutes."
Then he calmly walked toward a small chair near the lake before sitting down quietly.
He closed his eyes and leaned back slightly, as though simply relaxing beneath the night breeze.
Meanwhile, the servants and maids remained frozen in place.
Fear slowly spread across their faces.
None of them knew what to do anymore.