The grand mahogany doors of the Kingston mansion swung open with a heavy, muted thud as Leo stepped into the sprawling foyer.
The cool, marble floors stretched out beneath his feet, reflecting the crystal chandeliers above, yet the immense luxury of his home offered no solace to his restless mind.
He walked slowly toward the grand staircase, his body still aching from the remnants of the car accident, his thoughts entirely consumed by the lingering sensation of Elsa's presence back at the hospital.
Before his boots could touch the first carpeted step, a sharp, venomous voice cut through the silence of the high-ceilinged hall.
"Leo."
Leo paused, his hand tightening slightly on the polished wooden banister as his aunt stepped out from the shadows of the arched corridor.
Her face was twisted into a mask of pure indignation, her eyes flashing with a deep-seated resentment that she could no longer suppress.
She marched directly toward him, her heels clicking aggressively against the stone floor.
"Why did you clear all the medical payments for all those random patients who cannot afford their bills?"
"Why did you waste our family's hard-earned money on useless charity?"
Leo remained completely silent, his expression perfectly calm and detached as he looked down at her from the bottom step.
From the adjacent study, the heavy footsteps of Richard Kingston echoed as the family patriarch walked into the foyer, his sharp eyes taking in the tense scene immediately.
The aunt turned on her heel the moment she saw Richard approaching, her voice rising in an elegant yet frantic complaint as she pointed a manicured finger at Leo.
"Your son just made an absolute fool of a move and used an astronomical amount of our corporate money for random hospital charity!"
"We are business people, Richard! We are rich, powerful individuals, and we should be investing our capital back into the business, not throwing it away on endless charity for strangers!"
Leo looked at his aunt, his gaze steady and entirely devoid of anger, choosing to speak in a polite, measured manner that resonated through the quiet foyer.
"I felt genuine happiness in helping them."
"Money should never be the ultimate factor that decides whether a human being lives or dies, and I simply refuse to let that happen under our watch."
"I felt that helping them would save an innocent life, so I did it, and I extended that same help to the other struggling patients in the facility."
"I have absolutely no regrets in providing that assistance."
"As far as the money matters are concerned, I am fully capable of earning that money all over again through my own hard work, my passion, and my talent."
"The doctors are constantly showing immense concern for the patients and their ultimate safety."
"Why can we not possess that exact same level of concern for them?"
"Showing a little bit of genuine kindness is a good way to live, and it also helps to build foundational trust while bringing true happiness to others."
"Yes, I helped them out of pure humanity, but it also helps to build far more trust in our hospitals and significantly increases the overall positivity surrounding the Kingston name."
The aunt's chest heaved as she burned with an overwhelming, suffocating jealousy at Leo's eloquent words.
Richard stood a few paces away, a profoundly proud and unyielding look settling into his eyes as he stared at his son's noble demeanor.
Seeing the silent approval radiating from Richard, the aunt's rage hit an absolute peak; she clamped her mouth shut in bitter silence, turned around with pure fury radiating from her posture, and walked away into the dark corridors of the mansion.
Leo watched her leave for a brief moment before turning back to the stairs, walking quietly up to his bedroom to seek a moment of peace.
Deep within the western wing of the estate, the aunt slammed her bedroom door shut, the heavy wood rattling against the frame as she turned the lock with a violent twist.
The silence of her private quarters did nothing to calm the storm raging in her chest.
With a wild, unhinged cry of pure fury, she lashed out, sending a priceless porcelain vase crashing directly onto the hard floor, shattering it into a thousand jagged pieces.
"HOW DARE LEO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"
"He is exactly like his arrogant father, and he is exactly like his late grandfather!"
"I have absolutely no real value in this entire house, and everyone simply does whatever they wish without ever consulting me!"
"Leo is continuously throwing away vast amounts of our family wealth on these pathetic charities!"
She began pacing the room like a caged animal, her fingers clawing at her own palms as her internal monologue turned incredibly dark.
"I always wished to be the undisputed queen of the Kingston Group of companies and this immense, legendary wealth."
"I deeply wished for my own son, Easton, to rule over everything like a powerful king."
"But he turned into nothing more than a reckless rogue."
"Richard ruled over this entire empire before, and now Leo is stepping up to rule each and every single thing the exact moment he turns twenty-five."
Her eyes scanned the room, landing squarely on a large, silver-plated photo frame resting on the mantelpiece—a photograph of her late father, Mr. Peter Kingston.
The sight of his stern, authoritative face sent a fresh wave of madness through her veins.
She grabbed the frame and hurled it violently against the ground, the protective glass shattering instantly across her father's image.
She dropped to her knees, heedless of the sharp shards, and tore the crumpled photograph into her trembling hands, screaming her questions at the dead man.
"WHY?"
"Why did you make your son inherit absolutely all of your wealth and your entire global empire?"
"WHY HIM, DAD?"
"I know you technically gave fifty percent of the property to me in the past, but I ruined it by starting an illegal business with my husband, listening blindly to his foolish words!"
"I lost absolutely everything!"
"And then Richard had the audacity to send my husband, Michael, straight to jail!"
"Even while knowing damn well that Michael was his own brother-in-law!"
"And you, Dad... you actually supported Richard's decision!"
She clutched the torn photo against her chest, her voice cracking into a high-pitched, manic sob as her mind began to fracture into complete psychosis.
"You loved me a lot, right, Dad?"
"You used to give me absolutely everything I ever asked for when I was a little girl!"
"You used to buy me another beautiful toy the very moment I broke one!"
"Sometimes you bought me many toys all at once during my childhood!"
"If I happened to lose my own wealth, why didn't you just give me Richard's wealth to replace it?"
"I refuse to live like a pathetic slave in this house any longer!"
Her laughter turned sharp, echoing off the walls as her behavior became entirely mad and unpredictable.
She dropped the remnants of Peter's photograph onto the ground, stomping her heel onto the paper as she listed the empire she coveted.
"The houses, the companies, the hospitals, the factories, and all the immense wealth..."
"Everything belongs to Leo Kingston."
"My father wrote the entire final will completely in Leo's favor."
"If he gets married, then absolutely all of this wealth will be legally transferred into his and his new wife's name."
"Later down the line, it will even transfer directly into his children's names!"
"My father left everything to Leo!"
"I... HATE... YOU!"
"I HATE YOU, LEO!"
Her eyes widened as a terrifying memory flashed through her mind, blending seamlessly into her current twisted desire to see the young heir destroyed.
She stood up, her mind drifting entirely into a dark, vivid vision of the past, recalling the exact origin of Leo's deeply rooted trauma.
In the depths of her memory, the smell of smoke and burning gasoline filled the air.
She remembered standing in the shadows of a secluded estate years ago, cloaked in a dark black hoodie, watching the initial sparks of a carefully orchestrated fire begin to take hold.
She knew exactly what weapon to use against him, because she remembered with vivid clarity that Leo was absolutely terrified of fire.
Her mind plunged backward into a dark event from Leo's childhood.
She remembered the day Leo had been violently kidnapped by her husband, Michael, when the boy was only eight years old.
Michael had dragged the terrified child into a remote, abandoned commercial garage, tying his small frame tightly to a heavy wooden chair with thick ropes.
Due to Michael's utter irresponsibility and chaotic state of mind, a massive spark caught on the loose oil pools, causing a sudden, roaring fire accident to explode across the garage.
The eight-year-old Leo found himself completely surrounded by towering, ferocious walls of orange flames.
The child began to scream at the top of his lungs, his small chest heaving with pure terror.
"H-E-L-P!"
"Help me!"
Using every ounce of his adrenaline, little Leo somehow managed to twist his small wrists, freeing himself from the burning ropes, but he remained completely trapped by the ring of intense fire closing in on him.
Suddenly, the heavy metal doors of the garage were kicked open, and Richard Kingston stormed into the burning structure.
He instantly discovered Michael standing near the exit, trying to flee the scene with a heavy leather duffel bag.
Richard's face was twisted in pure, paternal fury as he lunged forward, beating Michael down onto the concrete with powerful, relentless strikes.
Michael struggled on the floor, desperately clutching the bag as he shouted back.
"Leave me! I am escaping with the ransom! This fifty crores is mine!"
Richard struck him again, his voice echoing over the roar of the flames.
"HOW DARE YOU, MICHAEL!"
"HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP MY CHILD, LEO!"
"What did my family not give to you?!"
Michael scrambled up, physically throwing his body in front of Richard, desperately trying to block Leo's father from reaching the center of the burning garage.
"LEO!" Richard shouted in agony, trying to fight past his brother-in-law.
From the center of the inferno, the child's voice grew weaker as the smoke thickened.
"Help me, Dad!"
Suddenly, the roaring sirens of a fire brigade pierced the air outside, and the grand patriarch, Peter Kingston, stormed into the garage alongside a full team of professional firefighters.
Without a single shred of fear, Peter rushed directly through the smoke, lifted his eight-year-old grandson completely into his powerful arms, and carried him out into the clean morning air.
The moment they reached the safety of the grass, little Leo wrapped his arms tightly around his grandfather's neck, sobbing uncontrollably as Peter held his grandson back with fierce protection.
Peter immediately unbuttoned his heavy, expensive wool coat and wrapped it tightly around Leo's shivering frame.
"I am so scared of the fire, Grandpa... as you already know," Leo whispered, burying his face in the coat.
Peter patted the boy's back, his voice deep and reassuring.
"I know, my boy, and you were incredibly brave enough to free yourself from those ropes."
Leo looked up into the old man's stern face, his eyes wide with a child's lingering terror.
"Will you come to save me from the fire when I am in danger every single time, Grandpa?"
Peter Kingston went silent for a long moment, his mind privately recalling the grim reality of his own deteriorating health and terminal medical reports.
Yet, looking down at the innocent eyes of his beloved grandson, Peter offered a profound, unyielding smile.
"Yes, buddy. With my very life, I will always save you."
A few yards away, Richard held a bloody Michael firmly against the side of a police cruiser as the authorities easily rounded up the other hired goons who had supported the kidnapping scheme.
"LEAVE ME!" Michael screamed, spitting blood onto the gravel.
Peter Kingston walked slowly over to his son-in-law, his face completely cold as he delivered a massive, resounding slap directly across Michael's face.
"If any other random person were standing in your exact place right now, I would personally kill him and shoot him dead myself."
"I gave you absolutely everything in life simply because my daughter loved you so deeply."
"I gave you my daughter's hand, half of my personal wealth, and I even gave you a permanent place inside my own mansion to stay alongside my family!"
The aunt came running down the dirt road at that exact moment, her face pale as she discovered her husband pinned down in front of her powerful father.
She immediately dropped to her knees before Peter, begging frantically through her tears.
"Please, Dad! Please just leave him!"
"He only committed this terrible mistake because his corrupt friends made him blind by forcing their awful decisions upon him!"
She turned around and sharply slapped Michael across the face herself, trying to put on a show of discipline.
"He will mend his ways, Dad!" she cried out, turning back to Peter.
"He will learn to be good and noble just like you and my brother!"
The lead police officer stepped forward, pulling out a pair of heavy steel handcuffs to arrest Michael for his crimes.
The aunt immediately blocked the officer, her voice turning sharp and defensive.
"There is no arrest happening here, Officer!"
"This is nothing more than a minor family misunderstanding!"
She turned her desperate eyes toward Richard, trying to force a compliant smile.
"Isn't it, Brother? Tell them it's just a misunderstanding!"
Richard remained completely silent, his face hardened into stone as he tightly hugged his young son, Leo, keeping the boy's eyes shielded from the chaos.
"I'm so scared, Dad," Leo whimpered against his father's chest.
"I'm right here, son," Richard answered softly. "I'm right here."
Peter Kingston stood completely still, his expression cold and unreadable as the police captain turned to him for final confirmation.
"Sir, we want to officially arrest Michael for his severe crimes today."
"But we require your formal, written complaint to take official legal action against him."
The aunt snapped, her anger boiling over as she screamed at the police officers in an incredibly emotional, volatile tone.
"CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS STRICTLY A PRIVATE FAMILY MATTER?!"
"WE ARE A FAMILY!"
"There will be absolutely no arrest here today!"
"Why on earth would my own father file a criminal complaint against my husband, whom I love more than life itself?!"
The officer frowned, trying to step around her.
"But Madam... your husband actively committed a severe federal crime and nearly killed a young child inside that burning building."
"I SAID THERE IS NO ARREST!" she shrieked, violently pushing the police officer away from her husband.
The officer lost his footing, falling hard onto the gravel ground.
Before she could take another step, Peter Kingston lunged forward and delivered a massive, resounding slap directly across his daughter's face.
The force of the blow sent her stumbling back, her hand flying up to touch her bright red, burning cheek as she began to sob hysterically.
"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ALL YOUR FAULT!" Peter shouted, his voice booming across the clearing like thunder.
"How can you possibly be so entirely shameless?!"
"I forgave this pathetic excuse of a man a countless number of times in the past!"
"But he completely refused to ever mend his ways!"
"I gave him a life of luxury, and I kept him inside my own home by providing every single comfort a man could ever ask for!"
"I granted absolutely everything he ever demanded, solely for the sake of your personal happiness!"
"But he turned out to be a rotten, ungrateful criminal!"
"I forgave his continuous transgressions every single time because of my love for you."
"But now, even after witnessing this horrific scene with your own eyes, and seeing that your innocent nephew Leo was placed in mortal danger because of your husband's pure greed..."
"He even actively tried to kill my grandson Leo for the sake of grabbing our money, our wealth, and our family property!"
"He is completely, utterly evil!"
"How can you possibly stand there and call him 'family' after seeing that he tried to burn Leo alive?!"
"I already made a massive, grave mistake in the past by continuously forgiving his actions."
Peter turned away from his crying daughter, looking directly into the eyes of the police captain.
"Officer, I am officially giving you my formal, written complaint against Michael, who is my son-in-law."
"He actively tried to murder my son Leo, and he has also systematically forged my private property documents for his own gain."
The officers immediately grabbed Michael, locking the handcuffs securely around his wrists as they began dragging him away toward the police cruiser.
Michael stopped at the door of the car, an incredibly evil, twisted smile breaking across his bloody face as he looked back at the Kingston family.
"Yes, you gave me everything, Peter! But you completely refused to ever give me your real power or transfer your true wealth into my name!"
"You have made a grave, fatal mistake by sending me to this jail cell today!"
Michael turned his burning, venomous gaze directly onto the shivering eight-year-old child wrapped in the wool coat, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"LEO!"
"You are the sole reason for my ultimate downfall!"
"You have been nothing but a massive headache to me ever since the day you were born, because you always manage to come directly in my way!"
"You were the one who exposed me when I forged those property papers, or else absolutely all of this immense wealth would have already belonged to me and my son, Easton!"
"THIS IS NOT THE END OF ME, LEO KINGSTON! THIS IS ONLY THE ABSOLUTE BEGINNING OF YOUR UTTER DESTRUCTION!"
"I WILL KILL YOU, LEO KINGSTON!"
"The precious heir and the future king of the Kingston Group!"
"Just like in the great historical battles, if a new king wants to possess another grand empire, then the already existing king must die!"
"I WILL PERSONALLY KILL YOU, LEO, THE MOMENT I COME BACK!"
Peter Kingston ignored the empty threats, wrapping his arms tighter around the young child as the police car sped away into the distance.
In the present day, the aunt suddenly snapped out of her intense, dark vision, her breathing incredibly heavy as she stared at the shattered fragments of her father's photograph on her bedroom floor.
A cold, psychotic smile slowly spread across her lips, her eyes widening with a terrifying, unhinged resolve as she made an absolute vow to the empty room.
"Leo... because of your very existence, I have lost absolutely all of my life's dreams, my true love, and my own son."
"I will make my husband's final dying wish come true at any cost."
"I may have lost all of my personal dreams in this life."
"But one beautiful, glorious dream is still burning deeply inside of me."
"And that dream is the absolute destruction and the painful death of my brother Richard and my lovely nephew, Leo."
"I will personally make it happen."