DM Chapter 28
“Sorry, did it hurt a lot? Why did you interfere?”
Pavel casually spoke to the dogs, walking towards the sofa and reclining his body to the side. Yuri frowned, watching the blood spread on the luxurious leather.
“Stop talking nonsense, and take the old man back to Moscow.”
“Who the hell wants an Asian around them? You know Grandpa hates them.”
Nikolai’s anger was unimaginable after Kirill’s absconding with an Asian woman. He had threatened that, if caught, he would cut off their arms and legs and bring them before him. In fact, if you cut off their limbs and bring them back, they will kill you.
“Who was it that had a child with an Asian woman?”
“Yuri, if you were under me, I would have cut off your tongue first. Who would have thought that woman would have gotten pregnant, and if she was pregnant, she should have come to me, begged for money or love, not schemed against me?”
Pavel asked with a chewing tone, wondering where that woman was, not willing to leave her alone.
“She’s dead.”
“What?”
The woman’s face flashed in Pavel’s memory.
She was a petite and feisty Asian woman. He’d had a lot of fun playing love games with her while he was here. He’d cringe when she’d said she wanted to marry him and bring her family from Korea.
“She’s dead. That woman you saw earlier is the aunt who is raising your child.”
“Wow, I can’t even do anything about this.”
Even Yuri, who had been through a lot, expressed her discomfort by furrowing her brow at the words, hinting at wanting to kill the woman.
“Instead of having such trashy thoughts, it would be better to consider how you’re going to live and get out of here.”
“What about me? Grandfather came with me.”
Knowing that, he had brought Nikolai along as a shield. Despite being a grandson like trash, he harvested every bloodline to the point that he could be called a bloodline collector. He’s given him a lifetime’s worth of possessions to play with and eat.
It was because of Nikolai’s strict order that Owen, who could have easily cleaned up the trash in front of him, saved Pavel’s life. Nikolai’s decree that bloodlines shouldn’t fight each other could only be ignored until his eyes closed.
Pavel was a nuisance here and there.
“Let’s stop talking. It’s not something I need to say.”
“Oh, how can I look at my grandfather with a face like this? That vulgar bastard.”
“Be careful with your words.”
Yuri warned coldly, and Pavel chuckled.
“Why? It’s true. What kind of psycho would make a face that looks exactly like him like this?”
Not even a psychopath.
He had a face that bore a striking resemblance to Owen. So much so that even Yuri was fooled if he imitated the atmosphere and even the way he spoke. No wonder Sarin’s dead sister had fallen for it. Unlike Owen, who rarely spoke beyond what was necessary, Pavel was a cunning manipulator, projecting an affectionate and wicked demeanor.
He used his good looks to take advantage of everything in his position, which is why Yuri didn’t like him very much. If Pavel had been in charge of Eden City, Yuri would have retired right then and there.
“Where is that vulgar and filthy blood Owen from?”
Pavel raised the corner of his fine mouth, giving a gentle smile. Then, as if his mouth hurt, he stuck out his tongue and licked the opposite side that was torn.
“No one received that blood.”
Yuri disliked this aspect of Pavel, which eventually compelled him to speak.
In response, Pavel gazed at her with the same face and the same look as Owen.
“But we didn’t grow up there together.”
As soon as Pavel was born, his father returned to Russia, taking only Pavel with him. Twin children were born to an Irish prostitute.
The reason was simple. Keeping the other one secret might lead to receiving a substantial amount of money later.
Pavel grew up here, overflowing with everything, and Owen grew up there.
“Enough. The person I serve is Owen, not you.”
“You could have served me. What did you learn under that filthy whore? Do you remember the first time Owen came to our house? You were there too, Yuri. How can a person smell like that?”
Pavel cheerfully recalled the stench that wouldn’t disappear even after washing.
Yuri was an orphan.
Since Nikolai picked him up and raised him, he had effortlessly climbed up to a high position despite being an orphan. Although he had faced many struggles to prove himself in various aspects of life, it was much better than a life at the bottom, not knowing when death might come.
When Yuri first laid eyes on Owen, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for a man of his blood who could have everything. Owen’s eyes, raised in a garbage dump even worse than the orphanage, were empty and unable to contain anything.
His finger and toenails were missing, and even though he washed them several times, the smell of having lived in a trash can all his life did not go away. Owen grew up with dogs in the basement, almost like living in a garbage dump where he couldn’t see the sunlight properly.
“A bastard who rolled and grew up on dog shit will inevitably smell like that.”
‘Should I pretend it was a mistake and dispose of this bastard in my own hands? It would be better for Owen.’
However, Yuri had received greater favors from Nikolai before serving Owen. He could only silently watch, without a trace of expression, as he insulted his brother. Pavel was also one of Nikolai’s favorite grandchildren.
Even if Pavel were an identical twin born from the same womb, there was no way he would have any brotherly affection for Owen.
He was just someone to suppress and trample on, as Nikolai’s influence in the Russian kingdom of the night needed to expand.
“By the way, where did my brothers go that they haven’t come here?”
Did he have long conversations with their grandfather?
Pavel asked with a smirk, tapping his leg. Sarin, who had gone out, didn’t come back either. Yuri, who had spent a long time with Owen, could tell that something he was holding back had exploded. It was also clear that his destination was not Nikolai.
It was a mistake not to think that Pavel, who had not been snooping around Eden City lately after being expelled from here, would come directly. Perhaps, when Owen returns, he should hold Pavel accountable for walking this far without a stop.
As soon as Owen saw Sarin, he walked up to Pavel and slapped him—not a punch, but a slap on the cheek. It was the most insulting thing he could do to his opponent.
“Fuck, that hurt like hell.”
Pavel, who was holding medicine on Owen’s coffee table, sprayed it and rolled up paper to inhale through his nose.
After a few sniffs, Pavel finally yawned as if the pain had subsided, lying long on the sofa.
This is why he can only be pushed away. He was excessively weak for pleasure. While he was no less cruel than Owen, Pavel left for a new pleasure before he could use his powers. It was not Owen, but Pavel, who inherited the blood of an Irish woman and a ruffian, much like a brawler.
Nikolai adores Pavel, but he doesn’t give him any important work, thanks to his clever tongue. Because he knows his limitations.
In the end, Yuri turned away from the vague golden eyes that had loosened.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
A vast forest of camphor trees, spanning over 40 meters, stretched endlessly.
Navigating through the dark and dim road without even streetlights, relying solely on the headlights, felt like passing through a pitch-black tunnel. It had been a long time since the lights of the city were left behind, and even longer since any signs of people were seen.
Her mind felt hazy, as if she couldn’t fully wake up from sleep.
She stared straight ahead, not having any particular thoughts, as if it were the day after having too much alcohol. Suddenly, she remembered the last part of the conversation about Hayan.
“The child is coming here from Korea….”
Her fingertips trembled. Sarin firmly clasped the hand on the opposite side with one of her hands. Staring into the darkness ahead, she couldn’t bring herself to turn her gaze toward Owen.
“My grandfather places great importance on bloodlines. I also intend to respect that.”
“Does that mean she’s safe?”
The word “safe” sounded strange to Sarin, so she asked.
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
“What?”
“Why are you so filled with fear?”
Both the child and Sarin seemed uneasy. However, Sarin couldn’t just speak plainly, so she nervously bit the tip of her nails. Words have weight. She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud because it might turn into reality.
“It’s because the child is sick. She must have been really scared….”
“She followed without hesitation when they said she was going to see her dad.”
Sarin smiled with a face that seemed on the verge of tears at Owen’s words. Yet she endured. Even when she mentioned that she would bring Dad back, she smiled broadly, tears still lingering in her eyes.
The child was adorable. For Sarin, who hadn’t thought there could be such a small and cute existence in the world, Hayan was her sole reason to live. Even during the cycles of hospitalization and discharge, everyone admired Hayan.
Mrs. Hong also treated Hayan kindly, just as she did for any child, with charming antics.
Owen glanced at her, faintly smiling.
She was visibly relieved. A sadistic part of him wanted to crush it.
“Well, that’s good then.”
She was relieved to hear that Hayan was okay, even though she was at rock bottom.
It wasn’t a secret anyway. She was always aware that he wasn’t normal. Even if she had treated her alcohol addiction with her sister’s help, the impulse arose whenever she saw alcohol. She had to control and endure that for the rest of her life.
It was refreshing to have everything exposed; her heart raced at the feeling of standing alone in front of this man.
Now she didn’t have to be careful about anything. She felt like she was standing naked and alone in front of this man.
The car drove on in silence, as if further conversation was unnecessary.
At dusk, just as dawn was breaking, we arrived at a large mansion.
