Chapter 15 A Man Among Men

• As soon as the general ordered his soldiers to have their guns at the ready, everyone in the Murray family stared in utter shock and disbelief.
• Stephen, in particular, almost peed his pants while Fabian and the rest couldn't stop themselves from shaking. After all, none of them had ever seen such a spectacle before!
• “I'm only going to ask this one last time—will you unlock his handcuffs or not?” the general shouted, not at all hiding the fact that he was a ball of pure anger.
• Naturally, Stephen's mind was a complete blank. He had spent many years in the police force, yet this was his first time in such a terrifying situation. As if by instinct, he shakily unlocked Christopher's handcuffs.
• The general glanced at Stephen's badge number and uttered coldly, “I'll remember you from now on. Get the hell out of here.”
• Upon hearing that, Stephen's body instantly went limp. If someone hadn't grabbed him in the nick of time, he'd have collapsed in a heap.
• It's all over for me. I'm doomed! My future is in peril, and I might even be charged and sent to jail!
• The burly men who had come with Stephen didn't dare to stay a second longer. How could they, when they were up against such a formidable force? They'd have to be out of their minds if they did that!
• Without further ado, they grabbed Stephen and hastily stepped into their cars, retreating with their tails between their legs.
• Fabian felt his whole face burning up. He had never thought he'd be so down on his luck to encounter such a situation. Fabio, too, almost wet his pants, especially when he heard the general give the order to cock the guns.
• “Salute to the veteran!” the general shouted.
• Rat-tat-tat!
• A loud and crisp gun salute rang out, and it was undoubtedly one of the most astounding sights ever. Julianna's tears continued to flow as it finally struck her why her grandfather had said those words to her.
• Grandpa was right. Christopher is truly a man among men!
• Not long after, Christopher returned the salute and promptly accepted the banner.
• “Move out!” the general commanded as his soldiers turned and marched back to their cars. In just a matter of seconds, they had cleared out of the compound and driven off.
• “You'd better watch your step, Fabian,” Christopher warned as he neatly folded his banner and shot an icy glare at Fabian.
• Then, he gazed at the red-eyed Julianna and the slack-jawed Frank. “Come on. Let's head home!”
• Once Christopher had left the house with Julianna and Frank, Fabio turned to his father, still trembling with fear. “Dad, what should we do now?”
• “Damn it, our luck's horrible! If they had delivered the banner earlier or later, there wouldn't have been any problem. Alas, they just had to drop by at such a crucial time. I'm so mad!” Fabian fumed.
• “What about Uncle Stephen?” Fabio asked nervously. “Would anything happen to him?”
• Feeling dejected, Fabian muttered helplessly, “It's hard to say. Christopher may not have the power to take action, but the same can't be said about the generals that delivered the banner. Let's try to smooth things over with some money and stay out of trouble.”
• “What about the land? Are we letting Uncle Frank get away with it?” Fabio asked, not at all willing to accept that.
• “Hmph! No way! We'll let them be happy for now, but trust me, they'd be crying about it soon,” Fabian said with a sneer. “Have you forgotten that we still have the Cordringtons? They'd have no problem destroying Christopher.”
• A smile finally tugged at Fabio's lips when he heard his father's words. “Yes, yes! As long as Mr. Cordrington makes his move, Uncle Frank and his family will have no choice but to give in to us!”
• Meanwhile, Christopher sat in a military vehicle parked in an inconspicuous spot near Frank's house. Lupine was with him and in a state of panic after having been given a dressing-down.
• “Mr. Yaeger, we've received news from the top brass,” Lupine said urgently.
• “What did they say?”
• “The headquarters is still not in favor of your resignation. The latest intel is that some foreign forces have shown intentions of invading Jadeborough. We still don't know their objectives, but everyone at headquarters hopes you can stay and defend the city.”
• Christopher had initially planned on pushing for his resignation, but after hearing Lupine's words, he couldn't help but hesitate. Ultimately, he was still a soldier of Chanaea, so how could he ditch his country in its time of need?
• “Let headquarters know that there's no way I'd sit back and do nothing if foreign forces are trying to invade Jadeborough. However, I refuse to be involved in all other matters,” Christopher said coldly.
• “Got it. I'll report back right away! But, Mr. Yaeger, if you agree to the task, wouldn't that make me the Custodian of Jadeborough? Hahaha!” Lupine piped up, grinning from ear to ear.
• “All right, I'm going home,” Christopher uttered before jumping out of the vehicle and making his way toward Frank's house.
• Once he got to Nirvana Residence, Christopher opened the door and immediately heard Cindy's voice. “Haha! We've struck the lottery! I've heard that our family's land is worth at least eight or nine million, so now we're finally part of the upper echelon in society! Julianna, remember to doll yourself up. Once the money is in our hands, we'll kick Christopher out of the Murrays. Don't worry. I'll find a better man for you. Given your beauty, we can't settle for any Tom, Dick, or Harry!”
• “Mom, Christopher isn't that bad,” Julianna retorted. If it weren't for him, we'd have lost more than just our plot of land. Uncle Fabian would have robbed us of everything!
• “Not bad? What future does a soldier have? I agree with your mother,” Frank chimed in. He had always looked down on Christopher, and despite what the latter had done for them that day, he still wasn't able to let go of his prejudices.
• Julianna was about to explain herself when she suddenly saw that Christopher had returned. Stunned and somewhat embarrassed, she blurted out, “O-Oh! You're back!”
• Christopher merely nodded in silence. Since he did help them fight for their land, Frank and Cindy decided to stop complaining.
• However, now that she couldn't voice her displeasure outwardly, Cindy was frustrated. “Frank, go shopping with me,” she mumbled before dragging her husband out of the house.
• As soon as Frank and Cindy had left in their car, Julianna turned to Christopher and whispered, “I'm sorry.”
• After all, the latter didn't have a choice when he left three years ago, yet he still had to endure her parents' humiliation upon his return.
• “No, I should be the one apologizing,” Christopher answered, feeling a pang of guilt inside him. How much has Julianna suffered in the past three years? I'm sure she has experienced the same scene many times through the years.
• Just then, a voice full of scorn rang out from behind them. “Wow! Look at this pair of sad, star-crossed lovers. What a joke!”
• Christopher and Julianna quickly turned around, only to see Fabio strutting in. His miserable look from before was gone, and an annoying smirk had taken its place.
• “What are you doing here, Fabio? You're not welcome here! Get out!” Julianna snapped.
• “I'm the oldest son of the Murrays and the future head of the family. Besides, the house you're currently staying in belongs to us, so why should I leave?” Fabio responded as he swaggered into the house and stared at the couple in utter disdain.
• Not knowing what to say, Julianna merely gave a derisive snort.
• “It was only a few hours ago when you guys felt smug about yourselves, didn't you? How foolish,” Fabio scoffed. “I'm here to inform you that we've invalidated your notarization and that we'll be taking back this house.”
• “How dare you! What right do you have to do that?” Julianna bellowed, her body trembling uncontrollably. It's not the end of the world if we lose the land in Dragon Valley, but this is our only house! Without it, my family wouldn't have anywhere to stay! Furthermore, we've already racked up huge debts to help the factory. There's no way we can afford a new place.
• “What right do I have? Easy. Mr. Cordrington has a crush on you. Christopher thinks he's clever by notarizing the title deed, but unfortunately, you've forgotten how powerful the Cordringtons are! One word from Mr. Cordrington and all your hard work would go down the drain!”
• After a pause, Fabio continued, “Of course, Mr. Cordrington is still willing to give you a chance. He's organizing a banquet tonight, and members of the notary public will be there. As long as you attend it, you'll get to keep both the land at Dragon Valley and the house! However, if you don't, the consequences will be dire. Uncle Frank has lost a lot of money because of his failed business, and that money rightfully belongs to our family. Naturally, he'd have to return all that to us, and if he can't, we'd have no choice but to send him to prison.”
• After hearing that, Julianna shook with fear and anger, having seen through the tricks Jared had up his sleeves.
• She had no doubt he had bribed the notary public, and if she didn't show up to his party, he'd have the notarized title deed to Dragon Valley invalidated. Worst of all, her father might even be sued by Fabian and end up getting imprisoned.
• But if I go, I'd be in grave danger! It's Jared's banquet, for goodness' sake. How would I be able to escape from his clutches?
• The more Julianna thought about it, the more torn up she was, knowing she had no choice in the matter. “Y-You guys are despicable!”
• Meanwhile, Christopher could feel a wave of fury crashing through him. He grabbed Julianna's hand and glared menacingly at Fabio. “Go back and let Jared know that Julianna and I will be at the banquet!”