The Man Behind Everything

Gloria took off her sunglasses, impatience written all over her face.

She first glanced at Darell Burgess and the others behind Ralph, clearly annoyed.

Only then did she casually sweep her gaze over Luke and me, both of us soaked and disheveled.

"Gloria!"

"Mom…"

Luke and I spoke at the same time.

She frowned, her tone sharp and blaming from the start.

"What are you two doing here? Who told you to come to Crescent Bay? Don't you know I reserved this place today to host important guests? Take the kid and leave. Stop embarrassing yourselves."

Tears welled up in Luke's eyes. The woman in front of him felt like a stranger.

I stood there, stunned. "Gloria, this is my private beach. How can you…"

"That's enough," she cut me off, disgust flashing across her face as she looked at Luke and me.

When she turned to Darell and the others, her expression softened into an apologetic smile.

"Mr. Burgess, Mr. Higgins, I'm so sorry. These two ignorant lowlifes ruined everyone's mood. I'll have them removed right away."

I stared at her in disbelief.

Luke shrank into my arms, trembling. "Dad… Why did Mom call us that? Does she hate us?"

My brows tightened.

To protect her image in front of these guests and her lover, she pushed her own husband and child into the dirt.

A bone-deep chill surged straight to my head.

In that moment, the past ten years of everything I had done for her felt like a massive joke.

And it was my fault, too. After we got married, I gave her whatever she wanted. I even stayed home to raise our child so she could focus on her career.

I let her believe she could step all over me.

She forgot one thing: I still controlled the Thornes, the shadow power that ran Frenkinston.

I laughed.

"Gloria."

I said her name slowly, each syllable calm to the point of being frightening.

"Are you really saying that you don't know me? That you don't recognize the child you carried for nine months and gave birth to?"

I stared straight at her.

Her body stiffened, panic flickering briefly in her eyes. But she quickly looked away, unable to meet my gaze.

Seeing that Gloria didn't contradict him and instead scolded us, Ralph became even more convinced she was on his side.

He puffed up and shouted smugly from the side.

"You heard her, didn't you? Now get lost already, you loser! If you don't leave now, I'll have security toss you and your kid straight into the ocean to feed the sharks!"

I didn't move. I just held Luke and kept my eyes on Gloria, who still refused to look at me.

"Gloria, I'll give you one more chance. Are you going to explain our relationship to them or not?"

After seven years of marriage, those words were already me giving her an out.

Gloria stayed frozen, her back still turned to Luke and me.

Ralph grew even more arrogant and started barking orders at the bodyguards.

"What are you standing around for? Drag these two eyesores out of here! Do it quickly. Don't delay our party or ruin Mr. Burgess's fun!"

His lackeys chimed in noisily as well.

I looked coldly at Ralph as he jumped around, full of himself.

Then, I took one last deep look at Gloria standing silently in the distance.

Fine.

Gloria had made her choice.

I raised my wrist, revealing a custom communication watch engraved with the Thorne family crest, issued only to core members of the Thornes.

Calmly, I pressed a speed dial I knew by heart.

The call connected almost instantly. A steady, authoritative voice came through.

"Mr. Thorne?"

"Shark Vanguard," I said, my tone flat and emotionless, "clear Crescent Bay. Now."