Out of the Shadows

Chapter 426: Ryan’s Fury

“Have you completely lost it? You saw what happened to Rebecca, and yet you still went and stirred up this disaster?

“If your grandfather hears about this, you won’t survive it. You’ll lose more than just your pride. You’ll be thrown out of this country like some beaten stray, with nothing left.”

Preston kept his head low, unable to meet Ryan’s eyes as his father’s fury struck like a whip.

In the end, Preston could only blame himself. He had placed the weapon straight into his enemies’ hands.

This was his mistake.

For as long as he could remember, Ryan had never unleashed his temper like this, not until now.

Ryan wasn’t just furious. He was afraid. He could already see Preston heading toward the same ruin that had swallowed Rebecca whole.

If that happened, then his family would be crushed, stripped of every chance it still had.

“I know I messed up, Dad. Whatever you want to say to me, I’ll accept it.”

Preston didn’t argue. He didn’t offer excuses. He knew words would only fuel the fire.

The only path forward was to bow his head and admit his fault.

Ryan’s eyes burned into him, his chest tightening with rage that had nowhere to go.

Useless.

His daughter had already destroyed their chances, and now the son who was supposed to restore hope had ruined everything at the worst possible moment.

If not for the looming threat of Marcus’ family, Ryan would have fathered more children long ago, hidden away with his mistresses, so he wouldn’t be cornered like this now.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the hall.

“Sir, wait, this is the VIP ward. You can’t just go inside…”

The door burst open with a crash.

A man entered, tall and sharp in his movements, his black tailored suit pressed to perfection.

Gold-rimmed glasses caught the cold hospital lights, his sun-darkened skin and steady stride filling the room with authority.

Ryan’s face darkened as soon as he recognized him.

“Vassal?”

There was no mistaking him: Jude’s shadow, his enforcer, the man who carried out his orders without hesitation.

Ryan had seen him before.

He knew nothing good would follow him here.

The nurse stumbled in behind him, flustered and pale. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bell. I tried to stop him, but he forced his way in…”

“I only need a moment,” Vassal replied coolly.

His gaze shifted to Preston. “Mr. Bell has made his decision. Because of your corruption at the branch, your abuse of power, and your embezzlement, your position is revoked. From this day forward, you will have no ties to DY Group.”

“What?”

Preston’s voice cracked, his face twisted in disbelief. Vassal had cut him down without hesitation, severing his future with a single blow.

The shock rattled through him until his skull throbbed and his stitches felt like they might tear apart.

Ryan’s fury surged. He nearly lunged forward, his eyes bloodshot. “Impossible! My son would never stoop to this!”

But the weight of the words pressed on him like a sentence already passed. And he cut off all our ties with DY Group.

Without Preston, his family was finished.

Preston had been their only chance to challenge Jude. Without him, there was no fight left to give.

Without a stage to play with, there was no performance to put on.

“Mr. Bell knew this would be hard for you to accept,” Vassal said, his tone flat and unshaken.

“Which is why he prepared evidence.”

He placed a thick stack of files on the table.

Ryan and Preston leaned closer. Their faces drained of color as they flipped through the pages.

Everything was there. Every false number, every cut corner, every scheme for quick profit.

Preston had returned from overseas desperate to prove himself, desperate to rise fast as head of the branch.

Ryan had guided him, even orchestrated much of it himself.

If they made every move taking no risks at all, they could never fully control the subsidiary, let alone work their way into DY Group headquarters and fight Jude for the throne.

Together they thought they had hidden every trace.

They thought they’d erased every evidence perfectly.

But Jude had been watching all along. Every step, every move, quietly collected until the moment came to strike.

The evidence was irrefutable. Neither father nor son could speak in their defense.

“There is one more matter,” Vassal continued coldly.

“Mr. Abram is aware of what happened at the Nightingale Bar. He expects Mr. Preston to restrain himself from now on and stop causing disgrace.”

Preston’s hands shook as he clenched his teeth. “You told him! Jude, is this what you call strength? You strike from the shadows because you’re afraid. You’re terrified that I’ll rise, that I’ll step into headquarters and take your place.”

A faint smirk tugged at Vassal’s lips, contempt gleaming in his eyes. “A man who drinks himself senseless, loses control, and ends up beaten half to death in a hospital bed is not someone Mr. Bell fears.”

“You-”

“And do not fool yourself,” Vassal cut him off, his words slicing the air. “Mr. Abram knows more than you think. Much more.

“Goodbye.”

He turned and left, his final words lingering like blades in the silence.

Out in the hall, he pulled out his phone.

“Boss, it’s done.”

“Good,” Jude’s voice replied.

He stood before a floor-to-ceiling window on the hundredth floor, the glittering city stretching beneath him like a sea of stars. His gaze was sharp, his thoughts unfathomable.

“Preston,” he murmured. “You think this is the end, but it has only just begun.”

In the past, Jude had allowed the second branch to exist as puppets under his thumb, sparing them for the sake of family ties.