Chapter 157: No more hiding

For a long moment, Kai remained silent, his attention fixed on the red-haired man making his way into the venue. It didn’t take long for the man to become the centre of attention, with several guests approaching him almost immediately.

Accompanying him was a younger man, seemingly in his late teens, and an older woman who bore a striking resemblance to Jean. Needless to say, she was Jean’s mother and matriarch of the family.

Kai shifted his gaze towards Jean. Her expression told him everything he needed to know. The colour had drained from her face, and the way she stood frozen in place made it clear that she was struggling to contain the emotions suddenly surging within her.

"Hunter Kai..." Adam began, seemingly wanting to explain something.

However, a single glance from Kai was enough to silence him.

Without saying another word, Kai led Jean towards a quieter corner of the venue, Elara still nestled in his arms. Even the little girl had fallen unusually quiet after catching sight of her mother.

Once they were far enough from the crowd, Kai shifted slightly, deliberately blocking Jean’s view of the guests behind him.

"Jean, look at me."

She slowly raised her eyes to meet his.

"Kai... did you know?"

He shook his head. "No. I had no idea. And I’m sorry you had to run into them here. If you want, we can leave right now."

Jean pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze.

Seeing her father again had sent a tremor through her heart. The fear she had spent more than two years trying to bury was suddenly clawing its way back to the surface. The dread of being discovered, of having her whereabouts exposed and being dragged back into the life she had desperately escaped, was a feeling overwhelming her once again. Now, merely seeing him was enough to bring it all rushing back.

What made it worse that she didn’t expect to see them here in this gathering considering Kai told her it was only held between a few individuals. But...being the master of the biggest guild in the nation..she should have expected his arrival.

"Maaa!"

The sudden call snapped her out of her thoughts.

Jean looked up to find Elara reaching towards her, waving her little hand with an unmistakable eagerness.

She instinctively extended her arms and took her daughter from Kai.

Elara immediately cupped her mother’s cheeks with both hands.

"Mama."

Jean gazed into those enormous eyes, her heart softening as she looked at the little girl in her arms.

Those eyes...the child in her arms was the very reason she had run away from her family.

The reason she had made a tough call and chosen a future filled with uncertainty. Elara was the one person who had remained by her side through everything, even during those days when they had nowhere to sleep but discarded cardboard boxes and barely enough food to survive on a single slice of bread and some water.

There had been countless moments when Jean had wondered whether she had made the right decision. Moments when the hardships had seemed almost unbearable and she had questioned whether she could continue.

Yet, holding Elara in her arms now, she couldn’t bring herself to regret a single thing.

Whatever she had endured, whatever she had sacrificed, it had all led her here. She was proud of the life she had built, proud of the little girl who called her Mama, and happier than she had ever been.

She had a family now.

And she had no intention of losing it.

Then why should she run away?

"Kai..."

She raised her eyes towards him.

"We don’t need to leave."

"But Jean..."

"I would have to face them sooner or later. Besides, we’ve both decided that we’re no longer going to hide ourselves." She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice. "When I agreed to accompany you today, I had already made up my mind to leave my life of secrecy behind."

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she continued.

"My place is by your side now. No matter what kind of past I share with them, nobody is going to tear our family apart."

Kai studied her for a moment. The hesitation that had clouded his expression gradually gave way to a quiet determination.

He nodded.

"I won’t let anyone hurt you or Elara. I promise."

Taking her hand in his, he turned towards the venue.

There was no longer any reason to hide.

As Kai glanced towards the Scarlette patriarch, he found the man already looking in his direction. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Kai narrowed his own before shifting his attention towards Adam.

The man was still standing nearby, looking rather uncomfortable. He seemed uncertain whether he should approach them or simply wait for Kai to take the initiative.

"Go and talk to him," Jean instructed.

Kai hummed in surprise. "Will you be alright on your own?"

Jean nodded without hesitation.

"Of course. And if I find myself in trouble, I know you’ll come rushing back to us."

Kai let out a faint chuckle.

"That... I certainly will."

He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead before finally making his way towards Adam.

...

"Quite a lucky man you are, eh, Xavier?"

Xavier frowned at the familiar voice before turning around. Upon recognizing the speaker, he let out a small sigh.

"Daryl."

The two men exchanged a firm handshake, and Daryl wasted no time getting to the point.

"You’ve got the strongest Hunter in existence as your son-in-law, not to mention being the owner of the largest guild in the nation. What more could a man possibly ask for?"

"I have no connection with Hunter Kai or his family," Xavier replied firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. I’ve already heard all the melodrama from someone else." Daryl waved a hand dismissively before leaning closer with a grin. "But tell me, doesn’t it bother you?"

Xavier’s brows knitted together.

Daryl’s grin widened as he continued.

"If even half of what I’ve heard is true, then Hunter Kai, being the devoted husband that he is, wouldn’t hesitate to come after your guild if he thought it necessary to settle things with you."

"Be careful what you say, Daryl," Xavier warned, his voice taking on a colder edge. "My guild isn’t some house of cards that can be toppled with a little push. It is my kingdom, something I’ve spent years building from the ground up. One man, regardless of how powerful he might be, won’t make a difference."

Daryl merely smirked.

"Perhaps. But that one man happens to have quite a few connections of his own. The President himself came to greet him in person just moments ago. And we both know how close he is to the Chairman."

Xavier fell silent.

There was little he could say in response, especially when Daryl was merely pointing out something he already knew.

He had witnessed firsthand just how close Kai was to the Chairman. Their relationship had become so unusual that the old man had personally summoned Xavier to his office, going so far as to issue him a warning.

It was hardly a secret anymore.

And that was precisely what made the situation so troublesome.

Daryl gave his shoulder a pat. "Choose your enemies wisely, my friend."