The King Of War Returns (Jaden Rift) novel Chapter 68

The room trembled.

No longer with laughter—now with stunned disbelief.

Mouths hung open. Glasses lowered mid-sip. All eyes locked on the jade figurine glowing faintly beneath the overhead chandeliers.

Stanwell's throat bobbed. He took a step closer, eyes twitching between the artifact and Jaden.

“This is a trick,” he barked suddenly, the edge of panic bleeding into his voice. “It has to be fake! There’s no way someone like him could get his hands on something this rare!”

Donald turned, his tone sharp enough to cut steel. “Impossible.”

He stepped beside the display, eyes never leaving the piece. “The weight, the sheen, the cut—this is Verdant-era craftsmanship. See that mark?” He pointed. “That's an emerald seal etched with the Spiral Bloom technique—lost for over three centuries. There are only seven in existence. I personally know five of the owners.”

He looked at Jaden with a mix of disbelief and admiration.

“You brought the sixth.”

The hall went dead quiet.

A heavy silence smothered the room.

Then Stanwell laughed—a bitter, ugly sound.

“No. No, no, no,” he growled, stepping forward like a drunk man desperate for footing. “He stole it. He had to. That’s the only way!”

Gasps fluttered through the crowd like startled birds.

“That would make more sense,” someone muttered.

“Yeah… Jaden’s just some nobody, isn’t he?”

“He’s not even from a known family—how’d he buy that?”

“He must’ve taken it!”

Like wildfire, the suspicion caught. Words became weapons. Accusations turned into chants.

“Thief!”

“Criminal!”

“Throw him out!”

Stanwell raised his hand dramatically, pointing straight at Jaden like he was some villain on trial. “How dare you bring stolen treasure into this hall and pretend you belong here?!”

Jaden finally looked up.

His gaze moved slowly—first to Stanwell, then to the sneering faces around him.

He smiled.

But it wasn’t warm.

It was quiet. Calm. Cold.

Like a wolf surrounded by barking dogs.

Without saying a word, Jaden turned his back to the uproar, walked across the room, and settled into a velvet chair at a table near the edge of the hall. He picked up a silver decanter, poured himself a glass of dark wine, and swirled it lazily in his hand.

He raised the glass slightly, as if toasting them all.

“I don’t owe you proof,” he said, voice clear and unshaken. “Your noise doesn’t change the truth.”

He took a sip. The room raged.

“You arrogant bastard!”

“He’s mocking us!”

Stanwell slammed his palm on the nearest table. “CALL THE POLICE!”

People clapped and cheered.

“Yes! Arrest him!”

“He won’t be so smug in a cell!”

Blue and red lights flickered against the windows minutes later. A pair of officers in crisp uniforms strode in, their boots clapping against the marble floor with purpose.

Stanwell approached them like royalty, chest puffed, gesturing wildly. “That man—him—he brought a stolen item into this gathering. I demand you arrest him immediately!”

The officers exchanged glances, then turned toward Jaden.

Jaden finally stood up.

He adjusted his sleeves, set the wine down, and approached the group like a man walking across a battlefield where his enemies had already fallen.

“Under Article 37-C,” he said smoothly, “a false report of theft regarding certified luxury assets qualifies for either a full arrest…” He turned to Stanwell. “...or a fine of no less than one hundred million.”

Stanwell’s face turned ghost-white.

“W-What?! This is absurd—!”

The officer stepped forward. “Do you want to pay the fine, Mr. Stanwell? Or shall we take you in?”

Stanwell stuttered, eyes darting around the room for help.

But no one met his gaze.

The crowd that once cheered him had now backed away like he carried plague. Their silence was worse than any insult.

Sweat dripped down his temples.

With trembling fingers, he pulled out a sleek black titanium credit card—the very card he bragged about for years.

He held it out like a man handing over his last breath.

“Here,” he mumbled. “Happy?”

Jaden took it, glanced at the details, and smiled faintly.

“You’re learning.”

He slid the card into his coat pocket and turned without another glance.

Stanwell stood frozen, his chest heaving, eyes burning.

Inside, he was screaming.

A hundred million gone. His entire savings. His power, his influence… humiliated in front of everyone.

And now it sat casually in the hands of the man he called a nobody. "No matter what I'll get back my money!"