Expanding Frontiers

Raven looked down upon the man kneeling before him. It was Dominic Russo, the underground boss of "Shadows." As expected, the man had proven stubborn, refusing to yield to Raven's deal and ultimately triggering this violent confrontation.

Initially, Raven hadn't intended to take immediate action, but Dominic's inability to keep his mouth shut had escalated the situation to this point. Raven leaned in, lifting Dominic's chin with the barrel of his gun.

Dominic was a bloody mess, his eyes injured and blood seeping from his mouth due to broken teeth, looking up at the man before him. The man wore a black mask adorned with a yellow viper, its red gem eyes exuding a menacing aura. Despite his condition, Dominic chuckled and addressed him.

"Tsk... come on, Hunter. She's just a woman. What's wrong with exchanging her for a good deal?" 

Raven maintained his expressionless demeanor as he lifted his chin further with the gun, causing Dominic to hiss in pain from the strain on his broken jaw.

"You know, all you had to do was obediently sign the deal, and you could have remained as the boss of your gang. But now, because of your disobedience, Shadows will disappear from the city of Millburg," Raven stated calmly.

"How does it feel to see the empire you painstakingly constructed crumble down before your eyes?" Raven taunted, patting Dominic's cheek with the gun.

Dominic seethed with anger and launched himself at Raven, but his movements were restricted by the rope binding his hands. "Fuck you," he spat out in frustration.

Raven sighed and rose from his position, issuing a decisive order to the guard nearby. "Destroy the warehouse and leave none of his allies alive."

"No... No... The deal, I will accept it," Dominic pleaded immediately. 

Shadows was the gang he had inherited from his father and managed for years. He couldn't bear to give it up so easily. Hearing rumors that the leader of Viper had gotten married, Dominic thought he could gain the upper hand in the deal by threatening him with that woman. 

But he hadn't anticipated that the hunter would not hesitate to destroy his gang. Before his members could even prepare, the hunter's men surrounded them and opened fire, leaving them defenseless.

"Offer is out of date," Raven declared, turning to leave. He paused mid-step, his tone turning dangerously serious as he spoke without looking back. "And one more thing, she is not just a woman. She is my wife," he stated firmly before striding away. 

As he departed, a loud gunshot echoed behind him, signaling the execution of his command.

Once the leader of the army falls, the soldiers' spirit to fight dies along with him. Soon, the members of Shadows admitted their defeat, and the "Hunter," aka Raven, officially took over Shadows, solidifying his foothold in Millburg.

On the other hand, at the same time, Worcester's television and media broadcasted the successful cooperation between Altron Group and Horizon, one of the leading business corporations in Millburg.

Hardin lounged in the office, his legs propped up on the table that once belonged to Dominic Russo. He leisurely munched on his chips, watching the live telecast featuring Raven Grey, CEO of Altron Group, shaking hands with William Warner, CEO of Horizon, to acknowledge their successful cooperation.

As the sound of the door opening caught his attention, Hardin turned to see his friend enter. Raven strode towards him, swiftly snatching the chips from his hand before taking a seat opposite him. Without a word, Raven began munching on the chips, his gaze fixed on the TV.

Hardin, now chipsless, irritated by the sudden theft of his chips, shot Raven a glare. "Why don't you get your own?" he grumbled.

With a playful wiggle of his butt, Hardin transformed his rolling chair into a makeshift caterpillar, inching his way closer to Raven. Stretching out his hand, he stealthily retrieved some chips from the pocket, all while maintaining his seated position. 

Once he had gathered enough chips, Hardin shuffled back to his original spot and settled in to watch the TV. Raven didn't pay him much mind, fully engrossed in the telecast where his doppelganger was discussing dealings with William Warner.

"That boy was good at imitating you," Hardin complimented the boy who had posed as Raven for today's meeting.

"Hmm. Brandon trained him," Raven replied nonchalantly as he turned off the TV and rose from his chair to leave the room. He had to meet with some elders in the Russo family and members of Shadows who were willing to work under him. Raven needed to reframe the hierarchy to fully associate Shadows with Viper. If Dominic had cooperated with the deal, it might have been finished in half a month's time, but now, due to his death, Raven knew he'd have to spend more time than planned.

At that thought, Raven couldn't help but curse Dominic's reckless mouth. 

"I heard you're going to marry a young racer. She must be special enough to catch the great Hunter's eyes, I will cooperate if you extend your women to me along with the wedding invitation."

Raven's jaw ticked with anger. He had already anticipated that his marriage would become a vulnerability for his enemies to exploit. Yet, even with this expectation, he found himself seething with rage at Dominic's mention of Siren. The mere thought of anyone daring to speak ill of something that belonged to him ignited a fierce fire within him, one that threatened to consume everything in its path.