Chapter 54: The Dictator

David Lawrence was not born into power—he took it.

From a young age, he understood one simple truth: fear is the most powerful tool in existence. Love, loyalty, and respect were fragile illusions. But fear? Fear lasted. Fear controlled. And when wielded correctly, fear made him unstoppable.

David was raised in an environment where weakness was punished and strength was the only currency. His father was a ruthless businessman, known for destroying rivals with underhanded tactics, while his mother was a cold, calculating woman who treated him like a tool rather than a son.

"To control people, make them fear losing everything they love," his father once told him.

David never forgot those words.

But it wasn't until his fifteenth birthday that he truly understood power. That was the day the Dictator System awakened within him.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZED. WELCOME, USER.]

[SYSTEM TYPE: DICTATOR SYSTEM]

[MAIN FUNCTION: FORCE ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE THROUGH FEAR. TARGETS WHO REACH 100% FEAR LOYALTY WILL NEVER DEFY YOU.]

[BONUS: THOSE WITH FEAR LOYALTY ABOVE 80% WILL REPORT BETRAYAL OR CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE USER AUTOMATICALLY.]

At first, David didn't fully understand the power he had been given. But it didn't take long for him to experiment.

The first person he tested it on was one of his father's employees—a man who had been stealing company funds.

David cornered the man in a darkened office and broke him.

Through threats, psychological torment, and sheer intimidation, he watched as the man's resistance crumbled. When the system's notification popped up—

[FEAR LOYALTY REACHED 100%. TARGET IS NOW YOURS.]

—the man was no longer a person. He was property.

David had tasted true power. And he wanted more.

David Lawrence had always believed he was destined for greatness. From a young age, he had power—the ability to make others submit to him through fear. With his Dictator System, he could control people, making them obey him no matter what.

But there were two people he could never break.

John King and William Right.

They weren't just obstacles. They were the only two people who ever truly made David feel inferior.

And he hated them for it.

In high school, David, John, and William were all considered elite students, but it was in college that their rivalry truly began.

They attended the same prestigious university, one known for producing future business leaders, CEOs, and innovators. It was a place where the best competed against the best—where talent, intellect, and strategy decided who would rise to the top.

David walked into university believing he would be the king of the campus. He had money, influence, and the Dictator System, which made others fear him. He thought he would dominate every competition, every business venture, and every social circle.

But John and William ruined everything.

John had natural charisma. He was the type of person everyone wanted to be around—professors, students, business elites. He had an effortless way of making people respect and admire him without needing to force it.

Where David built his empire on fear, John built his on bonds.

John wasn't just a leader—he was the guy who would take responsibility for a group project and carry the entire team. He had the brains, the confidence, and the work ethic. He never needed a system to make people follow him.

And that infuriated David.

No matter how much fear David instilled in people, they still preferred John.

If John was the king, William was the shadow king—the strategist, the protector, the enforcer.

Unlike John, who was loud and charismatic, William was quiet and calculating. He didn't speak much, but when he did, people listened. He saw through every lie, every trick, and every manipulation.

David learned this the hard way.

In their sophomore year, there was a massive business competition where students had to create and pitch a startup to real investors. The winner would receive funding and a guaranteed partnership with a major firm.

David bribed judges, used intimidation to get ahead, and even spread false rumors about John's company.

But William saw through it all.

He exposed David's schemes in front of the entire university, humiliating him.

The judges stripped David of his win, and John's company won the competition instead.

David never forgot that moment.

The way the audience laughed when David was caught.

The way John patted William on the back like they had just crushed another enemy.

That was the day David swore he would destroy them both.

As much as David hated John and William, there was one person he worshiped.

Bella.

She was one of the smartest and most beautiful students in the university. She had grace, kindness, and a heart of gold. David believed that if there was one person who could understand him—one person who could see his greatness—it would be her.

He loved her.

He spent years trying to win her over, using his wealth and influence to impress her. He bought her expensive gifts, took her to the most exclusive events, and even used his Dictator System to make people stay away from her, hoping she would have no choice but to rely on him.

But Bella never saw David that way.

Because from the very beginning… she only had eyes for John King.

David watched in silent fury as Bella and John grew closer.

Every time she laughed at John's jokes.

Every time she looked at him with admiration.

Every time she ignored David's advances.

It burned him.

The day Bella and John officially started dating was the day David lost his mind.

In his world, John had taken everything from him—his reputation, his respect, and now the woman he loved.

And William? William made it all possible.

He was the one who protected John, the one who ensured David could never get close to Bella.

It was at that moment that David decided—they both had to die.

Years passed, and John and Bella remained inseparable. Even when they graduated and entered the business world, they built an empire together. Meanwhile, David used his Dictator System to seize control of his own business empire, forcing loyalty through terror.

But no matter how high he climbed, John and William were always ahead of him.

He couldn't stand it.

He couldn't stand watching John live the life that should have been his.

He couldn't stand watching William support him every step of the way.

And when David found out that Bella was pregnant with John's child, something inside him snapped.

If he couldn't have Bella… then John shouldn't have her either.

Bella's car accident wasn't an accident at all.

David had arranged for a truck to run her off the road as she was returning home from the hospital after a routine check-up. He made sure that she and her unborn child didn't survive.

When John found out, he was shattered. He fell into despair, blaming himself for not being there to protect her. This causes him to fall into depression that led to him selling his company, and for the first time in his life, he gave up.

David watched with satisfaction as the once-great John King became a shell of his former self.

But William? William wasn't broken yet.

John and William stood together on the rooftop of their office building that night. William had brought John up there to talk—to convince him that Bella wouldn't want this, that he still had people who cared about him.

But John… he was already gone.

"William," John said quietly, staring at the city lights. "Bella was my everything. Without her, what's the point?"

William grabbed his collar, his voice filled with desperation. "John, don't do this. Bella wouldn't want this! You still have me! My family! We're still here for you!"

John smiled weakly. A tired, broken smile.

"Thank you, Will. But I just… I can't anymore."

John stood in the middle of the street that night.

It was a busy intersection, the streetlights glowing red for pedestrians. Cars roared past in both directions, but John didn't move.

On the sidewalk across the street, William Right stood, his phone clutched tightly in his hand. His voice was desperate, panicked.

"John, step back! This isn't the way! Bella wouldn't want this!"

John smiled weakly, his face calm for the first time in months.

"I miss her, Will." His voice cracked. "I'm so… tired."

"John, please!" William shouted. "We can fix this! We can—"

The light turned green.

The sound of a horn blaring. The screech of tires.

And then—impact.

John's body was flung through the air like a ragdoll, crashing onto the pavement.

William felt his breath leave his lungs. His best friend—his brother—was gone.

He took one step forward, intending to run across the street, but—

Headlights.

A car came out of nowhere, speeding straight toward him.

BANG!

William never even had the chance to react.

His body hit the ground next to John's.

The last thing he heard before everything went dark was the sound of laughter.

David Lawrence's laughter.

In the shadows, David stood with his men, watching everything unfold.

A man beside him lowered his phone. "It's done. John King's death has been ruled a suicide. William Right was just an unfortunate casualty."

David smirked, his eyes cold and unforgiving.

"They thought they could take everything from me," he murmured. "But in the end, they were nothing."

He turned away, walking toward his car.

The world belonged to him now.

Or so he thought.

Darkness.

Then—a voice.

"A host has been found!"

William felt something stir inside him.

"Congratulations! You have been chosen to be reborn and inherit the Dominance System!"

His eyes snapped open.

He was alive.

And this time… David Lawrence was going to pay.