Daddy’s A Hero

The sickening crunch of shattering bone echoed through the cramped apartment. Dante twisted Derek’s arm with ruthless precision, snapping joints and tearing tendons beyond any hope of medical repair. Derek let out a deafening, agonizing shriek, a sound so guttural it resembled a slaughtered animal. He collapsed onto his knees, clutching his ruined, limp limb as tears of pure agony streamed down his blistered face.

The burly bodyguards standing near the ruined doorway froze in their tracks. Cold sweat drenched their backs. A suffocating, predatory aura radiated from the towering man who had just destroyed their employer. The sheer killing intent rolling off Dante was palpable, thick enough to choke on. Instinct screamed at the guards to rush forward and protect the young master, but their muscles refused to obey. Their feet felt cemented to the floor. This man was no ordinary street fighter; he was a monster. Stepping toward him meant an instant death sentence.

Elena blinked in stunned silence. Her breath caught in her throat. Just seconds ago, she had squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for a devastating blow to shatter her jaw. Now, her cruel cousin was writhing on the floor in a puddle of his own making, and a stranger stood between her and danger like an immovable mountain. Her mind struggled to process the sudden rescue.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

A bright, cheerful voice broke the heavy tension. Little Maya rushed in from the hallway, her tiny feet pattering across the worn floorboards. Elena snapped out of her daze. She dropped to her knees, instantly wrapping her arms around her daughter and holding her tight.

"Maya, are you okay?" Elena asked, her voice trembling as she frantically checked the girl for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mommy!" Maya beamed, wriggling out of the tight embrace just enough to point a small finger at the towering intruder. "Mr. Creep is my new friend! He said he came to fight off the baddies and protect us!"

Maya cheerfully tugged on Dante’s pant leg, looking up at him with pure adoration.

Hearing the little girl's voice, Dante turned his gaze toward the mother and daughter huddled on the floor. The breath vanished from his lungs.

Elena wore a tailored, baby blue suit that clung to her slender frame, contrasting against her pale skin. Her hair fell in messy strands around her gorgeously familiar face. She bit down on her red lower lip, her eyes wide with a mixture of helplessness and panic. Despite the sheer terror of the moment, she exuded a gentle, quiet elegance that tore right at his soul.

It really was her.

A wave of profound sorrow and longing crashed over the Lord of Strike. This was the woman who had lost her home, her family, and her bright future, all to raise his child. She had endured five years of endless mockery, carrying the heavy burden of single motherhood in a society that offered her nothing but scorn and isolation. She had protected their daughter while he was a world away.

Dante felt a stinging heat behind his eyes. The urge to fall to his knees, pull her into his arms, and beg for her forgiveness nearly consumed him. He took a half-step forward, his hand twitching at his side. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to tell her the nightmare was over.

The fragile moment shattered.

"Elena, you filthy sl*t!" Derek roared, struggling to his feet. He cradled his mangled arm against his chest, his burnt face contorting into a mask of unhinged hatred. "No wonder you refused to marry Young Master Roth! You have a lover!"

Derek spat blood onto the floor, his eyes darting between Elena and Dante. "You dare betray the family? You think hooking up with this street trash will save you? Just wait! When I tell Grandpa about this, both of you dogs and that fatherless bastard child will die!"

The vicious slur struck Dante like a physical blow to the heart. Beside him, Elena quaked in sheer terror, her petite shoulders trembling as fresh tears pooled in her eyes. The mention of the Caldwell patriarch drained the last bit of color from her already pale face.

Something inside Dante snapped. The paralyzing guilt and sorrow vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous intent that dropped the room's temperature. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, fixing his gaze on Derek.

"Say that again," Dante demanded, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. He pointed a single finger at Derek’s bloody face.

"Are you threatening me?" Derek sneered, emboldened by his own arrogance and pain. He shoved his chin forward in a provocative gesture. "Who the hell do you think you are? I said, she's a bastard chil—"

Before the vile word could fully leave Derek's mouth, Dante moved. He pounced like a wild beast closing in on its prey. His hand swept through the air, delivering a thunderous slap across Derek’s jaw.

*Smack!*

The sheer force sent Derek spinning. Three bloody teeth flew from his mouth, clattering against the wall. He collapsed in a heap, his face swelling into a bruised, unrecognizable mess.

"Keep going, Mister! You rock!" Maya cheered, waving her tiny fists in the air, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"No, Maya, don't look," Elena gasped, hastily covering her daughter’s eyes and pulling her tight against her chest.

The bodyguards gasped in unison, taking cautious steps backward.

"How dare you?" Derek mumbled through a mouth full of blood, his missing teeth slurring his words. "I am the eldest grandson of the Caldwell family! My grandfather is Richard Caldwell! His net worth is billions! You are dead!"

*Smack!*

Dante struck him again, the sharp sound echoing through the room. "I don't care."

"The Caldwell family will ruin you! I'll throw you in jail and let you rot in a cell—"

*Smack!*

"I will kill you for this!" Derek shrieked, spitting more teeth onto the floor.

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

Dante’s hand moved in a relentless rhythm. He did not yell. He did not argue. He answered every threat, every curse, and every boast with another brutal, unyielding strike. The heavy slaps landed flush against Derek’s cheeks. Blood splattered across the cheap coffee table and the cracked floorboards.

Nearly twenty vicious strikes later, the arrogant young master was reduced to a howling, pathetic mess. The fight drained out of him, leaving nothing but raw terror.

"Forgive me," Derek sobbed, spitting out blood and saliva. He curled into a ball on the floor, raising his good arm to shield his battered head. "Please, stop hitting me. I beg you... stop."

*Smack!*

Dante delivered another backhand, his expression carved from stone. "Why should I stop just because you asked?"

He raised his hand again, prepared to beat the man into a coma.

"That's enough!" Elena cried out, her voice cracking under the intense strain.

Dante froze, his hand suspended in mid-air. He turned to look at her.

Elena trembled, keeping one hand over Maya’s eyes. "Please, stop. You're going to kill him at this rate."

She despised Derek for what he had done, but she knew the brutal reality of their world. If this stranger beat a member of the Caldwell family to death in her living room, he would face a murder charge. Worse, the tyrannical wrath of her grandfather, Richard Caldwell, would fall upon them all. The old patriarch held ultimate power, and he destroyed anyone who dared defy him. She could not let a kind stranger ruin his life for her sake.

Heeding her panicked voice, Dante lowered his hand. Without a word, he planted his boot into Derek's ribs and kicked him away. Derek slid across the floor, scrambling desperately until he reached the safety of his frozen bodyguards.

The hulking men quickly hauled their battered employer to his feet. Derek clutched his broken arm, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the threshold. He glared at Elena with venomous eyes.

"Don't think you can get away with this," Derek hissed, his chest heaving. "That riff-raff can't protect you forever. The marriage to Young Master Roth was decided by Grandpa himself. Disobey him, and you know the consequences."

Elena turned deathly pale at the lingering threat. The patriarch's decrees were undeniable. Resistance only brought ruin.

Dante glared at the doorway, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his scarred forearms. "It seems you need another lesson."

Derek let out a pathetic wail, turned on his heel, and fled down the hallway like a beaten dog, his bodyguards rushing after him in sheer panic.

"Coward!" Maya giggled, making spitting noises at the empty doorway. Unfazed by the violence, she jumped up and down. "You are so great, Mister! You're the best!"

She bounded over to Dante, grabbed his large hand, and pulled him down to her level. Before he could react, she planted a big, wet kiss right on his cheek.

Dante’s heart melted. The residual rage vanished from his veins, replaced by an overwhelming warmth. She was truly his daughter. Brave, spirited, and beautiful.

"Maya, don't be rude to our guest," Elena scolded gently, though a profound relief washed over her features. Maya pouted but obeyed, stepping back to stand by her mother.

Elena offered Dante a warm, fragile smile. "Thank you so much for helping us, kind sir. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up. May I know your name?"

Her beautiful eyes locked onto his, alive with innocent curiosity and genuine gratitude.

Dante opened his mouth. *I am your husband,* he wanted to say. *I am the man you waited five years for.*

The words died painfully in his throat. He looked at Elena’s weary face, then down at Maya’s bright, expecting eyes. Fear gripped his chest. If he told them the truth right now, would they hate him? He had valid reasons for his absence, but those reasons did not erase the five long years of humiliation Elena had suffered. And Maya... would she accept a father who just showed up out of nowhere?

The fearless Lord of Strike, a man who had commanded armies and faced death without a second thought, suddenly felt as helpless as a little child. He was drowning in an ocean of paralyzing guilt.

"My name is Dante Thorne," he managed to choke out, his voice thick with unspoken emotion.

A heavy silence fell over the room as Dante struggled to find his next words. Maya tilted her head, blinking her big, dark eyes at him.

"Did Daddy send you, Mister?" she asked innocently.