Chapter 5 - ​Chapter 5: The Rival's Shadow

​The doorbell rang, a sharp, piercing sound that made Ning jump. "It's them," she whispered, her face turning pale. Xuan didn't move. He stood there like a statue of ice and fire. On the security monitor, Wei Chen stood with Ning's father. They looked like the victims, and Xuan looked like the monster. "Give her back, Xuan!" Wei Chen's voice came through the intercom. Xuan's jaw tightened until it looked like it would snap. "He's standing on my property, demanding my woman," Xuan said, his voice dripping with venom. He turned to Ning, his jealousy flaring anew. "Do you want to go to him? Do you want to go to the man who 'saved' your family?" Ning couldn't speak; her sobbing had returned, more violent than before. She wanted both things—she wanted the debt gone and she wanted Xuan's arms around her. Her silence was the worst answer for Xuan. He kicked a chair across the room. "If you walk out that door, Ning, I will destroy everything they own. I will leave them with nothing but the clothes on their backs!"