Chapter 1

"Pack your things, and get the fuck out of my house!" Yanny Qualls hissed the moment she stepped into the basement Steven Lewis inhabited. He was cleaning the floor on all fours when she strode in, completely naked. Not looking up at her, he remained silent and proceeded with his task at hand. Yanny swung her foot at him, sending him tumbling to the ground. "I'm talking to you, you blind asshole! Are you fucking deaf?" Steven staggered to his feet. Suffering from total blindness, he had no idea that Yanny, who possessed looks that would put celebrities to shame, enjoyed strutting around the Qualls residence naked. "I'll leave, but I have to take back what's mine," he said. "What's yours? Your cornea? Or your shares in Stellar Group?" Yanny snickered. "You're delusional. Nothing belongs to you. The Stellar Group is ours now. "Even your life belongs to us. Better be grateful that I'm kicking you out instead of killing you." Steven scowled, clenching his fists instinctively. Marrie Qualls fled to Levix City with her daughter, Yanny, a decade ago. Days went by as they struggled. Having no one to rely on, Marrie's alluring looks attracted unwanted attention. Steven's mother, Ophelia Stone, saved them from an attack of sexual assault and took them under her wing. She even offered Marrie a work opportunity at Stellar Group. Ophelia showered Marrie with kindness, treating her as one of her kin. She groomed her into taking up the position of vice president of Stellar Group, and entrusted her with significant responsibilities. Steven's parents got into an accident two years ago. Before they passed, they entrusted the company and Steven to Marrie. Steven trusted her unconditionally. Little did he know, she turned out to be an evil witch. She lobbied her way around the company and eliminated any form of dissent, eventually marginalizing his shares. In the end, his shares were encroached. The worst had yet to come. Marrie removed his cornea by force to transplant it to Yanny when her eyes were injured. He'd become blind since then, and Marrie kept him captive at their residence. Confined in the dark and damp basement like an animal, he barely survived as he endured their endless torture and humiliation. "Why? Are you mad? Itching to beat me up?" Yanny sneered, and moved one step ahead. Squaring her shoulder, she jutted her chest forward as she snarled, "Bring it on, then! You blind fucker!" "Come on, show me what you've got!" She slapped him vehemently as she spoke. She began learning taekwondo at a very young age, and she was already a fifth-degree black belt now. Steven was no match for her even if he wasn't blind. He became her personal punching bag in these two years of being kept captive in the basement. She constantly beat him to a pulp, even causing him to suffer from broken ribs on certain occasions. "What a fucking loser! You can't even defeat me when I gave you the chance to. What's the point of your existence? You should just die!" A pang of fury shot through Steven as the corners of his lips bled. The floodgates of anger and resentment that he'd been holding back for two years finally burst open within him, causing him to throw a punch at her. Yanny certainly didn't expect the usually docile and cowardly Steven to fight back. His punch caught her off guard as it landed on her breasts. Steven was stunned. He felt like he'd just hit something incredibly soft. The throbbing pain in Yanny's fragile breasts overwhelmed her. "Fuck you!" she screeched, swinging a forceful kick toward his head. An excruciating pain throbbed in Steven's head as his vision swam. He collapsed to the ground, and she trampled his back. Seizing his right hand, she ground her foot on it. He screamed in agony as his right hand broke. Still, Yanny was seething. She beat him up relentlessly, rendering him on the brink of losing consciousness. He was covered in blood. "Enough! Do you intend to beat him to death?" Marrie appeared in the basement, her presence exuding an air of refined sophistication. Though Yanny had grown into her captivating features, she paled in comparison with Marrie. Marrie was only 15 years old when she gave birth to Yanny. At the age of 34, she looked more like Yanny's sister instead of her mother. Marrie's mature charisma and allure outshone Yanny's youth. "Mom, what's the point of keeping him captive for two years? I thought it's better for him to die instead. I'm disgusted whenever I see him," Yanny complained as she tugged on Marrie's arm. "He can't die now! He'll sully my reputation. Otherwise, I would've killed him a long time ago." Marrie's words carried a sense of firm authority. "Mom…" Yanny pleaded. "Right, get Mr. Lloyd to treat him now. Something happened in the company, so I've got to leave now," Marrie said. "Fine," Yanny answered defiantly, pouting her lips. She returned to the basement once Marrie left. Cackling, she snarled, "My mom wants you alive, but I want the opposite. The mere existence of an imbecile like you is pointless!" She dragged his limp body out of the basement and left him in the living room, leaving a bloodied trail behind him. "Heidi, clean the house. I don't want any of his stuff left here. Drown him in the river once it's dark out!" she ordered. "Ms. Yanny, didn't Madam say he isn't allowed to die?" Heidi asked. "Just do as I say. I'll take responsibility for the consequences," Yanny snapped, visibly displeased. Heidi dragged Steven out promptly and shoved him into the car boot. Shrouded in nightfall and the heavy downpour, she drove to the Levix River and abandoned him in the depths of the water. The heavy rain caused the water level to rise, turning the river into a torrent. In the end, Steven was washed to the shore. Thanks to the cold rain, he regained consciousness and rekindled his will to survive. He crawled his way through the mud, and became utterly exhausted once he made his way into an abandoned church. Lying with his face against the ground, he could feel the life draining out of him. Indignant, Steven yelled, "Are the fucking gods blind as well? "Why does bad karma always get to the good Samaritans? My parents ended up being killed in an accident despite their boundless kindness, yet the evil Qualls get to prosper! I won't buy this! "For goodness sake, why are the gods so unfair!" The deafening crack of thunder suddenly rumbled. It was menacing, akin to the wrath of the gods as it struck a withering tree outside, burning it into ashes. "Bring it on, you fuckers! Strike me if you dare!" Steven's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was contorted as he yelled at the sky. He sounded weak despite his fury, making him appear particularly pitiable. Lightning flashed, and thunder sounded. The abandoned church teetered on the brink of collapse amidst the storm. Steven could no longer bear it. His eyelids felt leaden, and his thoughts became muddled. He blacked out completely. Just then, an old man appeared from behind a statue in the church. "The heavens are surely heartless and blind. It seems like you're also someone of ill fate," he sighed as he began checking Steven's body for any signs of life. He found that Steven's pulse was faint, then he proceeded with prying open his eyelids. The old man suddenly burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. "He's born with double pupils? "Well, it seems like the gods aren't blind at all! To think that I'd encounter an Iridum before my death! I shall pass on my teachings to you and grant you a fortuitous opportunity!" The old man exclaimed.