Gangster to Idol

The Silver Serpents were too busy tormenting their prey to notice the storm barreling toward them, their cruel laughter echoing in the night.

"Come on now, don\'t be cold. Join us, and we\'ll show you a good time, ladies," one of the thugs smirked as he grabbed Mimi\'s hand.

Mimi yanked her hand away, her eyes flashing with anger. "Are you deaf? I said, leave us alone."

Beside her, Sheryl trembled, her fear thick on her face in the dim light, her eyes wide with terror.

Instead of getting angry, the four thugs erupted into laughter. The one whose hand had been slapped away grinned, a menacing glint in his eyes.

"Feisty," he said, licking his lips as the metal of his piercings jingled. "I like my women fierce."

Mimi\'s jaw clenched, fury boiling inside her. She couldn\'t believe they were being harassed like this in the middle of a public sidewalks. This was where she lives — no one had dared to cross them here in years.

Then it hit her: it was because of Cain and his gang. They were the ones who had kept these kinds of scumbags out of their town.

These men weren\'t from around here, that much was clear. If they were, they\'d have known better than to mess with the people in this district.

"Clearly, you\'re not from around here," Mimi said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "If you were, you\'d know this is CROSSs territory. You\'re making a big mistake."

The thug\'s laughter echoed through the empty street, his grin spreading wider as he taunted, "CROSSs territory, huh? Sounds like a weak gang to me. Who\'s gonna stop us? Them? Or are you counting on those cowards to save you?" He nodded toward the bystanders, who hurried past, avoiding eye contact, too scared to get involved.

Mimi glanced at the people around them, noticing how they kept their heads down, their fear palpable as they pretended not to see what was happening.

"They wouldn\'t dare help you," the thug sneered, his breath reeking of something foul, like rotten fish. "We\'re with the Silver Serpent gang! Everyone knows us! We could make your life a living hell, and even the cops wouldn\'t lift a finger to stop us."

Mimi didn\'t even flinch. Her eyes narrowed as she processed what he said. \'Silver Serpent gang?\' she thought. Another rival gang? She\'d heard rumors about them lurking around lately.

What the hell is that idiot doing? Mimi cursed Cain in her mind. His territory was crawling with thugs from rival gangs, and he wasn\'t doing a damn thing about it?

And this is the guy who promised to keep everyone safe, as long as they paid his monthly fees. What a fool. Mimi seethed inwardly, her frustration boiling over as she thought about Cain.

Just as the thug leaned in closer, his menacing grin growing more sinister, something unexpected happened — a fist came out of nowhere and smashed into the man\'s cheek with the force of a sledgehammer, catching everyone off guard.

The thug\'s head snapped to the side, his grin wiped clean off his face as he stumbled backward, shock and pain etched across his features.

The sudden impact left the other thugs frozen in place, their bravado shattered in an instant.

Standing where the fist had come from was a handsome man with piercing silver eyes, thick with fury, his presence radiating an undeniable, dangerous energy.

Cain\'s first punch came without warning — a devastating blow that sent one of the men crashing to the ground, his body crumpling like a ragdoll.

The other Serpents barely had time to react before Cain was on them, his movements fast and lethal, like a predator tearing through its prey.

One thug swung a fist at Cain\'s face, but Cain ducked effortlessly, countering with an uppercut that snapped the man\'s head back, blood spraying into the air.

Cain didn\'t pause, his body a relentless machine of destruction. He pivoted, delivering a brutal kick to another man\'s ribs, the sickening crunch of bone shattering beneath his heel.

The remaining Serpents scrambled back, eyes wide with fear as they finally realized they were facing something far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

Cain\'s grin was feral, his canines flashing like a wolf\'s in the dim light.

"Big mistake coming here," he growled, his voice low and menacing. He advanced on the last two thugs, who hesitated, their bravado crumbling under the weight of Cain\'s sheer presence.

One of them pulled out a knife, but Cain didn\'t flinch. He sidestepped the wild slash, catching the man\'s wrist in a vice-like grip. With a twist, Cain disarmed him and drove his knee into the thug\'s gut, knocking the wind out of him. The knife clattered to the ground as the man doubled over, gasping for breath.

Cain spun around to face the final Serpent, who was already backing away, his hands raised in surrender. "W-wait, man! We really aren\'t—!"

Cain silenced him with nothing more than a cold, piercing glare. Before the thug could react, Cain\'s fist shot forward like a bullet, connecting with the man\'s nose in a brutal, bone-crunching impact. The thug\'s eyes rolled back as he crumpled to the ground, unconscious from a single, devastating strike.

Cain stood over the fallen Serpents, his chest heaving with the rush of adrenaline. The women, still trembling, stared at him with a mix of shock and gratitude.

Cain turned to them, his expression softening ever so slightly at the sight of Mimi. "What the hell are you still doing out at this hour?!"

Mimi was stunned, her breath catching in her throat. The man who had just saved them looked like he had stepped straight out of a fairy tale — a handsome knight rescuing damsels in distress. Almost to surreal to believe. But then, something familiar struck her. His voice, his build . .

. it was just like Cain\'s.

Mimi\'s brow furrowed as she peered into the man\'s eyes, suspicion gnawing at her. "Ca—"

"C.C.!" Sheryl suddenly exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement as she pointed at the handsome man. "You\'re C.C., aren\'t you?!"

*

*

*

*

|| A/N ||

Hey everyone!

Starting next week, at Chapter 41, this story will be going premium, just like my other novels.

I hope you\'ll continue to support the book still. Your reviews, Power Stones, and comments mean the world to me and make a huge difference in helping the story thrive.

Thanks so much!