Chapter 441: The Wrong People to Keep Secrets From

Talia knowing Drunkard and Invincible Strong had already surprised Marcus. What he hadn’t expected was Anya and Chloe knowing them too, and not just knowing them, but being familiar enough to speak to them casually.

Back at Blaze’s shop, after they had discussed reviewing the recordings and setting up the Nightmare Auction House, everyone had gone to the Magnolia Restaurant for food and drinks. Anya and Chloe had been sitting right beside Marcus the entire time. They had clearly seen the others, yet neither of them had said a word. They kept their masks on, stayed quiet, and never once mentioned that they knew Drunkard or the others.

"Marcus."

Noticing the confusion on his face, Anya walked over to him. There was a trace of embarrassment in her expression.

"Marcus, I didn’t realize you were that close with Evan and the others back then. If I had known, I would’ve told you. We used to see each other at family gatherings. We’ve known each other for years."

There was an apologetic tone in her voice. She had her reasons for staying silent before. At the time, she had been worried her family would discover she was spending time with Marcus, so she had avoided drawing attention to herself. Over the last few days, however, as Marcus shared stories about his experiences in the game, she gradually realized just how close he was to the people around him.

That was one reason she had decided to show her face today. Otherwise, she would have continued hiding behind her mask.

There was another reason too. Last night had changed things between her and Marcus. Now that she had made that choice, she knew she couldn’t keep hiding forever. Sooner or later, her family would find out. She needed to start preparing for that reality and think about how to make them accept it.

"Marcus, I still can’t believe you’re actually friends with Evan and the others."

The smile on her face was sincere, and she looked genuinely happy for him.

Marcus laughed softly and took her hand. Looking around at his crew, he felt a complicated mix of emotions. He had met every one of them through previous games. Luck had played a role, sure, but luck alone would never have been enough.

If he hadn’t proven himself in those games, he probably never would have become friends with them. Even if their paths had crossed, they would have remained strangers. People naturally gravitated toward those they respected, and respect had to be earned.

Drunkard, Fate’s Trial, Thunder, and the others hadn’t accepted him because they happened to meet. They accepted him because they had fought alongside him, competed against him, and seen what he could do.

While Marcus was feeling unusually sentimental, Drunkard and Invincible Strong were focused on something entirely different. They looked at Anya standing quietly beside him, then they looked at Talia.

PhoenixDance.

The proud and mysterious dance prodigy who had always seemed untouchable was standing beside Marcus just as naturally as Anya was.

The contrast was enough to make them shake their heads.

"Stone, you’re ruthless. You’ve really taken all the best women for yourself."

Drunkard sighed dramatically.

"Following Stone was definitely the right choice."

"Absolutely. Stone’s the real deal. Good thing we picked the right boss."

Invincible Strong immediately joined in, sounding even more shameless than usual. In reality, neither of them had ever seriously called anyone boss before.

Then Path to Heaven, who understood family status and social circles better than anyone present, spoke through the Mad Lion squad channel.

"Stone, not bad. Winning over Miss Anya and Talia is impressive. But you’ve got a long road ahead of you."

Before Marcus could reply, another voice appeared.

"Stone. I support you."

Fate’s Trial. As always, he spoke little, but when he did, he meant every word. His calm eyes remained fixed on Marcus.

"No problem. I’m behind Stone one hundred percent."

Cleaver joined in immediately.

"Same here. Whatever happens, we’ve got your back."

Drunkard and Invincible Strong followed, filling the squad channel with messages of support.

Marcus felt a warmth spread through his chest. At the same time, he understood what they were really saying.

Being with Anya and Talia would not be easy.

His thoughts drifted to Snow. Back then, being with Snow had brought him face-to-face with her father’s fierce opposition. What awaited him now would likely be no different. Drunkard and the others came from similar backgrounds. They understood those family expectations far better than Marcus did.

The divide between powerful families and ordinary people was something deeply rooted in their world. If their positions were reversed, if they were standing where Snow’s father had stood, they might have reacted the same way.

Not because they disliked Marcus. Not because they thought he was a bad person. Simply because that was how their families operated. It was a tradition that had existed for generations, and from their perspective, it was one of the reasons those families had remained powerful for so long.

Marcus understood that. But understanding it didn’t mean accepting it.

No matter what happened, he was going to get Snow back.

His hand slowly tightened into a fist. In the past, he had the determination but lacked the ability. He didn’t know where to begin or how to fight back against people with that much influence.

Things were different now. For the first time, he could actually see a path forward.

Because he was building something. Power. Influence. Money. Those were the things that allowed people to make choices. Those were the things that made others take them seriously.

And Marcus intended to keep growing stronger until nobody could simply dismiss him anymore.

For now, though, he ignored the teasing from Drunkard and Invincible Strong and turned toward the women beside him.

"Come on. Let me introduce everyone properly."

He gestured toward his companions.

"They’re not my actual brothers, but they’re as close as family."

"This is Blaze. Warrior class. Our leader."

"That’s DragonBlade. Knight class. Main tank. We’ve been fighting together for years."

One by one, Marcus introduced the members of the group.

Eventually, he reached Thunder.

The lone wolf gave the women a polite nod. To anyone else, he seemed perfectly normal, but Marcus knew him too well. Thunder was still annoyed. Normally, Thunder would have walked over, slapped him on the shoulder, and said something like, "Not bad, Stone. Didn’t know you had it in you."

Before anyone could say anything else, Jade suddenly stepped forward. The little troublemaker waved her hand directly in front of Thunder’s face.

"Kingston, why do you look so grumpy? You’ve barely said a word all day. Did somebody make you angry?"

The area instantly became quiet. Everyone turned toward Jade.

Kingston was Thunder’s real name.

Marcus blinked. Jade knew Thunder too. At this point, he wasn’t even surprised anymore. Today had become one revelation after another.

"You..."

Thunder stared at Jade in disbelief.

"You’re Jade."

Recognition came immediately. Even with the mask on, her personality was impossible to mistake. Anyone who knew Jade would recognize her sooner or later.

"That’s right."

Jade giggled and pulled off her mask. Her bright smile immediately drew attention, making her look even more striking than before.

"And this is my sister."

She pointed toward Crystal, who still hadn’t removed her mask. Clearly, both Nance sisters knew Thunder, and not casually either.

Thunder looked from Jade to Crystal, then finally to Marcus.

"How are you two here? And why are you with Marcus?"

The question slipped out before he could stop himself.

Jade immediately frowned.

"Marcus is my big bro. Why wouldn’t I be with him?"

Without hesitation, she wrapped both hands around Marcus’s arm and leaned against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Marcus could practically feel everyone’s eyes on him. At this point, it seemed like everyone knew everyone.

Thunder didn’t know Anya, and the Nance sisters didn’t know most of the others, but there were enough connections between them to make Marcus realize just how interconnected these wealthy families really were.

Of course, not every powerful family knew one another. The country was far too large for that.

Still, the overlap was impossible to ignore.

Jade turned back to Thunder.

"Kingston, where’s Raven? I haven’t seen her in forever. Her phone’s unreachable too. When you see her, tell her I miss her and ask her to call me."

The moment Raven’s name came up, Thunder’s expression darkened.

Raven was his younger sister. Sweet, innocent, and currently grounded at home. Because of everything that had happened involving Marcus, her family had restricted her from going out or contacting people freely.

That was one of the main reasons Thunder had been angry with Marcus in the first place.

Fortunately, enough time had passed that most of his anger had faded. Or at least it had, right until Drunkard suddenly spoke in the squad channel.

"I told you. Stone likes pretty girls too much. There’s no way he wasn’t interested in Ray-Ray."

"Exactly. Any normal guy would be. Stone keeps pretending he’s innocent, but nobody’s buying it."

Invincible Strong immediately piled on.

Cleaver was even worse.

"Forget pretending. If he keeps acting innocent, we should beat the truth out of him."

The squad channel exploded with laughter. And just like that, Thunder’s fading irritation came rushing back.

Supported by an entire group of troublemakers, he fixed Marcus with a dangerous look. If the Nance sisters hadn’t been standing right there, Marcus suspected Thunder might have already started arguing with him.

Marcus clenched his teeth.

’Those two idiots...’