Xiran slowly got up and turned around to face the man, the man who was his father. The piercing blue eyes seemed to send chills down Xiran’s spine. The hatred Xiran felt for him came rushing back and filled him to the core.

They both stared at each other for quite some time before his father moved with long strides and settled down on the sofa in front of him, stretching his legs forward. He placed his right arm on the armrest and rested his face on his hand.

He was an inch shorter than Xiran but his aura and demeanour were way darker. There was a fineness with which he carried himself and the three-piece silver-ish grey suit he was clad in screamed grace.

He finally spoke: "I have heard some disturbing news about you and your city. Seems like you can’t even handle a single city and here I thought you were bound for greatness. You are such a disappointment." His icy-cold voice mingled with demeaning words was enough to make Xiran’s blood boil, but he tried to keep his composure and thought long and hard before speaking:

"Hello Father, I am more than capable of taking care of my city." His words came out composed although his heart and mind were racing in anticipation of what his father would say next.

"Really? The recent hunter attacks say otherwise. If you were more involved in managing it and less in whoring around, then maybe the situation wouldn’t have escalated this far." His father smiled maliciously at him with these words, trying to get a reaction. His eyes fixated on his son who looked nothing like him.

Xiran had to use all the willpower he possessed from shouting back at him. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times before speaking between gritted teeth: "Everything is under control now. I eradicated all the hunters who dared enter my city, so you don’t have to worry about it."

"Well, I highly doubt that, considering you are such a failure when it comes to taking tough decisions plus that soft nature you inherited from your mother. I gave up on you a long time ago." His father crossed his legs as he mocked him.

"Right. Then why am I here? Again? I thought we had an agreement that you would stay out of my business and I will stay out of yours." Xiran was barely able to control his anger and felt like he could burst anytime. He wanted to get this over with and leave as soon as possible.

"You are here because you hurt your younger brother and his girlfriend over some lowly bred you keep as a whore." Those words hit Xiran like a brick and he wanted to punch his father so hard. His whole body was stiff like a log and he could hardly breathe. His father was noticing all of his reactions, and although Xiran didn’t want him to get under his skin, his father already had an upper hand.

"I never touched Sohlia and I have rules in my city. They came and killed someone innocent, I had to make an example out of him. I can’t let people talk that I have different rules when it comes to my family." Xiran tried to formulate a reply which was near to reality. He wanted them to think she was dead.

His father got up at a lightning pace at his words and grabbed Xiran’s face, his eyes boring into Xiran’s as he snarled: "You dare put others above your own blood, don’t forget you belong to me and I still decide your faith. Seems like you have forgotten your place and I need to remind you of who is in charge."

Xiran tried to jerk away his hand and went for his father’s throat. His father felt his iron-clad grip and was surprised to see how strong Xiran had become, recently. He knew he had to use his powers or he might try to overpower him. So he squeezed hard and veins in Xiran’s face began to turn black, spreading from his face to his temples and down to his slender neck.

Xiran felt excruciating pain as his blood froze and turned black for that was his father’s power. He could freeze the blood in veins and turn it black, bringing an immeasurable amount of pain to the targeted person. Humans never recovered and died in a matter of minutes while vampires had to go through agonising torments that lasted for days before they could revert to their former selves.

Xiran had experienced this torture at his hands, countless times on the premise that he wanted Xiran to become stronger. While in reality, it was an excuse to inflict pain on him and to flaunt his authority above him. He found Xiran to be too soft for his liking.

The pain Xiran felt almost made his knees buckle and his grip loosened while his father didn’t let him go. But he didn’t scream, he wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. The black veins traveled from his neck to his chest to his torso and down to his legs. His eyes were open wide in shock as he struggled to get himself free from this devil’s grasp.

His whole body convulsed and jerked spasmodically. Yet, there was no mercy in those cold eyes of the man who was his father. Who was supposed to love him and not inflict pain?

Finally, his body couldn’t take the pain anymore and the life in his eyes began to drain as they fluttered, and then slowly closed.

He stopped struggling against the hold and his body went limp and sagged. His handsome face seemed like someone had etched it with black ink, even his temples and lines under his eyes had turned black.

His father finally threw him on the sofa and called the white-haired butler. As the butler appeared he said: "Take him to the basement and lock him up. No one is to see him until I say so."