Revenge is best served cold

Chapter 1898

Adler never quite got why his mom and dad were always so distant, like there was this invisible wall between them, neither one willing to budge even an inch. The Tredgold family felt as chilly as a walk-in freezer. His parents acted like strangers, never exchanging so much as a glance. His dad's attitude towards him was just as frosty.

When Adler was little, he'd try to get his dad's attention by copying his

kindergarten friends, being all cute and cuddly. But all he got in return was his dad's unbothered stare. His dad never spent the night at home, leaving his mom all by herself. Adler figured all families were like this.

But soon enough, he realized he was wrong. At school, they got a project called "My Father." Other kids talked about their dads who, even if they were a bit strict, always showed them love and care. Their dads would hug them and tell them bedtime stories. These were things Adler had never experienced.

Turns out, dads could be like that. Turns out, only his dad was different. When he went home, there was his distant father again. What awaited him was being shipped off overseas for schooling. Not because of love, but because he was a Tredgold, and he couldn't fall behind other kids.

to be the apple of his father's eye like other kids. The training abroad was mind-numbingly dull. Locked in a room, day in and day out, sweating and sparring nonstop. At least Adler didn't have time to wonder if his dad missed him; his

once said Adler was

once-in-a-century prodigy. The

training included boxing, fencingnet

in thought, said,

fights were no big deal. The more he trained, the less he felt like talking. The teachers decided he needed more advanced training. Adler didn't protest. Anything, if it meant making his

colder. Towards opponents and teammates alike. At a global competition, he easily beat someone seven years older. He remembered how, after his winning move, his opponent lay on the ground in tears.

against pure talent. Yet Adler held onto his trophy, hoping to surprise his dad. When he got home, his dad barely looked at him, didn't say a word, just as cold