My big night turned into a nightmare when my husband attacked me in public while his family stood by and threatened me. Desperate and shaking, I called my brother for help. I had no idea how far he would go to protect me.

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Chapter 1: The Golden Cage in the Grand Hall

A biting wind from Lake Michigan lashed against the tempered glass of the opulent Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago. Inside, dazzling crystal chandeliers illuminated hundreds of high-society guests raising their champagne glasses.

Tonight was the annual fundraising gala of the Sterling Group – the real estate empire owned by my husband’s family. I, Elena Sterling, stood beside my husband, Richard, in a backless emerald green evening gown. Everyone looked at us and saw a perfect couple: a handsome heir and a beautiful, virtuous wife.

But no one saw the bruises cleverly concealed beneath the thick layer of foundation on my side. No one saw how Richard’s fingers were gripping my bicep so tightly that blood couldn’t circulate.

“Smile,” Richard hissed through clenched teeth, his polite smile still plastered on his face. “You’re embarrassing me. Senator Davis is watching.”

“It hurts, Richard,” I whispered, trying to pry his hand away. “You’ve had too much to drink.”

“How much I drink is my business,” the strong smell of alcohol wafted into my face. He tightened his grip. “And you, you useless bitch, your only job is to stand still and be quiet. Don’t make me have to teach you a lesson like last night.”

I shuddered. The memory of last night’s beating made my legs tremble. I wanted to run. But where could I run to? The Sterling family controlled this whole city. The police, the courts, the media – everything was in the pocket of my father-in-law, Arthur Sterling.

“I need to go to the restroom,” I said, my voice shaking.

“Hurry up. Five minutes.” He pushed me out.

I rushed into the women’s restroom and locked the door. I vomited violently from fear. I pulled out my phone. I couldn’t call 911. Last time I called, the police came, greeted Mr. Arthur, had a drink, and left after recording it as a “minor family dispute.”

I scrolled through my contacts. My finger stopped at a name I hadn’t contacted in five years: Jack.

Jack is my brother. We lost contact after I married Richard. The Sterling family despised Jack for dropping out of college to join the army, and then disappearing into the world of private military contractors (PMCs). Richard forbade me from seeing him.

I dialed. One ring. Two rings.

“Hello?” A deep, hoarse voice answered. No greeting, no emotion.

“Jack…” I sobbed. “Help me. I’m at Palmer House. Richard… he’s beating me. He’s crazy. I’m afraid he’ll kill me tonight.”

There was silence on the other end for about three seconds.

“Where exactly are you?”

“Main Hall. Sterling’s Gala.”

“Stay there. Hold the line. 15 minutes.”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

He hung up. No words of comfort. No questions. I buried my head in my pillow, despairing. What could a brother I’d been estranged from for five years do against the power of the Sterling family? Perhaps he’d only come to pick me up, and then we’d be thrown out like mangy dogs by Richard’s security.

Chapter 2: The Attack on the Crowd

I washed my face, reapplied my makeup, and went outside. Richard was waiting for me right outside the restroom, his face grim.

“You’re three minutes late,” he snarled.

He grabbed my hair and yanked it back.

“Ah!” I screamed.

We were in the hallway leading to the main hall, where quite a few guests were standing, smoking and chatting. Everyone turned to look.

“Richard, let go of me! Everyone’s watching!”

“To hell with them!” Richard was completely drunk. His pent-up aggression exploded. He slapped me hard across the face.

SLAP!

I fell to the cold marble floor. My cheek burned, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

“Get up!” He kicked me in the hip.

I crawled backward, tears streaming down my face. “Please… don’t…”

The crowd began to murmur, but no one intervened. They were from the upper class; they didn’t want to get involved in the Sterling family’s troubles.

Just then, my in-laws – Arthur and Victoria – arrived. They didn’t help me up. They stood around Richard like a protective wall.

“Richard, what are you doing?” Arthur whispered, but not out of concern for me. “Go to your room and discipline your wife. Don’t make a fuss here.”

Victoria bent down, looking at me with contempt. “Get up, you useless wretch. Are you trying to extort money from us? Let me tell you, if you dare utter a word to the press, I’ll make sure you have nowhere to live in this country. You’ll lose custody of your children, your home, everything.”

“You are devils…” I whispered.

“And you are a rat in the devil’s hands,” Richard laughed maniacally, grabbing my evening gown collar and lifting me up. He raised his fist, preparing to deliver another devastating blow.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the pain.

CRASH!

The large revolving glass doors in the lobby were slammed shut with immense force.

But it wasn’t the sound of shattering glass. It was the sound of footsteps.

Chapter 3: The Appearance of the Ghost

“LET GO OF HER!”

His voice boomed like thunder, drowning out the music and the noise.

Richard froze, his fist suspended in mid-air.

Everyone turned to the door.

Standing there was a tall man, wearing a tattered black leather jacket and baggy pants.

His military uniform and mud-stained boots were unnerving. His face was angular, with a long scar running from his temple down his left cheek. His hair was cut short in a military style, and his eyes… those eyes were as cold as icebergs.

It was Jack.

But not the gentle Jack of the past. This man exuded a murderous aura that froze the air in the room.

Following Jack weren’t police officers.

Instead, six other men. They wore black tactical gear, without insignia, but were heavily armed. Assault rifles hung from their chests, and bulletproof masks covered half their faces.

The entire room erupted in screams. The hotel security guards tried to rush forward but were instantly subdued by the group of strangers in three seconds.

“Who are you?” Richard released me, trying to sound tough. “Do you know where you are? Security!”

Jack didn’t answer. He stepped forward. Each step he took on the floor sounded like a sledgehammer. The crowd automatically parted, utterly terrified.

Mr. Arthur Sterling stepped forward, blocking Jack’s path. “I am Arthur Sterling. I demand you leave immediately. I have connections with the Sheriff…”

Jack didn’t stop. He brushed past Mr. Arthur, lightly pushing the old man in the chest with one hand. Just a light push, but Mr. Arthur flew two meters away, crashing headfirst into the champagne table.

“Dad!” Richard yelled, lunging at Jack.

That was the biggest mistake of his life.

Jack didn’t need a gun. He grabbed Richard’s fist and twisted it behind his back. A dry, horrifying crack of breaking bones echoed.

“AAAAAA!” Richard screamed, collapsing to his knees.

Jack kicked him in the knee. Richard fell completely, his face hitting the stone floor right next to my feet.

Jack stood there, looking down at his writhing brother-in-law. He turned to me, extending his calloused hand. His eyes softened for a split second.

“Are you alright, El?”

I took his hand, trembling as I stood up. “Jack…”

Victoria shrieked, “You’re her thuggish older brother! I’ll call the FBI! I’ll sue you for terrorism!”

Jack turned to look at her. He pulled a satellite phone from his jacket pocket.

“You want to call the FBI?” Jack asked, his voice calm. “Or you want to call Senator Davis over there? Or the Sheriff?”

He put it on speakerphone. A voice came from the other end of the line.

“Commander, the entire building’s security system has been disabled. The cameras have been wiped clean in the last hour. We’ve sealed off all exits. No one in, no one out.”

“Alright,” Jack said.

He looked around the terrified room.

“Listen,” Jack said loudly. “I’m not a terrorist. I came to pick up my sister. But it seems the Sterling family wants to use their power to threaten her?”

He walked over to Richard, who was clutching his arm and sobbing. Jack pulled a silenced pistol from his belt.

The crowd screamed, falling to the ground.

“Don’t! Don’t kill me!” Richard pleaded, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Jack held the gun to Richard’s forehead.

“You said my sister was a burden? You hit her?”

“I’m sorry! I was wrong!”

“Do you know who I am?” Jack whispered, but loud enough for the entire Sterling family to hear.

Jack wasn’t just an ordinary mercenary.

“I’m Ghost. I’m the one the US government calls upon when they want to clean up the messes the law can’t touch in the Middle East. I’ve killed people a thousand times more dangerous than your family.”

He turned to Arthur, who was slowly getting up.

“You boast about power? About money? Mr. Arthur, do you know who protects your oil fields in Iraq? It’s my company. Blackwater Vanguard.”

Arthur’s face turned from red to deathly pale. He knew the name. It was the most powerful private military company in the underworld. And Jack… Jack was the head of the special operations unit.

“You… you’re Commander Jack?” Arthur stammered.

“Yes,” Jack nodded. “And I just canceled the protection contract with your corporation this morning. Good luck with the rebels next week.”

That was a more devastating economic punishment than any lawsuit.

Jack turned back to Richard.

“I won’t kill you today. Too easy.”

Jack stood up, holstering his gun.

“But listen carefully. My sister is going to divorce. She’s going to take half your assets. She’ll raise the children. And if I see even a scratch, not even a tiny scratch the size of a fingernail, on her or her children…”

Jack leaned down, whispering in Richard’s ear.

“…I’ll be back. And next time, I won’t be going through the front door. I’ll come while you’re asleep, and I’ll make you disappear from the face of the earth as if you never existed. Understand?”

“Understood… understood…” Richard nodded repeatedly.

Chapter 4: Leaving Hell

Jack took off his leather jacket and draped it over my shoulders, covering my bruises and trembling.

“Come on, Elena. We’re going home.”

He helped me walk. His special forces team formed a protective circle around us, guns still at the ready.

We walked past the silent, high-society crowd. No one dared utter a word. Even the Senator turned away, pretending not to see. They understood that political power and money were nothing compared to violence.

Purely and meticulously organized.

Victoria stood there, trembling in her expensive dress, watching her precious son with a broken arm and her husband stripped of his core business protection. She realized she had just stirred up a hornet’s nest she couldn’t bribe.

As I reached the revolving door, I stopped. I turned for one last look at Richard. He was still lying on the floor, pathetic and cowardly.

“Richard,” I said, my voice echoing. “You were right. I was a burden. But now, that burden belongs to my brother. And he’s far heavier than you think.”

I stepped outside.

A convoy of black armored SUVs was waiting, their engines roaring.

I sat in the back seat with Jack. The door closed, separating me from the Chicago chill and the hell of the Sterling household.

Jack handed me a bottle of water and a warm towel.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, his voice returning to the warm, gentle tone of his older brother.

“Brother… what are you doing, Jack? Are you going to get arrested?” I asked anxiously.

Jack gave a wry smile and lit a cigarette.

“The Chicago police won’t be here. The 911 system in this area is undergoing ’emergency maintenance’ tonight. And so are the hotel security cameras. What happened in there… never happened.”

I looked at my brother. This scarred, dangerous man. I had been terrified when he left the army. But now, looking into those cold eyes, I felt only absolute safety.

“Will they leave me alone?”

“They won’t dare breathe a word when they hear your name,” Jack asserted. “Tomorrow, my lawyer will be here. You’ll be free, Elena. And I’m not going anywhere anymore. I’m retired.”

“Retired?” “Yeah. Protecting the world is exhausting. Now I just want to protect my little sister.”

The car rolled along, merging into the bustling traffic. I leaned my head on Jack’s shoulder and closed my eyes. For the first time in five years, I slept soundly, without dreams or fear.

Because I knew the monster in my house had encountered another, even more terrifying monster – a monster called “Brother.”