Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1147

Reggie was rolling out dough for noodles, a task he found oddly therapeutic. The rolling pin pressed and stretched the dough, gradually thinning and enlarging it under his skilled hands. At Agnes's sudden question, Reggie's movements hesitated, a brief pause betraying his surprise. He didn't respond immediately, as if lost in a deep well of thought.

Just when Agnes was about to give up, thinking Reggie didn't want to share, he finally spoke, his voice steady but filled with an undercurrent of emotion. "You know, the fathers of the oldest, the middle, and Phoenix were all brothers-in-arms with me when we started Albert’s Arms."

This revelation took Agnes by surprise. She had always assumed that Reggie, along with Phoenix and the others, were orphans, a detail she remembered Phoenix mentioning in passing. Eager for more details, Agnes pressed on, "What about their parents?"

"They're gone," Reggie explained, his voice tinged with a somber note. "Back when Albert’s Arms was just starting, we split into several branches. Nichol, Lyman, Shipley... they were my right-hand men, the most respected in Albert's Arms. Although I founded it, their contributions were invaluable. We were as close as brothers, virtually equals. But back then, Albert's Arms was just a fledgling gang, overshadowed by the might of The Obsidian Order."

Agnes was familiar with The Obsidian Order. Even now, it wielded considerable power in the Capital, its rivalry with Albert's Arms well-known and intense. She had heard rumors that at the height of Albert's Arms' power, The Obsidian Order had even sought to join them, willing to serve under their banner. Yet, Reggie had always refused to absorb them, preferring smaller factions, a testament to the deep-seated enmity between the two groups. It was only in recent years, with Reggie stepping back and Kearney taking over day-to-day operations, that tensions had somewhat eased.

Reggie continued, his voice becoming more animated as he delved into the past. "Even in its early days, Albert's Arms was a force to be reckoned with. The leader of The Obsidian Order at the time was hell-bent on eliminating me. He bribed one of my own to lure me onto a large oil tanker, planning to finish me off there."

Agnes sensed where the story was heading. "Who did The Obsidian Order turn?" she asked, her intuition already pointing her toward an answer.

"It was Lyman, Kearney's father," Reggie confirmed, his tone heavy.

Agnes felt a chill. She had guessed as much, but hearing it confirmed was still a shock. "So he betrayed you?"

Reggie shook his head. "My brothers would never betray me. The Obsidian Order had taken Kearney hostage to force Lyman's hand. But in the end, he confessed everything to me. I couldn't leave Kearney to their mercy, so I boarded that ship alone."

Agnes was on the edge of her seat, eager to hear more. "What happened then?"

"On that ship, I found Kearney, just two years old at the time. We were ambushed. I had no choice but to grab Kearney and jump overboard."

Agnes gasped, caught up in the drama of the tale.

"I had a plan, though. I'd hidden a dinghy nearby. We made it to that dinghy, but by then, I was badly wounded. I passed out from blood loss on that dinghy," Reggie concluded, his story trailing off into silence, leaving Agnes to imagine the desperate escape and the uncertain days that followed.