Seeing Cudius suddenly freeze in pia tilted her head slightly in fusion and asked softly, "Yhness, is something wrong?"

  "Wait a moment. I'm thinking," Cudius replied, his brows furrowed as he waved her off.

  Nia nodded silently and stepped back, allowing Cudius the space he needed.

  "Why does the el sound so familiar?" Cudius muttered to himself.

  After a few seds, his eyes lit up, as if he'd stumbled upon something valuable. "If I remember correctly, isn't Stel the 'goddess' in Gild Tesoro's life?" Cudius thought, pieg the memories together.

  The memories took a moment to resurface. Stel hadn't pyed a signifit role iories he knew, but the details were there. A stunning girl with golden hair and a warm smile who had once brought light into Tesoro's dark world.

  Before Tesoro became the notorious "Golden Emperor," he'd lived a life marked by suffering and misfortune. Born into a broken home, with a father who gambled their wealth away and died penniless, Tesoro's mother was left deranged and abusive, taking out her anger on her son.

  Eventually, she, too, passed away, leaving Tesoro to fend for himself. He survived through petty thefts and scams, scraping by in the underworld just to live another day. That was until he met Stel at the Sabaody Archipego, where she was imprisoned as a sve, on dispy like merdise. Tesoro, with a passion for singing, would visit her and sing by her cage, bringing her moments of happiness amidst her captivity.

  Their iions grew into something deeper, and for the first time in his life, Tesoro found a reason to be better. He worked hard, enduring grueling jobs, all to save up enough moo buy Stel's freedom. He dreamed of building a life where they could be together.

  But fate, always cruel, had other pns. On the day Tesoro finally amassed the funds to free Stel, she urchased by a Celestial Dragon, someone who could easily outbid any oner without a sed thought. Tesoro arrived just in time to see her being dragged away.

  In a rage, blinded by despair, he tried to fight back against the Celestial Dragon. But it was a fight he couldn't win. The guards made short work of him, and Tesoro was beaten down and captured, being a sve himself.

  During his years of servitude in Mariejois, Tesoro's spirit was shattered piece by piece. The day he learned of Stel's death, something in him broke beyond repair. He bmed himself, vihat if he had only beehier, he could have bought her freedom and led a happy life with her. Instead, she died, and he was left a sve.

  From that moment, Tesoro swore an oath—poverty was the inal sin. He resolved to bee the richest man in the world so that he would never be powerless again.

  Tesoro's escape came in the chaos when Fisher Tiger led the attaariejois, liberating sves aing the city afme. Tesoro, among the freed captives, took this as his sed ce at life. In the years that followed, he cwed his from nothing, being the Golden Emperor and achieving his dream of wealth. Yet, the hole in his heart, left by Stel, could never be filled. That void, masked by riches and power, would ultimately lead to his downfall.

  Cudius admired Tesoro. The man was talented aless, driven by a tragedy that shaped him. And while Tesoro eventually became a symbol of greed, his journey was born out of pain and loss. Cudius had always wanted someone like Tesoro on his side, someone who uood money and power. He'd thought about seeking him out iure, but hadn't made it a priority.

  But now that fate had pced Stel right in front of him, Cudius knew he couldn't let this opportunity slip by.

  "Nia, ahe children and wait here for me," Cudius instructed.

  Nia nodded briskly a about her task. Meanwhile, Cudius turned on his heel and strode purposefully towards Stel.

  If he waesoro's loyalty, he'd o offer something iurn. Helpie him with Stel seemed the perfect way to do that. Cudius didn't just see it as a strategic move; he found himself genuinely drawn to the idea of giving them the ce fate had cruelly stolen.

  At that moment, Stel was ed by the neck, held by her than Charlos, the future imbecile of the Celestial Dragons. The younger Charlos hadn't yet bee the balding, middle-aged degee of ter years, but the vat, entitled look in his eyes was already the same.

  He was known for snatg up beautiful women to serve as his "wives," only to discard or kill them wheired of them. The se Cudius stumbled upon perfectly fit that pattern.

  Charlos stood in front of Tesoro's cage, holding Stel's tightly. His eyes sparkled with sadistic excitement.

  "Take off my shoe and lick my toes in front of this man, or I'll kill him," Charlos sneered, lifting one grimy foot.

  "No! Stel, don't do it!" Tesoro shouted, his hands gripping the cage bars so hard that his knuckles turned white. His eyes were wild with desperation.

  Stel's face was filled with sorrow as she g Tesoro. Just as he had oried to save her, she would now do anything to keep him alive. Resigo the humiliation, she k, reag to remove Charlos's shoe. A pu odor hit her as she worked, makiomach turn.

  As she bent lower, a sharp voice cut through the air.

  "What the hell? You're taking off your shoes in publid they reek too? You're polluting the whole pce! Who do you think you are? I'll teach you a lesson!"

  Before Stel could process what was happening, Charlos's foot suddenly lifted off the ground, and she watched as he was sent flying, the slipping from his grasp. She felt the colr around her ighten momentarily befoing sd dropping to the ground. When she looked up, Charlos rawled on the grouesoro's cage, his nose bent at an awkward angle, a distinct footprint imprinted on his face.

  He groaned in pain, writhing helplessly.

  ***

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