“It’s just two men, Kian,” Levi said, his voice flat with confidence. “They’re hired guards. They aren’t him. I’ll finish them quickly. We take their gear, grab the flower, and leave.”Kian frowned. “I told you to forget the flower. And who said to challenge them? You’re making things worse.”Despite himself, Kian looked at the men again. There were only seconds to decide: fight them now or go back into the auction room and find another exit. Going back might mean facing Sean, and fighting them might be their only chance.‘If we fight together, maybe we can break through,’ Kian calculated. ‘If we run back, we’re cornered.’Kian took a deep breath. “Fine. You take the one with the gun,” he commanded, adrenaline kicking in. He dropped into a combat stance. “I’ll deal with the shock stick.”The scarred guard chuckled, ugly and dry. “Listen to them, trying to decide and beat us. Come on, little mice. Let’s see you try.”The man with the tranquilizer rifle gave a slight, mocking bow. “Whe

The masked man’s eyes narrowed just slightly behind the theatrical slit. He tilted his head, as if weighing Sean.‘He’s figured me out, the man thought, fingers tightening slightly around the knife. ‘I’ll have to kill him before he moves any further. No mistakes.’He straightened, voice smooth again, hiding the tension.“I’m here for the fun down in the underground,” he said, letting the words hang in the small elevator. “To join the games… and to collect a certain item from the auction. Is that the same for you, or are you just passing through?”Sean’s gaze didn’t falter. He watched the man, noting every twitch, every weight shift, every small indication of intent. He could tell what the man wanted to do.The masked man didn’t wait for a reply. With a fluid motion, he lunged, the knife flashing in the dim light.Sean moved instantly, letting the blade slide past his shoulder with a narrow scrape against his jacket. He twisted, dropped his weight, and drove his elbow into the man’s

The guards Sean had sent had failed to take care of the two men he’d ordered them to subdue, and now they lay sprawled across the floor, crushed by Kian and Levi.Sean stood over the wreckage, hands in his pockets, eyes gleaming faintly in the chandelier light.For a long, heavy second, he said nothing—just studied the two of them, battered and breathing hard, surrounded by shattered glass and overturned crates.Then, slowly, a small smirk curved his lips.“You two,” he began, voice low and sharp, “are impressive.”Levi straightened slightly, still clutching the shock stick.Kian stayed silent, chest rising and falling fast.Sean walked closer, boots crunching over the broken glass. “To beat those men… that’s not something ordinary people can do. They’re not weak. I trained them myself.” He paused, his tone hardening. “And yet here they are—unconscious.”Levi’s jaw clenched. “What’s your point?”Sean’s smirk widened. “My point,” he said softly, “is that both of you have great skill. S

At first, Kian didn’t hear what Sean had said clearly, so he just nodded his head, but then the words suddenly sank in.“What?!” Kian yelled, dumbfounded. “What do you mean — use us as bait?”Sean folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. “Do you need me to explain the meaning of bait to you?” he asked, eyes darting to the window again.Sean had first noticed the man was following him when he had finished tying Jamie to his car. At first, when he saw the man watching him, he had done nothing and just pretended not to see him, the man was that good at stalking and following. If Sean had been someone without any experience, he wouldn’t have noticed the man because of how skilled he was at his job.Sean wasn’t confused about where he had seen the man, either, since he had made sure to look at everyone at the auction. He had spotted the man earlier, scribbling in his notes, and had noticed the man’s weary appearance. Black hoodie, black pants, black glasses, literally everything b

There was no reason for Kian to answer that question. He knew nothing would come of it. He only wanted to finish the task Sean had given him before Sean arrived. It had been a command — complete it and Sean would keep him alive.Earlier, he had come with the remaining two. Sean had told him to deal with the lackeys and bring the leader to him. He’d called it a test, and Kian wanted to be sure he finished it before Sean came for the leader himself if they dragged on too long.“Hey!” the leader yelled, snapping Kian out of his thoughts. “We’ve never done anything against each other before. So why did you and Levi come here to bother me and my men?”Kian hesitated; nothing came out.“Don’t tell me you’re here for the flower I sent my men to get?” the leader pressed.Kian shook his head as if the leader could see him. “That’s not it. I wanted the flower at first, but I don’t need it anymore,” he replied. “That flower almost became the death of me.”“What do you mean?” the leader asked,