Chapter 71Richard laid it out in sequence. The state of the mansion. Obed on the floor. Every capable man in the building incapacitated by a single soldier. Charles beaten personally by the man himself, at length, while his soldier handled everything else. The complete absence of a name or any prior history in Greenville's circles. He spoke without inflection, the way a man recites evidence he has already lived with long enough to stop feeling it — or believes he has."And Charles told you this person was a suitor of Kris," Duncan said."Yes. Which points directly to Uther — the only person in your circle with both the ability to put Obed on the floor and a connection to that woman."Duncan's expression had been moving steadily throughout Richard's account, passing through several stages, and it arrived now at something that was caught between disbelief and a kind of exasperated incredulity. He looked at Richard the way a man looks at a sum that has been confidently totalled wrong."

Chapter 73For a moment, Uther was completely shocked. His one good eye went wide, and his mouth opened slightly as if to protest, but no sound came out. The idea that the man who had humiliated him — the stranger who had walked into the Kardashian compound with nothing but arrogance and a single soldier — could be the same person who had hospitalized Trevor Rodriguez was too much to process all at once.Then his expression shifted.The shock drained away, replaced by something harder. Something defensive. His swollen lips twisted into a sneer that looked painful on his battered face."You're lying," Uther said.Duncan stared at him. "What?""Or you're mistaken. Confused." Uther struggled to sit up straighter against the wall, wincing as his ribs protested. "Master, with all respect — you've been exposed to something. Some kind of drug. A hallucinogen."Duncan's expression went very still. "A hallucinogen.""Yes." Uther's voice grew more confident as he worked through his theory, the

Chapter 75When Duncan saw Adrian standing in the doorway, the ointment bottle slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud. His face went through several transformations in rapid succession—shock, recognition, and finally a bone-deep terror that made his hands begin to shake."You..." Duncan's voice came out as barely a whisper. "How did you... why are you here?"Adrian took another step into the cramped room, his boots crunching over debris. His expression remained pleasant, almost amused, but there was nothing warm in his eyes."Why am I here?" Adrian repeated, as if considering the question carefully. "Well, Duncan, that's quite simple. You failed.""Failed?" Duncan's voice cracked slightly."Your mission," Adrian said, his tone conversational despite the weight behind the words. "I asked you to do one thing. Protect Kris and my sister Celeste. Keep them safe. And what did you do?"Duncan opened his mouth, but no sound came out."You stood by," Adrian continued, tak

Chapter 77Duncan's decision came in an instant — a desperate gamble born from the collision of terror and the faintest sliver of hope that Uther might be right.He exploded upward from his kneeling position with surprising speed, his fist driving toward Adrian's face with all the power and technique of a man who had spent forty years mastering martial arts. It was a perfect strike—proper form, full commitment, the kind of blow that should have connected before his opponent could even register the movement.It didn't connect.Adrian shifted his weight almost lazily, tilting his head just enough that Duncan's fist passed through empty air where his face had been a fraction of a second before. The momentum of Duncan's attack carried him forward, off-balance, and Adrian's hand shot out and caught him by the wrist.The grip was like iron.Duncan's eyes widened. He tried to pull back, to twist free, to do anything—but Adrian's fingers didn't budge. Then Adrian stood up, still holding Dunca

Chapter 79The revelation hung in the air for a moment before Kris's father spoke, his voice tight with controlled urgency."Lieutenant Marcus," he said, turning to face Adrian's assistant directly. "Is it true? Did the Volon family make contact with Natasha Christian-Grey? Is that why they suddenly targeted our daughter?"His wife added quickly, her voice still shaky from the emotional reunion, "They've never shown any interest in our branch before. For them to move so boldly—there has to be a connection to Natasha, doesn't there?"Kris looked at Lieutenant Marcus as well, waiting for confirmation of what she already suspected.Marcus met their gazes steadily, his expression grave. "Yes. That is correct. The Volon family has been in direct contact with Natasha Christian-Grey. She specifically ordered them to abduct Miss Kris."The confirmation, though expected, still landed with weight. Kris felt her mother's hand tighten on her arm once more."Then we're in real danger," Kris's moth