"No, nothing much," Odin answered softly. "I'm just heading to the washroom.""Right this way, please," they said, immediately stepping aside to clear her path and give her space to pass.As soon as she walked past them, the two guards exchanged a sharp, conspiratorial glance."Should we follow her?" one whispered."Yes, absolutely," the other replied with a sharp glint in his eye. "We take our chances now. From the looks of it, we just hit the jackpot. Her brother isn't with her, and when we first encountered them earlier, she wasn't around. Now that we have her alone, don't worry, we can use her as leverage to get to her brother. We just need to handle it cleanly without raising any suspicion."Nodding in agreement, the two men quietly fell into step behind her, trailing just out of sight.Odin continued down the hallway until she reached the entrance of the exclusive VIP washroom section. Two guards were stationed right at the threshold, keeping watch to ensure that unauthorized g

Kael's mind spun in sheer confusion, struggling to make sense of the sudden, terrifying shift in reality. Why on earth were these men pointing guns at them?"What is this?" Kael asked, his voice tight with bewilderment as he looked between the two armed men and a trembling Odin. "Is it money you people want? Why would you point a gun at us? What did we even do?"One of the men let out a harsh, dry sneer. "Money? What money could you possibly give us? We've been contracted to eliminate you both. There's no one here who can save you today."Contracted to eliminate us both?Kael stared at them, completely dumbfounded. Who on earth would pay to have them killed, and for what possible reason? "Who?" he demanded, stepping slightly in front of Odin. "Who actually paid you to eliminate us, and whyBeside him, Odin gripped Kael even tighter, her fingers clawing desperately into his suit.Panic-stricken, she tried to assert whatever authority she had left. "If you people try anything, I hope

Even though Lucian had been arrogant and infuriating all evening, Kael knew he couldn't just stand by and watch a man's life snuffed out right before his eyes.Reacting with blistering speed, Kael lunged forward, slamming his hand upward to swat the assassin's gun aside just as the trigger was pulled.Lucian, paralyzed by pure terror, had instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and let out a shrill, helpless shriek of, "Ah!" Beside him, Odin screamed in unison.Pfft!The silenced bullet missed its mark completely, driving straight into the heavy wooden door frame with a sharp, explosive crack of wood splintering under pressure.Lucian slowly cracked his eyes open, trembling all over. He looked down at his chest, then his arms, utter disbelief washing over him. “I'm... I'm not dead?” Realizing Kael's violent deflection had saved his life, his jaw went slack.The assassin who fired the shot hissed in frustrated rage, realizing his kill had been ruined by the Kael, but before he could sw

A muted pop echoed through the hallway as a bullet punched straight through the man's thigh. Blood instantly spurted from the wound, staining his trousers a deep crimson. The man collapsed back against the guards with a shrill, agonizing shriek, crying out in raw pain. Everyone in the room, including the venue security guards, Vera, Seraphine, and the assassins themselves flinched in sheer astonishment at Dominic's ruthless, unhesitating brutality. One of the venue guards instinctively stepped forward as if to caution him, but Dominic shot him a single, scorching glare. "Shut up," Dominic barked. The guard instantly swallowed his words and froze. "I'll ask you one more time," Dominic said, pressing the barrel of his gun against the wounded man's bleeding leg. "Who sent you? And keep in mind-that bullet wasn't just lead. It's coated with a fast-acting paralytic poison. If you don't talk right now, the poison will spread through your bloodstream, and that entire leg will have to be a

Yesterday at the Atlas Atelier, everyone had gossiped that Kael was just a broke commoner causing a nuisance. “Why was he the one with authority over a legend like Lord Dominic?”Winston couldn't afford to dwell on the shock. Desperate for air, his eyes pleaded silently for forgiveness."Please, Kael," Odin begged again, her voice shaking. "Winston didn't mean any harm. He was just furious. If anything had happened to us, my family wouldn't have spared him either..."Kael rolled his eyes softly. He didn't want to get tangled up in their family drama, but Odin genuinely seemed decent, and there were still a few lingering questions he needed answers to. With a quiet sigh, he decided to give in. Kael nodded slightly, looking toward the older man. "Lord Dominic, you should let him go. He probably didn't mean to cross a line."Lord Dominic didn't hesitate for a second. At Kael's words, his expression softened slightly. He cast one final, freezing glare at Winston before violently shoving