Chapter 148:Hide

Chapter 148: 148:Hide

...

Deep underground in a secret chamber, the air was thick with the copper stench of blood. Trison was hanging by a thread, his ruined body trembling against heavy iron chains after a full day of relentless, brutal torture. Blood matted his torn flesh and dripped steadily from the swollen corner of his mouth.

?"I swear, I don’t know where she is, Cassian! I am begging you," Trison sobbed, his voice cracking into a pathetic, desperate wheeze. "She is the one who blinded me! After that, I blacked out. I have no idea what happened next!"

?Alan leaned casually against the cold stone wall, his arms folded across his dark, half-buttoned shirt. The boyish warmth that usually defined him was completely extinguished, replaced by a freezing, unbearable hatred. He looked as though he had wept for hours, yet the deadly, suffocating aura radiating from him was utterly terrifying.

?Sitting in a steel chair directly across from the captive, Cassian was a portrait of pure, unadulterated murder. The oppressive, lethal danger rolling off his frame was suffocating.

?"You do not know where my wife is," Cassian’s voice dropped to a glacial whisper. "Then there is no point in you breathing for another minute."

?"Wait! Hold on! Spare me, Cassian, please!" Trison shrieked in absolute panic as Cassian raised his weapon. "What about... what about Clark?! He was supposed to hold her hostage too! Ask him if she is with him!"

?"Who is Clark?" Cassian asked flatly.

?"He is dead," Alan interjected, his voice hollow and dangerous. "Even his territory and power were swallowed whole by Black Dominion."

?Cassian’s brows knitted tightly in violent frustration.

?Trison’s bloodshot eyes widened in horror. "How? Did she kill him?" he thought wildly. "Cassian, Alan, listen to me! That female devil is no human! You need to stay away from—"

?BANG! BANG! BANG!

?Three deafening gunshots shattered the damp air. Trison’s body jerked violently before slumping dead against the chains, silence slamming back into the room.

?Cassian lowered the smoking barrel, his eyes burning with unquenchable rage. "Useless," he snarled, tossing the gun clattering across the concrete floor. He buried his face in his hands. "Damn it!"

?Alan stared at him, opening his mouth to speak, but the sudden, sharp vibration of his phone cut him off. Pulling it from his pocket, he saw Silas’s name flashing on the screen. He answered immediately, putting it on speaker.

?"Did you find my wife?" Alan demanded, his voice tight with desperation.

?"Boss, we tracked her location. She is in Australia," Silas replied promptly.

?"Australia?" Alan echoed in shock, his eyes darting to Cassian, whose head snapped up instantly.

?"Yes. And from the surveillance feeds... she does not appear to be in any immediate danger," Silas added.

?"Forward those coordinates to me right now," Alan ordered.

?"Right away." The line went dead.

?Alan looked Cassian dead in the eye. "Snow is in Australia."

?Cassian was already on his feet, his murderous aura morphing into frantic, volatile urgency. "Let’s go." Without a second thought, the two men stormed out of the bloody chamber.

.... Australia....

?The next morning, golden sunlight spilled through the grand windows of the mansion.

?"Good morning, my princess," Prince murmured softly, stepping into Nova’s bedroom with a silver breakfast tray in hand. He set it carefully on the nightstand table before leaning down to press a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead.

?Nova stirred, her thick eyelashes fluttering open. For a split second, her brows knitted together in disorientation before memory washed over her. "Ah, right. I almost forgot he is mine now," she thought, a sweet smile blooming on her lips.

?"Good morning," she replied smoothly, pushing herself up to sit against the plush headboard.

?Prince shifted the heavy tray directly onto the bed over her lap. "I brought you breakfast. You need to eat something."

?Nova chuckled, picking up a fork and taking a small bite. "By the way, your stepmother went out of her way to offend somehow. You wouldn’t mind if I taught her a few manners, would you?" she asked, keeping her eyes casually focused on her meal.

?Prince’s expression instantly darkened. "I will handle her. You just watch—do not dirty your beautiful hands on trash like her."

?Nova raised her head, chewing thoughtfully as she locked eyes with him. She swallowed before speaking. "You didn’t even ask me what she did."

?Prince reached out, gently caressing the back of her hand. "You said she offended you. That is enough of a reason to destroy her. I don’t need to know the details; if she annoyed you, she pays the price."

?Nova let out a low laugh, shaking her head lightly in amusement. "And what exactly were you planning to do to her?"

?Prince’s smile returned, bright and thoroughly ruthless. "I will have her permanently committed to a psychiatric ward. Let her rot in a padded cell."

?Nova’s eyes gleamed with approval. "Not bad." She took another bite of her breakfast. "Let me get dressed first, then we can—"

?She stopped dead.

?A soft, ethereal blue light suddenly pulsed across her vision. A holographic surveillance feed materialized in thin air directly in front of her. Nova nearly choked on her food.

?"This is way too early! Why are they here already?!" she murmured.

?"Who?" Prince asked, catching her sudden shift in demeanor. "Are you expecting someone?"

?"Hide. Right now," Nova commanded, her voice turning sharp. "Cassian and Alan are here."

?Prince blinked in genuine shock. "They are here this early? I thought they weren’t supposed to arrive until noon. Did they fly through the night?"

?"How am I supposed to know? Foggy face, didn’t I order you to delay them?!" Nova practically screamed at Anah in her mind as she shoved the breakfast tray aside and scrambled out of bed.

?"I did delay them!" Anah retorted lazily, materializing in the corner of the room. "Guess they don’t play around when it comes to you. Though, how they managed to pinpoint your exact coordinates so fast is impressive."

?"Damn you, foggy face," Nova cursed, grabbing the tray of food.

?She turned to Prince, pressing a quick, firm kiss to his lips. "Stay in this room. Do not come out, understand? I will go check on them."

?Without waiting for his answer, she press a kiss on his lips and sprinted out the door.

?Prince touched his lips, watching as the door closed. A strange, amused smile spread across his face as he pulled out his phone to tap into the estate’s external security cameras. "Wait a minute... why do I suddenly feel like a kept man hidden in his mistress’s bedroom?" he thought, chuckling softly.

?Downstairs, Nova dashed across the marble floor, the silk of her thin white nightgown flowing around her legs. Still clutching the breakfast tray, she practically threw it onto a side table in the living room. She took one deep, steadying breath to compose her features, masking her panic, and pulled open the massive front doors.

?"Snow!"

?The moment the door opened, Alan broke. He collapsed forward, throwing his arms around Nova and burying his face desperately into her chest.

?"I was so worried about you," Alan choked out, a genuine, ragged sob tearing through his throat as his grip around her tightened like a vice. "I missed you so much..."

A warm, indulgent smile spread across Nova’s lips. She gently stroked Alan’s hair, allowing him to completely drown himself in her embrace.

"Darling," Cassian’s voice was thick and raspy with emotion as his dark, intense eyes locked onto hers. "I have missed you so badly."

Nova let out a soft, uncontrollable laugh. "Come here," she murmured.

Cassian stepped closer without hesitation. Nova reached up, pressing a tender, lingering kiss against his lips before affectionately running her fingers through his silver hair. She smiled warmly at him, expecting him to melt into the affection.

Instead, the atmosphere in the room violently snapped.

Cassian’s brows slammed together in a harsh, lethal frown. He grabbed her wrist, his grip tightening like a steel vice, and his gaze turned instantly suspicious. "Nova," he stated, abandoning all his usual pet names, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly cold tone.

Nova’s heart skipped a beat. "What have I done now?" she thought, though she maintained her flawlessly sweet smile. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Tell me honestly," Cassian demanded, his eyes narrowing into predatory slits. "Did you kiss another man?"

Nova froze, genuinely stunned. "He can tell?!"

Alan, who had been burying his face in her shoulder, suddenly snapped his head up. He wiped his tears, looking between Cassian’s murderous expression and Nova’s stunned face. The boyish innocence vanished from his eyes, replaced by a dark, frantic desperation.

"Let me check," Alan demanded softly. Before Nova could protest, he cupped her face and captured her lips in a bruising, testing kiss.

A second later, he pulled back. His chest heaved, and a devastating frown twisted his features. "Snow!" he cried out, his voice cracking with genuine, agonizing heartbreak. "Who did you kiss?!"