The suffocating terror that gripped the room seemed to vanish at Ashton's mere gesture."You've wiped them all out. Who am I supposed to ask for the treasure now?" Ashton's voice was distant and detached."Lorcan, it's about time you hand over what's due, don't you think?"Lorcan finally snapped out of his daze, his laughter echoing mournfully."This must be fate! This must be the Jenison family's destiny!"His laughter died, and silence took its place. After a long pause, he faced Ashton and said, "If I surrender the treasure, can you assure me that the Jenison family will be spared?"If not, what's the point in giving it up?"Ashton's brow furrowed. "You think you're in a position to negotiate with me?""I'm just trying to save the Jenison family." Lorcan exhaled heavily."Why do it if you fear the consequences? You should've known that a day of reckoning would come when you stole my grandmother's treasure. Why can't you face it with grace now that it's here?" Ashton's laugh
"Yeah, you should go. I'm getting worried, too," Kendra said, giving him a quick peck on the lips, a sly smile flashing across her face as she stood and moved aside."Hurry up, will you?"Kendra could not bear meeting Ashton's gaze, instead gently nudging him from behind to get him out of the office.Ashton tracked down Cassia's family home after leaving Lockwood Group.The Andrades were a close-knit bunch of well over a hundred members. Cassia's grandmother was the matriarch, the one who made the decisions. She had once tried to sell Cassia to a group called the Dark Thunder Sect for a quick gain.Who knew what kind of nightmare Cassia would be in if Ashton had not intervened?Ashton arrived at the tribe's headquarters, where security was laughably lax. He crept into the three-story structure in the middle of it all, unnoticed by anyone.Ashton arrived at the tribe's headquarters, where security was laughably lax. He crept into the three-story structure in the middle of it all,
Avelora considered calling Ashton back to fill him in, but she decided against it. The task had been assigned, and it had to be done right. Otherwise, she would lose favor with the higher-ups.After some thought, she decided to bring the matter to the Navy King of the North Sea and have him contact Douglas. The Norcisco war zone was Douglas's turf, and if he got involved, that snooty woman, Nixey, would not dare to turn him down.However, that hinged on getting a hold of the elusive Navy King of the North Sea.The guy was a ghost, always abroad on some top-secret mission, and catching him on the line required some good luck.She dialed, only to be met with that vexing busy tone. Avelora's eye twitched involuntarily.Seriously? Out of reach? What was she supposed to do then?Trying Ashton again was futile because his phone was dead.By then, Ashton was flying high above Norcisco; his phone signal was gone.The journey to the border was a half-day marathon, and Ashton had no one
Rage erupted within Yushma the moment she heard the words.She was on the verge of unleashing a storm of fury when Jessica shot her a warning look. "Yushma, hold your tongue. I promised my best friend I'd help him out. He has asked for this, so I'm on it. It's as simple as that. Anything else is none of our business."Seething, Yushma turned her head away in a huff."We're about a half-hour away from the Ballmer family," Jessica said, giving a heads-up before she fired up the engine, whipped the car around, and tore off down the road.At the Ballmer estate.Nixey was racing back from the base.She had received an urgent call from their big boss, warlord Douglas, from overseas only 30 minutes before.The message was clear—the North Sea War Zone's Chief Instructor Levin was on his way to the Norcisco border for urgent business, and Nixey's orders were to support him without question.Douglas had only recently become aware of the situation. The enigmatic Navy King of the North Sea
A hush fell over the room.Soon after, Frederick's phone buzzed with a new message.Silence claimed Frederick as he quickly returned the call."Jay, are you for real?""Real? How long have you been holed up training? You're in Lindorm and you haven't heard the buzz? Do you even count as a warrior anymore? That has been the talk of the town.""Yeah, I've been out of the loop, training solo for the last few months." Frederick admitted, a bit sheepish."That explains it..." Jay said.There was a moment of silence before Jay said, "Look, as far as Lindorm is concerned, Mister Levin is the guy at the top of the food chain right now. He's the king of the Chart of Supremes, and nobody in the country is comparable to him. Even Aarrowsmith's dark web folks had to whip up a special leaderboard just for him. The legendary Chart of Legends is back in the game after a hundred years.""That's some serious clout!"After a few more exchanges, the phone call ended.Frederick swallowed, his ey
Nixey's ears perked up at the sound of the voice, which she recognized all too well.She had a long memory for those who had crossed her, and their voices lingered in her mind.As the man's features came into focus, the memories flooded back.The Harbor Island debacle.That trip had been a disaster, particularly the auction where she had locked horns with a young man over a coveted piece. She had triumphantly bid on what she thought was a rare collectible, only to discover it was a worthless fake.The man's prize, a sapphire from the Ballmer collection, turned out to be a lightning crystal of unimaginable value, worth a fortune.It was a bitter pill to swallow, a loss on all fronts.That man was Ashton, and she had etched his face in her memory.She had no idea Ashton and Chief Instructor Levin were the same person. Fate had a dark sense of humor.She had vowed to herself that she would never look at Ashton again.When the guard noticed the intrusion, his face contorted with
When Jessica saw the woman, her jaw dropped.How had she never met the formidable Nixey despite being a star student at Norcisco for five years?Nixey's image was a fixture on screens across the region as the celebrated guardian of the Norcisco border zone, more recognizable than many celebrities.She was astonished and thrilled to see such an illustrious and revered figure so unexpectedly.Was she there for Ashton? What did he do to deserve that? How could a mere war zone instructor summon the top commander from another zone?Before Jessica could wrap her head around it, Ashton and Nixey were already stepping into the car.Jessica's nerves went into overdrive as a general sat inside her car.That was no ordinary international friend or wealthy heir—she was a genuine Norcisco superstar, a titan of power whose mere words could change the lives of countless people.She sat in Jessica's car, making the entire scene seem surreal."You manage to walk out with a woman in tow? That's
"He's scarier than a helicopter strike? That's rich! This Lindorm guy's a real piece of work, more entertaining than the usual trash we nab." One of them jeered."And this girl, haven't we seen her around?"Eyes shifted to Nixey.One of them recoiled in shock. "Nixey from the Norcisco war zone? What's your deal?""I am Nixey," she said, her face a mask of dark clouds.Her heart pounded with unease.She was counting on Ashton to bail them out of that situation. She was out of her depth against these armed thugs."You're Nixey?"They exchanged bewildered glances."She claims she's Nixey? That's a good one!" The laughter turned to a chilling sneer."Boys, we've hit the jackpot today. Snag this chick and take her back. I wonder how the boss will thank us?""And what about him?" Someone pointed at Ashton."Kill him. Why bother with dead weight when we have the Norcisco border's infamous Nixey in our grasp? That's the real prize."The tension was palpable as two AKs snapped to a