Flash Marriage: In His Eyes-Chapter 340: Lives on Line

–Damon–

The room was tidy. Minimal.

Too clean.

Her belongings were still intact—but we already had our first piece of evidence. The nurse’s phone was missing. Not at the crime scene. Not anywhere obvious.

A phone like that could lead us to everything.

Or bury us deeper in lies.

I slid the notebook into her tote bag—her tote bag—then continued my search. Drawers first.

Vitamins. More vitamins. A small bottle of alcohol.

I took photos. Documented everything.

Nothing is ever "nothing."

I checked the back of the bed, then underneath. Smooth. Undisturbed. I fixed the sheets back into place before moving into the bathroom.

Spotless.

Too spotless.

Then the closet. Her bags.

I went through them one by one—wallet, receipts, nothing unusual—

Until there was.

A spare disposable phone.

My brows creased slightly.

Now this...

This is getting interesting.

And I do enjoy playing detective.

Once I gathered enough evidence, Lore’s voice filtered through. I paused—still, silent—listening. Even in my own house, I don’t move unless the perimeter is cleared.

Old habits.

The kind that keep you alive.

I stepped out of the room, tote bag in hand, and moved through the hidden passageways built into the walls. Straight to my room.

No cameras.

No witnesses.

I placed the tote bag on top of my duffel and began packing—efficient, precise. A few essentials. Some of my wife’s belongings, neatly kept, locked behind glass.

Untouchable.

Sacred.

"How about this rose quartz diamond ring, my love?" I asked.

"Yes, that will do."

I took the box, closed it, and placed it carefully into the duffel.

Then I headed to my boy’s room.

Snacks. All his favorites. Still unopened.

But they won’t stay that way.

I gathered them and made my way out.

"Babe, I’m coming home," I said.

"Good. Stay on the line."

"Got it, wifey."

A grin tugged at my lips.

I drove my Jeep down the long stretch of the compound’s driveway, the gates opening like they knew better than to slow me down. Traffic was manageable. Routine.

Until it wasn’t.

"Can you go to the market?" Livana said. "I want peaches."

I paused for a second.

Then it hit me.

My wife is pregnant.

Not one.

But more.

A slow exhale left me.

Sky is going to lose his mind.

"They don’t have peaches everywhere, my love," I said calmly. "But I know someone with a farm nearby."

"Please."

"Got it, my queen."

I turned the wheel without hesitation.

I don’t care how long the drive takes.

If she wants peaches—

She gets peaches.

The road shifted. Fewer cars. Trees closing in. A quieter stretch—isolated, almost too quiet.

That’s when I saw it.

A gray van pulling into a small town.

Children playing by the roadside.

No adults.

My eyes narrowed.

The van slowed.

Then—

It stopped.

I was still a few meters away when they grabbed a child.

Seven, maybe.

Gone in seconds.

The van sped off.

I didn’t hesitate.

"My love, I think I need to follow this damn car."

I stepped on the accelerator.

"They saw me," I added, eyes locked on the vehicle ahead. "Still took the kid."

"Go with it," Livana said, calm as ever. "I’m sending signals. Police are being dispatched."

Good.

I pushed the Jeep harder.

This isn’t Manila.

No traffic.

No excuses.

They’re not losing me.

The image of that little girl—

It twisted something in my chest.

For a second, I didn’t see her.

I saw ours.

I reached for my gun with my left hand.

No hesitation.

I aimed for the tires.

The van zigzagged, trying to throw off my aim—but my left hand is just as steady.

Just as deadly.

Then—

Spikes hit the road.

A man by the roadside. Casual. Precise.

Livana’s.

The van lost control.

Police sirens followed.

They were already here.

I smirked faintly.

My wife works fast.

Always has.

Always will.

The van stalled. Officers surrounded it, guns drawn.

I stayed in the car.

My focus wasn’t on them.

It was on the child.

The houses here were spaced apart—too far for quick backup, too close for chaos.

The suspects were armed.

No one could move in recklessly.

I glanced at the man who deployed the spikes. Slender. Unremarkable.

Efficient.

The van suddenly lurched forward again—damn thing still moving on busted tires.

"Baby," I said, voice low, controlled. "No blood. There’s a child inside. Possibly more."

"Got it, my King."

Fuck.

Those two words—

My King.

My grip tightened on the wheel, jaw clenching as heat surged through me—sharp, possessive, dangerous.

My obsession with her is growing.

Unhealthy?

Maybe.

But she’s the only thing that’s ever made me feel right.

A chopper cut through the air above.

I looked up.

Armed men descended—military precision. Tactical gear. Bulletproof vests. Faces hidden.

One of them tapped on my window. I lowered it slightly.

He saluted.

"The Regent Queen will take over from here. We’ll trace the syndicate."

I nodded once.

Regent Queen.

They all think Livana is dead.

Good.

Let them.

"I want that child safe," I said coldly. "Not a single drop of blood in front of them."

He nodded sharply.

They moved in.

Glass shattered. The sliding door was ripped open.

Guns raised—

Then stilled.

I pulled up the live feed Lore sent—body cam footage streaming on the mini screen in my car.

A child.

Crying.

Silently.

Like she’s already learned that screaming doesn’t help.

And more—

In the back.

Multiple children.

Guns pressed to their heads.

Hostages.

The commander signaled his men.

Weapons lowered.

Negotiation.

I clenched my fists.

We run an empire.

A dark one.

But this—

Human trafficking—

Is not part of it.

Never has been.

Never will be.

I deal with men like that personally.

And Livana?

She erases them.

Countries. Presidents. Systems.

Nothing is out of her reach.

My jaw tightened.

Because all I could see—

Was my siblings.

Alyssa.

David.

Alyssa has been taken twice.

The first time, she was just a child.

I was a teenager.

And I didn’t hesitate.

I killed them.

Every single one.

My mother was terrified of me after that.

They all were.

They said it was in my blood.

That I was a psychopath.

But they were wrong.

I’m not a psychopath.

I just wanted my brother and sister back.

And I’ll burn the world—

Before I ever let something like that happen again.

–Livana–

This is what my mother had done for years—cultivating something like this. Navigating the Dark Web, tracing syndicates that thrive on human trafficking. Every country harbors them, festering beneath polished facades. I seethe at the sight of it—footage of a little girl being snatched right outside her home, unaware of the horror unfolding. A life rewritten in a single, brutal moment.

My husband stood meters away then, watching from a distance. They assumed he wouldn’t intervene. They didn’t know I had already planted my pawns here long before the reports of missing children surfaced.

What we do is simple in theory—locate the syndicate, strip them of their wealth, and repurpose it. A redistribution of sin into salvation. A win-win, as some would call it. Theft is not our forte, but that blood money... it serves the victims far better than it ever served its masters. The government takes the credit, of course. They always do.

That is why I ensured my board was prepared—pawns, bishops, knights embedded within the system. Even the President stands as my ace.

The negotiation lasted minutes. Thirty at most. Eventually, they relented—releasing the children in exchange for the police vehicle. Five men inside. They released one child at a time, each small body stepping into freedom as their own secured their escape.

But the children are safe. That is what matters.

We allowed them their illusion of victory, let them flee. They are astonishingly stupid for taking a police car. It carries GPS—a leash they willingly clasped around their own necks.

Damon ensured the children’s safety, speaking to them gently at the back of his car, the trunk left open as he waited for service. He handed out snacks—likely taken from Sky’s room in the Blackwell Mansion—and drinks. Small comforts. Fragile reassurances.

They were trembling, fragile as glass—but my pawn, the man who deployed the spikes... he spoke to them with such warmth that, for a fleeting moment, they forgot. Just for a second, the world softened.

"Lore," I called.

"Yup, I’m already on it," he grinned. "Once your husband gets here, we’ll have more leads."

I nodded.

When the L300 barangay vehicle arrived, the children were escorted to safety. Three additional police cars followed, while the chopper had already peeled away, hunting down the kidnappers. Relief settled into my chest—thin, cautious.

But when I saw the footage from my husband’s dashcam earlier... my heart had clenched so tightly it felt as though it might fracture.

"Mama!" Sky’s voice echoed through our Nest, Alyssa beside him.

I turned, opening my arms. He climbed into my lap, pressing a kiss to my nose.

"You’ve been here for five hours now," Alyssa signed. "I brought dinner."

Lore remained silent, consumed by whatever trail he was tracking.

"Thank you, Aly."

She set the food down before walking over to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

I glanced down at my son, then shifted my gaze to the monitor displaying Kai’s condition.

My breath caught.

The line began to flatten.

No.

There is no universe where we lose Kai.

"What’s happening?" Alyssa moved closer.

"Kai," I muttered.

My stomach twisted violently—sharp, unforgiving. Nausea surged, climbing up my throat like a tidal wave. I set Sky down hastily and rushed to the nearby sink, barely making it before I retched.

Fucking stress. And the first trimester.