[MYSTERIOUS MAN]

"So what do you want this time?" He yelled into the phone before the other side even spoke.

"Don't yell at me. Well, just tell me you saw him already, right?" Amanda spat venom without any care.

"Yeah, he's cute. Let's make a deal. You bring him to me, and his husband will be yours." He told her, his tone calm.

"Whose husband are you calling him? He was mine, he is mine, and he will stay mine. Mind your language." She screamed at him so hard he had to hold the phone a few inches away from his ear.

Amanda took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Fine, let's make a deal. How many days do I have?" She asked him while smirking.

"Take as much time as you need. I'm not dying, and you're not going anywhere." He replied, smiling venomously at the Volkov Palace.

"Okay. Don't call me again. Use burner phones. You know he'll get suspicious of me. He's too smart, even for small details, so be careful."

She cut the call and handed the phone to her maid as she walked through the garden of her house. She looked back at her house—two buildings—and smirked while murmuring,

"Just wait and watch."

---

Caspian was sitting in the room when suddenly he felt too alone without him, so he went outside to the garden again. It always made him feel fresh. He liked the way the flowers drifted and the sound of rustling leaves. Suddenly, he felt that feeling again. Darkness clouded his vision. He shook his head to calm himself. The smile vanished from his face as he looked around. Everything seemed normal, but it didn't feel normal to him. He closed his eyes to calm himself, and he saw them again.

"So… you're an Omega, right?" The man extended his hand toward him with a disgusting smile.

"No… please, don't. Don't come close." He was shaking. Caspian shook his head to clear his mind, but it wasn't working. The memory came again.

"Please… don't… don't…" The Omega was screaming, but the man didn't stop. He grabbed him by the leg and dragged him toward himself.

"Noooo…" He was yelling. Suddenly the view changed. Now there were a number of men laughing at him, moving toward him slowly. The Omega screamed his lungs out. The view changed—there was blood everywhere around him… blood was coming toward him. His throat hurt so much. He wanted to scream, "Go away," but the blood kept coming.

"Help me…" One hand reached for the Omega. The shaking Omega shook his head while trembling. "I can't…" A tear slipped from his eyes. He spoke like someone was choking him, struggling too hard to speak. His throat hurt too much.

"I can't… I want to… but I can't… help… anyone." His voice shook. It was so hard for him to speak.

Then someone placed their hand on his shoulder. Caspian gasped as he felt like someone had pulled him out of the dream. He looked toward the hand. It was her…

---

Elara had just entered the palace when she saw Caspian standing in the garden alone from afar. A smile appeared on her face.

"Heyyyy, brother-in-law!!" She screamed at him, but he wasn't listening. He was shaking his head like a crazy person. Elara stopped calling. Her brows frowned in confusion. She got out of the car and moved toward him while calling him.

"Brother-in-law! What happened?" But he was just shaking his head. Elara came close and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother-in-law!" Caspian snapped out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes and looked at her with the same fear she'd seen when he panicked. Caspian gasped hard. Elara patted him on the back.

"What happened? Did something bother you?" She asked worriedly while watching him carefully.

"No… no… I'm fine. I'm fine." Caspian took long breaths to calm himself, then suddenly he smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm really fine."

Elara looked at his fake smile and thought:

_Isn't it ironic that whenever we try to hide our emotions, we just smile instead of bothering to cry? And guess what—smiling is more tiring than crying. So we choose to tire ourselves rather than bother others._

"When did you arrive?" Caspian's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, I just arrived now. You were standing here alone, so I came over. Here's your phone." She gave him his phone with a big smile.

"Thanks." Caspian took it while smiling at her. The atmosphere turned slightly better after that.

"Let's go inside." She grabbed his arm and pushed him inside with her. Caspian walked with her, still wondering if she had noticed his condition earlier or if she was just pretending.

---

The convoy of black cars entered the large building spread over a vast area. The guards got out of the cars and held their positions attentively, their eyes sharp enough to notice the slightest movement of air because they knew where danger lurked. Elaine got out of the car and opened the door for Zayden. Darius stood near the back of the car in an alert stance, gun in one hand pointed downward while his eyes scanned the area for clearance.

"Clear, boss," he said, bowing slightly as he led the way.

Zayden, in his black suit, looked as handsome and attractive as always, both hands in his pockets as he followed quietly. They entered the huge building.

"Boss!" The woman at reception stood and bowed lightly.

Zayden nodded slightly while walking.

Darius entered the elevator first, checked it, then nodded toward Zayden. Zayden entered the elevator with Elaine and a few bodyguards. The others held their positions there. The elevator opened at the third floor. Zayden got out and walked toward his office, then he saw him.

"Dante."

He was wearing a black hoodie today. He hadn't changed much. His strong body defied every prediction about his age. No one could tell he was in his thirties. His gaze turned respectful immediately when he saw Zayden.

"Boss!" Dante bowed slightly in respect. Zayden nodded slightly and looked at Elaine. Elaine quickly bowed and said,

"I told him to go inside, but he said he'd wait until the boss came. He couldn't enter without you. It would be disrespectful."

Zayden sighed and patted Dante on the shoulder.

"Come inside."

Zayden entered a massive office with beautiful mirror windows, a huge table with a rocking chair, and some couches placed neatly. It was a combination of a guest room and an office. He gestured for Dante to sit, but he didn't until Zayden sat.

Zayden pressed the button on his table. Elaine entered with a tray filled with fruits, water, coffee, and snacks. She placed the tray on the table and bowed slightly as she left the office. Zayden shifted the tray toward him.

"Here, for you. Eat something before we talk." Dante smiled slightly.

"I already ate." Zayden lifted his gaze and looked at him.

"Show some respect, Dante. That's not too much to ask, right?" Dante's smile widened in amusement.

"You've changed," he complimented.

"Really? How?" Zayden scrolled through his phone as he asked without focusing on him.

"Congratulations. I heard you got married." Zayden stopped. He lifted his gaze, smiled lightly, and said,

"Thanks, but you didn't come to congratulate me, right?" His smile faded from his face.

"Of course not. I just thought you'd come to the office with him so I'd get the chance to meet my brother-in-law."

"I'll let him meet you, and I'll bring him to the office someday, but his condition isn't good right now." Zayden leaned back in his rocking chair as he explained calmly.

"I hope he gets better." Dante's eyes turned sharp as he leaned toward him slightly. "Is it him Darius told me about—Caspian?"

Zayden raised his brows slightly. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Get to the point, Dante. Don't waste my time." He said, frustration creeping into his tone.

"So it is him." Dante tapped his fingers on the table. "Don't worry, I found them already."

"So, you got them?" Zayden's eyes turned cold as he straightened up calmly.

Dante smiled lightly at him. There was nothing that could slip away from his hands—he was the master of it thats why he was Zayden's right hand man—but there was sadness in his eyes, not because life had gotten cruel, but because we don't want to repeat some stories. Zayden looked coldly at him, not knowing that what was coming next would shake his core.

---

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