Elsie''s eyes were blood-red as the sharp de sliced through the air toward the man''s chest. During her time with Avery, one of the first things she had learned was how to kill quickly and efficiently. Her technique didn''t need to be shy, just lethal. She despised violence and bloodshed, and had never once used those skills. Now, the first person to force her hand was this man.


    But just as the tip of her dagger was inches from Hans''s heart, she hesitated.


    Elvis''s heartbroken voice echoed in her mind: *"Ellie, I still believe Hans is Hubery! He has to be! We miss him so much... We just want him toe home!"*


    Elsie''s eyes widened. Her movement slowed, the deadly intent of her strike faltering.


    In that single moment of hesitation, the tables turned.


    Hans stood his ground, his expression unreadable. He caught her slender wrist and twisted it sharply.


    "Ugh-!"


    A pained gasp escaped Elsie''s lips as cold sweat drenched her body. The dagger fell from her hand, ttering to the floor. In the next instant, Hans yanked her backward. Her back mmed against his hard chest, and his powerful forearm locked around her neck, rendering her immobile. She gasped for air, but her strength was fading, her face flushing a deep red.


    "You can''t even kill without hesitating. You''re a true failure of Avery''s creation," Hans said coldly, looking down at her purpling face and her eyes, which were beginning to lose focus. He knew that with just a little more pressure, she would suffocate within a minute. His orders were to bring her in alive, but he thought it might be better to end it here. Sometimes, living was worse than death. He knew Chad''s methods all too well.


    "Hubery... Fifth... Brother..." Tears streamed from Elsie''s reddened eyes as she wed desperately at his iron-like arm. "Please... wake up!"


    *Hubery. That name again.*


    Hans''s chest felt tight, as if he were the one being choked. "How many times do I have to tell you? I am not your Hubery!"


    "You... are...!" Elsie''s eyes were filled with tears, her lips struggling to form the words. "Hubery... your family... is still waiting for you... toe home..."


    The words e home" felt like a pair of sharp tweezers, plucking at a nerve in his heart. A subtle, sharp pain spread through his cold chest. A throb in his temple made him momentarily loosen his grip on Elsie''s neck.


    Elsie could finally breathe again. But instead of fighting back or trying to escape, she decided to try to reason with him, to turn the man who was so fiercely loyal to Chad. She knew she couldn''t escape unless he let her go. She had to take the gamble.


    "Hans, whether you are Hubery or not, I can see that you still have a conscience," she said, clutching her chest and coughing.


    "Women and their overactive imaginations," Hans sneered, not releasing herpletely. He fought back the headache. "I went easy on you because my orders were to bring you in alive. I''m just trying toplete my mission."


    "Even if this time was about the mission, what aboutst time?" Hans''s brow furrowed.


    "When Thaddeus''s sister, Mari Abernathy, was kidnapped, you and I were ordered by Avery to obstruct their rescue." Elsie''s gaze was intense, unwilling to give up. "I secretly passed them information and faked being hit you saw. everything, but you covered for me. You didn''t report me to Avery. How do you exin that?"


    Hans stared at her, his expression growing deeper, darker.


    After a brief silence, Elsie took a deep breath, her voice trembling with


    suppressed fury. "You are ''Sir''s'' right-hand man, and I have conclusive proof that Chad *is* Sir!"


    Hans remained expressionless, but his fingers curled slightly at his side.


    "He coborated with RC in Country


    M to develop illegal drugs and used Avery to conduct inhumane live human experiments in this country! The evil he has done doesn''t stop there Mr. Hans, you are a good person at heart. Are you truly willing to serve a demon like him? Do you really condone everything he does, content to sink into darkness and make a deal with the devil?!" Tears streamed down her face as she spoke through clenched teeth. "And this ce, The Velvet Haven-Chad was the real owner, wasn''t he? Avery was just his watchdog. Do you know how many bodies are buried here how many girls'' lives and futures were destroyed? Do you know that behind the facade of nightly revelry were the agonizing screams of countless girls? And the one


    responsible for all of it was him-Chad!"


    Hans''s fists tightened, the line of his jaw hardening. He remembered the girl in the hospital bed, calling him "brother" and begging him to save her Abitter, metallic taste filled his mouth. He pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying to suppress the storm of emotions raging within him.


    "If you want to take me with you, or if you want my life, I don''t care. I''ll agree to anything," Elsie said, her gaze meeting his cold eyes with resolve. "But can you just give me one night? After tonight, I''m yours to do with as you please."


    "Go," the man said suddenly, his voice cold.


    Elsie was stunned. She thought she had misheard him. "What... what did you say?"


    "Leave. Now. And we pretend we never saw each other," Hans said, turning and walking away into the darkness of the hallway. "Go back and have your man protect you. I''m not running a charity. You won''t be this lucky next time."