Alexia red at Hans as he stood before her car, a figure of rugged, chilling


    intensity. She had a visceral urge to step on the gas and run him over. But he was one of the Sir''s most trusted men, and she didn''t dare. So, she pulled her white fur coat tighter around her and slowly got out of the car.


    Their eyes met, a silent, stormy confrontation.


    "Hans, don''t you have something to exin to me?" Alexia broke the silence, her voice dripping with venom.


    Hans''s pale lips moved stiffly. "Where did you take her?"


    "You have the nerve to question me? If the Sir hadn''t wisely sent me as backup tonight, Elsie would have been long gone!" Alexia took a step closer, her teeth gritted. "This was the mission the Sir gave you. Is this how you handle it? You, the man who''s supposed to be an unstoppable killer, couldn''t even handle amon tramp? Or did you let her go on purpose? Are you nning on betraying the Sir?"


    Hans''s gloved hands clenched so tightly the leather creaked. His jaw was a razor''s edge. The word "betrayal" was heavy, something he had never even considered. But as the word left Alexia''s lips, a tidal wave of turmoil crashed through him, shaking the foundations of his stoicposure.


    Alexia rose on her tiptoes, trying to grab his cor, but Hans sidestepped her, causing her to stumble forward. Enraged, she spat, "I''m warning you, Hans, don''t get any funny ideas! Your pathetic life belongs to the Sir! If it weren''t for his mercy, you would have rotted on some beach, your bones picked clean by sharks! You''ll be his dog for the rest of your life, and if you dare think otherwise, I''ll tell him everything. Your fate will be worse than being fed to sharks! Ah—!”


    Before she could finish, a sharp, cracking pain exploded in her nose. She spun around twice from the force of the blow before copsing to the ground.


    "Who did you call a dog?" Hans loomed over her, his fist still clenched, his voice like ice. "If I''m a dog, what are you? A braying donkey?"


    "You... you hit me?! You hit a woman?!" Alexia clutched her bleeding nose, tears of pain streaming down her face. She had undergone extensive stic surgery to change her appearance, a costly and painful process. She spent hundreds of thousands every month on maintenance alone. Hans''s punch had definitely broken her nose, and she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. The pain was excruciating.


    "You should be grateful you belong to the Sir. Otherwise, for what you just said, I would have slit your throat."


    A shiver of pure terror ran down Alexia''s spine, and her sobs caught in her throat. This man always spoke the most brutal words in the calmest tone.


    Knowing he would get nothing more from her, Hans turned to leave, his face a grim mask. Then, he stopped and looked back. "What did you just say?"


    Alexia held her nose, confused. "W-what?"


    "You said the Sir saved me from where? A beach?" Hans''s eyes darkened. For the first time in his life, he, who had never cared about anything, felt a burning curiosity about his own past: "Why was I on a beach? Why was I in the sea?"


    Alexia''s heart seized. She remembered the Sir''s strict orders: never reveal a single detail about Hans''s past to him. In her anger, she had leta small detail slip, and he had caught it instantly. But it was just a small detail it shouldn''t be as problem, right? She tried to reassure herself.


    Hans stared at her for a long moment before turning and walking away.


    "Ms. Alexia, are you alright?!" her subordinate rushed to help her up.


    "You useless piece of trash! Why didn''t you stop him when he attacked me?!" Alexia shrieked, looking at the blood staining the white snow, her rage reaching a boiling point.


    "H-Hans moved too fast," the man stammered. “Everyone in the organization knows how skilled he is. Who could possibly stop him?"


    "Something''s wrong with Hans tonight," Alexia muttered, watching his tall, rigid figure disappear into the darkness. "I have to report this to the Sir immediately."


    Back in his car, Hans gripped the steering wheel but didn''t start the engine. He closed his eyes, and a


    suffecating drownin


    filled his throat He was in a deep dark ocean, his small body sinking, tumbling through the abyss...


    Then came the splitting headache. His temples throbbed, and his limbs felt disconnected from his body, pulled into a vortex of darkness.


    He gasped for air, his trembling hand reaching for the ne he wore. Inside was the medicine that could save him. After taking it, his emotions would stabilize, and all his pain would disappear...


    With a guttural growl, Hans ripped the ne from his neck and hurled it out the window.


    In that moment, strangely, the headache began to recede. A bizarre sense of relief washed over him, as if he had just broken free from a heavy chain.


    ...


    At five in the morning, the sky was still dark. The Velvet Haven was surrounded by


    a fleet of ck cars. As Evadne and Thaddeus got out of their vehicle, a fierce, biting wind mmed into Evadne, making her shiver.