But he had promised Thaddeus he wouldn''t take a life. And a promise was a promise.


    "I will get my wife back. But if I can''t, the next thing you lose won''t be just an ear." Elvis grabbed a fistful of Chad''s hair, his eyes filled with bloody tears, each word trembling with rage. "For every ounce of pain Ellie has suffered, I will make you pay it back a thousand times over!"


    With that, he shoved Chad away and stormed out.


    "S-Sir! I''ll call for an ambnce right away!" Alexia crawled to his side. Seeing the pool of blood, she fumbled for her phone, her hands shaking too much to hold it steady.


    "Ha... hahaha!" Chad clutched the piece of his own flesh, threw his head back, andughed, a hysterical, wild, and crazed sound. “Interesting... So very interesting!"


    Alexia stared, dumbfounded, shaking like a leaf. "Sir... what about that woman, Elsie? Should we just...?"


    "Don''t let her die. But don''t let her live in peace, either." Chad tossed the piece of his ear aside and closed his eyes, savoring the twisted pleasure that came with extreme pain. “You''re a woman. You should know exactly how to make her suffer.”


    ...


    As soon as Elvis left the club, he was ambushed by the men Alexia had summoned. In the middle of the fierce fight, a ck Aston Martin materialized like a ghost, mowing down several of the attackers.


    With a screech of tires, the car skidded to a halt in front of Elvis, the door swinging open.


    "Get in!" Thaddeus''s handsome, grim face was starkly visible in the dark.


    Elvis vaulted into the car, and the sports car shot off, leaving the goons far behind.


    "You didn''t have toe, Thaddeus. I could have handled those thugs myself.” Elvis''s fingers trembled as he lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag. He rolled down the window, letting the cold wind whip against his pale face.


    "I''m not Mr. Thaddeus anymore. I''m just here as a former ssmate, lending a hand." Thaddeus gripped the steering wheel, his gaze dark. "I told you to leave Chad to me, to not provoke him. Why didn''t you listen?"


    "Thaddeus, do you really think I


    could just stand by? My wife is in his hands... I know she''s with him, butd


    UT


    have no proof. I can''t save her... Elvis coughed, whether from the smoke or the cold wind, it was hard to fell Tears filled his eyes


    Thaddeus, I was so close to killing him. But I also knew if I did, Ellie would die too. I''ve never felt so useless in my life... Tell me, what am I supposed to do?"


    After a long silence, Thaddeus could faintly hear the sound of Elvis weeping, each


    sob swallowed by the cold night wind.


    *Elvis, trust me. I will make it happen for you,* Thaddeus vowed silently.


    Just then, his phone rang. It was Gordon.


    "Mr. Thaddeus, that was a close call!


    You were right, someone did go after Mr. Zade! Luckily, Mr.


    Fairhaven had his men staked out around the Zade residence, so the assassins failed! Too bad we couldn''t catch them, or we might''ve g?tten some information out of them!"


    Thaddeus''s voice was cool but steady. "The press conference is just around the corner. Chad is trying to eliminate all loose ends. And since Mr. Zade has already provided evidence against me to the police, in my dear brother''s eyes, he no longer has any value."


    Gordon snorted. "That Zade fellow is practically worshiping you now. He was blubbering about how he''d do anything for you."


    "Have you checked all the surveince footage near where Ms. Archer disappeared?"


    "Everything. But the car carrying Ms. Archer disappeared from tracking after it headed toward Sycamore Street in the east district." Gordon''s voice grew serious. "However, while reviewing the footage, tracked Someone else''s movements and saw something very interesting.”


    "What was it?"


    "I saw Hans intercept Alexia''s car on the night Ms. Archer went missing. They had a confrontation, and it turned violent. Hans beat the hell out of that bitch! It was so satisfying to watch!"