Alex walked past the assassin as if the man didn''t exist. He just kept walking toward the restaurant—calm, steady, and untouched, as if nothing at all had happened.
The assassin did the same-gliding by him like nothing had happened—yet sweat soaked the inside of his coat. His hand still trembled from what he''d just done.
A moment earlier, he had meant to drive his knife straight into Alex''s heart.
Instead, the de jerked backward as if ripped by an invisible force, and he stabbed himself—deep in the shoulder, slicing nearly halfway through his own arm.
The assassin bolted.
He pped a quick bandage over the wound while running, blood soaking through his sleeve. He stumbled into his flying car, mmed the door, and shot into the sky.
But he wasn''t alone.
Another flying car rose right behind him, tailing him with smooth precision.
A voice message crackled through Alex''s bracelet a momentter.
“I''m right on his tail. I''ll track him and find the mastermind,” the operative reported.
Alex nced down at the glowing bracelet screen.
His people were already moving-just as he''d nned.
Ever since he reimed the Marquis Saint-ire title, he knew enemies woulde for him. Kingswell had ced agents around him, shadowing anyone who tried and failed to kill him.
And although Alex could have killed the assassin in a heartbeat..... he didn''t.
A dead assassin told him nothing.
A running one could lead him to the truth.
The title of Saint-ire wasn''t truly his.
It belonged to Logan.
And to step into Prussia wearing that name, Alex had made a promise to find the one who killed the real Marquis Saint-ire''s family. And he intended to keep it.
He''d spent three years searching for that murderer.
Three years with nothing but dead ends.
Maybe reiming the title would smoke the enemy out.
And now... it looked like it did.
A few hourster when he returned home-the new house Sofina received from Beatrix-he expected peace.
He thought Felicia and her husband, Albert Bauer, would be settling in happily.
Instead, he walked into chaos.
Shattered tes.
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ss on the floor.
Two voices screaming like the walls wereing down.
“You damn bastard!" Felicia roared. "How could you sell our daughter''s organs!?"
Albert Bauer exploded right back, voice shaking with rage.
“I am NOT! You''re the one who begged me to borrow money! I took that loan so you could buy your clothes, your skincare, your damn luxury handbags!"
Felicia shot back, desperate and trembling.
"I told you I''d pay it back! Sofina is a deputy now-money wille in!"
Albert threw his hands up, furious and exhausted.
“Yes, but we''ve already missed the payment limit for three months! And by the contract, they''re legally taking the coteral to cover what we owe!"
Felicia''s face twisted in horror.
“And you put Pauline as the coteral?” Her scream ripped through the house. “How could you sell her!?” "I''m NOT selling her-it was just her kidney!" Albert shouted. "But I don''t know how the contract changed- they''re scamming us! Now they''re saying we owe them Pauline''s entire body!"
Felicia broke—crying and screaming at once. "This cannot be happening!"
Albert grabbed her shoulders, desperate. “We can still fight this! I heard a lot of people are already gathering to protest in front of theirpany building. If you go there, report them, demonstrate—maybe the government will shut them down and cancel our debt!"
Felicia shoved him hard.
"Why don''t YOU go and give your body?! Why did you put our daughter up as the coteral!?"
"They wouldn''t take my old body! They wanted Pauline—and YOU agreed at the time!" Albert yelled, voice cracking with frustration.
Felicia lunged and grabbed his cor, almost lifting him off his feet.
"Are you insane? I NEVER agreed to something so disgusting! I would NEVER offer my own daughter!"
Albert stared at her in disbelief, feeling cornered and betrayed.
"You used the money. You told me to get the loan. You shouted at me to find cash at any cost! K?nigsberg Credit Union was the only ce willing to give me anything—and you burned through every cent. You KNOW that!" Albert roared.
"If I had known you used our daughter as coteral, I would''ve never touched that money!" Felicia screamed, her voice breaking. "How could you sign a contract like that—”
“No!” Albert shot back. “You''re the one who signed it!”
Alex let out a long, exhausted sigh. Looked like they finally agreed on one thing-neither of the two who spent the money remembered who signed the damn Pauline''s kidney use.
Albert fired back, shaking with anger.
"But you told me to get the money at ANY cost! Those were your exact words!"
“Enough!” Felicia roared. “This is all your fault! We''re going to protest that damn loanpany, and we''ll make sure they get shut down!"
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They stormed out of the house-only to find Alex standing at the front door.
Felicia''s expression flipped instantly, eyes lighting up with desperate hope.
"Alex! Good, you''re here. You have to help us!"
Alex shut her down immediately.
“No. I''m not bing anyone''s coteral. This is a free country-when I say no, it means no. You two took the loan. You two put Pauline as coteral. You reap what you sow. Don''t drag other people into your mess."
Felicia gasped like he''d stabbed her.
"How dare you! You''re part of this family! Don''t you have a heart? Your own step-sister-inw is about to be sold-maybe her organs harvested by some scumbag and you don''t care!?
Alex didn''t blink.
"I didn''t use the loan money. It was both of you. I feel nothing. Not even guilt."
“You damn BASTARD!” Felicia screamed. “The least you could do ise with us to protest the loan
Alex sighed.
"That, I can promise. I''lle."
He realized if he refused, they''d never leave him alone.
They drove to the K?nigsberg Credit Union.
The moment they stepped out of the car, they saw a huge crowd already gathered—angry, shouting, surrounding the locked doors of the K?nigsberg Credit Union.
Alex had zero interest in squeezing into the chaos.
He let Felicia and Albert push forward while he quietly drifted to the back, leaning against a wall like he had all
the time in the world.
And in just a few minutes—
Felicia—his mother-inw—had nted herself at the very front of the mob.
She held a banner over her head, screaming at the building with the fury of a wildfire:
"Damn you, K?nigsberg Credit
Union! LIARS! We want our rights You can''t take our loved ones to pay
our loans! It''s ILLEGAL! It vites
our HUMAN RIGHTS!"
After a long stretch of screaming, Felicia scanned the crowd-then her eyes snapped onto Alex.
"There you are, you useless loser! Get over here!"
Alex dragged himself forward with all the enthusiasm of a dying man.
"What now?" he asked tly.
Felicia grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into her ce.
"Start shouting these lines for me! I''ve been screaming for an hour-my throat feels like sandpaper!"
Alex stared at her.
"Why don''t you ask your husband, Albert?"
"I already tried! I don''t know where that bastard ran off to. Stop whining and start yelling!" Felicia snapped.
Alex had no idea what was going on, but everyone was shouting anyway, so he just picked something and
yelled:
"You damn bastards! How can you borrow money and then refuse to pay it back!?"
People turned and stared at him—including Felicia.
Alex tried again, louder:
"You filthy animals! You use the money, then act innocent when the payment dayes!"
More people stared. Felicia nearly choked.
“What the hell are you shouting!? Are you on THEIR side or OUR side!?”
“Me?” Alex asked. "I''m always on my own side.”
Felicia pped his shoulder.
"Do you think you''re funny? Just follow my lead! Repeat after me!”
She lifted her banner again and screamed:
"Damn you, K?nigsberg Credit Union! You cannot take humans as coteral! Wipe our loans clean!"
Alex rubbed his forehead, fighting the urge to walk away.
How do you borrow money... and then protest that you shouldn''t have to pay it back?
He leaned close to Felicia and asked, "How much did you borrow?"
Felicia answered in a panicked rush, "It was only forty thousand dors!"
Alex frowned. “Then why don''t you just pay it back? That''s not even arge amount."
Felicia snapped.
"Not arge amount!? We borrowed forty thousand.. Those bastards turned forty grand into four hundred
thousand dors. They''re total scammers!"
Alex froze, stunned. "What!? You actually borrowed from a loan shark that insane?"
Felicia flushed with embarrassment, which immediately turned into rage.
"What do you know about money, loser Tet you don''t even have thousand dors in your pocket! So shut your mouth and KEEP
CHANTING!"
She jabbed a finger at his chest. "I''m warning you don''t stop. Not even for a second."
Alex pressed his lips together. “Fine.”
Right then, a group of neighborhood aunties shuffled over. They stared at Alex like he was a stain on the floor.
“Felicia, is that your son-inw?” one of them asked.
Then they eyed Alex''s outfit from head to toe before scoffing loudly.
"Oh my goodness—why does he look so pathetic? He''s not even half as decent as my son-inw."
Another chimed in, smirking.
"Look at those clothes-so outdated, so worn out! Even I dress better than him!"
They circled him, tossing insults like knives—sharp, shrill, and constant.
But Alex didn''t react. These were women who borrowed money and refused to pay it back. Their words carried no weight.
Felicia, however, was fuming.
Every mockingment dug under her skin. The more they insulted Alex, the more humiliated she felt standing next to him.
Finally, she snapped.
“Just watch!” she yelled. “I''ll make sure my daughter divorces him in a few days—and then she''ll marry a REAL rich man!"