?Chapter 457:


    “Ready the gear,” Elliana said coldly. “I’m heading to Riverbend—as Death Thorn.”


    Adah stared at Elliana, disbelief ring in her eyes. “You’re going to save Cole? Elliana, he has already proposed divorce. Why risk your life for him?”


    Elliana’s voice cut through the room like a de. “Until that paper is signed and sealed—he’s still mine to protect.”


    Noticing Elliana’s unwavering determination, the group swiftly changed into uniforms bearing the Thorn Rose emblem and set out for Riverbend.


    The Phantom Mercenaries’manders had reputations forged in blood—ruthless and shrewd, leading a unit famed for lethal efficiency. Anyone marked by this organization faced a nightmare with no easy escape.


    While the Thorn Rose name inspired dread throughout the Delta, its leaders never picked fights carelessly. Even for them, it was wise to steer clear of the Phantom Mercenaries.


    With ze Wildfire already locked in a bitter fight against Thorn Rose, it was not a wise call for Thorn Rose to sh with the Phantom Mercenaries. If ze Wildfire and the Phantom Mercenaries ever decided to join forces, Thorn Rose would be crushed in their jaws. Still, Elliana discarded all her reservations since Cole’s life was at stake.


    During the tense drive to Riverbend, anxiety kept Elliana on edge, desperate for any scrap of news about Cole. But the Phantom Mercenaries had cordoned off the area for ten kilometers in every direction, cutting off all information. She had no choice but to race there, hoping she wasn’t already toote.


    Meanwhile, at Riverbend, Cole’s private jet now sat on a deserted stretch of grasnd, the darkness soplete that it swallowed all trace of light.


    The operatives from the Phantom Mercenaries closed in, their presence pressing from every direction, tension hanging heavy over the field. Cole sprawled across the ne’s plush sofa, eyes mped shut, his shirt drenched with dark, spreading bloodstains.


    Myles, Aron, and Hugh nursed their own wounds nearby, every movement sluggish and pained from exhaustion.


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    Jason scanned the battered group, his jaw clenched, a gnawing despair settling in his chest. Since stepping up as the Evans family’s chief of security, he’d never known dread like this—cornered, hunted,pletely at the mercy of the Phantom Mercenaries’ advancing noose. Justst night, minutes after Elliana’s departure, An and Manley had left. Then, Cole had abruptly summoned Myles upstairs to inquire about Elliana’s reaction. The instant he learned Elliana had left on her own and vanished off the grid, his temper had exploded. “I told you to get her back to Ublento safe and sound, and you just let her walk out alone? What if she runs into trouble out there?”


    The realization hit Myles hard, panic crashing over him in a wave. Without warning, Cole’s fury erupted. “Dispatch everyone to locate her—now! If you don’t bring her back, none of you are walking away alive.”


    Myles hadn’t dared argue. He sent every bodyguard to scour the city for Elliana, leaving just himself, Aron, Hugh, Jason, and Jason’s men to keep Cole safe. They spent the entire night searching, but Elliana had vanished without a trace.


    Consumed by profound concern for Elliana, Cole hadn’t slept for a second. He paced restlessly in the courtyard, the air around him bristling with mounting fury that kept everyone at a distance.


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