?Chapter 873:


    Elena’s brows pinched together. Her breath came faster, and her pace quickened on its own.


    At the vi’s entrance, the butlery lifeless in a wide pool of red.


    Inside, more staff members had been butchered.


    This wasn’t just killing. It was a massacre, calcted and merciless.


    Felix’s ne touched down minutester. One look at the scene, and his fists clenched tight, eyes rimmed in red. He said hoarsely, “Mr. Spencer, I checked—there’s no one left alive on the ind.”


    Even for a man who’d seen violence, the devastation was too much to stomach. He ground out his fury. “Who the hell does something like this? They didn’t even spare the innocents.”


    Wesley stood frozen, his face darkened, his stare burning with vengeance. There was nothing here worth stealing—no mines, no treasure. Pirates wouldn’t bother. And this was Spencernd—any sane attacker would’ve stayed far away. No, this was targeted. Intentional.


    Wesley’s jaw tightened like a vice. Whoever did this was going to pay. Elena scanned the wreckage—and then her eyes locked on the table. Was that a rose?


    She approached slowly and found a fully bloomed flower resting neatly on the surface. Below it, a crude smiley face had been scrawled. Her breath hitched, ragged and sharp. Her fists curled, nails digging into flesh. “I know who did this,” she said, voice low and frigid.


    Wesley’s head snapped up. Felix followed his line of sight.


    The angrier Elena became, the more focused she got. Her voice stayed even, but her words were deadly. “Earle.”


    “Earle?” Felix’s expression twisted. “Wasn’t he in Avaloria? Has he lost his damn mind?”


    Just as Elena uttered the name, her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a message from Earle. “I’m waiting for you toe find me.” Attached was a photo. It showed a cluster of children huddled close, their wide eyes filled with terror.


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    Elena knew them in an instant—Lizzie, Lara, Casper, Kaleb. She’d drawn portraits of each one. That meant he was using them as leverage!


    A murderous heat surged through her. She had never felt such an urge to kill. Without a word, she whirled around and sprinted off, rifle gripped tight.


    “Miss Harper, where are you going?” Felix shouted after her, but she didn’t so much as nce back.


    Felix turned to Wesley, seeking direction—only to find him already running.


    With a muttered curse, Felix chased after them.


    Elena moved like a storm—relentless and fast. It wasn’t long before she reached higher ground.


    Earle hadn’t gotten far. His helicopter still hovered within the reach of the sky. Elena found a clear sightline, dropped to position, lined up the scope, and squeezed the trigger without pause. The rifle kicked back hard against her shoulder, but she didn’t flinch. She fired five times in quick session.


    Felix caught up, chest heaving, trying to reason with her. “Miss Harper, that chopper’s way too high! You’re not gonna hit it—just take a breath!” The target was a speck from where they stood—barely visible, let alone within reach. Felix assumed Elena was shooting blindly in a fit of rage, but he couldn’t have been more wrong.


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