?Chapter 997:


    He pulled out a handkerchief, gently took her hand, and wiped the blood from her skin.


    Elena said nothing, studying his face in silence. Questions circled in her mind. How did he find her? How long had he been waiting? Had he seen everything?


    Wesley didn’t flinch or let any emotion show. After tossing aside the stained handkerchief, he pulled out a small box of pastries. “Still in the mood for something sweet?”


    He remained so unfazed that it was as if Elena had merely stepped out for some fresh air instead of dismantling an entire organ trafficking operation. He didn’t ask for an exnation, and Elena had no ns to offer one. She had only brought up dessert earlier as an excuse to get rid of him, but now, after everything, she was genuinely hungry. Letting her guard down a bit, she gave him azy nod. “Sure.”


    Without another word, Wesley handed her the dessert.


    A quick look over Wesley’s shoulder was all it took for Arion to pick up on his unspoken cue.


    Moving with effortless precision, Arion spread the incendiary powder in a wide arc. One snap of his lighter, and fire roared to life.


    Neither Elena nor Wesley reacted as the fire swallowed the whole ce, both of them calm in the flickering light.


    Elena took a bite of the pastry, chewing slowly. Wesley’s eyes dropped to her face, their usual coolness reced by a gentleness that surfaced only for her. Having been back in the for a while, Arion wasn’t surprised to see how close Elena and Wesley were. Wesley waspletely smitten with her.


    As Arion observed the fire devour thest traces of the organ traffickers’ ring, a quiet respect welled up inside him for Elena’s nerve and skill. Together, Elena and…


    Wesley and Elena were a perfect couple—she handled the dirty work, and he erased every trace. Neither of them flinched.


    mes wed at the sky in the distance, and N’s chest tightened with a creeping sense of dread. By the time she reached the organization’s base, the reality struck—fire had engulfed the entire ce.


    Color drained from her face. Hands trembling, she pulled out her phone and dialed Wyatt’s number. It rang once. Then again. Still, no one picked up.


    The best stories are at g?lnσν????s???????


    Questions raced through her mind. What on earth had happened? Why was the ce on fire? Where had everyone gone? Why wasn’t Wyatt answering her calls? And why wasn’t anyone doing a thing about the ze?


    One call turned into six, N’s desperation mounting with each failed attempt. Not daring to be seen, she melted into the shadows, hidden behind a parked van while firefighters worked in silence to contain the inferno.


    The organization’s base was gone. Wyatt had vanished. N didn’t wait around to tempt fate. With her heart pounding, she slipped away unnoticed.


    Elsewhere, on the second floor of a coffee shop, Elena and Wesley sipped their coffee with ease.


    Just then, Arion stepped forward. “We couldn’t trace the forces behind the organ trafficking operations, but they’re tied to Avalona.”


    Elena’s eyes narrowed. “Of all ces, Avalona again?” she muttered. This thread kept pulling her back to the same name, and she didn’t like it.


    Back at the base, Ellis walked Charlette to the front door of the estate. “This is it,” he said, his voice cool and distant. “I’m heading out.”


    Instead of letting him go, Charlette reached for his sleeve, her grip light but insistent. “Having second thoughts?”


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