Anastasia rubbed her temple in frustration.


    After dealing with Mr. Russell two nights ago and locking him up in her warehouse, Anastasia hadn’t had much sleep. Between monitoring her other targets and keeping her movements inconspicuous, she barely had time to rest. Especially now that Mr. Russell’s disappearance had made headlines, raising questions and stirring attention she couldn’t afford.


    "So what do you suggest we do now?"


    "Keep an eye on the king and queen. Recently, they’ve not left the pce to head out anywhere which is weird. It’s like they’re afraid of stepping foot outside."


    "Maybe they’re still scared of Xander’s threat," Anastasia continued. "They probably think he has someone watching them, especially since they’re still trying to figure out how he got all that information about them."


    From the looks of things especially with the royal family currently being inactive, it would be difficult to move from their bus stop at this current moment.


    "Jennifer," Anastasia heard her fake name being called. She turned to see Tracie with Xavier, and for a moment, it felt like the air had been ripped from her lungs. He looked absolutely breathtaking, and it caught her off guard how quickly she was beginning to feel drawn to him.


    But instead of his gazending on her, Xavier’s dark eyes were fixed on Julian. He was watching him with a piercing intensity, like he recognized him from somewhere.


    Julian could feel Xavier’s gaze but he stood still.


    "This is the ce where the girls stay," Anastasia interrupted the harsh eye contact challenge between the two men.


    "This ce is not bad at all," Xavier responded. "But why do I feel like I’ve seen you before?" He asked, facing Julian once again.


    "Perhaps it’s because we have met before," Julian responded.


    "But I also can’t remember where," he lied.


    Xavier tore his gaze from him to look at <i>Jennifer</i>.


    "He’s your partner?" He asked and she nodded.


    "Is there a problem?" Tracie asked, her eyes narrowing as she shot a suspicious look at Julian. She’d never fully trusted him, and the uneasy vibe he was giving off only confirmed her doubts. She hadn’t dealt with him yet because of Anastasia.


    "There’s no problem," Xavier replied after a few tense moments. The silence stretched before the tension finally dissipated.


    Anastasia quickly led Xavier inside, offering him a tour of the house. The girls were all in good condition, and everything seemed under control, so there was no immediate cause for concern.


    Outside, Tracie was alone with Julian and Alex since thetter had refused to go inside with the duo.


    "If you keep ring at me like that, your eyes might fall off before you get the chance to pick it up," he said to the ring Tracie.


    She rolled her eyes at him first before she settled on a bench protected by a shade.


    "I’m still very suspicious of you," she mumbled.


    "I’m very aware of that, and it’s understandable. But can you go easy with the threats?"


    "I can try, but I won’t promise anything. Xavier finds you familiar but can’t recall where he’d seen you before. And that alone makes me even more suspicious of you."


    Alex and Julian shared a knowing look but neither of them said anything. Tracie noticed the exchange and her eyes narrowed even more in suspicion.


    Back inside, Anastasia showed Xavier around the house. He could see the girls were starting to recover. One look at them and no one would believe they’d just escaped from the hands of sex trafficking.


    "It’s obvious some of them are trying to hide their pain but I’ve hired the best therapist I could find to help them heal," Anastasia exined.


    Xavier was a little shocked at how well she was handling things and he suddenly felt this sense of familiarity with her.


    His phone rang and he excused himself to pick it up.


    "What is it?"


    "I’m sending you some pictures now. Father and Bruce were captured together by the spies you sent to watch Father," Kace said through the phone.


    Immediately, Xavier’s phone vibrated with a message. He hung up on the call to search for the photos, and indeed, they were photos of his father with Bruce.


    "Finally, they’ve let their guard down."