"I hear you loud and clear," he replied, exhaling deeply as he leaned back against the bench. "If there’s one person I’m relieved to be rid of these past few days, it’s Tracie. Finally, some peace—feels like a weight’s been lifted off my neck."


    The image of Tracie’s face appeared in Julian’s mind and his mood instantly went sour. He didn’t despise her, but she was always hanging around because she thought he was going to harm Anastasia in one way or the other. After all, he still hadn’t revealed the main reason he’d helped escape from Xander’s clutches.


    Not having her around made him breathe fresh air. She was a menace.


    "But you know, she kind of reminds me of Isabe," Alex added. Isabe was Julian’s dead wife. "She was just as tough as her, fighting like a mother hen ready to protect her chicks."


    "Don’tpare Tracie and Isabe together. Tracie is a loose screwpared to Isabe," Julian replied.


    Isabe was barely mentioned in a conversation with Alex, but whenever she was, Julian would regret ever having that conversation in the first ce because she was all he could think of.


    After he and Isabe had married, she found out about this source of ie and wasn’tfortable with it. Instead of leaving him like every other woman should have done in her position, she decided to try to convince him to quit. Julian had to give it several thoughts and tried considering it since he loved the woman, and truly, he wanted to stop.


    He wanted to quit living the life of misery he thought he enjoyed by selling women.


    The day he was going to meet Xander to inform him he was going to quit, he received a phone call that his wife had gotten into a car ident. The truck that crushed her car made sure not to leave anything behind.


    Julian was suspicious at first, wondering if the ident was real or nned, only for him to find out that the truck driver had been heavily drunk.


    Julian was devastated, and after that, he wasn’t sure of the right decisions to make anymore. To top it all off, Isabe had been pregnant with their second child when she died. That day, he lost two people all at once.


    She’d wanted him to quit so that they could live a peaceful life, but she’d died. Every day, Julian lived with the guilt that maybe it was his fault she was dead. This was why when he saw Anastasia, he suddenly felt like helping for the first time. He felt the urge to try to do the right thing once again. And he did.


    "You look deep in thoughts once again," Alexmented.


    "I was thinking about Isabe," he replied genuinely and Alex hummed in understanding.


    "You’re still thinking her death was nned?" He asked. "Who could have done such a thing? I mean, there’s a chance but there’s no clue or evidence to start investigating from anywhere that can help us find anything out."


    "You’re right," he replied.


    **


    Samantha, Xander, together with Julian, and Anastasia arrived in Regalith to take a look at the property and have some talk with the king and queen. Anastasia wasn’t there to have any talk with the king and queen. All she wanted to do was have a chance with Desmond and try speaking with Izara once again.


    However, Anastasia couldn’t take her eyes off Xander and Samantha. They seemed oddly closer with each other although there was still that tension lingering between them.


    Anastasia shared a look with Julian and thetter seemed to have noticed it too.


    "This ce is looking beautiful day by day," Xandermented.


    "It wouldn’t be long before the project isplete," Samantha added.


    They saw the king and queen walking towards them with big smiles on their lips as if they were excited to have them around.


    "Pleasee to the pce. My servants have prepared some snacks for our lovely guests," the king said with a generous smile.


    Everyone followed them back to the pce. They weren’t scared if they were going to be poisoned because the royal family wouldn’t dare do that, at least not yet.


    However, something shing caught Anastasia’s attention. She looked up at a building. It wasn’t too far off, but she recognized the person.


    It was Xavier, and he was with a weapon.


    Anastasia’s heart plummeted when she realized the sniper in Xavier’s hands was aimed directly at Xander. He was going to shoot him.


    At first, she was stunned—why was Xavier in Regalith at all? And more importantly, why was he trying to kill his own brother? This wasn’t part of the n. Eliminating Xander wasn’t supposed to happen—at least, not yet.


    Anastasia held her breath, waiting for the inevitable gunshot—but it never came. Xavier kept the sniper trained on Xander as he walked into the pce, yet his finger never pulled the trigger.


    Then, as if sensing her gaze, he looked directly at her. Their eyes met, and to her utter confusion, he smiled. It wasn’t a warm or reassuring smile—it was tight, controlled, masking something far darker beneath the surface.


    And in that moment, Anastasia knew—Xavier was furious. But at what, she couldn’t yet tell.


    Anastasia followed them towards the dining room where several foods had beenid out for them.


    "Please take a seat," said the king. Everyone took a seat. He noticed no one made any attempt to touch the food. "And please, don’t worry, I didn’t poison the food if that’s what you’re thinking," he said.


    Everyone around the table stared at him but not a soul believed him.


    "We would like some food testers toe and taste it since it’s not poisonous," Xander said.


    The king shared a look with his wife before she gave a subtle nod. She called out a servant who was standing nearby in case they needed anything, and ordered her to taste the food from each te with a different spoon.


    Anastasia didn’t care about the food tester at all. Both Desmond and Izara weren’t sitting at the table and she didn’t know where they could be. She needed to speak with both of them and now that they weren’t sitting on the table, she had no idea where she was going to find them.


    She couldn’t leave the table and go searching for them—that would make the royal couple suspicious of her and that was thest thing she needed. She wondered if she should excuse herself to use the restroom and go searching for them from there.


    Some time passed and the food tester didn’t have any reactions which gave them the go signal to go ahead and eat.


    "I came today to ask how you n to announce the call for volunteers for our program," Xander said, his toneposed but expectant.


    "The surrogacy program?" The king’s expression remained neutral, but Anastasia noticed the subtle tension in his jaw. "You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve already arranged for an event where it will be formally announced." Under the table, his fist clenched, a small but telling gesture.


    Anastasia barely heard the rest of the conversation. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Izara descending the grand staircase. Her presence pulled Anastasia’s attention like a ma.


    She knew she needed to talk to her. Now.


    Quickly, she straightened in her seat and spoke up. "Excuse me, but where’s the restroom?"