"Stay out of my way," Xavier warned, his voice cold, final. Then he was gone, storming out of the house with a mission clear in his mind.


    He was going to find Anastasia.


    And anyone who stood in his way was going to die.


    Xavier had arrived at his mansion and found several of his security guards’ bodies lying bloodily on the ground. The scene was gruesome, leaving a mark on what his father was capable of doing.


    Xavier clenched his fist, his blood boiling in rage as he went into the mansion, already on the phone to Kace toe over with some men from the hideout to clean up the mess before the police caught a whiff of the murder. He wasn’t going to entertain them with some statement of when he saw when they couldn’t even handle taking a middle-aged man to jail.


    Xavier pulled out hisputer and started tracking. He’d made a mistake before that caused him to be separated from her for over a year—he didn’t nt any tracking device on her. But this time, he’d been prepared.


    He’d nted a tracking device in her earrings he’d gifted to her one time. She’d been wearing them when he left for work and could only hope it was still on her.


    After a few minutes, a smirk graced Xavier’s lips when he spotted her location on the screen. The van was still moving, but he’d gotten a lead.


    Immediately, he prepared to rescue his woman.


    Anastasia’s head throbbed, her vision blurring as she forced her eyes open.


    The room was dimly lit, the scent of dust and damp wood heavy in the air. A faint hum of fluorescent lights buzzed somewhere above her.


    She was tied to a chair.


    How... predictable.


    Her head lolled slightly, blinking through the pain as she took in her surroundings. The warehouse was abandoned, but she wasn’t alone.


    Mr. Wace sat in front of her, legs crossed, a sickeningly smug smile ying on his lips.


    Bruce stood beside him, arms folded, his gaze unreadable.


    "Awake already?" Mr. Wace mused. "I thought you’d stay unconscious a little longer."


    Anastasia exhaled sharply. "Sorry to disappoint."


    Mr. Wace chuckled, but there was no warmth in it. "You’ve been quite the little nuisance, haven’t you? I have to admit, I never imagined you’d still be alive. And yet, here you are."


    Anastasia flexed her fingers subtly, testing the tightness of the ropes. They were firm. Good.


    "What do you want?" she asked, her tone uninterested.


    "Oh, nothing much." Mr. Wace leaned forward, his voice lowering. "Just to make sure you stay dead this time."


    Anastasia didn’t flinch. "You’ll have to try harder thanst time."


    Mr. Wace’s eyes darkened. "Oh, I intend to."


    Bruce, who had remained silent this whole time, suddenly scoffed. "So, what now? You kill her and then what? You think Xavier isn’t alreadying for her?"


    Mr. Wace smirked. "That’s the n."


    Anastasia’s stomach twisted, but she kept her expression neutral.


    They weren’t just using her as bait.


    They were nning to end this once and for all.


    She just had to make sure she was the one who walked out of there alive.


    And if she yed her cards right, maybe—just maybe—she’d take them both down with her.


    "What did I ever do to you?" She questioned. It’s been a question she’d been meaning to ask.


    The first time they met, he’d been <i>normal</i>, not the deranged psychopathic old-timer in front of her now.


    "Oh, you? You didn’t do anything to me at all," he said, making her frown in confusion. "Your father..." He slurred as if bitterness that greeted his tongue as soon as he mentioned that name. "That man stole the woman of my dreams."


    Confusion clouded Anastasia’s face even more, not sure if she understood what Mr Wace was saying.


    "I’m sure you’re going to tell her your nonsense story. I’m heading outside to get some fresh air. Also, be prepared when Xavieres for her," said Bruce, excusing himself.


    "So where should I start from? From how your father stole the woman I loved? He stole Nora from me!" He bellowed.


    Anastasia thought only young people experienced love triangles but not old people such as Mr Wace. Even though she didn’t know her parents had a love triangle in the past, she couldn’t imagine her mother being together with Mr Wace. That image made her subconsciously cringe.


    "In college, Jeffrey and I were friends. Best of friends. I told him how much I loved Nora and wanted to make her my woman and your useless father went behind my back and stole her from me," he said through gritted teeth and gnashed teeth.


    "It’s not <i>stealing </i>if she willingly went to him." Anastasia could see the love her parents had for each other through their actions. "She loved him and probably didn’t have any single feelings towards you. I don’t me her. Who would love a psychopathic maniac like yourself?!"