Chapter 296.


    Chapter <b>296 </b>


    Olivia


    <b>“</b>Olivia! Where are you going? Can’t you hear the gunshots outside?” Marcus’s voice was frantic,ced with desperation as it cut through the tense silence that had gripped the house. I didn’t have time to stop. I didn’t have time to exin. I was already halfway to the door, driven by a single thought, Samuel. My <b>son</b>. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I could feel it reverberating in my throat.


    1 nced at Marcus over my shoulder, barely registering his words. “Samuel is out there,” I muttered, though I wasn’t sure if I was speaking to him or to myself. The words felt empty, hollow, like an echo of the dread that <b>had </b><b>taken </b>root in my bones.


    His eyes widened in shock as realization hit him. He took step forward as if to stop me, but I didn’t have time to wait. My legs were already carrying me toward the front door. I reached for the handle, my hand trembling, and pushed the door open.


    What greeted me outside made my blood run cold. It was worse than anything I had ever seen. Worse than the worst scene from any movie. It was <b>the </b>aftermath of something I couldn’tprehend. It was like stepping into a war documentary, one that captured the raw brutality of conflict, but with the horrifying difference that the war was not over, it <b>was </b>still happening.


    Istaggered back, my breath catching in my throat as I looked out at the chaos unfolding before me. The front yard was littered with bodies, men, bloodied and broken<b>, </b>scattered across the ground in every direction. The stench of death filled the air, thick and suffocating. The world outside my front door had be a battleground. But the worst part? The war wasn’t over. It was still <b>ongoing</b>.


    I scanned the area, my eyes darting frantically over the scene, desperately searching for any sign of Samuel. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my heart raced with the unbearable weight of my fear. But all that greeted me were the dead.


    Bodies in various stages of lifelessness, sprawled across the ground in grotesque, unnatural positions. I recognized some of them. The men in all ck, Xander’s men. Their cold, unfeeling eyes now staring into nothing. <b>And </b>then there were Marcus’s and Luke’s men, their uniforms slightly different, but no less grim in their finality.


    I wanted to scream, wanted to cry out for Samuel, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t let fear consume me. I had to find him. I had to make sure he was okay.


    My mind raced. I couldn’t understand how many men Xander had sent. How had he managed to orchestrate such a brutal attack? Had he known that his n on the ind would fail and devised a contingency n, a backup strategy to guarantee his victory here? How far had he gone to ensure his sess?


    The questions tumbled in my mind, each one more disturbing than thest. But I couldn’t waste time thinking about that. Not now. I had to find Samuel.


    I moved quickly, my feet barely touching the ground as I crossed the threshold of the house, stepping out onto the blood–soaked earth that had once been a safe haven. My breath wasing in shallow bursts, and my stomach churned with the gnawing sensation of panic. Every second felt like an eternity. Where was he?


    I scanned the bodies, trying to make sense of the chaos around me. My eyes locked on the small figures lying among the men, the smaller bodies tangled in a way that sent an icy shiver through my veins. Ithought I saw something, a sh of a small hand, a flicker of movement, but it was just a shadow, a trick of the light.


    Where was my son?


    F


    Samuel, please be okay. Please be safe.


    +25 BONGS


    took another step forward, every movement more oment, but the ringing in my ears didn’t. The silence


    My <b>heart </b>felt like It was going to burst. My legs wobbled as desperate than thest. The gunshots had stopped for the <b>was </b>just as deafening as the sound of the firing guns had been.


    Charter 297


    Chapter <b>297 </b>


    And <b>then</b>, just when I thought I was losing <b>my </b>mind, I hear a volce. It came from behind me, faint but clear, cutting through the chaos.


    “<b>Mail </b><b>We </b>are here.


    I whipped around, my heart leaping into my throat. There, partially hidden behind arge flowerpot near the entrance, I saw the guard, James. His face was ashen, his eyes wide with concern. I could barely <b>focus </b>on him, though. My gaze shifted immediately to the small figure standing beside him.


    And there, finally, was Samuel.


    I could hardly believe it at first. My legs almost gave out bebeath me as I rushed toward him, my heart swelling with relief. Samuel was standing there, his wide eyes filled with confusion and fear, but he was alive. He was alive. My son was alive.


    “Samuel!” I cried, my voice cracking with emotion as I reached him. I dropped to my knees, pulling him into my arms. He stiffened for a moment, then clung to me, his little arms wrapping around my neck as if he never wanted to let go<b>. </b>


    I held him tightly, feeling his <b>small </b>body trembling against mine, and I whispered soothing words into his ear, anything to calm him. “You are <b>okay</b>, <b>baby</b>. Youa re safe. I’m here.”


    By the time I had gathered myself, Marcus was there, his footsteps heavy on the ground as he approached us. He looked at Samuel, then back at me, his expression a mix of relief and concern.


    “We need to go inside. It’s not safe out here<b>,</b>” Marcus said, his voice low and steady despite the chaos around us.


    I nodded, still holding Samuel tightly. He didn’t let go of me either, his small face buried in my shoulder. Marcus moved quickly, guiding us back toward the house. I followed him, my legs feeling like lead, my heart still racing in


    chest. The house, which had once been a ce offort and safety, now felt like a prison. But it was


    all we had.


    my


    As we reached the door, Marcus turned to face me. His eyes were grim, the weight of everything that had happened hanging over him like a dark cloud. “Go upstairs and stay there<b>,</b>” he instructed firmly. “Don’te down until I say it’s safe.”


    I wanted to argue, <b>wanted </b>to tell him that I couldn’t just stay hidden away while all this violence unfolded around. me, but I knew he was right. There was nothing more I could do out here. Not now.


    I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. “I will stay with him.”


    Marcus didn’t say anything more. He gave me a brief <b>nod</b><b>, </b>then moved quickly back outside, disappearing into the chaos. I watched him go, my mind still racing. I could feel the weight of the world pressing down on me as I slowly ascended the stairs with Samuel still in my arms.


    Once we reached the safety of the upstairs, I gently set Samuel down on the bed and pulled the covers over him. He was exhausted, his little eyes already fluttering closed, the trauma of what he had witnessed today weighing <b>heavily </b>on <b>him</b>.


    -I stayed by his side, my hand resting gently on his small back as I watched over him.


    But in the silence of the room, my mind couldn’t rest. I couldn’t shake the images of the bodies outside, the fear <b>that </b>Xander might still be out there, lurking in the shadows waiting for the next move.


    And I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this was only the beginning. The calm before the storm.