Chapter 67: Chapter 67 Party problems III.
Right into the eyeball the knife pierced, through the lens, deeper into the iris, and deeper still until it reached its limit.
Alexander stood there, watching.
"Bring it out," he ordered. Cecilia complied, pulling the blade free. Just as intended, two eyeballs rolled out—she had used two knives, rooting them deep into her eyes. When she withdrew them, blood poured forth like a fountain.
She fell limp, dying right there on the spot. Alexander grinned, brought out a handkerchief, and cleaned his hands.
"What a hassle," he muttered, walking away.
Adrian Adrain... I wonder if you’ve fallen into the trap already.
*********
In the dark, just outside the main building of the Golden Palace, Adrian was on his way to his cabin with Greta, Gregor, Cassian, and Jake. They surrounded him, guns ready to tear down any form of attack.
Slung over his shoulders was an unconscious Daniel, slumped like a bag of rice, dangling limply with each step.
"Where are Tania and Cecilia? They should have brought Xylander’s dead body by now. Or are they still having trouble finishing him?" Adrian halted and turned back toward the palace.
He didn’t want to leave without ending the billionaire. Some scores needed to be settled, and he had a feeling those two were going to fail him.
But he couldn’t leave Daniel in the hands of these incompetent fools. Who knew what else could go wrong in his absence?
He hadn’t finished speaking when a hand reached down from above and dragged one of his crew away.
Jake turned, and together with Adrian, looked toward the noise. To their shock, one of their men—who had been guarding the rear—was gone. Vanished into midair.
"Gregor!! Gregor!! Greta, where is your brother?" Adrian demanded, feeling played.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. He drew his gun—a weapon armed to the brink.
"Eyes on the corners! Anything you see, don’t hesitate to shoot," Adrian commanded. Everyone went on high alert—except Greta, who saw it as a ridiculous process.
"Boss, what about Gregor? We can’t just leave him. I won’t sacrifice my brother," Greta declared. Adrian didn’t turn back. He smirked.
"Then die alone," he stated, cruel and clear.
They continued on, leaving Greta standing alone, crying.
"No, Boss, my brother needs our help! Let’s go back for him!" she pleaded, but Adrian kept walking until her voice faded entirely.
Jake, sensing the silence was out of character, glanced back. Not only was Greta quiet—she was gone. Cassian, too, had vanished. Now only he and Adrian remained. It was clear now—their enemies were hunting them, picking them off one by one.
"Boss, I told you. Now we’re being hunted. The whole crew is gone," Jake spoke with annoyance. If Adrian had listened to his advice, this trap might have been avoidable.
Now what was left? Where could they go from here? Daniel wasn’t leaving the premises—that much was clear.
"Please, Boss, let’s leave Daniel. This isn’t worth all our lives," Jake pleaded.
Adrian saw the gate in the distance, and for the first time, felt the inevitability of the situation. This might not work.
For once, he accepted Jake was right—but in his mind, he still wouldn’t give in so easily.
"So what, we give up? We Ravens aren’t known for giving up. We fight for what we want. So, Jake Anderson, I’m going to fight till death." As he spoke, two figures emerged from the shadows.
One, Adrian recognized from afar—the man who had opened the gate for him, his spy inside the Golden Palace.
"Here you are. You came at the right time. Open the gate for us," Adrian commanded. But the man just stood there, his eyes fixed on the other figure, who remained shrouded in darkness.
All Adrian could see was blonde hair—the face obscured by shadow.
"Stop right there and drop your weapons." At the command, a wave of pheromonal destruction crashed over them. Their faces twitched as they fought the mental intrusion.
Adrian, an Alpha himself, couldn’t believe it.
"Someone’s controlling him? An Alpha?" He tried to defend with his own pheromones, but it was useless.
The pressure only grew heavier. He fell to the floor, screaming.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaa—!" Adrian clutched his head. Jake was on the ground too, but Adrian’s pain was far worse—he was fighting the control, defying it.
"Now that’s more like it. You look better on the ground—less cocky, less confident." Alexander’s voice echoed as he appeared before them.
Adrian looked up. Seeing his most wanted enemy, he tried to rise—to rip the man’s head from his body—but it was impossible. He slumped back down, screaming.
"My head—it’s going to explode!"
He was a master of pain, but this wasn’t physical agony—it was psychological breakdown, something Alexander wielded with cruel precision.
"Better stay right there, and you’ll be fine," Alex smiled, watching as Adrian finally fell quiet.
For the first time, Adrian had met someone higher, more powerful than himself.
"You’re... an Enigma," Adrian stuttered, holding his sore neck, struggling to breathe or speak.
So Alex was this—and he had pretended to be under his control all along. What more could he do?
"Yes, I am an Enigma. Probably the last of my kind. We’re rare—most of us have gone extinct. But that’s a story for another day." He shook his head and approached the two slouched figures.
Birds of the same feather, caught trying to run away with the boss’s groom. If stupidity needed a definition, this was it.
"So you really thought you had a chance? That you could leave here unscathed?" Alexander mocked, his laughter cold and profound. He dipped a hand into his pocket and retrieved a small container.
With a syringe, he drew a clear liquid. The two men gasped.
"Shut up. Don’t utter a word—not even a whisper," he warned, before injecting the liquid violently into their necks. They passed out instantly.
Satisfied, he moved away.
He stopped where Daniel lay on the bare floor, scooped him up in a bridal style, and dialed a number.
"Come to the gate now. Carry these unfortunate souls to the dark cell. No water, no food—until the groom awakes. He will decide their punishment."
He ended the call and strode away, protectively carrying Daniel.
Daniel Lancaster, you’re safe now. I won’t let any harm come to you ever again.
"Xylander loves you... and so does someone special."