Chapter 224: WE ATTACK

The static in Zaley’s earpiece crackled with a faint hum of night insects underneath the voices. Somewhere in the park, two of Arthur’s guards were leaning against their car, trading theories like they were swapping ghost stories.

Guard 1: “I swear, I heard a whoosh. Like… fast. Real fast.”

Zaley frowned, muttering under his breath, “There’s no whoosh. Whoosh is not a thing.”

Kirill, seated beside him in the van, smirked but didn’t comment.

Guard 2: “No, no, no. You’re wrong. I saw Jeremy disappear. The man has wings.”

Zaley pinched the bridge of his nose. “Wings. Of course. Jeremy’s part pigeon now.”

Kirill’s chuckle was low and dangerous. “If the story keeps going, he’ll be breathing fire next.”

The feed crackled again as a third voice joined in.

Guard 3: “I’m telling you, my cousin’s cousin saw it. Jeremy turned into smoke. Just poof, gone.”

Zaley groaned. “And now he’s a magician. Perfect.”

Kirill leaned back, clearly entertained. “By midnight, they’ll say he rode off on a unicorn.”

Guard 4: What’s your cousin’s cousin doing here?

Guard 3: He lives nearby. He watched it from his balcony.

They listened as the guards’ theories spiraled further from reality, each detail bloated by fear, ego, or sheer boredom. It was almost enough to make Zaley forget the very real danger behind the nonsense. Almost.

The conversation shifted, one of the guards dropping his voice as if it were a state secret.

“Arthur’s gone mad. Didn’t step out of his house for five days.”

Zaley exchanged a look with Kirill.

Kirill leaned back in his seat. “Public story is he’s on vacation,” he murmured. “Reality? He was house-arrested. Man couldn’t stop spewing nonsense about dead grandson.”

Zaley grinned faintly, listening to the guards stumble over more half-truths and rumors. “People really will believe anything.”

“That’s not important. If Maxson gets his phone checked and finds your little AI minion, we will be done for. Remember, Duforts are richer than you. Money is power. We can be outdone in no time.”

Zaley nodded. “Then, it’s high time we end it. Once and for all.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We attack Veyrith tonight and —,”

Kirill raised one hand, “Let me stop you there. I am not into suicides. I like my life very much. Thank you.”

“No, Kirill. I already planned with Kade.”

“Kade, huh?”

“Are you jealous?” Zaley deadpanned.

Kirill looked like he was offended. “Why would I?”

Zaley shrugged, “Anyway, Kade has prepared men. I have a plan.”

“Which is?”

“We attack.”

Kirill waited.

Zaley nodded.

Kirill frowned, “That’s it? That’s the plan?”

“Yeah. Noah is trying to contact the fourth family to get help. Before he could alert them, I say we attack them.”

“I wish I had never given my lighter to you that day,” Kirill muttered more to himself.

“Let me remind you. You have a hole the size of an apple in your shirt that day. Now you own a 3BHK —”

“We attack.” Kirill agreed.

THE PENTHOUSE

He was getting ready to go somewhere.

Somewhere dangerous.

Layla could feel it like a low hum under her skin.

The same kind of stillness that had filled the house the last time he left.

She followed him silently, her eyes tracking every deliberate movement as he strapped on holsters, loaded magazines, and slid knives into hidden sheaths.

This was new to her.

She had never seen him like this before, gearing up for a fight with quiet, lethal precision.

Back in Wayfarer, he’d carried only a fake gun and a single real knife.

That was how he’d saved her the first time by pointing a weapon that couldn’t fire, bluffing his way through danger.

A smile tugged at her lips at the memory.

It felt like a story from another lifetime.

“We’re going to hit Veyrith tonight,” he said, breaking her thoughts. His tone was calm, but his movements never paused. “Noah’s reached out to the Verricks. We have to move before they realize what’s happening. Arthur confirmed the fourth family.”

He glanced at her briefly, his voice softening just enough to be reassuring.

“Don’t worry—we’re not going in blind. We’ll strike the island, scout the terrain, see exactly what we’re dealing with in terms of those trained security men. I’ll be back by tomorrow morning. Eli will stay here with you and Lilly. Security is tighter than ever. Stay inside until I get back. I won’t be long.”

He glanced at her, and for a second, his expression softened.

His fingers caressed her cheek.

“Don’t worry—we’re not going in blind. We’ll strike the island, assess the situation, and see what kind of trained men they’re holding there. I’ll be back by morning. I won’t take long.”

She wanted to tell him not to go.

That she didn’t care about the island, the Verricks, or the fourth family.

That last time, he’d gone and left her with nothing but a stranger wearing his face.

But she also knew this was the only way to end it, so no one could take him from her again.

So she just nodded, even as her chest ached. “Come back to me this time,” she whispered.

He didn’t promise. He just looked at her for a heartbeat longer than necessary.

He caught the flicker of fear in her eyes. And in the next moment, he closed the space between them.

His hand cupped the side of her face, warm and steady, his thumb brushing her cheek. She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until he kissed her—firm, sure, tasting faintly of black coffee and something darker. The kind of kiss that anchored her in the present and pushed the danger to the edges of her mind.

His lips drifted away from hers, and Layla instinctively rose onto her tiptoes, chasing them, her eyes still closed as if she could pull him back through sheer will.

The warm air between them was broken by the sound of his soft chuckle. Her eyes snapped open, narrowing at him.

“I am happy to submit to your desires, Sprinkles,” he murmured, the grin tugging at his mouth infuriatingly smug. “But I’m afraid I don’t have enough time.”

She smacked his arm with the back of her hand. “How can you joke at a time like this?”

Zaley was still laughing, that deep, low laugh that felt like it belonged to another life entirely.

“You’ve changed a lot, Leon,” she accused, shaking her head in mock disbelief. “Leon didn’t know a single joke. And if he did make one, he’d need to hold up a sign to tell people it was a joke.”

“That’s Leon,” he agreed easily. His voice dropped a shade lower as he stepped in, closing the gap again, his arms coming around her like a cocoon that locked out the rest of the world. “This…” His lips brushed her temple. “…is Zaley.”

She tried to scoff, but her throat tightened at the warmth in his tone.

“Zaley,” he promised, holding her just a fraction tighter, “will always come back.”

Layla smiled and pulled him closer. “You better come back. Or else you have to answer my daughter.”