Chapter 141

Chapter 141

Damien brought Mona back to Crescent City. This time, his calling card was accepted without issue, and he finally got a meeting with Domingo.

Since Damien refused to take the secret medicine, the two agreed to meet at a café outside the city.

Inside a private room at the café, they sat across from each other. Damien brewed the coffee himself, moving at an easy, unhurried pace.

"Domingo, since you're a friend of Judy's and you're the one who sent Verity to New York, I'd say we already have some history between us." Damien poured the coffee into a cup, wisps of steam curling upward.

"So I'll get straight to the point — I need Wraith Grass. Whatever conditions Mayor Cooley has, just name them."

Damien gently slid the warm cup across the table to Domingo, his eyes steady and sincere.

"I can give you the Wraith Grass." Domingo's face was unreadable, his voice flat. "But you have to bring Judy back from Celestial Temple — in one piece." With that, he pushed the cup aside without hesitation.

Damien raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that kind of demand. Then again, even without being asked, he'd already planned on finding a way to get Judy out.

"Deal." Damien lifted his own cup and toasted him.

Only then did Domingo pick his cup back up and take a small sip. A flicker of satisfaction crossed his eyes.

After working out a few details, Domingo stood up and took his leave. He never liked dragging things out — get it done and go, that was his way.

Mona walked over from the corner and sat down, a playful look in her eyes. "That man has feelings for the woman named Judy. When her name came up just now, I caught something soft in his eyes."

"You're pretty sharp." Damien set down his cup. "Stay here for now. I've got things to take care of."

With that, he stood and left. Ironclaw fell into step behind him immediately.

"Find out if Judy is still at Celestial Temple," Damien said as he walked.

"Yes, sir!" Ironclaw acknowledged and moved to carry out the order.

At that very moment, the Judy they were discussing was riding hard toward Crescent City with a group from Celestial Temple.

Judy was anxious and desperate to find some way to stall and tip off Domingo, but no opportunity came. White didn't fully trust her — the people sent along were as much watchdogs as they were assistants.

They arrived at Harbor District before long and moved into a secret safe house Bavich had set up earlier. Judy's movements remained tightly restricted. They wouldn't even let her go out alone. For now, she had no choice but to stay put.

Word came back from Ironclaw quickly — Judy was already in Harbor District.

"Well, that saves me the trouble of looking," Damien said, a slow smile forming, eyes sharp with intent.

Late that night, Damien moved alone, slipping silently into Judy's room.

Judy had been on edge for days. She sensed Damien the moment he appeared, and the two nearly came to blows before Damien spoke up just in time.

"What are you doing here?" Judy was startled, but beneath the surprise, a flash of undeniable joy crossed her face.

"Came to thank you, of course. I know everything you did with Shannon." Damien looked her over carefully. It had been a while, and she'd lost weight — noticeably. Something in him ached at the sight.

"Never mind all that — let's get you out of here." Damien grabbed Judy's hand to go, but she pulled free with force.

"I can't leave!" Judy shook her head, pain bleeding into her voice. "My mother is still in White's hands. And we're on opposite sides now."

She managed a smile for Damien, but it was hollow and bitter — the kind that hurt more than no smile at all.

With Judy's mother in the picture, Damien couldn't push. And this wasn't a place to linger.

"I understand." He held her gaze for a long moment. "Reach out if you need anything. What I said still stands."

Then he stepped to the window and dropped out, slipping away the same way he'd come in, without disturbing a soul.

Judy stood in her room, staring at nothing, his words echoing in her head for a long time after.

Damien had come back empty-handed, and Domingo needed to know. It wasn't that he'd gone back on his word — Judy had her reasons, and he chose to respect them.

He let out a quiet sigh. Looks like the Wraith Grass auction would have to be the next move.

When Domingo heard, he was disappointed — but he kept his word. He had someone deliver the Wraith Grass to Damien in person.

"Our mayor sends this as promised," the messenger said, holding out an elegant wooden box with calm dignity. "If Crescent City should ever need assistance in the future, the mayor hopes Mr. Shaw will be willing to lend a hand."

Damien glanced at Ironclaw, who stepped forward and took the box.

"Tell your mayor I give him my word," Damien said, his voice firm and clear.

The messenger bowed and left.

But back in Crescent City, something was already exploding.

The city's patrol robots were under attack. Domingo rushed to the scene the moment he got word — and stopped cold. Judy was leading Monty through a hidden side entrance into Crescent City, cutting through with force.

An attack this large shouldn't have caught him off guard. Yet he only found out once Judy and her people were already inside the city, trading blows with the patrol robots.

What did that mean? Domingo didn't want to think about it. He just felt like something had been ripped out of his chest.

Both sides paused and faced off. Monty looked back and forth between Domingo and Judy with obvious amusement, like he was watching a show.

"Are you going to come at me?" Domingo spoke first, a hidden ache in his voice. "Because I don't want to hurt you."

Judy drew a slow breath, fighting to keep a surge of tangled emotions under control. "If you agree to join Celestial Temple, we'll leave Crescent City alone."

"Join Celestial Temple? Not a chance." Domingo laughed, cold and furious, his whole presence suddenly sharp and dangerous.

"Then there's nothing more to say." Monty smiled and released a swarm of poisonous insects that flooded toward Domingo like a wave.

Domingo's expression hardened. He flung out a scattering of medicinal powder to counter. Crescent City's pharmaceutical arts were second to none — the insects shriveled and died the instant they touched it.

But Domingo had come in a hurry and didn't have much powder left. He could only fight while falling back, looking for an opening against Monty.

Monty had wised up. He stayed back out of sight, directing the swarm from a distance, and the innocent people of Crescent City were caught in the middle.

Domingo watched his people suffer and could do nothing — the insects had completely surrounded him.

Judy watched the carnage from a distance, frozen where she stood, wanting to step in but not daring to move.

Then Damien dropped from the sky.

He plunged into the swarm, pulled Domingo out, and got him back to Lord's Manor fast.

"Let go of me! My people are still out there — let me go!" Domingo fought against him, his lips already turning purple. He'd been poisoned.

Damien moved fast and pushed an antidote pill into his mouth. "Charging back in blind is just dying. There are too many insects — Crescent City can't hold out like this, and your powder won't last forever."

"Then what do we do?!" Domingo's eyes were red with desperation.

"Fire." Damien said it flatly. "Your robots — where are they? This is exactly what they're for."

That cut through. Domingo's head cleared, and his thinking sharpened. He immediately rallied his people and sent every combat robot in Crescent City out, unleashing fire across the swarms.

Judy watched the insects writhing and dying in the flames. Quietly, she let out a breath of relief.

"We're taking too many losses. We've made our point. Let's pull back." She pressed Monty urgently.

Monty watched wave after wave of his precious insects burn. It killed him — but he gritted his teeth and gave the order to withdraw.

"Why didn't you say anything back there?" Monty asked on the way back. "That mayor — it was obvious he has feelings for you."

Judy's expression locked up instantly. Lucky for her, she was already looking out the car window. Monty couldn't see her face.