Chapter 99 Malder
Carlino’s POV
The house felt different when I returned. Not quieter. It felt heavier. Like something unseen had settled into the walls. Father and Lina were both gone. Not as if father stayed at home all the time, but tonight? His absence inside this house was louder than ever.
I didn’t remove the blood from my hands when I walked in. Let the men see it. Let them understand exactly what kind of night it had been.
Niel followed a step behind me, silently — he knew better than to say a word.
I didn’t stop until I reached the study. The door shut behind us with a dull click, sealing the world out. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at nothing.
Then I exhaled. Slowly.
“Kailen,” I said, more to myself than to him.
It had always been Kailen. No other man would dare to go to war against me. This wasn’t chaos. It wasn’t desperation.
It was a strategy.
“He didn’t take my father to run,” I continued, my voice low. “He took him to break me.”
Niel didn’t interrupt.
I walked around the desk, my fingers brushing against the wood before gripping the edge. “My father is the throne,” I said. “The foundation. The name. The weight behind everything. He started it.”
A pause.
“He removes him… and I become bare.”
Vulnerable.
The word tasted wrong.
My jaw tightened.
“And Lina,” I added, quieter now. “He touched what’s mine to provoke a war.”
Not a game.
A declaration.
I looked up at Niel. “He wants me to be angry.”
Niel met my gaze. “And is he wrong?”
A faint smile touched my lips. “Very.”
I straightened, the calm settling back into place like armor. “Send everyone,” I ordered.
No hesitation.
“No corner untouched. I want the entire city turned inside out.”
Niel nodded once.
“Abandoned industrial factories,” I continued. “Old estates. Warehouse districts. Underground tunnels. Ruined fortresses. Shipping docks.”
My voice sharpened.
“If it exists, we will search for it.”
“And the men?” Niel asked.
“All of them.”
He didn’t blink.
Good.
“Even if it leaves nothing behind?” he pressed.
I stepped closer, my gaze locking onto his. “Then nothing behind better pray it doesn’t need protection.”
A beat.
“Go.”
He left immediately. And just like that—
The hunt began.
\~~~
The first day passed with nothing.
Reports came in. Locations cleared. Names checked.
Nothing.
The second day was worse.
Still nothing.
Each hour tightened something in my chest, but I didn’t let it show. I didn’t break routine. Didn’t lose control. Kings don’t panic. They adapt.
But by the time the dawn crept in on the third day, the silence was beginning to speak. And I was starting to listen.
Then—
Footsteps. Fast. The study door opened without ceremony.
Niel. “There’s a sighting,” he said.
That was all I needed. “Where?” I questioned.
“Shipping container docks. East port.”
Of course.
Hidden in plain sight.
I grabbed my gun from the desk, checking it in one smooth motion before sliding it into place. “How many men?”
“Not many. It looks like a moving point. Temporary.”
Even better.
“Prepare a team,” I said. “Small. Efficient.”
Niel nodded. “Already done.”
A faint smirk pulled at my lips. “Let’s go,” I responded, I'll make sure I end this today, no more loopholes.
\~~~
The docks stretched endlessly before us.
Rows upon rows of containers stacked like a metal graveyard. Rusted edges. Faded markings. Shadows swallowing the narrow paths between them.
Perfect place to disappear. Also perfect place to die. We didn’t rush in. We never do.
Before stepping out, I laid it out clean. “Three units,” I said. “Sweep and eliminate. Quiet.”
My gaze moved between them.
“No noise unless necessary. We’re not announcing ourselves.”
Niel stepped forward slightly. “And you?”
“I go through the center.”
Of course I do.
Positions were taken within seconds.
Then we moved.
The first guard went down without a sound. A silenced shot. Clean. Precise.
The second didn’t even turn before he dropped.
One by one—
They fell.
My men moved like ghosts between the containers. Shadows swallowing shadows. Until things slightly escalated. The sounds of the gunshots were clearly audible.
I advanced through the center path, my steps measured. Eyes scanning everything. Every corner. Every opening. Every possible hiding point. Container doors — empty. Storage units — cleared.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
My jaw tightened.
“Kailen…” I muttered under my breath.
Then I saw it.
Beyond the rows of containers, just past the edge of the dock—
An old structure.
Dark.
Silent.
The abandoned industrial factory.
Of course.
I didn’t signal.
I didn't need to.
Niel was already beside me.
We moved.
The factory loomed ahead, its broken windows staring like hollow eyes. Rust clung to every surface. The air smelled like metal and decay.
Inside—
Footsteps.
Voices.
We entered.
And then—
We saw them.
Everything stilled for half a second.
Every head turned.
And my eyes found her.
Lina.
She looked… smaller. Paler. Bruises marked her face, some faded, some fresh. And there — etched into her collarbone—
A mark.
A brand. The one Kailen had given to her. It was completely healed. Her hands were tied to father's wheelchair. Something cold and sharp slid through my chest. My gaze shifted.
My father.
In his wheelchair.
His head tilted slightly, one eye swollen shut, bruises fresh across his face. Alive. But not untouched.
The rage rose.
Hot.
Violent.
But I buried it.
Because rage is a weapon—
Only when controlled.
“Kailen,” I said calmly.
He smiled. Of course he did. “Well,” he drawled. “You found me,” His tone was mocking. Casual. Like this was all a game. “You always were predictable,” he added.
I stepped forward slightly.
“Am I? And by the way, you always run,” I replied.
His smile twitched.
A small hit.
Good.
Behind him, some of his men were already dropping. Loud shots. Clean kills. My men were working.
“Second time now,” I continued. “You escape.” I tilted my head slightly. “How about you stay this time?”
His smile disappeared. There it is.
“Be a man,” I said coldly. “Finish it.”
Silence. Then—
He moved. Fast.
So did I.
We collided in the center of the factory like two forces meeting head-on.
His fist came first. I blocked. Countered. Bone met bone with a crack that echoed through the space. No restraint. No technique. Just raw, brutal power.
He drove into me, forcing me back a step. I answered with a punch that snapped his head sideways. Blood followed.
He laughed.
He actually laughed.
“Good,” he spat. “I was starting to think you’d gone soft.”
I grabbed his collar and slammed him into a rusted pillar. Metal groaned under the impact.
“Wrong thought,” I said, and drove my knee into his ribs.
He gasped—but didn’t fall.
His elbow slammed into my jaw. My head snapped slightly, but I didn’t give him the space. I drove forward again, fists landing, each one harder than the last.
We tore through the factory floor.
Crates shattered.
Metal clanged.
Blood hit concrete.
Neither of us stopped.
“You think killing me ends this?” he growled, swinging again.
“It ends you and your obsession for revenge,” I replied.
“That’s not enough.”
“It is for me.”
I caught his punch mid-swing and twisted his arm, forcing him down before slamming him into the ground. Hard.
The impact shook dust from the ceiling.
For a second—
He stayed down.
Then he laughed again.
Mad.
Broken.
And still fighting.
He kicked out, catching my leg and knocking me off balance. We rolled, fists still flying, neither giving ground.
Then—
A shot rang out.
Not aimed at him.
At me.
I saw the movement too late—
But Niel didn’t. Three shots. Precise.
Damien dropped before he could fire again, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Traitor.
Handled.
I didn’t look.
I didn't need to.
My focus stayed where it belonged.
Kailen.
I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him just enough to slam him back down again.
This time—
He didn’t get up immediately. Blood filled his mouth. His breathing turned uneven. I pulled my gun. Pressed it to his chest. And for the first time—
He looked at me without a smile.
“Any last words?” I asked.
He coughed, blood spilling from his lips. “You’re already losing,” he rasped.
I tilted my head slightly. “Doesn’t feel like it.”
A pause.
Then I pulled the trigger. The three shots echoed through the factory.
And Kailen—
He went still, completely still like a moving water. Silence followed. Heavy. Final. I stood there for a moment, staring down at the body.
Then I turned. “Get them,” I said.
My men moved immediately.
Lina.
My father.
Both safe and alive.
I exhaled slowly.
It was over.
Finally, over. I turned to leave.
One step. Then a voice, cold, painfully familiar. “The war isn’t over yet,” The voice said.
My body stilled. Slowly, I turned back. From the shadows, a figure stepped forward. Masked. Unmistakable. The same presence. The same weight. The same man from that night Lina went unconscious in his presence.
“Carlino,” he said, his voice clear. No distortion. No disguise. Real.
Recognition hit before I could stop it.
“Malder…” I muttered, disbelief threading through the word.
And just like that—
Another war inside me began again.