Avery''s eyes fixed on the little red dot that marked their target. "Mr. Schultz, the signal''s somewhere nearby."


    No sooner had the words left his mouth than a convoy of cars pulled up behind them. Bodyguards spilled out in synchronized motion. The sheer number of people showing up was intimidating. Xander, his voice cold as ice, uttered a single word, "Search."


    His gaze, intentional or not, swept briefly toward where Ste was hiding. Those eyes, though typically nonchnt, were chilling enough to send a shiver down her spine. Ste was desperate to call Ronald, to warn him not toe, fearing that he wouldn''t have enough backup.


    "Quickly,b the area thoroughly," Shawn barked, orchestrating the team.


    The group dispersed swiftly, with several heading down the path and three or four making a beeline toward her hiding spot.


    Ste gritted her teeth, cursing Xander''s treachery. If he could betray his own friends, there was nothing he wouldn''t do.


    Just as she was about to pull out her phone to call Ronald, a blinding light beamed from another direction, forcing her to turn her head away instinctively.


    Xander and Ronald hade face to face. In that tense moment, Ste feared they''d start shooting right away, but Ronald''s car rolled to a stop, and he stepped out. Xander leaned nonchntly against the hood of his car.


    Ronald narrowed his eyes, pulling out a gun and firing a shot that whizzed past Xander''s ear.


    In the deafening silence that followed, Xander swore he could hear the strands of his hair being sliced off.


    Shawn sucked in a sharp breath and rushed to check on Xander.


    Hidden in the bushes, Ste''s heart skipped a beat.


    Yet Xander remained as unmoved as ever, a sardonic smile ying on his lips as he eyed Ronald.


    "Wow, after all these years chasing me around the world, you''ve got quite the temper now, huh?"


    Ronald''s gaze was nothing short of lethal. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number Ste had called him from.


    The ring echoed from the nearby trees, snapping Ste out of her shock. She sprang up, her head popping out from the foliage.


    Both Ronald and Xander turned toward her, and she bolted toward Ronald as if her life depended on it.


    Shawn watched her nimble escape, unable to suppress a twitch at the corner of his mouth. After running all night, how was this girl still on her feet?


    Ronald tossed his phone to Idris behind him and caught Ste in a single, strong embrace.


    As their familiar scents mingled, Ste finally felt a wave of relief wash over her.


    "Ronald, I was so scared," she choked out, her voice trembling.


    Seeing Xander had terrified her,


    fearing he''d take her somewhere et


    Ronald could never reach. She dreaded the thought of another endless separation...


    Ronald, hearing the distress in her voice, tightened his arms around Ste''s slender frame, his gaze hardening as it fell on Xander.


    He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Let''s go home."


    "Yeah," she nodded.


    Ronald lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.


    From his perch against the other car, Xander watched their tender exchange, his cold smile turning even frostier.


    Just as Ronald turned to leave with Ste in his arms, Xander spoke up. "She''s my fiancée, Mr. Quinn. Where do you think you''re taking her?"


    In Ferrond, everyone called


    Ronald Mr. Quinn, but Xander used


    to call him Bro Ronald. Now, that


    "Mr. Quinn" only highlighted the gulf that had grown between them.


    en


    "Your father and mine arranged this long ago, a pact between elders..."


    Bang!


    The gunshot cracked through the night air before Xander could finish.


    Without turning around, Ronald fired with precise aim.


    Xander barely dodged in time, the shot a hair''s breadth from hitting its mark.


    He staggered back, his teeth clenched, ring at Ronald with a mix of fury and disbelief.


    Ronald, unfazed, kept walking, Ste held firmly in his arms.


    The message was clear: Ronald would kill him if he had to.


    Ronald''s voice was steady, "It''s rare to hear you call him father. After everything that''s happened, I


    thought you''d renounced, z


    family altogether."


    Shawn''s breath hitched. He stared at Ronald''s back in shock. Could it be that Ronald already knew?


    If he did, it would exin the relentless pursuit of Xander for the past two years.