After a moment of silence, the first man in ck rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the box. He said, "What you''re saying might actually be true.


    "ording to the notes our ancestor left behind, if this box is opened, whatever is inside. will fly out on its own. Something that magical really could be what they''re after."


    We


    "No kidding!" the second man retorted, his voiceced with impatience. "Why else would


    go through the trouble of using the old portrait instead of opening the box for a fresh picture? If the notes are right and it flies away, we''d be left with nothing but regrets."


    He licked his lips and added, "If this actually works out, it''ll all be worth killing those six idiots in the family. That took some effort, didn''t it?"


    Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and a gust of wind swept through the room. Before the two men could even react, they copsed unconscious on the floor. When the dust settled, the only thing missing was the box on the table-everything else remained untouched.


    Naturally, Felix was behind it. From the moment he overheard part of their conversation, he knew waiting any longer would only bringplications. There was no telling what kind of buyers these two were meeting, so snatching the box before anyone else arrived was the safest move.


    Moreover, he could confirm with absolute certainty that the box contained a Dragonspine.


    Just as he exited the hotel, a sleek Bentley pulled up at the front entrance. Felix froze as the back door opened, and to his surprise, Asher stepped out. Following him was none other than Aiden, Asher''s brother.


    "Could they be the buyers?" Felix wondered, his heart racing.


    If his


    guess was correct, he had narrowly avoided a disaster. Going up against Aiden directly was a gamble he was not sure he could win-not yet, at least. Aiden''s strength was on another level, so much so that Felix could not even gauge it. Inside the same hotel suite, Asher and Aiden entered and immediately noticed something


    was wrong.


    With a sharp p across the unconscious men''s faces, Aiden brought them back to their senses. He demanded, "What happened here?"


    The two men exchanged nervous nces as they regained rity, only to realize the box was missing.


    "Damn iit!" one of them cursed. "The box is gone! Someone stole it!"


    Aiden''s expression darkened as he spun on his heel toward the door. "Useless fools," he


    muttered under his breath.


    "Aiden, what do we do?" Asher asked, following close behind with visible caution. He knew his brother''s temper was on edge.


    Aiden replied coldly, "Check the hotel''s survelliance footage and see who''s beening and going. Though I doubt we''ll find much. Whoever dared steal from me must have death wish."


    Thest Dragonspine Felix handed over had left Aiden uneasy-it felt off in ways he could not quite exin. Without a proper reference point, he could not pinpoint the issue, but this new lead had felt like a chance to get rity. Now, it was gone. Asher quickly mobilized their men and began investigating while the two brothers booked the hotel''s presidential suite to stay the night in Gray City.


    An hourter, Asher returned with an update, looking frustrated.


    "Aiden, you were right. There''s nothing to go on. The surveince footage on this floor cked out during the exact few minutes the box disappeared."


    Aiden clenched and unclenched his fists, his knuckles cracking audibly.


    "It''s exactly as I suspected," he muttered. "Those two are at the Aetherial Realm, which means whoever did this is no weakling. What''s unclear is whether it was a solo effort or the work of an organization."


    Before he could say more, a sinister voice echoed through the room.


    "Impressive! Just as expected of the heir of the Greene family, your analysis is spot on- almost entirely urate," the voice said with a chillingugh.


    Both brothers turned sharply toward the couch, where an old man had appeared out of nowhere, grinning from ear to ear. His sudden presence startled Asher.


    "Who are you?" Asher eximed, reaching for his weapon.


    However, Aiden raised a hand to stop him and said, "Rx." Then, he turned to the old man and asked, "Do you have something to share?"


    The old man''s grin widened, and he gave a slight nod. "Indeed, I do. The one who stole your box is someone you know-his name is Felix Zeller." Today''s Bonus Offer