Chapter 24
Chapter 24
“Sis… I want to live with you.”
C
Aliana jolted awake, breathing hard. Her forehead was damp, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her eyes flew open, staring at the dim ceiling of the hotel room. The curtains were still drawn tight, with only a faint glow from the city reflecting on the wall.
She remained still for several seconds. She had just dreamt of Alicia. Her sister’s face appeared pale and bruised, whispering to her, asking her to come.
“Come and take me,” Alicia’s words echoed again in her mind.
Aliana sat up quickly on the edge of the bed, wincing from the pain in her shoulder. Her left hand pressed against the bandage, while her right clenched into a fist on her thigh.
“Stupid,” Aliana muttered softly. “Why did I fall asleep…”
She rubbed her temples in frustration. Time was far too precious to waste sleeping. Aliana glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was already past 7 PM. She should’ve been home and already moving to investigate Andrian.
The hotel door creaked open, snapping her out of her thoughts. Rafe entered, carrying several shopping bags in his hands.
“You’re not sleeping?” he asked as he stepped inside, noting the tension on Aliana’s face.
“I just woke up,” Aliana replied quickly, then glanced at the clock. “Too long.”
Rafe grimaced. “Sorry… turns out shopping for women’s clothes is harder than I thought.”
Aliana nodded and sat back on the edge of the bed as she accepted the bags. She opened one and checked the navy blue dress—just as she had requested.
Rafe observed her face for a few seconds. “Did you have a bad dream?”
Aliana didn’t answer. She simply ran her fingers through her messy hair.
“I need to go home.”
Rafe said nothing, but his expression shifted. He knew Aliana tried hard not to mention her sister’s name–unless she was pushed to the edge of sorrow.
“I’ll wait outside,” Rafe said, stepping back and leaving the room.
Silence returned.
Aliana stood in front of the mirror. Her face had started to regain its color, but her eyes still looked heavy. She stared at her reflection for a few moments. Wordless.
“Alicia…” she whispered. The name barely escaped her lips.
She couldn’t afford to waste more time. The dream wasn’t just imagination–it was a subconscious push she couldn’t ignore.
Aliana stepped into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and splashed her face. As the cold water touched her skin, her mind sharpened again. She couldn’t let her guard down. Andrian knew Nyx’s identity. Julian was still free. And Kestrel would surely strike
back.
Aliana dried her face, put on the navy blue dress, and looked once more into the mirror.
“I need to find out why Andrian is hunting Nyx.”
Aliana arrived at the front yard of the Velor family mansion. The black car that brought her rolled to a stop on the gravel path, right in front of the main staircase. She opened the door calmly and stepped out, carrying a few shopping bags from a high–end boutique. Her expression was serene–no hint of anxiety or pain.
The dark blue dress she wore fell elegantly, perfectly framing her figure. Not a single wound was visible on her skin. Her arms and shoulders looked smooth, touched only by the soft sheen of fine fabric.
As Aliana stepped toward the front stairs, footsteps echoed from the right side of the garden. Andrian appeared from the garage, having
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Chapter 24
just exited his own car. He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a black watch on his wrist, and his sharp gaze locked directly on Aliana.
They both paused. A few seconds of silence hung between them.
“You just got back?” Andrian asked, walking closer. His tone was flat, but his eyes scanned her–from head to her right shoulder.
Aliana offered a soft, calm smile. She raised the shopping bags slightly.
“I just came back from Langston boutique. There was a sale. Would’ve been a waste to miss it.”
Andrian stopped just a meter away from her. His gaze lingered on the slightly exposed area of her right shoulder. He frowned.
“You went alone?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I don’t need an entourage just to shop,” Aliana replied lightly.
Andrian paused. He needed to check something–not the shopping, but the wound. Yet from Aliana’s appearance, he saw no trace of injury.
Aliana knew she was being watched but remained composed–like a wife returning from a routine outing, not someone who had been An a firefight, even against her own husband.
Andrian stepped closer to Aliana. His hand lifted slightly, hesitating, then stopped above her right shoulder.
Aliana glanced sharply. “What are you doing?”
Andrian didn’t respond. His hand moved quickly, gently touching her arm. He pulled down the top of the dress just slightly. His eyes focused.
No gunshot wound. Only smooth skin and a bandage he had seen the night before.
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Andrian’s brow furrowed. He was sure her shoulder had been shot in the warehouse… or maybe somewhere else? Confusion grew. He pulled his hand back quickly.
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Aliana spun around, glaring.
“You’re being inappropriate,” she said sharply, feigning outrage. “How dare you touch me like that!”
“We’re married,” Andrian countered, trying to maintain his composure though his face was visibly tense.
“But we’re not lovers, Andrian. Don’t act like you have the right.”
Andrian stepped back, embarrassed. He looked away, knowing he had crossed a line,
“Sorry,” he muttered.
Aliana didn’t reply. She simply stood still for a few seconds, then grabbed her bag and prepared to head toward the eastern pavilion.
Before she could move, the sound of high heels approached. Bianca appeared with a scowl on her face, eyes locked onto Aliana.
“So this is how the Zavier princess behaves? Coming home at night after splurging on shopping?” Bianca sneered at Aliana, then shot a quick look at Andrian before returning her glare to Aliana.
“It’s clear now. You only married Andrian to waste his money.”
Aliana let out a slow breath. “Say whatever you want.”
She was about to walk away, but Bianca grabbed her arm. Unfortunately, the woman’s hand landed right on the back of Aliana’s injured hand. Aliana clenched her jaw, forcing herself not to wince. She quickly yanked her arm away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Bianca growled in frustration. “Is seduction the only thing you know? How dare you get close to my lover? Do you think I don’t see what you’re doing–flirting with Andrian?”
“That’s enough, Bianca, Andrian cut in.
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“No. I want to know,” Bianca snapped. “This woman pretends to be innocent, wearing revealing clothes at night—while clearly trying to seduce you.”
Bianca had lost control. She had seen Andrian touch Aliana’s shoulder earlier, and that alone had ignited her fury.
“Pathetic!”
Aliana met Bianca’s rage with a mocking gaze.
“Why would I need to seduce my own husband? And even if I did–isn’t that perfectly legal? You, of all people, should know your place.”
“You insolent-!”
Bianca’s rage exploded. She raised her hand to slap Aliana, but Andrian caught it mid–air.
“Enough, Bianca! Don’t be stupid.”
Bianca’s eyes widened, stunned that Andrian defended Aliana.
“Even Andrian thinks you’re stupid,” Aliana sneered. “And honestly, you look desperate.”
T
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n
Silence!” Andrian barked, his glare sharp as a blade. “Don’t cause any more trouble, Aliana. Go!”
Aliana turned her head, her demeanor still calm, unmoved by Andrian’s rebuke.
“I was trying to leave this whole time. But this foolish woman got in my way.”
“You-!”
“Calm down, Bianca!”
Aliana said nothing more. She turned on her heel and walked off toward the eastern pavilion.
“You bitch!”
Bianca tried to chase her, but Andrian held her back.
“Stop it, Bianca. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Bianca looked up, still furious. But her gaze softened as it landed on Andrian.
“Why weren’t you at the office all day? Were you really busy… or was there something else?”
across
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P
Andrian didn’t answer right away. His eyes followed Aliana as she walked across the garden, heading to the pavilion without looking back.
“I had important business,” he said quietly.
Bianca frowned. “What business? I handled meetings with three major clients today in your place.”
Andrian looked at her but didn’t reply. His mind was already elsewhere–on Aliana’s eyes. That cold, composed gaze… like Nyx’s.
But one thing continued to bother him–there had been no wound on Aliana’s shoulder. No bullet wound where he’d expected to find one. All he’d seen was smooth skin.
“Maybe… it really wasn’t Aliana,” Andrian thought. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid. There’s no way Aliana is that assassin.”
Bianca stepped closer, “Are you even listening, Andrian?”
He nodded stiffly. “Yes. Thank you for handling the meetings today. I appreciate it.”
Bianca gave a crooked smile. “That’s all?”
Andrian met her eyes briefly, then turned away. “I want to be alone. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Bianca exhaled angrily but said nothing more. She watched Andrian walk away with a sharp gaze.
“Damn it! That woman has clearly caught his attention. I need to act fast to destroy her.”
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Meanwhile, Aliana walked slowly along the path to the pavilion. Once she was far enough from the main house, she touched her aching shoulder. The bullet wound still stung, though not as badly as before.
She lifted the back of her sleeve slightly to check if the medical patch was still in place.
A faint smile touched her lips.
Her plan had worked.
Aliana knew Andrian wasn’t a fool. He might not know Nyx’s true identity yet, but he had seen the wound on her arm last night. She knew Andrian would be suspicious.
Which was why tonight, Aliana had purposely worn a dress with a slightly open shoulder. Not revealing, but just enough to tempt Andrian into checking.
She had predicted his move. Before returning home, she had removed the large bandage and replaced it with a discreet medical patch, almost invisible. She had also intentionally exposed the upper part of her shoulder–when in fact, the real wound was further down and toward the back.
There was no way he could see it without undressing her entirely. And Andrian wouldn’t dare. He still had his pride.
Now, Aliana was confident that, at least for a while, Andrian would dismiss his suspicion that she was Nyx. And that gave her freedom to move–especially to investigate Andrian, who seemed obsessed with hunting Nyx.
Aliana glanced up at the night sky. The moon was only half–full, but its light was enough to illuminate the small garden in front of the pavilion.
Elena greeted her at the door with a worried look, but Aliana simply nodded. She went straight to her room and walked to the desk.
Aliana opened her tablet, revealing a hidden interface. A small screen lit up. She powered the system and began accessing her private
server.
On the screen, data tracking Julian and Kestrel began to load the Yu
A cold smile spread across Aliana’s otherwise serious face.
“Now… let’s find out who Kestrel really is.”
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