Katelyn’s body went rigid, her muscles locking into a defensive stance without her even thinking about it. Something deep inside her warned that if the royal family got their hands on her, it would be game over. The bodyguards rushed forward, but before Katelyn could make her move, one of them darted past her, grabbing Samuel instead, who had been standing just behind her. For a brief moment, none of them moved, caught off guard by the unexpected shift.

Barry’s earlier command hadn’t been aimed at Katelyn after all. Instead, it was directed at Samuel, who had been standing just behind her, hidden from view.

The men Barry had brought weren’t just any soldiers — they were the royal family’s top assassins. Samuel didn’t stand a chance.

His arms were yanked behind his back before he could put up much of a fight. Grinding his teeth, Samuel shouted, “Are you crazy? I’m not TS!”

Katelyn let out a small breath, relief sneaking in.

Their tracking system wasn’t as sharp as they thought. For now, at least, her real identity was safe.

“Let him go.” Vincent’s voice rang out, cold and commanding.

Barry’s eyes flickered with doubt for just a moment, but the king’s orders rang clear in his head. Forcing a smile, he spoke carefully, “Mr. Adams, I know this person matters to you, but he’s even more important to our country. I hope you understand and won’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

Vincent’s eyes darkened, flashing with deadly intent.

Though pale and leaning against the headboard, his cold presence was enough to send a chill through the room, making it hard to breathe.

Even Barry shifted back slightly, his smile slipping as unease crept in.

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He hadn’t meant to provoke Vincent, but defying the king’s orders wasn’t an option. He had to see this through.

“Let him go,” Vincent repeated, his voice low but dangerous.

Barry fought to keep his smile intact, adjusting his glasses with a shaky hand. “Mr. Adams, maybe we can talk this through…”

Before he could finish, the door slammed open. A group of men rushed in, armed with machine guns pointed straight at Barry and his guards.

They were Vincent’s men.

Caught off guard, Barry’s team didn’t even have a chance to reach for their weapons before they found themselves staring down the barrels of the guns.

Outnumbered and outgunned, they had no advantage, backed into a corner with no easy way out.

Vincent’s voice sliced through the air. “If I have to say it a third time, you’ll be reporting to hell.”

A cold sweat broke out on Barry’s forehead, his nerves getting the better of him.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes flicking to Samuel, still tied up, before he gritted his teeth. “Let him go!”

Without a word, the bodyguards obeyed, releasing Samuel.

The moment he was free, Samuel’s hand shot into his pocket. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a gun, pointing it right at Barry.

Anyone else would have crumbled under the pressure of challenging the royal family.

Barry held a position almost as powerful as the king’s children, maybe even more in some ways. But then there was Vincent—probably the first person bold enough to pull a gun on Barry like this.

Forcing a strained smile, Barry tried to keep things calm. “Mr. Adams, we’re here for a peaceful talk. There’s no need to make this worse. Let’s put the guns away before somebody gets hurt.”

Katelyn stayed on the sidelines, watching everything unfold in silence. For original chapters go to find?novel.net

Even though Vincent looked weak, his presence still filled the space, powerful and commanding.

Katelyn couldn’t shake the growing realization of just how frightening Vincent’s true power was.

Bartley had warned her plenty of times that in Yata, the nobility was untouchable, and the royal family—completely off-limits. Even someone as powerful as Bartley had to lower himself to the royalty.

But now, Vincent was standing here, pointing a gun at them, and instead of outrage, they were scrambling to please him.

Katelyn couldn’t stop herself from stealing a deep look at Vincent.

How much strength was this man keeping hidden?

Vincent’s eyes, cold as ice, locked onto Barry. “The king sent you to get TS,” he said, his voice sharp. “So why are you in my hospital room?”

Katelyn had been dying to ask the same question. She needed to know how her cover had been blown so she could fix it quickly.

Barry hesitated, fear crossing his face, but the gun left him with little choice. Slowly, he pulled out a small black device from his pocket. It looked like some sort of detector. The screen lit up, showing a map with a blinking red dot in the center.

As soon as Barry took it out, the device’s alarm blared, and the pointer swung directly toward Katelyn. Barry’s eyes widened as he stammered, “Wait—you’re the real TS?”

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