Chapter 36\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 56\u00a0<\/p>\n
HUNTER\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u96f6\u00a0<\/p>\n
It has been days since the incident, and still, nothing. No leads. No sightings. No whispers in the underground that could point me in her direction. Every report my men bring me sounds the same, hollow and useless, like they are all afraid to say the one thing they know I refuse to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I have not slept. Not even for an hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every time I close my eyes, she is there. Dylan\u2019s face appears so vividly it feels cruel. Sometimes she is looking at me the way she did before everything fell apart, guarded but still soft. Other times she is frightened, calling my name in a voice I cannot reach no matter how hard I try. I wake up soaked in sweat, my heart slamming against my ribs like it is trying to escape my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nights are the worst.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The silence stretches too long, broken only by the ticking of the clock or the distant footsteps of guards outside my room. I sit on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor, replaying every moment that led to her disappearance. Every word I said. Every decision I made. Every second I chose control over honesty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I had just told her the truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I had not sent her away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I had not let her walk out of my sight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The city is burning because of that clan. They wanted retaliation, and they got it. But they did not just attack my territory. They went straight for her. Dylan was not collateral damage. She was the target. That much is clear now. They wanted to hurt me in the only way that truly mattered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And it worked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My men move carefully around me now. They lower their voices. They avoid my eyes. They know I am balanced on something sharp and unstable, one wrong word away from unleashing hell on everything around me. I can feel it in my bones, this constant pressure, this rage mixed with fear that never fully settles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walk through my house like a ghost, every room reminding me of her absence. Her scent still lingers in the sheets. Her presence echoes in places she barely touched. It is torture, knowing she was here, knowing she should still be here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She is alive. I cling to that belief like it is the only thing keeping me upright. If she were dead, something inside me would have shattered completely. I would not still be breathing like this, aching like this, hoping like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The knock on my office door came sharp and deliberate, the kind that announced confidence rather tha permission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d I said, already knowing who it would be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Thu, Jan 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 56\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marian Velasquez stepped inside like she owned the place. Impeccably dressed, perfectly composed, her smile soft and practiced. The kind of woman raised to survive rooms like this and the men who ruled them. Her presence alone was a reminder of unfinished business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHunter,\u201d she greeted warmly, closing the door behind her. \u201cYou\u2019ve been hard to reach.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned back in my chair, schooling my expression into something neutral, something controlled. \u201cBusy days,\u201d I replied calmly. \u201cYou know how it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes lingered on my face a second too long, as if searching for cracks. \u201cI heard about the chaos near the airport. An unfortunate incident.\u201d She tilted her head slightly. \u201cYou didn\u2019t tell me things were that unstable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unstable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If only she knew.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gave a slow shrug. \u201cTerritory disputes. Nothing new. It\u2019s being handled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked closer, resting her hand on the edge of my desk, lowering her voice. \u201cMy father is concerned. When our names are mentioned together, incidents like that draw attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There it was. The reason she was here. Not concern for me. Not fear. Strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have it under control,\u201d I said evenly. \u201cAnd your family is not implicated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips curved into a faint smile. \u201cGood. Because we wouldn\u2019t want misunderstandings between us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met her gaze, steady and unreadable. \u201cNo, we wouldn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hesitated, then asked casually, \u201cAnd the woman?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My blood ran cold, but my face did not change. \u201cWhat woman?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one rumored to be close to you,\u201d Marian said lightly, as if gossip amused her. \u201cThe media loves inventing stories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let out a quiet chuckle. \u201cYou know of all people how people around us talks. They love to make things dramatic. There\u2019s no one that matters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A lie. Smooth. Necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She studied me again, then straightened. \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear that.\u201d She reached out, brushing her fingers against my sleeve in a familiar, possessive gesture meant for watching eyes. \u201cWe still have appearances to maintain\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood, signaling the conversation was over. \u201cOf course. And Marian,\u201d I added softly, \u201ctell your father I appreciate his patience. This alliance is\u2026. important to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her smile widened, satisfied. \u201cI\u2019ll let him know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she finally left, the door closing behind her, the room seemed to breathe again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Thu, Jan 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 56\u00a0<\/p>\n
I exhaled slowly, my hands curling into fists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hated every second of pretending. Hated standing this close to the Velasquez name while knowing their clan had blood on their hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I wasn\u2019t done. Not even close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I needed Marian. I needed her trust. I needed this alliance intact just a little longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because once I found Dylan, once she was safe, once I had everything I needed-\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Velasquez clan would learn exactly what it meant to go against me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I leaned against my chair as I massage my temple. But it hadn\u2019t been long since Marian left when there\u2019s another knock on the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d I said, my voice steady even as something in my chest tightened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The door opened just enough for one of my men to step inside. He did not meet my eyes right away. Instead, he held out a thick envelope with both hands, like it weighed more than paper ever should.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSir,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cThe laboratory report.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My fingers closed around it, and that was when I noticed the tremor. Subtle, but there. I clenched my jaw, forcing my hand to still as I dismissed him with a nod. He left without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room felt too small.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Too quiet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at the envelope for a long moment, my thumb brushing over the seal as if delaying the inevitable could somehow change what waited inside. I had faced death more times than I could count. I had ordered executions. Watched empires fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But this felt different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tore it open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The paper inside rustled softly, an ordinary sound that felt obscene against the pounding of my heart. My eyes scanned the page once. Then again. Slower this time. More desperate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
DNA match confirmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Female remains recovered from the blast site.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Positive identification: Dylan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words blurred.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a second, I thought I had read it wrong. That my mind was twisting the letters into something they\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:24 Th\u1ee7, Jan 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 56\u00a0<\/p>\n
not. I lifted the page closer, my breath shallow, my pulse roaring in my ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Confirmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hand shook harder now, the paper crumpling slightly between my fingers. A sharp, hollow pressure spread through my chest, like something vital had been ripped out and left a gaping void behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The word barely made it past my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sank slowly into the chair, my elbows resting on the desk as I stared at the report, willing it to change. Willing the letters to rearrange themselves into anything else. Anyone else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But they did not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The image of her flooded my mind all at once. Dylan\u2019s laugh. Her stubbornness. The way she looked at me when she thought I wasn\u2019t paying attention. The way she clung to me in her sleep like I was the only solid thing in her world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A low, broken sound escaped my throat before I could stop it. I dragged a hand down my face, my breathing turning uneven, raw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The paper slipped from my grasp and fluttered onto the desk, the truth laid bare between us. My hands curled into fists, nails biting into my palms as something dark and violent began to rise from that empty place inside my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They took her from me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And in that moment, grief burned itself into something else entirely. Something cold. Something merciless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Dylan was dead, then there was nothing left to protect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nothing left to pretend for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only vengeance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland\u2019s breathtaking cold.<\/p>\n
The Alchemist of Broken Dreams by Sienna Rose Blackwell 56 Chapter 36\u00a0 Chapter 56\u00a0 HUNTER\u00a0 \u96f6\u00a0 It has been days […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-alphas-golden-cage-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24407\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}