“Madam, sir, a gunman has infiltrated our sanctum, demanding an audience with Miss Smith.”


    “What? How could an armed intruder breach our defenses?” A pallor gripped Jimena’s countenance.


    “His appetion is Han. Presently, he upies the hall, yet Miss Smith is…”


    Holden’s pulse surged, his blood pressure threatening to overthrow equilibrium as he nearly


    sumbed to unconsciousness.


    A few years earlier, Han had forsaken the mantle of the family’s legacy, departing for Raven Ind,


    where he adopted a lethal vocation as an assassin. Corpses marked his path, and those marked by his


    gaze inevitably met skeletal fate.


    A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y


    Though the Smith family’s fortifications were formidable, Han’s infiltration hinted at his ominous


    prowess.


    “My dear! My dear!”


    Holden grappled with a tenacious effort to rise, summoning his inner strength to buoy his spirits.


    “Assist me in traversing to him.”


    Was Han’s intent annihtion for them all?


    Emerging from within, Holden found Han leisurely ensconced upon a ssical sofa in the hall, one


    leg casually crossed over the other, sipping tea.


    Were it not for the silent presence of a firearm beside the emerald green teacup, one might have


    mistaken him for a casual guest, here to engage in friendly discourse.


    “Wee, Mr. Curtis. I apologize for the less-than-ster reception,”


    N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Holden remarked, his smile painted with artifice.


    “Time is of no concern. I shan’t fritter it away needlessly. Mr. Smith, kindly usher Mavis into my


    presence forthwith. Following our encounter, I shall promptly depart, her fate sealed by my bullet,”


    Han stated with a detached air, his gaze unwavering.


    He aimed to end Mavis’ life here! The reality was beyond Holden’s worst imaginings. A reflexive hand


    rose to banish the beads of cold sweat gathering on his brow.


    Jimena attempted to interject, but Holden forestalled her.


    A malevolent grin curled across Han’s lips, radiating a frigid aura that permeated the atmosphere.


    Mavis remained the sole entity to elude his grasp. Her survival had been a thorn in his side for far too


    long; today, her demise must be realized.


    Holden’s smile endured, his words maintaining a veneer of Lightness.


    “Pray, enlighten me, Mr. Curtis, what transgression has my naive daughtermitted to incur your


    ire?”


    Han arched a sardonic eyebrow, his tone cloaked in detachment.


    “Thanks to her, a dearpanion of mine hovered at death’s threshold.