“Vice Commander, we’ve received orders from the Leader. He’s issued a warrant for your immediate arrest. I’m sorry, but we must carry it out.”
The deputy commanders stood in formation, their weapons trained on Zeke. They weren’t acting of their own accord–they were simply following orders.
“Arrest me? On what grounds?” Zeke asked sharply.
The deputies exchanged uncertain glances. “The Leader didn’t specify. We’re just following his instructions.”
“You fools.”
Zeke snapped, his tone icy. “My father ordered the arrest of the imposter–Samir–not me. You’ve misunderstood his orders.”
Without flinching in the face of drawn weapons, Zeke took a few steps forward, his voice steady and commanding. “Samir has caused irreparable harm. He impersonated me, tried to seize power, and ignited conflict between the royal family and the citadel. His crimes are unforgivable.
“My father issued those orders because he’s unaware that I’ve already arrived in the US. He’s targeting the impostor–Samir–not
me.”
The deputy commanders hesitated. Realization began to dawn. They had misinterpreted the command.
They lowered their weapons immediately and bowed their heads. “We’re truly sorry, Vice Commander. We misunderstood. Please punish us as you see fit.”
Zeke waved it off. “Forget it. You were doing your duty. There’s no fault in that.”
Then, his tone turned sharp again. “Now hear this–listen carefully.”
“Yes, sir!”
“All of you should know by now that Samir has been captured. He will be dealt with accordingly. Most of Shadow Moon Pavilion’s forces have already been relocated to US territory, and my father has entrusted me with full leadership over this region. From this point forward, you will follow my orders and mine alone. Absolute loyalty. Anyone caught scheming like Samir will be dealt with harshly. Understood?”
Zeke’s goal was clear; consolidate power and bring Shadow Moon Pavilion under his sole command, effectively neutralizing Zorro’s
control.
“Yes, sir!” the deputies responded in unison.
“One more thing, Effective immediately, all intelligence is to be reported directly to me. Nothing is to be sent to Graystone without my authorization. Anyone caught doing so will be treated as a traitor. Do I make myself clear?”
A murmur ran through the ranks until one deputy commander stepped forward with hesitation.
“Vice Commander, there are some rumors coming out of Graystone. They say Samir might be the Leader’s real son… and that…”
“And that what?” Zeke asked coldly, harrowing his eyes.
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The deputy faltered under Zeke’s stare. “They say… you’re not the Leader’s son.”
Zeke’s expression darkened as he closed in on him.
“And you believe that kind of rumor? If I weren’t the Leader’s son, why would he publicly appoint me to command Shadow Moon Pavilion?”
He leaned in, voice low and dangerous. “Do you know what happens to those who doubt the Leader?”
The deputy dropped his gaze, visibly shaken.
Zeke raised his gun and pressed it to the man’s forehead. Realizing the gravity of his mistake, the deputy tried to plead.
“Vice Commander, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have questioned your identity!”
“Being wrong comes with consequences.”
Zeke pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang.
The deputy collapsed to the ground, dead before he hit the floor.
The others froze in place, horrified. Fear swept through the room.
Zeke turned around slowly, addressing them all.
“Let this be a lesson. I don’t want to hear another word of doubt about my identity. Anyone who dares to disobey me will share his
fate.”
The deputy commanders stood rigid, terror gripping them.
“We hear and obey, Vice Commander. We swear absolute loyalty!”
Their voices rang out in perfect unison.
Zeke nodded with satisfaction. This was the result he wanted–a show of force to inspire complete obedience. Sometimes, fear was more effective than respect.
“Anything else to report?”
Another deputy spoke up. “Vice Commander, we’ve lost contact with Mentor Pierrick. What are your orders?”
“Pierrick returned to headquarters ahead of us. All US operations are now under my command.”
Zeke provided a calm excuse, though he had no intention of revealing Pierrick’s actual fate. The man had vanished–dead and buried. No proof, no trail.
Taking Pierrick out had effectively severed Zorro’s right–hand support. Zeke knew Zorro must be losing sleep by now.
Everything was unfolding as Zeke had planned. Securing control over Shadow Moon Pavilion was essential. But his thoughts kept drifting to Alicia.
The moment Zorro issued the arrest order, it meant his escape had been discovered. And once they started digging, Alicia’s
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involvement would come to light.
Zeke tried to call her, but her phone was already unreachable.
A sense of dread crept in.
Had something happened to her?
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He immediately summoned his aide and ordered him to get in touch with contacts in Graystone to find out what was going on.
Back in Graystone, two days had passed since the explosion.
The recovery teams had finished their search. They had pulled out the bodies of several military personnel–but Alicia’s body was nowhere to be found.
The report made its way to Zorro, who sat with a storm brewing behind his eyes.
“As I thought… that girl is even more cunning than I imagined.”
In his mind, the lack of a body could only mean one thing: Alicia had faked her death and escaped from the explosion site.
He didn’t care how she managed it–with her intelligence and resourcefulness, he had no doubt she could pull it off.
“Send men to stake out the Gonzales Family estate. If Alicia shows up there, arrest her immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
Zorro reasoned that if Alicia had survived, she’d eventually try to return home. All they had to do was wait.
His thoughts then turned to the situation in the US. With no word from Samir or Pierrick, a bad feeling settled in his gut.
By now, Zeke had likely made it to the US–and if so, Samir and Pierrick were probably already in his hands.
Or worse.
“I ordered Zeke’s arrest. What’s the status?”
“Leader, the order was sent, but there’s been no response. We can’t get in touch with Mentor Pierrick, either.”
Zorro’s fists clenched. The realization sank in–Zeke had already seized control of Shadow Moon Pavilion’s US branch. The deputy commanders weren’t following his orders anymore.
He had miscalculated.
He never should’ve let Zeke live when he had the chance.
Now, the only thing, he cared about was protecting his biological son, Samir. And if that meant using Alicia as leverage–so be it.
“Contact the deputy commanders in the US. Tell them to relay a message to Zeke: if he wants Alicia to live, he’ll trade her for
Samir.”
“Yes, sir.”
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The order was sent. Moments later, Zeke received the message.
And now he knew for sure–Alicia had fallen into Zorro’s hands.
He had to return to S Nation to rescue her.
But before he could make any plans, Caitlin and Sebastian showed up at his estate.
Zeke came to the door to greet them. “Caitlin, Sebastian. What brings you here?”
Then he noticed someone else stepping in behind them.
“Xero? What are you doing in the US?”
AD
