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“What about him?” Quinn demanded. “You told me he was safe–did something happen?” 

“He is safe,” Julius answered, each syllable deliberate. “But while you were unconscious, he and Serena caught the first flight back to Celosia.” 

The news struck her like a smack of cold water. Rowan–gone to Celosia. The distance yawned wide enough to swallow her. 

“Then I’m going to Celosia,” she declared, pushing against the mattress in a reckless bid to stand. 

Julius caught her uninjured shoulder and held her down. “Do you care for him so much that you’ll tear the stitches you earned defending him? You’ve been out for twenty–four hours–do you want that arm ruined for good?” 

“He’s my brother. Of course I care.” 

Julius went rigid, the truth of her words slicing through him. 

He had always known that. 

“Would you trade your life for his without a second thought?” Julius asked, barely more than a whisper. 

During the long vigil beside her bed, he had replayed the sight of her drenched in blood until his own body shook with helpless terror. 

Was it anxiety, pure fear, or something darker that gripped him? Even he could not tell. 

“He is my brother.” Four simple words–yet they carried the weight of an oath, a creed, an entire lifetime. 

“If you knew the place was dangerous, why didn’t you call me?” Julius pressed. 

Quinn wet her cracked lips. “Everything happened too fast. Besides, you were under no obligation to help.” 

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Chapter 341 Beyond Her Reach 

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Only hours earlier, they had parted on bitter terms; asking for his aid had felt impossible. 

“So you’d rather be injured than call me?” His glare burned. “Do you know what it did to me to see you like that, Quinn? How could you–how could you…” The words rasped away, leaving him choking on silence. 

His voice finally failed, breaking against the raw edge of his worry, and for once, Harlan stood by in silence. 

Quinn met Julius‘ fierce stare and saw past it to the grief and near–desperate dread swimming in his eyes. 

It was the look of a man convinced that if anything snatched her away again, his own world would simply stop. 

She couldn’t hold the words back. “I’m sorry… I made you worry.” The quiet confession drifted from her lips before she had a chance to gather herself. 

Julius lowered his gaze, lashes casting a sharp shadow across his eyes. After a still moment, he straightened, voice low but decisive. “I’ll arrange a private jet. It leaves tomorrow, takes you directly back to Azania. The hospitals there are better equipped, and your wounds will mend faster.” 

Quinn blinked, startled, the decision landing on her like unexpected snow. 

Harlan spoke up, tone steady yet urgent. “I agree. You’re hurt, Quinnie; home is safer. Besides, Rowan’s already in Celosia. If you truly want to meet him there, you’ll need to return first and secure a new visa.” 

A wan smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. 

Practicality, relentless and cold, reminded her that Rowan was already across the sea in Celosia. Whether she liked it or not, she still needed to go back to Azania first. 

“All right,” she said, the words a fragile surrender. “I’ll go home.” 

Julius finally straightened. “The jet lifts at dawn. I’ll assign a medical team to stay with you 

you the entire way. Get some rest.” 

With that, Julius turned and strode from the room. 

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Outside the ward, Fabian was already waiting, posture crisp. He handed Julius a slim dossier–every detail on the gang that had kidnapped Serena. 

Fabian reported, voice low so only Julius could hear. “We’ve confirmed the shooter who hit Ms. Bridger. Name’s Connor Gage. Right hand injured–he’s currently at the detention center.” 

Julius’s gaze flicked to the mug shot, contempt sharpening his features. “Only his right hand?” he asked, voice like black ice. 

This was the man responsible for the wound that still bled beneath Quinn’s bandages. 

Had that bullet strayed a hair closer, it would have pierced straight through her heart. 

“Let him rot in prison for the rest of his life,” Julius said, each syllable deliberate. “I want every limb shattered. Pain–every day, every hour.” 

“Understood,” Fabian replied without a quiver. 

No one who hurt Quinn ever walked away–not while Julius was alive. 

Inside, Harlan wore an expression of raw remorse. “I’m sorry. I failed to keep you safe.” 

“Don’t say that,” Quinn countered, shaking her head. “My injury isn’t on you. In fact, I only made it through because you were there.” 

“That’s hardly a victory,” Harlan murmured, bitterness scraping every word. “If things had truly gone well, you’d be unhurt. I always believed I could shield you, Quinn, but now I realize, I… 

His voice stalled when Quinn lifted her bandaged right hand and rested it gently atop his hair. 

“Enough,” she said, fingers remaining in his hair. “I should be the one to protect you. Never forget–I was once your captain.” 

Harlan held her gaze. The heavy, sorrow fog inside his chest began to thin under the warmth of her words. 

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Chapter 341 Beyond Her Reach 

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“If one day danger finds me,” he whispered, “will you stand like this for me?” 

“Without hesitation.” 

To Quinn, their bond had been forged where bullets spoke and blood sealed promises. 

A small smile curved Harlan’s lips, yet in his mind, he pledged that if that day ever came, she would not bleed for him. 

He’d shoulder every wound himself before letting harm brush her skin again. 

Outside, Julius watched through the sliver where the door hadn’t fully closed. His mouth was a razor–line, and the grind of his teeth echoed like distant gravel.