Back in the day, Yvonne never hesitated to shove people away. If she was in a bad mood, she made it obvious—didn''t want anyone near her? She''d push you off without a second thought.

But now, the way she was squirming in Xander''s arms? It was so half-hearted that, to someone like Xander-who''d seen her throw punches over less-it really just felt like she was snuggling up to him.

Seriously, if you hadn''t met the old Yvonne, you''d think she was as docile as a kitten right now.

Especially with the way she tried to insult him, all puffed up but with zero bite-like an angry little tabby that''s lost its ws.

Truth be told, Yvonne had already blown up when she heard Xander say she was "ying hard to get." Now, with him teasing her about "cuddling," she was fuming.

"Who''s cuddling with you? You smell like a gym bag-there''s nothing to cuddle here!"

Her bristling, kitten-like outrage was actually pretty adorable.

Xander just chuckled. "See? Still denying it. You''re totally cuddling."

He had her wrist in his hand, holding her effortlessly. That would never have happened with the Yvonne of old.

Yvonne tried to yank her arm back, but she was too weak. Just like Xander said, she looked fragile more like she wanted to say "no" but didn''t really mean it.

Shawn took in the scene, raising his eyebrows. It was like watching a couple bicker-flirt in a ro.

He cleared his throat loudly. "Alright, alright, let''s give these lovebirds some privacy. No point hanging around while they''re having their little honeymoon moment."

He waved everyone toward the cars, grabbing Chloe by the shoulder and steering her away. "Don''t worry-my brother''s with her, she''ll be safe. And legal."

Chloe tried to protest. "Wait, it''s not—"

She wanted to exin that Yvonne was still feeling the after-effects of being drugged.

But before she could finish, Yvonne, already boiling over from being teased, snapped.

"I''ve been drugged, you idiots! Can''t you tell?"

The words hit like a sledgehammer. The whole group went dead quiet.

Xander''s face turned dangerous in a heartbeat.

Shawn swallowed. "Bro, do we... uh, do we leave now?"

He was mentally prepping to book a private jet-this was Dan''s turf, after all, and Shawn didn''t think sticking around Litamark was the best idea.

Xander nced down at the limp Yvonne in his arms and let out a low, humorlessugh. “Leave? We''re not going anywhere. I''m nning to stay here for a week."

Shawn blinked. "A week? Seriously?"

But then it clicked-Xander wasn''t running away. He wanted payback.

Honestly, Dan had really crossed the line this time. Of all the things he could''ve done, drugging Yvonne was basically poking a bear-witha stick made of dynamite.  s

"Enough," Yvonne muttered. "Aren''t we supposed to be looking for Susanna? Did you find her yet?"fnc4c2 For more chapters visit FindN()vel/fnc4c2

Just the mention of Susanna made Yvonne wince, ncing at Chloe.

Chloe shook her head quickly, turning to Xander. "I searched the whole mansion. She''s not here."

Xander took that in, his gaze shifting back to Yvonne, eyes thoughtful—a different look from before.

Then he said, "You think maybe Derek took her?"

Yvonne stared. "Derek? Her father?"

Derek used to run ck Gate. If anyone could sneak someone out from under Yvonne''s nose, it was him.

"That''s her dad, though," Yvonne

said, conflicted. "Wouldn''t it be

better o

Susanna if Derek took her

I mean, he''s her father. He wouldn''t hurt her... right?"  s

Xander just gave a dryugh. “Let me remind you-Derek married hisst two wives for convenience. He never loved Lacey or Dan''s mom, and he sure as hell didn''t care about the kids they gave him.”  s