CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 114 SEARCH FOR TWO COUPLES.

It was midnight at the villa, and there was still no sign of Xylander and Daniel. Their absence made the two men restless and uneasy.

By eight, they had decided to wait, assuming maybe the couple had lost track of time while enjoying themselves. But as the hours dragged on—nine, then ten—nothing was heard from them.

"Something must have happened to warrant this. Xylander isn’t someone who stays out late without informing anyone," Alex said, his voice heavy with worry. He had known Xyle for a long time, and this wasn’t normal.

Draven paced restlessly around the barricade of the villa, eyes scanning the lower floors and nearby buildings in the distance for any sign of the missing pair. Still, there was none.

"Then what is it? Look at the time—it’s late, and there’s still no call from them!" Draven ranted, running his hands through his hair. Why did this have to happen now?

"Okay, calm down. Let’s just dial their numbers," Alex suggested.

Draven sighed in frustration. "Daniel doesn’t even use his phone often. I’m confident he didn’t take it with him when they left."

Still, Alex tried anyway, dialing the line. It connected.

"Yes—it’s ringing!" he exclaimed, but their brief joy shattered when they realized the ringing was coming from downstairs—the dining area where they’d all had breakfast earlier.

"You’ve got to be kidding me! Why didn’t he take his phone?" Draven was baffled. Who leaves their phone behind these days? This was exactly why they couldn’t reach them—one of the many reasons he always said to keep phones nearby.

"Maybe we should just go find them ourselves. Sitting here won’t solve anything," Alex said quickly, rushing to grab his jacket. The weather had turned chilly outside, and Draven followed suit, both of them dressing to brace the cold.

They searched around, asking others if anyone had seen a tall, bulky brunette man with hazel eyes and his partner—a striking blond with emerald eyes—but no luck. Everyone only remembered seeing them in the morning when Daniel had stopped by a few shops to buy snacks. Since then, nothing.

By eleven, both Alex and Draven were more than worried.

"Something must have happened! You see? If we were there, maybe with your so-called expertise and my skills, we could’ve rescued them by now!" Draven shouted, his voice echoing down the empty streets.

Alex frowned, clearly irritated. "Your skills? With my expertise, yes—but what skills do you even have? Other than eating like a goat, what can you do?"

Draven froze, insulted. "So that’s how you see me? Useless?"

Alex shrugged shamelessly. "If the shoe fits."

Draven clutched his chest dramatically, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. "Fine! I’m useless. But let’s be honest—you’re the useless one in the harem. I’m the father of the unborn baby, Xylander’s the husband to Daniel... and you, Alexander, are just a bodyguard. How pathetic."

Alex’s face paled. His expression darkened.

"At least I can solve basic arithmetic problems—unlike your dumb ass that keeps failing and retaking it every year," Alex shot back, clapping mockingly.

That was it. Draven swung, landing a solid punch on Alex’s jaw, making his head snap sideways. Alex spat blood and grinned like a madman.

They were now in the middle of the road. A few people looked on but quickly moved away, wanting nothing to do with the chaos. Shops were closing; the streets were emptying.

"Is that all you’ve got, little pussy?" Alex snarled, retaliating with two strong punches to Draven’s stomach. Draven gasped, stumbled, and fell to the ground, blood dripping from his mouth.

"You don’t belong in this circle," Alex hissed. "It’s just me, Xylander, and Daniel. You’re an outsider—and soon, you’ll be cast out."

He turned to leave—but stopped when he realized Draven wasn’t responding.

"Hey, stop pretending and get up. We need to find Daniel and Xylander," Alex muttered.

Silence.

He turned around—and froze. Draven lay still, not moving. His stomach twisted in panic.

"No... no, no, no. Why?" Alex dropped to his knees, shaking him. Nothing. He leaned closer, only to see blood pooling at Draven’s mouth.

"Oh God—what did I do?" His hands trembled as he clasped them over his mouth. "Please, don’t be dead!"

He bent down to check for a heartbeat—then suddenly, a hand shot up, grabbing his stomach. Another yanked his leg, pulling him down hard. Alex hit the ground face-first, lips cracking open on impact.

Draven grinned wickedly from below. "Now we’re even!" He lifted a middle finger at him.

Alex groaned, half-annoyed, half-relieved. "My bad. Guess I thought you were dead. But then again, bitches don’t die easily."

He sighed and stood, brushing the dirt from his clothes. "We’ve wasted too much time fighting. Let’s continue searching."

The two went on like nothing had happened—bloodied, bruised, and oddly calm. Their dark expressions startled the few late passersby still roaming the streets.

But even after all that, it was a dead end. No trace of Xylander or Daniel. And now it was far too late to keep searching—the area around the villa went quiet after dark, unlike the city that still pulsed with life at midnight.

"This can’t be happening," Draven muttered, anxiety hitting him full force. "Daniel and Xylander aren’t in danger... right?"

Before Alex could answer, they spotted two familiar faces up ahead—Norman and Thomas—talking with a small group of men.

"Norman, Thomas!" Draven called out. The two turned, still shirtless despite the cold. Draven wondered how they managed that, but he quickly pushed the thought aside.

"Have you seen Daniel or Xylander anywhere?" he asked, Alex standing beside him.

Thomas and Norman exchanged uneasy glances before answering.

"A bomb explosion happened about five miles from here," Norman said grimly. "All the houses around got destroyed. Luckily, it wasn’t an atomic one that could take out the whole area."

Draven’s heart sank. Alex’s face turned ghostly pale. There were only three possibilities now—either they were dead, seriously injured, or somehow escaped. The last one seemed the least likely.

"I advise you both return to the villa," Thomas said. "Night around here isn’t safe—especially near the woods." The two men started walking away, worry still etched on their faces.

Thomas stopped midway, glancing at Norman. "Let’s go help them. I can’t stop thinking about Daniel."

Norman nodded immediately. "Yeah. He’s our friend. We might be more help than they think."

Draven’s eyes lit up with a spark of hope. "Thank you," he said, though Alex still seemed doubtful.

"Stop glaring," Draven told him flatly. "The sooner you accept we can’t handle this alone, the better."

He followed Thomas and Norman as they led the way toward where the explosion had occurred.

"This better work..." Alex muttered, sighing deeply before following after them into the darkness.