CHAPTER 60: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Liam is stunned. Theo said those words with such conviction and belief that even he doesn’t have.

He’s about to say something when his phone vibrates. He looks at the screen – ARTHUR MONTROSE flashes brightly. He groans and answers.

"What do you want, Montrose? Your sister is safe. She’s happily eating molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate milkshake. I’ll return her in one piece. Relax."

Silence on the other end.

Then –

"You’re with Thea?!" Theo can clearly hear Arthur’s voice through the phone.

Liam groans again. "You didn’t know. And I just told you, literally putting both shoes in my mouth."

"What do you mean she’s with you?! Why is she with you?! Let me talk to her!" Arthur’s barking orders like a madman.

Liam isn’t afraid of Arthur, but he respects him. Arthur and his team are still one of the best exploring teams in Concordia, and Arthur is one hell of a Sentinel, even if he never calls himself one.

He passes the phone to Theo, who looks amused.

"Hey, Arthur. I’m o –"

"Are you okay? Where are you? Are you really okay? Why are you with him?"

Theo chuckles. "Breathe, big brother. Breathe. I went to my last session with Dr. Leighton earlier today, and since this is my first day out alone, I decided to celebrate a little—have a snack before heading home. Then I met Liam. And don’t worry, I already told Mother. She knows I’ll be home late."

Silence. Only Arthur’s breathing can be heard. He’s obviously trying to calm down.

"Give the phone back to him," he finally says.

Theo grins and hands the phone to Liam.

"What?" Liam asks.

"I’m sorry for yelling and accusing you. I called just to check if you’ve made progress with finding Aldriana." Arthur sounds all business again.

Liam sighs. "No. And today’s my last day before my dad takes over the search."

"Maybe that’s not going to be as bad as you think. Anyway, I’m letting you know that Ryan’s been seen dining and lunching with Stille yesterday and today. Looks like the Blackwoods are trying to get a cut of the cake too."

"I’d be surprised if they hadn’t. I really need to find Aldriana." Liam looks at Theo, already regretting what he has to say next.

"You do that. But before you do, take my sister home safely." Arthur hangs up.

Liam stares at his phone, then turns to Theo.

"Something wrong?"

"I’m sorry, Thea. But I can’t have dinner. I need to go back to searching for Aldriana. I’m really sorry." He calls for the check and takes Thea to his car.

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"I’m curious about something, and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way," Theo says once they’re already on their way to Montrose Estate.

"Shoot," Liam replies.

"Who’s Ryan, and why do you and Arthur both seem anxious about him getting a few percent of the Heartstones?"

"Ryan Blackwood is Greg Thornfield’s wife’s nephew and protégé. Greg is the current patriarch of the Blackwood family. Since Greg doesn’t have a son, the family elders chose one child from an outside branch to be the heir. That’s Ryan."

"Both he and Greg are selfish bastards. Their priority is always themselves, and they have no problem sacrificing others for their benefit."

"Regarding the Heartstones, I agree everyone’s entitled to them, since they’re our only energy resource. However, the Blackwoods use them to make weapons. They sell the second-grade ones and keep the highest quality for personal use and their private army."

"There isn’t a single family in the world that can legally raise a private army. Even my family, who people always say has one – which is true to some extent – we can’t use them for personal gain."

"They’re more like private security than a private army."

"But the Blackwoods are different. They’ve raised their own army illegally. It’s a public secret, but they’ve been so careful that no concrete evidence has ever been found."

"So, we don’t want to give them any more resources."

Theo nods. "I see." He stifles a yawn.

Liam catches this. "You’re tired. No wonder, after the day you’ve had. You should rest. We’re still about twenty minutes away."

Theo nods again. "Yeah, I think I’ll close my eyes for a bit." He shifts into a more comfortable position and closes his eyes. Soon, his breathing evens out.

Liam slows the car slightly and glances over to check on Theo, when something catches his eye in his peripherals. He snaps his gaze forward and –

"Jesus!" he hisses, slamming on the brakes.

The car comes to a screeching stop. Liam checks Theo again and exhales in relief when he sees he’s still asleep. Then he looks back to the road and focuses on the figure standing in the middle of his lane, facing his car.

He looks around and finds that they are completely alone. No other cars are passing along the road, which is strange. Even though this road leads toward the outskirts of Arvion, it isn’t remote. It’s nearly impossible for it to be completely void of traffic.

His Sentinel instinct kicks in. He reaches for his Aetherion without taking his eyes off the figure standing in front of his car. Every sense in him screams danger.

The person stands in a relaxed pose, both hands in his pants’ pockets. Jet-black hair is tied into a high ponytail, his head slightly lowered, hiding his face.

Liam’s first thought is the grabber from the arcade, but that man was taller, more muscular, and blonde – not black-haired and certainly not wearing a ponytail.

Suddenly, Liam’s eyes widen in disbelief. He glances at Theo and sees she’s still sleeping peacefully. As he steps out of the car, the world around him darkens, as if someone has turned off the lights.

He swallows his nervousness. A moment ago, it was dusk, bright enough to see clearly. Now, it’s dark – like night.

Only one person he knows could do that, or at least that’s his assumption. He grips Aetherion tightly and closes the car door slowly, careful not to wake Theo.

He calls out softly, "Aldriana?"

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Theo’s stalker grits his teeth in frustration. He has been following Theo ever since he left the estate, waiting for the perfect time to "talk" to him. He saw Theo leave the estate alone, go to the doctor alone, and thought, Finally! A chance!

He followed Theo and realized he’d been made when Theo started playing a cat-and-mouse game. It annoyed him even more. His deadline was close, and he’d been toyed with by a sixteen-year-old girl.

Then he saw Theo surrounded by men, which only made him angrier.

Such a tease! Only sixteen and already teasing men! I should teach you!

He grabbed Theo and dragged him away, satisfied that he finally succeeded—until another man interfered.

Damn it!

But his blood froze when he saw who it was.

Liam Monfort! So the rumors are true?! But Thea belongs to me!

He knew he could never win against one of the strongest Sentinels in Concordia, so he made a strategic retreat and decided to keep stalking Theo instead.

What those two did next made his blood boil. How dare she go on a date with another man!

He followed them until they got into their car, driving back toward the estate. He kept a careful distance; otherwise, that overly alert Sentinel would notice.

But then – suddenly – their car vanished. One second it was just a few cars ahead, and the next, it was gone.

He slammed his brakes and jumped out, causing the cars behind him to honk and curse.

Where are they?! How can an entire car vanish?

Is this one of that stupid Julian’s new inventions?! How many does he even have?! Fuck!

He got back into his car, made a sharp U-turn, and sped away.

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"ARTHUR!" Julian shouts into his phone.

Arthur’s ear rings. Even though he manages to pull the phone away just in time, the damage is already done.

"Jules, I can hear you just fine. No need to – "

"Thea’s signal disappeared again!"

That gets Arthur’s full attention. "What? I talked to her less than ten minutes ago!"

"Well, now it’s gone!"

"Where was her last known location?"

"About twenty minutes away from the estate. I believe she was heading home."

"Send me the coordinates. Meet me there." Arthur already grabs his suit jacket and walks out of his office.

"You think she got sucked into another dungeon?" Julian’s voice comes through, along with the sounds of him moving.

"I don’t know. But if she did, she should be okay. She was with Liam when I talked to her, and I told him to take her home. So she should be fine." Arthur is half praying.

"Why was she with Liam?" Julian is already inside his Horizon. The call automatically connects with the Horizon’s system, letting him talk hands-free.

"They both claimed they met by chance. But Thea said Mom already knew, so I assume she arranged it without Thea’s knowledge. I didn’t question her further." Arthur sighs as he runs to his car.

"Ouch. Mom really wants them together, huh?"

"Just shut up and meet me there."