Chapter 31 Alex and Lucas Encountered Danger

Cecilia's Perspective:

So there I was, just chillin' at my desk, feeling totally lost about the whole Silas mess, when my phone buzzed.

It was the private eye I'd hired.

"Go ahead," I answered.

"Cecilia, I've been lurking around Stella's place for days and finally got a break. Her kid just left the house, and guess what? He's alone. I'm tailing him now. I'll shoot you the address once he lands somewhere," the detective said.

"Sweet." Hearing that, the dark cloud over my head started to clear up.

I'd been stressing over how to deal with that pain-in-the-neck Stella, and now, here was my shot.

If I snatched her kid, that annoying woman would definitely back off from Silas and me.

Not long after I hung up, the detective sent me the address.

I quickly forwarded it to one of my goons. Sometimes, because of my status, I couldn't get my hands dirty.

That was when I needed my crew of outlaws. They had nothing to lose and would do anything for cash, handling business with no loose ends.

This time, Stella would learn the hard way what happens when you mess with me and Silas!

Lucas's Perspective:

I got to the square where I was supposed to meet Alex and pretended to mess around for a bit. When I figured it was time, I needed to ditch Butler Smith, who was keeping an eye on me.

"Butler Smith, it's scorching out here. I'm thirsty. Can you grab me an ice cream?" I said, fanning myself like I was about to melt.

"Sure," Butler said, looking around. "But Alex, there ain't any ice cream spots nearby. Wanna come with me?" he asked.

"Nope. I wanna play a bit longer." I put on my best pout and frowned. "Butler, you go. I'll wait here. I won't run off."

"But..." Butler still looked uneasy, hesitating.

Seeing this, I started to fake cry.

"Alright," Butler nodded quickly, freaked out. "I'll be back soon. Alex, please don't run off, or Silas will kill me."

"Don't worry. I'll stay right here," I said.

Butler reluctantly went to get me ice cream, but he kept glancing back, still uneasy.

Once he was out of sight, I started looking for Alex.

It was weird. He wasn't far, but why was he taking so long? Did something happen?

Alex didn't have a phone or a watch, so I couldn't contact him. I just had to wait.

Bored, I squatted down and started poking at ants with a stick, not noticing a few people sneaking up behind me.

Suddenly, I saw two shadows on the ground behind me and realized someone was creeping up.

Just as I was about to turn, Alex's voice rang out. "Watch out!"

Before I could react, Alex tackled me to the ground, followed by a yelp of pain.

Startled, I turned and saw two tall thugs standing behind us, holding a wooden stick.

Alex had taken the hit for me.

The thugs were momentarily stunned, seeing our identical faces.

"What do you want with my brother?" Alex's face was pale, clearly in pain.

Despite trembling with fear, he still shielded me.

"Who are you?" I tried to sound tough. "Do you know who my dad is? My mom and dad will destroy you if you hurt me!"

I looked around, hoping to spot someone who could help.

But it was evening, and the square was empty. Butler was gone, and I had no idea when he'd be back.

Were we really gonna die here? Seraphina and Saki would be heartbroken.

Thinking this, I was almost in tears.

If we got out of this, I'd never run off again and would stick close to Seraphina.

"Dad? You're just brats. No one will care if you die!" one of the thugs sneered.

I was about to shout back, but Alex, provoked, suddenly got agitated.

"You're the brats! I'm not! I have a dad and mom!" Alex yelled, then lunged at one of the thugs, biting his arm hard.

"You little punk!" The thug, enraged, grabbed Alex by the collar and tossed him away.

"Alex!" I cried, tears streaming down my face.

Alex lay on the ground, unable to get up, his small body trembling.