Chapter 532

532
532
The moment Caitlin heard that voice, her heart tightened.
Zeke?!
He finally made it!
Everyone turned instinctively toward the voice. The members of Shadow Moon Pavilion were the first to recognize the approaching figure–it wad indeed their deputy leader, Zeke.
Whether or not Zeke was truly Zorro’s son didn’t matter. As long as Zorro hadn’t officially disavowed him, Zeke remained the recognized deputy leader of Shadow Moon Pavilion, appointed personally by Zorro. And to these men, that status still held.
Zeke was back.
Thanks to Alicia’s help, he had managed to reach the US. Now, revealing himself at this moment was the perfect counterattack against Samir’s treachery.
He looked thinner, more worn, but stood tall and commanding. Every step he took toward them exuded strength and authority.
The first thing he did was issue a decisive order.
“Shadow Moon Pavilion, listen up–drop your weapons!”
That voice. That command. That was their true deputy leader.
“But they haven’t lowered their weapons yet!” Pierrick warned, glancing toward Sebastian’s side.
Sebastian raised his hand, and his people lowered their weapons. Only then did Pierrick and his men follow suit. The tense standoff defused.
Zeke passed by Caitlin and Sebastian without a word, giving them only a brief glance before striding straight toward Pierrick’s camp.
He stopped before Samir, who was being held by two guards. Samir was visibly enraged, struggling against their grip.
“You prisoner! How the hell did you escape?!”
Zeke didn’t answer. Instead, he drove a brutal punch into Samir’s face. Blood gushed from Samir’s nose and mouth.
Without hesitation, Zeke followed with a hard kick to Samir’s gut, unleashing a flurry of strikes until Samir crumpled under the blows.
Only then did Zeke remove his blood–stained white gloves, tossing them aside. He turned to address everyone.
“This man attacked me, impersonated me, and almost caused a disaster. He’s a traitor, plain and simple!”
The members of Shadow Moon Pavilion were stunned. One by one , they turned on Samir with hatred in their eyes.
“I’m not the traitor–you are! You-” Samir tried to speak but was immediately cut off by Pierrick, who landed a punch square on his jaw.
And then it happened–Pierrick, along with the deputy commanders, began to beat him mercilessly.
To them, Samir was nothing but a power–hungry impostor.
By the time they stopped, Samir was collapsed on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth, unable to even lift his head.
Zeke turned to Sebastian and said, “Due to this betrayal within our ranks, today’s exchange couldn’t proceed as planned. I propose we reschedule.”
Sebastian nodded. “Agreed.”
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Their eyes met in mutual understanding Zeke tuned to his people agais
Clear the way. Let them go.”
Immediately, Shadow Moon Pavilion forces stepped aside, forming a path Caitlin, Sebastian, and the others retreated safely, leaving the tree fare hostages behind. Xavi, now stabilized, was carried off with them.
Back in the forest clearing. Zelo remained to deal with the aftermath
To secure his authority, he raised his voice to the gathered members.
“From now on, no one is to act without my direct order. Disobedience, doubt, or slander against my position will be punished without mercy.”
“Yes, sir! We obey, Deputy Leader!”
One by one, the members of Shadow Moon Pavilion pledged their loyalty again.
Samir, now lying in a pool of blood, watched Zeke reestablish control. Panic flickered in his eyes. He tried to speak, but only coughed up more blood.
Pierrick stepped forward, concern still lingering. “With the exchange canceled, do we still have a chance to get the codex?”
Zeke gave a slight smile. “Why wouldn’t we? We still have the real hostages, don’t we?”
“Yes. Good thing we used decoys today, or we would’ve been completely outplayed.”
Pierrick was proud of their foresight. He didn’t notice the flash of coldness in Zeke’s gaze.
“You’ve done well. When we return, I’ll inform my father–you’ve earned great merit.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Zeke added casually, “But until we have the codex, don’t contact my father. He’s busy negotiating with the royal family. No need to bother him unt
succeed.”
“Understood.”
With that, Pierrick barked orders. “Take the traitor with us for punishment.”
“Yes, sir!”
The group gathered up the three fake hostages and the barely conscious Samir, then marched out of Bear Mountain. Zeke followed.
At the foot of the mountain.
Caitlin, Sebastian, and the others had already returned to their vehicles. Sebastian immediately arranged for Xavi to be rushed to the hospital, with Zinnia by his side.
The rest of them climbed into the convoy and headed back to the city.
On the road, Sebastian gently took Caitlin’s hand “That was close. Thankfully, Xavi only took a minor hit.”
“All thanks to Zeke, arriving just in time.”
“You predicted he’d come, didn’t you?”
“I did. He sent me another message right before we left–he said he’d landed.”
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That message was the final push Caitlin needed to go through with the exchange. Everything Zeke had done had not been it aid
Once back in the city, Caitlin and Sebastian went straight to the hospital.
Outside the emergency room. Zinnia waited anxiously, clearly distressed,
“How’s he doing?” Caitlin asked gently.
“The doctors are still treating his wounds. We have to wait a bit longer,” Zinnia replied, guilt weighing on her. “If I’d been more alert, this never would e happened.”
“Don’t blame yourself. You’re safe, and that’s what matters. Xavi did what he did because he wanted to. Just take care of him when he wakes up
“I will.”
Soon, the doctor emerged from the emergency room, and they rushed over.
“The wound was deep and reached the lung, but we’ve stabilized it. He’ll need rest and monitoring.”
“Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much.”
Not long after, Xavi was wheeled into a recovery room. Zinnia stayed with him. Caitlin and Sebastian left to take care of other urgent matters.
At Zeke’s private estate.
Upon returning, Zeke’s first order was to have Samir locked up.
Samir had never imagined his ambitions would end so abruptly. His rise hadn’t even begun before it crumbled.
He and Zeke had completely switched places. Now it was he who was chained and thrown behind bars.
He refused to accept this. Struggling against his restraints, he shouted after Pierrick.
“You’re all being fooled! Zeke is the real traitor! He’s conspiring with Caitlin and Sebastian! He framed our leader! Zorro saw through him long ago!”
Pierrick stopped, frowning. “Why should I believe you?”
“Call the leader! Talk to him yourself! He’ll tell you everything I said is true!”
Samir was desperate. If someone would just call Zorro, the truth would finally come out…
AD
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