Chapter 553
Sirens echoed in the distance, growing louder. Soon, police units and the royal guard arrived from both directions, finally putting an end to the chaos that had unfolded around the club. Prince Magnus was quickly escorted to the hospital for emergency treatment.
Sanctis police took over the scene, managing the wounded and deceased, while survivors inside the club were temporarily relocated and prepared for questioning.
The attack on the prince was immediately reported to the royal family. King Leif VI and Queen Heather were both stunned and outraged. Orders were given for a full–scale investigation to hunt down the remaining attackers and bring them to justice.
After completing their statements at the scene, Caitlin and her team were allowed to return to the hotel. The night’s events felt surreal–like something out of an action movie–but every second had been real.
Mikkel’s death was the most regrettable part. Just as they were finally getting close to a solid lead, it had slipped through their fingers, and now, following up would be much harder.
The next morning, Caitlin was finishing up her disguise when she heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, a young man stood outside–someone she didn’t recognize at first glance.
He wore a black hoodie, his bangs falling over his eyes in a casual, stylish mess. His overall look was rendy, laid–back, and charming–like one of those soft, puppy–eyed pretty boys straight out of a een drama.
You are…?”
The man didn’t speak. Instead, he pulled a rose from behind his back and held it out to her.
Caitlin’s eyes flicked down to the ring on his finger–and suddenly it clicked.
“You… What are you doing here?”
‘Surprised?” he smirked.
The man stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and swept her into his arms.
“Hey! Sebastian-” Caitlin tried to dodge his kiss, gently pushing him away. “I’m not your wife right
now,”
“Mm, I know. And I’m not your husband either. Call me Jason.”
Sebastian had missed her too much. Ever since Caitlin left, he hadn’t been able to relax. In the end, he changed his appearance and identity just to come find her.
Her carefully done makeup was quickly ruined as the “puppy dog” refused to let go. They tangled
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together, teasing and cuddling, until finally they calmed down and cleaned themselves up again.
When they stepped into the hallway, they ran straight into James, who was just coming out of his
room.
James froze.
His sister was with a guy he’d never seen before–a younger man who looked suspiciously close.
Too close.
He walked over with narrowed eyes, glaring at the stranger. “Who’s this?”
He’s-”
Before Caitlin could explain, Sebastian reached out and squeezed her waist mischievously. Then, with a wicked grin, he introduced himself.
Hi. I’m Jason.”
He had altered his voice slightly, and with the makeup and styling, James didn’t recognize him at ll. Just as Sebastian leaned in and kissed Caitlin on the cheek, James’s expression froze.
Was his sister… cheating?
With a pretty boy?
Did this mean Sebastian got cheated on?
ames had long since accepted Sebastian as a solid brother–in–law. Now seeing this random guy ouch his sister like that, he snapped. He grabbed Sebastian by the collar.
Are you out of your mind? You think you can just hit on her like that? Who the hell do you think
you are?”
I don’t just think about it,” Sebastian said smugly. “I’ve already slept with her.”
James lost it and pulled his fist back, ready to strike–but Caitlin caught his arm just in time.
‘Relax! It’s Sebastian. He’s joking.”
“What?”
James took a harder look. The guy didn’t look like Sebastian at first, but the eyes… the height…
The more he looked, the more it made sense.
“…Seriously?” he muttered, annoyed. “You think that’s funny?”
“Extremely,” Sebastian said, wrapping his arm around Caitlin and laughing.
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James shook his head, speechless. Who the hell plays a prank so hard they “pretend to be their wife’s side piece*?
“Alright, let’s go. We’ve got a hospital visit to make,” Caitlin reminded them, moving things along.
They headed to the hospital to visit Federico, who had already woken up and was doing well.
Ashfall and the others immediately noticed the new face with Caitlin.
“This is Jason,” Caitlin said casually. “A friend. He’s one of us.”
“Nice to meet you, Jason.” Ashfall shook his hand and added, “Did you hear about the attack last night? The whole city’s talking about it.”
“Yeah, we were there. Saw everything,” Caitlin answered before Sebastian could.
She had already updated Sebastian on what had happened. In his mind, coming here had been the right call. With chaos like that happening out of nowhere, who knew what tomorrow might bring? He needed to be with her–always.
“Do you think the attack was aimed at you guys?” Federico asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Caitlin replied. “Pretty sure it was targeted at Prince Magnus. He was badly injured last night.”
“What? That wasn’t in the news,” Ashfall said, skeptical.
‘Of course not. If people found out a prince was shot in public, it would cause panic. They’d keep it quiet.
The others nodded in agreement.
Caitlin turned her attention to Federico. “How are you feeling now? Still uncomfortable?”
‘Not really. I’m okay.”
He was still weak from the stomach pumping and treatment, but knowing it got him out of last night’s royal entanglement, he figured it was worth it.
“But I heard the police are investigating your poisoning,” Ashfall said. “What if they find something?”
Only a handful of people knew the truth: Caitlin had deliberately used a very small amount of cyanide–just enough to simulate a real emergency without being lethal.
“It’s unlikely they’ll figure it out,” she said calmly. “Besides, with the shooting last night, all available manpower is tied up. By the time they circle back to this case, we’ll be long gone.”
While they were chatting, royal representatives arrived at the hospital to officially visit Federico.
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Federico, despite feeling a lot better, put on his best ‘sick and dying‘ face for the royal envoys. After the formalities, they left.
With that done, Caitlin, Sebastian, and the team turned their focus back to the mission–finding her mother.
Mikkel was dead, but through other sources, they tracked down the previous owner of the Flowerstone Tower: a man named Tobias, formerly a doctor.
They followed the lead and eventually learned that Tobias now ran a rehabilitation clinic on the outskirts of Sanctis, near the border of another district.
As they arrived at the facility–Sanctis Institute for Rehabilitation and Research–something strange was already happening.
“Why are there so many people over there?”
“Looks like something happened!”
“Let’s go check it out.”
No one knew what was going on yet, but everyone instinctively started rushing toward the front entrance of the clinic.