CHAPTER 49

We quickly arrived at Helios' mansion, and there I saw the lifeless bodies of Perses' men scattered across the floor. Blood was everywhere, staining the ground. I got off Helios' motorcycle and scanned the surroundings, searching for a place to climb up and get a better view of what was happening inside.

"Come here. I'll show you a spot where you can position yourself. One of Perses' men usually climbs up here to scout since it gives a wide view," Helios said.

"Where?" I asked.

"Follow me," he replied swiftly.

I followed him quickly, and we reached a tall guardhouse. He helped me climb the stairs, and as soon as I got to the top, a loud gunshot from the mansion made me whip my head around. Helios and I exchanged startled glances before I gestured for him to go back down.

"Take care. I'll stay here and keep watch, don't worry. Go help Atlas and Oceanus inside. It looks like there might still be some of Perses' men in the mansion," I told him.

"Okay," he replied.

He took hold of my hand and, without warning, stole a kiss from my lips. I didn't stop him—I wanted it just as much. But he didn't stop there, he brought my hand to his lips and pressed a tender kiss against the back of it, like he wasn't ready to let go just yet.

"Keep your earpiece line open so you can hear us if we need you," he added before walking away.

I just nodded, choosing not to say anything so I could focus on hiding properly. I positioned my sniper rifle, peered through the scope, and scanned the entirety of the mansion.

The place was eerily quiet, with no sign of Perses' remaining men. Was that it? Were all his men lying lifeless on the ground, and no one else was left?

My forehead creased as I heard a rustling sound behind me. I quickly grabbed my Glock 45, spun around, and fired several shots when I turned to face the source of the noise.

I heard a loud crash, as if something heavy had fallen. Peering down, I saw a man lying lifeless, his body riddled with bullet wounds. I shook my head and refocused on the scope of my rifle.

My ear caught the sound of Atlas' voice through the earpiece.

"Hexia, we need long-range support. Perses is heading toward the backyard. Aim for one of his legs to slow him down," he instructed.

"Copy," I replied swiftly.

Grabbing my gear, I hurriedly descended from the guardhouse. Confident that most of Perses' men were dead, I moved with determination, breaking into a sprint toward the sprawling backyard of the Zevallos mansion.

As I reached the wide-open area, I furrowed my brow upon spotting Atlas, Oceanus, and Helios chasing Perses not far from the yard. I placed the metal bipod grip of my sniper rifle against a fence, its height just enough to allow a clear view through my scope.

I watched them through the scope, tracking their pursuit. Taking a deep breath, I lined up the crosshair of my sniper on Perses' leg. He was already limping, his injured leg slowing him down, but he still managed to move quickly despite his condition. Once I had a clear shot, I pulled the trigger.

Through the scope, I saw him stumble and collapse to the ground.

"Sweet," I muttered under my breath. "You're not escaping now—"

"There you are. I've been looking for you. No wonder Atlas' group is missing one—you're here."

I couldn't finish my thought as someone grabbed me by the hair, yanking me backward. My sniper rifle slipped from my hands. A startled gasp escaped me as the man dragged me toward the mansion by my hair.

"What's going on, Hexia?" I heard Oceanus' voice over the earpiece.

I couldn't respond, too busy trying to figure out a way to free myself from the grip of the man hauling me.

"Let me go!" I shouted, my voice laced with anger.

Reaching down, I grabbed my Glock 45, but he quickly snatched my wrist and squeezed it with such force that I dropped the gun. He kicked it away, sending it skidding across the floor, leaving me with no choice but to rely on my close-combat skills.

I shifted my hand to his, the one holding my hair, and grabbed his fingers. With a sharp twist, I bent one of them backward with all my strength.

"Fuck!" he screamed in pain.

He let go of my hair, and I quickly stood up. His face twisted in pain as he looked at me. He was broad-shouldered, his dark eyes filled with rage, glaring intensely at me.

"Hexia! I'm coming to you!" I heard Helios shout through the earpiece.

"No!" I yelled back. "I'll handle this." My eyes stayed locked on the man in front of me.

I thought we had taken out all of Perses' men here, but it seemed one had managed to survive. I braced myself for his next move, and just as I expected, he charged straight at me.

I ran forward to meet him head-on. He threw a punch, which I managed to dodge. Using my forearm, I blocked each blow. The strikes were painful, but I endured them—they felt no worse than Oceanus' punches, and to be honest, Oceanus might have hit harder than this guy.

"Done?" I asked him, panting.

My question only seemed to enrage him further. His glare darkened, and without saying a word, he lunged at me again. I sidestepped and jabbed his arm before grabbing his head and slamming my forehead into his. Pain shot through my skull, but I ignored it.

He groaned in pain and stumbled back. I didn't give him a chance to recover and followed up with a powerful punch to his face. He couldn't react quickly enough as I launched a flurry of fast punches.

That's the weakness of big guys like him—they're slow. Their size makes them sluggish, even if they pack a lot of power.

"Thought we wiped all of you out, but here you are," I growled, my voice dripping with anger as I kept striking his face.

I drove my elbow into his nose, hearing a faint crack that I guessed came from the bone breaking. He didn't respond, and his silence only made me angrier. I grabbed his hair and slammed his head against the white tiles of Helios' mansion floor.

"Answer me!" I shouted, slamming his head repeatedly.

Still, there was no reply. My chest heaved as I finally stood up, looking down at him. He had lost consciousness from the beating.

I turned and walked away without a second glance.

"Asshole," I muttered under my breath, shaking my head as I left the mansion to find Atlas.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Stop running, Perses. No matter what you do, you won't escape. Every possible hiding spot and escape route is already secured by us," Atlas said firmly as he arrived at our position.

I frowned at his words, still catching my breath, one hand clutching my chest. I had run quite a distance from Perses' mansion to here.

"Hexia," I heard Helios call my name.

"Hey," I replied softly as I approached him.

My eyes widened when I found myself wrapped in his arms, his soft lips pressing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"Yuck," Oceanus suddenly remarked.

I quickly pulled away from Helios' embrace and shot Oceanus a sharp glare. He merely whistled nonchalantly, ignoring my reaction.

Together, we moved closer to Perses, who was now slumped against a tree, sitting on the grass. He was gasping for air, his clothes filthy and stained with dirt and blood. Pain was etched across his face, evident from the gunshot wounds on both his legs. Blood continued to seep from the injuries, pooling on the ground beneath him.

"We'll wait until Cronus finds out that you're one of the traitors he's been searching for," I said coldly, glaring at him. "Then he'll have you nailed to the wall in Sanctuario Seguro. You've been playing it too safe for too long, Perses."

Instead of looking afraid, Perses burst out laughing, his voice ringing out around us. Despite the fear visible in his eyes, he managed to project a facade of bravado.

"End this madness, Perses," Helios said from beside me. "You've spun too many lies to manipulate me, and it's time to stop."

"No!—Ah!" Perses cried out in a trembling voice when Helios pressed his foot against one of his wounds.

"You lied to me, Perses. Everything I ever believed about you was a lie," Helios said, his voice cold and emotionless.

"You're so ungrateful, Helios! After everything I've done for you, this is what I get in return? I should've just abandoned you—ah!"

"Don't you dare speak that way to my son, especially while I'm standing right here in front of you, Perses!" Atlas roared, his voice filled with anger. "You have no right to talk to him like that!"

Atlas stepped closer, his tone a menacing growl. "If you say another word like that to him, Perses, you'll have to deal with me, Dante Marquis Zevallos. And trust me, you won't like what happens next."

Perses' eyes were full of anger, then he suddenly laughed like a crazy person in front of us. He smirked as he looked back and forth between Helios and Atlas, his face showing nothing but bad intentions.

"You think I'm the only one at fault here?" Perses said, chuckling darkly. His gaze shifted to Helios, who stood with furrowed brows and a glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

"Why don't you ask yourself why it took so long for you to meet your father?" Perses sneered. "You don't even know that he hurt you far worse than I ever did. You should be thanking me for stepping in as your parent! Because that so-called father of yours abandoned you and left you with me!"

SHANGPU