Chapter 561

The speedboat slid into the harbor of a modest coastal settlement, its hull knocking gently against the wooden pier.

The sailor remained behind, stationed watchfully at the vessel, while Kayce guided Hannah along the stone-laid walkway that led up from the dock.

The little seaside town stretched in simple lines along the shore, its inhabitants dressed with unadorned plainness.

The first stop Kayce made was at a narrow-fronted pharmacy, where he purchased medicine intended to ease allergic reactions.

Hannah trailed a few steps after him, her eyes darting restlessly, marking the direction of alleyways and hidden turns. She forced her breathing steady,scanning for any opening that could grant her a chance to escape. Once they secured the medication for allergies, they continued to walk ahead.

Pausing deliberately before a vendor's stall stacked with bright fruits and crisp vegetables, Hannah plucked up a bunch of leafy greens, feigning fascination. "These look so fresh!" she declared with forced enthusiasm.

Kayce cast her an indifferent glance, grunted in response, and pressed onward without halting his stride.

Hannah's pulse thundered with nervous urgency. Her eyes followed Kayce's broad shoulders as he pushed into the gathering crowd, never once turning to confirm she remained behind him.

The moment had arrived. She tossed the bundle back upon the stall and slipped sideways into a narrow, shadowed passage, sprinting the other way with desperate speed. Her mind shrieked a single command, "Run!"

Yet, just as she rounded the next corner, heart leaping at the thought of freedom, she crashed straight into Kayce. "Planning to slip away?" His voice was unnervingly composed, smooth as still water.

Color drained from Hannah's face. Forcing herself into steadiness, she stepped back, shaking her head vehemently. "No, not at all! I only thought perhaps the vegetables were cheaper over there, so I wanted to compare."

Kayce's derisive snort cut through her excuse."Save your lies.You think I don't know Alfredo's allergy was your doing?"

Hannah's chest seized in startled panic, yet she shot back with heated denial, "That's not true!"

"Still denying?" Kayce's eyes hardened into steel."Seafood never runs short aboard, but in those patties you whipped up, the shrimp were scarcely present-yet somehow, just enough to spark his reaction. That wasn't chance. It was deliberate calculation." Hannah felt stripped bare, every defense crumbling,cold perspiration spreading across her spine. Her gaze flickered instinctively to a jagged stone lying near her feet, mind racing through the odds of seizing it and fighting her way free.

Kayce's sharp eyes caught her subtle eye movement,and he allowed her no chance. With sudden force, he brought his heel down upon the stone, shattering it into fine powder with a violent crack.

Hannah froze, horror widening her eyes, icy dread curling up her body. That strength-no human should possess it.

"You cannot flee," Kayce said evenly, withdrawing his foot as if the act meant nothing.

Cornered, Hannah shifted tactics. HHer eyes welled instantly, her voice trembling as she pleaded through tears, "Kayce, I beg you-let me go! I can pay you.Once I'm free, I'll transfer you more than enough to live in ease all your life."

A sardonic curl touched his lips. "Money? What is that supposed to be? It means nothing to me."

"Then what do you want? Power? Influence?Something else? If it lies within my reach, I'll secure it for you-just look the other way, please! Pretend you never saw me." Her desperation cracked through every word.

Kayce's head tilted slightly, pity glinting faintly beneath his stern expression. "And if I release you,do you think Brixton will spare me? He does not care how the task is carried out-only that it is finished.Losing you would seal my fate in death."

Hannah brushed her tears aside, regaining her composure. "So there's no path left? None at all?"

Kayce studied her sorrow in silence before his voice shifted unexpectedly. "Brixton hasn't treated you badly. In fact, he favors you above the rest. Why are you so bent on fleeing?"

Her reply rang with unyielding clarity. "Because I refuse to live under chains, tossed about with no control! I want to go home! I want to be with the one l love!"

"Home..." Kayce echoed, his eyes dimming with a faraway haze. Upon his battle-worn, indifferent features, a fleeting loneliness surfaced. "It's been years since I heard that word."

Sensing his vulnerability, Hannah's tone softened,almost coaxing. "Don't you long for home too?"

The moment shattered as his gaze hardened once more. "I have no such thing."

Silence fell between them.

After some time, Kayce shifted the conversation.

"You carry some compassion for Alfredo."

Hannah nodded with candor. "He's still a child, pure and kind. I couldn't harm him outright. But yes-l used him." She felt guilty toward Alfredo's allergic reactions.

Conflicted shadows crossed Kayce's face, as though he wrestled with a decision too heavy to speak aloud.Lowering his tone to a murmur only she could hear, he asked, "Do you truly crave escape that badly?"

Without hesitation, Hannah answered, "Yes."

His gaze drilled into her. "Then give me one promise.

If you break free, take another with you."

Her breath caught. "Who?"

"Alfredo."