Chapter 198 - Stake His Claim

Up on the penthouse floor of Rockaway Tower, Maxen was in the middle of a briefing with Wyatt and his team regarding the entrapment of Lance Go.

He held the meeting in Rockaway Tower, considering it was one of the safest places that Maxen could meet other people, as one would have to go through a needle's head before one could reach the topmost floor.

Sitting by the grand area on Olivia's side of the penthouse were Maxen, Wyatt, and a few decorated generals in their uniform.

This side of the penthouse floor was renovated as Maxen and Olivia's space to receive and entertain guests while they used the other half, which used to belong to Maxen, as the couple's private space.

Even with the sun gleaming through the floor to ceiling window, the atmosphere in the room was dark and heavy, and it showed in the expression of each person that was present.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, gentlemen," Maxen said and shook hands with each person in the room.

It was a last-minute invitation from him, but every higher-up in the military that he summoned cleared their schedule to accommodate his request.

Earlier, while taking a bath, Maxen had a eureka moment. It was his idea to lure the rat out from its hiding place by spreading the news of a body being found in the forest where the fugitive, Lance Go, was last seen.

If Maxen's intuition was right that Lance would grab the diversion as a chance for the latter to attack the royal family, then the possible places he would check out first would be either one of the official residences of the royals.

He regarded everyone, darting his eye from one soul to another, and took a sharp breath to compose himself. He then gestured to the kitchen and smiled. "Please help yourselves too."

Across the room, by the kitchen, a spread of pastries and a coffee nook was sitting on the kitchen island for the team's disposal. However, the men and women ignored it and dove into business in an instant, not wasting their precious time.

Before they knew it, it was already lunchtime, and the pastries deflated from its usually puffy form because it had been hours since it was last touched by a soul.

Everyone was busy discussing in the center of the room where the sofa and coffee table were.

Scattered on the table were doc.u.ments about Lance and his one and only living blood-relative, which was his mother. But no matter how deep they dug into their past, they couldn't find any dirt on the mother and son.

The team was wondering why he suddenly targeted the royal family when there was nothing that would link him to the Suis, all except for that one night when Maxen gave him a lesson for speaking derogatory words about Olivia.

The group was taking a small break when Wyatt scoffed and questioned Maxen, "Why did you let Olivia out when you knew Lance was wandering around?"

Maxen's brows furrowed. He didn't think Lance would go after Olivia, but now that Wyatt mentioned it, he suddenly wanted to bang his head on the wall.

Suddenly feeling confident, Maxen blurted, "Don't underestimate my wife. She can take anyone down on her own."

"It's not the perfect time to be c.o.c.ky, Maxen," Wyatt reminded Maxen and his voice was stern.

"I'm not. Do you think I would let her roam around if I didn't teach her the basics? She's more than what you think she's capable of."

"Last time I checked, she doesn't know how to hold a gun."

Maxen grunted. What Wyatt said about Olivia was true. "That was before I trained her how to protect herself. And her security team is tight so there is nothing that you should be worried about."

Wyatt paused. His green eyes almost disappeared behind his eyelids as it narrowed in on Maxen.

He didn't want to doubt the prince's word but based on how he saw Olivia hold the gun last time, chances of her shooting someone successfully would need to happen at a close range.

"How did you teach her? How to pull a trigger?"

Maxen scratched the skin above his eyebrow. "About that…"

"I was right."

"Never underestimate Olivia. I wouldn't let her out if I know she couldn't protect herself."

Everyone was in sync and followed the standard procedure of ushering Maxen inside the panic room in a calm yet rushed manner.

Meanwhile, down in Olivia's decoy apartment, a pair of eyes hiding in the shadows followed her as she entered her bedroom. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a bead of sweat dribbled from his temple down to his neck, soaking his black shirt.

He had a mission today, and his breathing labored as he felt the end of the race closing in on him.

Like a predator in the wild, he waited patiently for the perfect time to pounce on his prey and stake his claim.

He watched as Olivia walked in the devil's lair—alone and clueless—and adrenaline roared in his veins, his heartbeat ramming in his ribcage was music to his ears.

Olivia, on the other hand, didn't pause or blinked as she stepped inside the bedroom, although she knew she wasn't alone upon entering the space.

She knew that smell. It was the scent she called home for years. She even went as far as diluting it with water when Lance was asleep because even with her pleas, he still wore it knowing Olivia's keen sense of smell.

If she was nervous, it didn't show in her face or in her body language. Like she always did, she left the bedroom door ajar and headed to the ensuite. Her footsteps were light and airy even when she felt her heart drop to her stomach in a plop.

Once she got inside the bathroom, she checked her phone one more time and the 'No Service' sign on the screen mocked her to no end.